Two days later, something worse happened.
Rayan woke up sweating.
His arm burned.
He looked down.
There were faint black lines under his skin.
Moving.
Like ink flowing through veins.
He rushed to the mirror.
The lines formed numbers.
3:33
Then they faded.
His breathing grew heavy.
He wasn't imagining this.
Something was marking him.
That evening, as the clock ticked closer to 3:33 PM again, his heart began racing automatically.
When it hit—
The world froze again.
But this time—
The sky turned dark gray.
Buildings looked cracked.
Like broken reflections.
The city was no longer normal.
It was distorted.
And the girl stood in front of him again.
"You're adapting faster than expected," she said quietly.
"Expected by who?" Rayan demanded.
She looked at the sky.
"They're watching."
The air trembled.
Rayan felt it.
Something massive.
Something ancient.
Looking down at him.
👁️
And it was not friendly.