I sneezed suddenly and turned to the other side, my eyes still closed, my body heavy as if I had been dragged out of a long, restless sleep. My chest rose and fell slowly. Then it happened—I perceived a familiar cologne. Faint, almost distant, but unmistakable. My brows knitted together.
Slowly, carefully, I opened my eyes.
The ceiling above me came into view first. White. Plain. Familiar.
My heart skipped.
I turned my head slightly, then more fully, my eyes scanning the room. The curtains. The desk. The chair by the window. My bed. My window was open, the soft morning breeze brushing against my skin.
It was my room.
I sat up abruptly, my breath hitching. For a moment, dizziness washed over me, forcing me to steady myself by gripping the edge of the mattress. My eyes darted around again, disbelief tightening my chest.
I was back.
I gently raised my hands in front of me, studying them closely. My fingers. My palms. I flexed them slowly, as if expecting something—anything—to happen. Nothing did.
I rushed to the mirror.
My reflection stared back at me, wide-eyed and confused. There were faint traces of dirt on my face, like remnants of something. I turned on the tap and washed my face, splashing cold water against my skin until the fog in my head eased slightly.
Coming out of the bathroom, I stood in the middle of my room, turning in a slow circle.
My room.
My bed.
My life—unchanged.
But my memory was not.
"How did I get here?" I whispered to myself.
No matter how hard I tried, my mind refused to answer. My last memory felt like a torn page—edges burned, words missing.
I pressed my fingers against my temple, knocking lightly as if my memories were trapped somewhere inside.
Think.
My last memory was… was—
I winced as a dull ache pulsed through my head.
"Yes," I muttered. "I was with that man."
The man who said he would restore my powers.
The man who locked me away and told me I would sleep for a week.
But after that?
Nothing.
No return journey. No goodbye. No pain. No healing. Just darkness—and then this.
"Is everything done?" I asked the empty room.
Suddenly restless, I rushed out of my room and walked straight to Jan's door. It wasn't locked. My heart beat faster as I lifted my hand and tapped gently.
"Jan?" I called.
The door opened almost immediately—and Jan stumbled backward as if she had seen a ghost. Her eyes widened, and she instinctively looked away from my face.
"Jan," I said again, stepping inside her room. "How did we get here?"
She didn't answer right away.
Her silence made my chest tighten.
"And the man," I continued quickly, "the one who said he would bring back my powers—what happened to him? I can't remember anything after that."
Jan slowly turned to look at me. There was shock in her eyes. Fear, too. Something else I couldn't place.
She stepped closer and gently touched my neck, as if checking something invisible.
"You mean… you can't remember anything?" she asked quietly.
"No," I replied immediately. "I can't. I remember him locking me up. I remember him saying I would sleep for one week. That's all. Jan, what happened?"
She hesitated.
"Well… the thing is…" she began, her words uneven. "Something happened. Someone broke in there. They disturbed the process. And—and you dozed off. Yes. That's it."
I frowned. "I did?"
She nodded slowly, her eyes fixed on my face as if she were searching for cracks.
"Was it Raven?" I asked suddenly. "Was he the one who disturbed it?"
Jan's lips parted slightly. After a moment, she nodded.
My heart sank.
I sat down on her bed, the weight of frustration pressing into my shoulders. "That's why I need my powers back, Jan. So I can finally see him for who he truly is."
I lifted my head and looked at her. "I hope Minho is not hurt."
Jan blinked. Confusion flickered across her face.
"Min—yes," she said after a pause. "Minho is okay."
I stood up and began pacing the room, my thoughts racing. "Jan, what should I do? How can we keep living like this? How do we get rid of Raven for good?"
She turned slowly toward me. "You want us to get rid of him?"
I didn't answer immediately.
The silence stretched between us, heavy and deliberate. Then I nodded.
"Yes," I said firmly. "If our lives are constantly in danger because of him—because he keeps showing up, manipulating things—then we should end it. Once and for all."
Jan smiled slowly. Not happily. Not cruelly. Just… knowingly.
"Okay," she said. "Then we'll do that."
"But first," I added, stopping in front of her, "I need to meet him."
Jan's smile faltered slightly.
"I need to tell him I know his games," I continued. "He needs to know I'm not the weak girl he thought I was. Not anymore."
Without waiting for her response, I turned and walked out of the room.
As I stepped back into the hallway, my heart pounded—not with fear, but with resolve.
Somewhere deep inside me, something stirred.
Something unfinished.
Something waiting.
And whether Raven liked it or not—
I was done being confused.