I woke up in the evening, stretching my stiff body.
I hadn't slept properly in a long time.
But tonight…
My body felt relaxed.
Too relaxed.
I frowned as I slowly sat up, the blanket sliding down to my waist.
How did I even get home that afternoon?
I could remember walking back after my lectures.
That part was clear.
But after that—
Nothing.
A sharp pain throbbed through my head.
I pressed my fingers against my temple and squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to remember.
For a second, all I saw were flashes.
A strange blinding light.
Then everything went blank again.
I inhaled sharply and opened my eyes.
My chest tightened.
Something about it felt wrong.
Very wrong.
I reached for my phone on the drawer beside my bed, only to realize it was switched off.
I froze.
I didn't remember turning it off.
A strange uneasiness settled in my stomach.
I quickly plugged it in and waited impatiently for the screen to light up.
The moment it came on, notifications flooded in.
A text from Jane.
A missed call from Dave.
My brows furrowed.
I opened Jane's message first.
Are you okay? I didn't see you around after lecture.
I stared at the message for a few seconds before replying.
I had to return home earlier. I was too tired. I'm okay.
The lie came too easily.
Then I opened Dave's chat and tapped on the missed call.
I stared at the chat box.
You called.
I deleted it.
Why did you call?
Deleted again.
After a moment, I finally typed:
Hey, I saw your missed call. Why did you call?
His reply came almost immediately.
Nothing much. Just checking up on you. I didn't hear from you.
I stared at the message longer than I should have.
Before I could reply, Jane texted again.
Goodnight.
Yh, goodnight, I sent back.
Then I returned to Dave's chat.
Yh. I'm okay. I've just been sleeping throughout today… although I find it strange.
His response came quickly.
It's not strange. Maybe you were too exhausted.
I guess.
But something about that answer didn't sit right with me.
I dropped the phone on the bed and got up.
The house was quiet as I walked downstairs.
Mom was in the kitchen making dinner while Helen stood beside her, helping with the vegetables.
Dad sat in the living room, reading the newspaper like he always did.
Everything looked normal.
I opened the freezer, grabbed a bottle of cold water, and drank straight from it before walking over to sit beside Dad.
He looked up at me and smiled.
"You're awake."
"I guess," I muttered, rubbing the back of my hair.
Then I tried to sound casual.
"Dad… do you know how I got home today?"
He frowned slightly.
"You didn't go to school today, honey."
I blinked.
"I didn't?"
"No." He folded the newspaper and gave me a longer look. "You were in your room all day. Is something wrong?"
My chest tightened so suddenly it almost hurt.
I clearly remembered going to school.
"I'm okay," I said quickly. "Maybe I was just too tired."
But even to me, my voice didn't sound convincing.
Dad studied me for another second, then nodded slowly and returned to his paper.
I forced myself to act normal through dinner.
I barely tasted the food.
The moment I was done, I rushed back upstairs and shut my bedroom door.
Then I opened Jane's chat again.
She said she didn't see me.
I checked Dave's.
He said he didn't hear from me.
I stared at the screen, my breathing growing shallow.
If I didn't go to school…
Then why do I remember it?
I remembered waking up.
Getting dressed.
Leaving the house.
Walking through campus.
So where was I?
My fingers trembled as I typed another message to Dave.
Did you see me in school today?
His reply came almost instantly.
No.
My heart began to pound.
How am I the only one who remembers going?
I sat on my bed, staring at nothing.
The room suddenly felt too quiet.
Too still.
Something was wrong.
And I didn't know if the problem was the day—
Or me.
*******
"Why did you interfere with her fate?"
Gina's voice cut through the silence like a blade.
She strode toward Dylan, her eyes sharp with anger.
He stood before the silver throne, tall and unmoving, his expression unreadable.
His long hair resting peaceful on his back well tied up.
The moonlight spilling through the high crystal windows washed over the hall, turning the polished floor pale like frozen water.
"At this moment, we need her to regain her memories," Gina continued. "Not you locking them away."
"That was the safest option," Dylan replied.
His tone was calm.
Gina's eyes narrowed.
"Safe?"
Dylan's gaze remained fixed ahead, but his jaw tightened.
He had only intended to erase Clover's memory.
Only hers.
But due to a disturbing restriction he still did not fully understand, he had been unable to erase everything.
He had only managed to remove fragments.
And because that had not been enough, he had erased the memories of everyone who saw her that day.
A dangerous compromise.
A reckless one, perhaps.
But one he had chosen without hesitation.
"We don't know what the demons are planning," Dylan said. "The last thing we should do is expose her."
Gina folded her arms.
"And it's not as if she is from our world," she said coldly. "We shouldn't expect much from her. Our real concern should be the cracked barrier leading into the modern world."
Dylan finally turned to look at her.
His golden crimson eyes were hard.
"We are already in danger," Gina snapped before he could speak. "The clan is vulnerable. We need to convert her as soon as possible."
Dylan's jaw tightened further.
"It is not her duty."
Gina let out a humorless laugh.
"Duty? You still speak as though she has a choice."
"She does."
"And if the demons reach her first?" Gina demanded.
That made him go still.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Cold.
Dangerous.
Because the answer to Gina's question was one neither of them wanted to face.
*******
Deep Inside the Abyss
"The humans are too weak. Most of them are already giving up."
Zadek's voice echoed through the underground chamber as he walked beside General Kimdo.
The Abyss was alive with screams.
They seeped through the stone walls like smoke.
General Kimdo paced slowly around the prison corridor, his heavy boots striking against the damp floor.
"Have you injected them with the black poison?" he asked.
His voice was low.
Controlled.
Almost bored.
"Yes, General," Zadek replied. "But many of them cannot survive the first dose."
A scream tore through the corridor.
Raw.
Painful.
Inhuman.
Kimdo's lips curved faintly.
The air reeked of rotten blood, rusted iron, and something darker—
something sour and unnatural that clung to the lungs.
"Shut up!" a demon roared from inside one of the torture chambers.
A sharp crack followed as an iron rod struck flesh.
"Ahhh—!"
"Who told you to dodge?" the demon snarled.
A violent thud sounded.
Then the rattle of chains.
Kimdo stepped into the chamber.
The human on the floor barely looked human anymore.
His skin was split in several places.
His lips were torn and bloodied.
One eye was swollen shut, and his breathing came in broken, uneven gasps.
The chains around his wrists and ankles trembled from the force of his pain.
"How is this one doing?" General Kimdo asked calmly.
The demon in charge bowed slightly.
"He's stubborn. But stronger than the others."
Kimdo crouched down.
The human tried to lift his head.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Their eyes met.
And even in that condition—
There was still defiance there.
Still resistance.
Kimdo smiled.
"That's good."
He stood and pulled out a syringe filled with the black substance.
It looked wrong.
Too thick.
Too dark.
As though it were alive.
The liquid moved in the glass as if it had a pulse of its own.
He flicked it once.
Then, without the slightest hesitation, drove the needle into the man's arm.
The scream that followed was not normal.
It ripped through the chamber like something tearing apart from the inside.
The human's body arched violently.
Dark veins spread beneath his skin, branching out like black ink spilled through flesh.
His fingers clawed wildly at the air as if trying to grab something that wasn't there.
The chains strained and groaned as he convulsed.
"Interesting," Kimdo murmured.
The human's scream broke apart into ragged breaths.
Then into choking sounds.
Then—
Laughter.
Low.
Broken.
Unstable.
Every demon in the room fell silent for a second.
Even Zadek stiffened.
Kimdo rose slowly to his feet, utterly unbothered.
"He's improving," he said, dusting off his hands as though he had done nothing remarkable. "Lock him in the cooler. Let the poison settle."
"Yes, General."
Two demons dragged the trembling body away.
The man's laughter echoed faintly down the corridor, warped and unnatural.
"If you complete this task without mistakes," General Kimdo said as he turned to leave, "the Mistress will reward you greatly."
His boots faded into the corridor.
Behind him, the screams continued.
But something about them had changed.
******
The Village of Urk
Isabel sat on the wooden bench outside her small hut.
Behind the house, a narrow river flowed quietly, its water clear and calm as it slipped past smooth stones.
The village was peaceful at that hour.
Smoke rose gently from a few chimneys.
Birds called faintly from the trees.
But Isabel only stared into the distance, silent and still.
The wind moved softly through her hair.
She didn't react.
Zach approached with a bundle of firewood in his arms.
The moment she noticed him, she stood and walked over to help him set it down.
Then she smiled.
That smile.
The kind that always made him forget everything else.
For a second, the weariness on his face disappeared.
They had lived in the village of Urk for five years.
Five long years.
And Isabel looked exactly the same as the day Zach had found her in the woods.
Not older.
Not weaker.
Not changed.
Exactly the same.
The villagers had noticed.
They always noticed.
Rose had noticed the most.
Before Isabel appeared, everyone in the village believed Rose and Zach would marry one day.
It had almost been certain.
Their families were close.
Rose had already acted like the future wife of his home.
Until the day Zach entered the forest to gather firewood…
And returned with a girl no one had ever seen before.
A girl with no family.
No past.
And eyes that does not look afraid.
The rumors began quietly.
Like they always did.
She bewitched him.
She cannot bear a child because she was never meant to.
She does not age because she is not human.
Some whispered it.
Some said it openly.
Some said worse.
But Isabel never defended herself.
She never argued.
She never fought back.
She only smiled.
And somehow, that smile unsettled them even more.
That morning, as she turned to go inside and serve breakfast, a knock sounded at the door.
Sharp.
Hard.
Impatient.
Zach frowned.
"Who's that this early?"
Before he could move, Isabel stepped toward the door.
The moment she opened it and stepped outside—
Rose grabbed her hair.