Nights in the city of "Virenhalm" never begin abruptly. Between the end of day and the arrival of night, there is always a long breath clouds sinking low and settling over the buildings, streetlights trembling in a dull yellow glow, as if something inside the city walls is slowly waking up. That night was no different. When the sea wind slipped into the city, it carried no scent of salt. Instead, it brought the uneasy smell of old iron and damp concrete. Everyone knew rain was coming. But it was as if even the city hadn't decided when the sky hung suspended in a prolonged silence.
It was within that silence that the dream began.
At first,,
it didn't feel like a dream. There was cold on the ground not comforting, not sharp, but a pressure that crept through the body. The legs wouldn't move. The hands couldn't be seen. Vision was blurred, yet not dark. A yellowish light scattered from the center of the room, as if leaking outward. The walls didn't feel like they were closing in, yet there was a sense that the space itself was shrinking. The air carried weight. Every breath pressed down on the chest, refusing to move freely.
Then came the sound,,Wet footsteps on a corridor floor.
Someone was walking. Slowly. Deliberately. Not running. Not hiding. As if he knew there was no need to chase anything here.
As the sound drew closer, the vision sharpened. The floor. No red. No blood. And yet, the ground itself seemed to whisper that something had happened here thin gouged lines, marks like fingernails dragged across the surface. On the wall, a handprint was stamped. The number of fingers was right. But they weren't long. Instead, they looked unnaturally shortened, as if crushed inward.
"Don't make a sound."!!!
The words didn't come from outside. Not into the ears. They rose from within.
Breath tightened. The body lying on the floor couldn't open its eyes. But it knew he was close now. The air changed. Warmth. Human warmth. That unsettling heat that exists when someone stands far too near.
Then a touch.,Not pain. That was what made it terrifying.
Where pain should have been, there was emptiness. At the place where fingers touched, there was no certainty whether the body still existed or not. In the center of the chest, right where the breath lived, it felt as if something had been taken away. No knife. No wound. And yet the chest was hollow. When air moved inward, there was nothing for it to meet.
The voice returned,,,,!!
"You don't need this." The vision shifted.
A mirror. Old, slightly cracked. What reflected wasn't a face. It was a shadow. A human shape but without eyes. Without a mouth. At the center of its chest, a black stain deep, moving, alive.The shadow lifted its head,It looked.That was when the sound came.A strangled breath. A woman's breath, broken by fear.
Then,,,,,rain
One drop,Then another, And then the entire world shattered into sound.
Serene" Shinova "jolted upright in bed, gasping for air...,
The room was dark—but not the darkness of the dream. This was her room familiar walls the dull glow of streetlight seeping in through the window. Her chest rose and fell violently. Hands trembling. Fingers curling and uncurling here. Her body was entirely here.But in her chest… something felt missing.
She pressed a hand there her heartbeat was strong no pain. No wound yet the memory of that hollow space remained It refused to fade.
The rain began.,,,
Virenhalm finally exhaled. The sound of rain striking buildings grew louder. Streets soaked the scent of night thickened.
"Again… that dream." Her own voice sounded foreign to her.
!! Bzzz!! phone vibrating,A name on the screen.
"Nancy Grace."
"Shino?" her voice shook on the other end,
"Did you… did you have the dream?"
Shino looked out the window. The city drowned in rain. Somewhere in the distance, a siren police Or an ambulance.
"I did," ,,,,,, "Again."
Silence on the other end then Nancy exhaled.
"Did you see the news?"
"No."
"Last night… someone…"The words failed her.
Shino closed her eyes the room from the dream. The mirror the emptiness in the chest.
"Where?"
"Near the dock area. A young woman. She… her " stopped!!,
"Shino… the body wasn't completely damaged. But… something was wrong."
her fingers tightened ""I'm coming.""
As she rose from the bed, the mirror in the corner of the room caught her attention. For a moment just a fraction too long her reflection seemed delayed.
Then it was normal again.
She turned away grabbed her coat. Opened the door,,
Virenhalm was waiting for her.Behind her, the room fell silent once more.
Only the mirror… lingered a little longer… watching....,