---
External POV
After that admission, her father gave her that smile she knew so well.
The one that confirmed without needing words.
Tears immediately welled up in Avery's eyes.
— You're right… I really am dead.
But I'm also really here, right now.
Avery shook her head slightly, unsettled.
— No… you're not.
This has to be… some kind of dream. My subconscious…
I just remembered us, that's all…
She tapped her thighs nervously, as if trying to anchor herself in something real.
— And who says it's a dream?
She looked up at him, disbelieving.
— What else could it be?
I thought of you… and I imagined you. Like I usually do.
A silence.
— Usually?
His voice was calm. Too calm.
— Yes…
Like a few days ago… at the hospital.
I thought I saw you.
She paused, her gaze wavering.
— And then… in that dream.
With that door… ridiculous… that gave me goosebumps.
And that faceless figure…
And… you told me to find something…
Her voice trailed off little by little.
— And are you certain… that those were only dreams?
Avery let out a short, nervous laugh.
— What else could they be?
Messages you're sending me from beyond?
A silence.
Then—
— And what if that were the case?
His smile stretched slightly.
Enigmatic.
Avery shook her head.
— I know you always told me to keep my mind open…
But this… don't make me believe in impossible things.
Without realizing it, her hand slowly rose to her throat.
— No… that's not being…
— Possible?
He tilted his head slightly.
— What did I always tell you about the impossible?
Avery looked up at him.
— Nothing is truly impossible in this world…
What seems impossible to you can sometimes be real.
They said it almost in unison.
A disturbing echo.
— And yet… you keep refusing to see it.
After everything that's happened to you… you still doubt.
Avery hesitated.
— Mom… she…?
— What do you think?
A silence.
— I was sure of it…
Her gaze dropped slightly.
— Your mother has always been stubborn.
She never wanted to accept it.
— Accept what?
A slight shift passed through his eyes.
Something harder.
— That you are… exceptional.
The word landed.
Heavy.
Unsettling.
— Lauren always wanted to keep that part of you from blooming.
His hand rose.
Slid into Avery's hair.
A tender gesture.
Almost.
— From the moment she understood what you could become…
she wanted to lock you into that sickening image of being merely human.
His voice faltered slightly.
Without him noticing.
Avery stared at him.
— What am I…?
A silence.
Then—
— One of the most beautiful things I had been waiting for…
for a very long time.
A shiver ran up the back of her neck.
— What thing?
He stopped.
Abruptly.
— You are the—
Silence.
His expression changed.
Instantly, on seeing Avery's gaze fill with cold mistrust.
— What's wrong, sweetheart?
But this time—
it wasn't quite the same voice anymore.
Avery took a step toward him.
— What did you do?
he said, thrown off.
— What are you talking about… Dad?
She moved closer still.
And that's when—
something gave way.
His face warped.
Barely.
Not enough to vanish.
But enough that it was no longer her father's.
For just an instant.
Then—
Avery saw something else behind it.
A presence.
Ancient.
Cold.
A mist.
He looked at her again.
Truly.
— It's you.
A silence.
Avery held his gaze.
And this time—
she understood.
— I don't know who you are… or even what you are…
Her voice shook.
But she kept going.
— But my father would never have called my mother "Lauren."
A step backward.
— And the fact that you showed no reaction…
when I said I'd seen you at the hospital…
She inhaled with difficulty.
— had already tipped me off.
A silence.
Then—
a smile.
But almost more human this time.
— That's… extraordinary.
His voice changed.
Deeper.
Vaster.
Not just impressed…
but faintly unsettled.
— You haven't even awakened your abilities yet…
and still…
He stepped closer slightly.
— You managed to slip into my mind… for a fraction of a moment,
just enough to force me to reveal myself.
Avery stepped back.
Instinctively.
The figure before her warped completely.
The mist reclaimed its hold.
Unstable.
Alive.
— Since you managed to unmask me…
His voice now echoed everywhere.
— I'll address you… differently now, Avery.
The cold dropped all at once.
Her hands trembled.
— Where to begin…
— By telling me who you are.
Her voice was weak.
But firm.
— Where we are…
and what you want from me.
She swallowed hard.
— Even though… I think I already know the answer.
A silence.
Then—
— Who I am?
A faint laugh.
— I am… everything and nothing at once.
The mist rippled.
— And this place…
A shiver swept through the space.
— is nothing more than your own mind.
A beat.
— And what I want—
— is me, Avery finished.
— In part.
Its "eyes" lit up slightly.
— But mostly… what you possess.
Avery froze.
— What do I possess?
A silence.
Then—
— You don't think I'm foolish enough to answer that.
— You tried to kill me.
Her voice trembled.
— It's only fair I know why.
A silence.
Heavier.
— I never wanted to kill you.
A pause.
— At least… not yet.
The tone was sharp.
Icy.
— You strangled me.
— That wasn't me.
The mist pulsed.
— I… wanted to prepare you.
A step.
Invisible.
— For something far greater than your miserable existence.
His voice grew deeper.
Almost ancient.
— Something beyond comprehension.
A silence.
Then—
— But your parents…
The mist contracted.
— Those fools…
A low rumble vibrated through the space.
— Put a stop to what I intended to make of you.
— But in the end it's a good thing — you're more powerful than I imagined.
Then—
a smile.
Inhuman.
— Now let's get to serious matters.
The entity's mist thickened, as if it were about to swallow Avery whole.
The air grew heavier and colder by the second.
The cold seeped into every pore of Avery's skin, sinking into her lungs.
Into her skin.
Into her bones.
Avery tried to breathe—
Nothing.
Her throat locked up.
Her fingers clenched at empty air.
A dull pain exploded in her head.
As if something—
was trying to push in deeper.
To anchor itself.
To take hold.
— Breathe.
The voice.
Everywhere.
Inside her.
Avery shook her head violently.
— No…
One word.
Weak.
But real.
And for a fraction of a second—
something resisted.
The mist trembled.
Faintly.
Almost invisible.
Then—
everything vanished.
Abruptly.
At that same moment, Avery jolted upright in her bed.
Breath ragged.
Heart racing.
In the shadows—
something had just left her mind.
* I made a mistake in publishing the chapters *