The storm calms without warning.
One moment, the wind screams like a wounded beast; the next, the world falls into an eerie stillness. Snowflakes drift down slowly, almost gently, as if nothing terrifying has just happened. My knees are buried deep in the snow, my breath uneven, my heart still racing from the encounter with… myself.
Was that really me?
I look down at my hands. They are trembling uncontrollably. The pearl necklace rests against my chest, faintly warm, pulsing like a living heart. I hold it tighter, afraid that if I let go, I might disappear with the storm.
"He marked you…"
The words echo in my mind again and again.
I struggle to stand, my legs weak and numb. Each movement feels heavy, as if this world itself does not want me to move forward. When I finally straighten up, something makes my blood run cold.
Footprints.
They stretch across the snowfield, clear and deep, leading away from where I stand.
They are not mine.
I stare at them, my throat dry. The spacing is too wide, too deliberate. Whoever—or whatever—made them was not struggling like me. They walked calmly, confidently, as if the snow bowed beneath their feet.
"Hello…?" I call out softly.
My voice is swallowed by the silence.
I hesitate. Every instinct tells me to stay where I am, but the cold gnaws deeper into my bones, and standing still means waiting for death. Swallowing my fear, I follow the footprints.
Step by step, I move forward.
As I walk, the sky begins to change. The pale white clouds slowly darken into a deep grey, swirling like ink in water. A faint sound reaches my ears—dripping.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Rain.
But how can it rain in a world of snow?
I raise my head, and my heart nearly stops. Black rain begins to fall from the sky, each drop sizzling softly as it touches the snow, melting it into dark, mirror-like puddles. In those puddles, reflections move independently of my body.
I cover my mouth to stop myself from screaming.
The footprints lead me to a tall structure emerging from the storm—a gate.
It is made of stone and glass, carved with the same dragon totems as the mirror. Golden veins pulse through the surface, alive, breathing. At the center of the gate hangs a symbol.
EG.
My chest tightens painfully.
"So it's you again…" I whisper.
As I approach, the gate creaks open on its own. Warm air spills out, carrying with it the faint scent of lilies—the same scent from the bedroom.
Inside, I see a long corridor lined with mirrors. Each mirror reflects a different scene: the city street under neon lights, the bus stop in the rain, the man's calm eyes as he locked the door.
My hands curl into fists.
"You're watching me," I say aloud, my voice shaking with anger. "All this time."
A voice answers from everywhere and nowhere.
"Yes."
I spin around, but there is no one behind me.
"You crossed the mirror by choice," the voice continues calmly. "The necklace responded because you were compatible."
"Compatible with what?!" I shout. "Being kidnapped? Being trapped?!"
A soft chuckle echoes through the corridor.
"Compatible with the rain," the voice says. "With shadows. With me."
My reflection in the nearest mirror changes. The man appears behind me in it, standing far too close, his expression unreadable.
"You can't run forever," he says, though his lips do not move in real life. "Every step you take only leads you deeper."
Tears blur my vision. "Then tell me how to go home."
For the first time, his eyes soften.
"There is a way," he says quietly. "But first, you must remember who EG is to you."
The mirrors begin to crack, one by one.
I cover my ears as a sharp pain pierces my head. Memories I don't recognize—yet feel painfully familiar—flood my mind.
Rain.
Blood.
A promise made under a broken streetlamp.
I scream.
And the gate slams shut behind me.