Mira's POV
Something was wrong with the air.
Not loudly.
Not visibly.
But enough for me to notice.
The city looked the same.
Cars moved.
People crossed roads.
Buildings stood exactly where they always had.
And yet—
"…why does everything feel quieter…"
I adjusted the straps of my backpack and slowed slightly near the office entrance.
The morning crowd was thinner than usual.
Or maybe—
people were simply moving differently.
A woman stopped in the middle of her call, touching her chest lightly like she had forgotten something important.
A man walking past suddenly looked behind himself for no reason at all.
Someone dropped their coffee.
Another person stood frozen near the revolving door for two whole seconds before continuing again like nothing happened.
"…that's strange…"
But none of them reacted afterward.
They just kept moving.
Like whatever touched them—
slipped away immediately.
Forgotten.
The moment I stepped inside the building—
the feeling deepened.
Not fear.
Pressure.
Invisible.
Heavy.
Like the air itself had become aware.
"…what is this…"
The elevator lights flickered once.
Only once.
But everyone inside went silent after it happened.
No one looked at each other.
No one spoke.
The woman beside me slowly rubbed her wrist unconsciously, her breathing uneven.
Then—
a second later—
she blinked and straightened again like nothing happened.
Forgotten.
"…why does it feel like everyone notices something for a second…"
"…then loses it…"
The elevator opened.
The silence followed me out.
---
The office floor was calm.
Too calm.
Usually there were conversations.
Typing.
Movement.
But today—
everything sounded distant.
Muted.
As if the entire floor had been lowered beneath water.
"…Kael…"
I spotted him near the far corridor.
And immediately—
I stopped.
Because his expression wasn't normal.
Kael smiled often.
Teased constantly.
Even during serious moments, there was always something playful resting in his eyes.
But not now.
Now—
he looked alert.
Completely.
His gaze shifted toward me instantly.
"…you felt it too."
It wasn't a question.
"…something feels strange…"
Kael exhaled slowly.
"…that's because they're both here."
My heart paused.
"…both…"
Before I could ask—
The lights dimmed.
Not off.
Just… weaker.
Like something passed over the building.
A pressure settled suddenly against my chest.
Not painful.
Just immense.
Around us—
people froze.
One employee near the hallway dropped an entire stack of documents, staring blankly ahead like he forgot where he was.
Another person pressed a hand against the wall, pale for a brief second.
Then—
confusion.
Only confusion.
"…what just happened…?"
"…did the power flicker…?"
"…I suddenly felt cold…"
Forgotten again.
Instantly.
Kael looked toward the end of the corridor.
"…they started already…"
"…who…"
But I already knew.
My heart answered before my thoughts did.
Azael.
And—
Eryx.
The air changed again.
The pressure deepened.
And this time—
even the walls seemed quieter.
Like the building itself was listening.
---
"…stay here."
Kael's voice lowered.
Serious.
Completely unlike him.
"…what's happening…"
His eyes remained fixed ahead.
"…something humans were never meant to stand near."
My breath slowed.
"…Kael…"
"You won't collapse."
A pause.
"…neither will I."
"…why…"
This time—
he looked at me.
Directly.
And for the first time—
the teasing in him disappeared completely.
"…because he won't let it touch you."
My fingers tightened slightly.
"…Azael…"
Kael smiled faintly.
But there was no humor in it.
"…you still don't understand what you did to him."
---
The corridor ahead darkened slightly.
Not visually.
Not fully.
Just enough to feel wrong.
Employees nearby unconsciously moved away from that direction without understanding why.
One woman suddenly started crying softly near the printers.
Another person forgot what they were saying mid-sentence and stood there staring into nothing for several seconds.
Then—
normal again.
Forgotten.
Always forgotten.
"…why does it feel like…"
I swallowed softly.
"…the building is breathing…"
Kael stepped forward slightly.
"…don't go near them."
"…why…"
"Because today isn't about words."
A pause.
"…it's about presence."
---
At the far end of the corridor—
two figures stood facing each other.
Not close.
Not far.
Enough distance to destroy the silence between them.
Azael.
Eryx.
The moment I saw them—
the pressure sharpened.
Not toward me.
Around me.
Like the world itself was struggling to remain steady near them.
And yet—
they stood completely still.
No movement.
No aggression.
But somehow—
it felt more dangerous than violence.
Eryx spoke first.
"You answered faster than expected."
Azael's expression didn't change.
"You approached her."
Simple.
Cold.
Absolute.
Eryx tilted his head slightly.
"She spoke to me willingly."
The temperature in the hallway dropped.
Not naturally.
The lights flickered again.
Three employees nearby suddenly lost balance at the same time without understanding why.
One laughed nervously.
Another forgot why she entered the hallway entirely.
Forgotten.
Again.
Azael's voice lowered.
"She is not yours to observe."
My breath slowed.
"…not yours…"
Eryx smiled faintly.
"There it is."
A pause.
"The change."
Silence.
Heavy.
Ancient.
The entire floor felt frozen around them.
Kael crossed his arms slowly beside me.
"…and there goes the last bit of restraint…"
---
Eryx stepped slightly closer.
Not enough to threaten.
Enough to test.
"You're attached."
The lights above them shattered instantly.
Glass exploded downward.
People screamed briefly—
then confusion replaced it immediately.
"…what happened?!"
"…did something burst?!"
"…why is my head hurting…"
Forgotten.
Forgotten.
Forgotten.
But not me.
Not Kael.
I looked at Azael.
And for the first time—
I understood something terrifying.
He wasn't angry the way humans became angry.
No.
This felt older.
Controlled.
Buried.
Like something holding itself shut from the inside.
Azael spoke slowly.
"You came near her."
Each word landed heavily.
Like the space itself reacted to them.
Eryx's gaze sharpened slightly.
"And you responded."
A pause.
"For the first time in centuries."
My heart skipped.
"…centuries…"
But the word disappeared beneath the pressure surrounding them.
Kael noticed my reaction immediately.
"…careful."
"…what…"
"Don't think too hard near them right now."
My breathing slowed strangely.
"…why…"
"Because their existence bends perception."
My chest tightened slightly.
"…that shouldn't make sense…"
"Exactly."
---
Eryx looked toward me briefly.
Only briefly.
But the entire hallway dimmed for a second when he did.
Humans nearby staggered again unconsciously.
One person suddenly whispered—
"…something's watching…"
Then blinked in confusion immediately afterward.
Forgotten.
Azael stepped once.
Only once.
The pressure vanished from around me instantly.
Shielded.
My breath returned normally.
"…he protected me…"
Again.
Without saying it.
Without needing to.
Eryx noticed too.
His expression finally changed slightly.
Interest.
Real interest.
"You placed yourself between her and me."
Silence.
Then—
Azael answered.
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No denial.
The word echoed strangely through the corridor.
Not loudly.
Deeply.
And something about it—
made the entire building feel still.
Kael exhaled quietly beside me.
"…he admitted it directly…"
"…is that bad…"
Kael laughed softly.
Not happily.
"…for the world?"
A pause.
"…possibly."
---
The air trembled suddenly.
A computer screen nearby cracked on its own.
Several employees instinctively left the floor without understanding why.
One man dropped to his knees briefly, overwhelmed by a fear he couldn't explain.
Then—
moments later—
he stood again.
Confused.
Forgetting.
Always forgetting.
Because humans weren't meant to remember things like this.
Eryx looked at Azael calmly.
"She softened you."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
But something underneath it—
shifted.
Eryx noticed.
Of course he did.
"You're protecting instead of consuming."
Silence.
A pause.
"You changed."
Azael's gaze darkened slightly.
Not emotionally.
Existentially.
Like the darkness around him had become aware.
Then—
"She asked me not to harm."
My breath caught.
"…what…"
Kael slowly looked toward me.
"…you really have no idea what you're doing to him…"
Eryx became silent for the first time.
Completely silent.
And somehow—
that felt worse.
Because the pressure around him changed.
Deepened.
Not hostile.
Interested.
"You obeyed."
The lights across the entire floor shut off.
Darkness swallowed the corridor instantly.
Gasps echoed around us.
Phones stopped working.
Every screen died simultaneously.
And within that darkness—
their presence became unbearable.
Not visible.
Felt.
Like standing too close to something endless.
Something ancient.
Something that should never stand this close to reality.
Humans panicked briefly.
Then—
forgot.
Again.
Always.
But me—
I could still breathe.
Because Azael stood there.
And somehow—
I knew the darkness would never cross him to reach me.
---
Emergency lights flickered red.
Soft.
Dim.
Eryx's voice finally returned.
Quiet.
Dangerously quiet.
"You're becoming human."
Azael answered without expression.
"No."
But this time—
the silence afterward didn't agree.
---
Then suddenly—
everything stopped.
The pressure vanished instantly.
The lights returned.
Computers restarted.
Employees looked around in confusion.
"…did the power go out…?"
"…why does my head hurt…"
"…I need coffee…"
Forgotten.
All of it.
Like a dream dissolving after waking up.
Only three people remembered.
Me.
Kael.
And the two beings still standing at the end of the corridor.
Eryx stepped back slowly.
Not defeated.
Not retreating.
Just… leaving.
But before turning away—
he looked at me one final time.
Then at Azael.
And smiled faintly.
"She is already changing you."
Then he disappeared down the corridor.
And the silence he left behind—
felt heavier than the pressure itself.
---
I looked at Azael.
He stood completely still.
Expression calm.
Perfectly composed.
But now—
I understood something.
Not fully.
Not completely.
But enough.
The world reacted to him.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
And somehow—
despite everything—
the only thing I felt near him…
was safe.