"No… don't…!"
My voice broke—barely more than a whisper, yet it tore through the silence.
"Don't—!"
Warm tears blurred my vision, slipping down uncontrollably.
My mind… was empty.
Not a single thought—only the crushing weight of what I was seeing.
I didn't understand it.
I couldn't.
And yet—
It hurt.
It hurt so much it felt like something inside my chest was being ripped apart.
They surrounded him.
Shadows.
Blades.
Again—
and again—
and again.
Steel sank into flesh with a sickening rhythm, each strike painting him deeper in red. Blood dripped, pooled, clung to him—as if it refused to let go.
And still—
He knelt there.
Broken.
Bleeding.
Facing me.
His eyes found mine through the chaos.
Warm.
Impossible… but warm.
As if none of this mattered.
As if I was the only thing he could see.
My breath hitched.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs—so loud, so frantic it felt like it would burst free.
"Stop…"
The word barely formed before it died.
I reached for him.
Desperate.
Needing to do something—anything—
But—
A sharp, cold pull.
I froze.
My wrist.
Chains.
Thick. Heavy. Unforgiving.
They coiled around me, binding me in place like I had always belonged to them.
No matter how hard I pulled—
I couldn't move.
I couldn't reach him.
And he…
was still looking at me.
My gaze snapped back—
to the blade.
My eyes widened.
No…
Time slowed.
The dagger descended—
And drove straight into his spine.
A broken sound escaped him.
Or maybe—
It came from me.
Everything went silent.
Too silent.
And then—
Blood burst forth.
Violent. Endless.
It spilled like something alive, rushing, spreading—consuming everything until the world itself seemed to drown in red.
I couldn't breathe.
I couldn't think.
But I could feel it.
The pain.
Not just his—
Mine.
It tore through me like the blade had pierced my own body. My chest tightened, a suffocating ache blooming deep within—raw, unbearable.
Why…?
Why does it feel like I'm the one dying…?
My fingers trembled as I reached for him again—desperate, shaking—
But the chains bit deeper into my skin.
Cold.
Merciless.
Dragging me back.
Holding me in place.
No escape.
No saving him.
No saving… anything.
His body gave in.
Falling.
A hollow, final thud echoed through the emptiness.
And in that moment—
something inside me snapped.
"No…!"
The word never fully left my lips.
The world twisted—distorted—like reality itself was breaking apart.
Darkness seeped in.
Slow. Suffocating.
Wrapping around my vision—
Pulling me under.
The last thing I felt—
was that pain.
Lingering.
As if it would never leave.
—
My eyes snapped open.
Air tore into my lungs like I had been drowning.
A sharp gasp broke from my throat as my body jerked upright, hands clutching at my chest as if trying to hold something together—something that felt like it had just been shattered.
For a second—
I didn't know where I was.
The darkness still clung to me.
The blood.
The chains.
Him.
My vision blurred as I looked around wildly, breath uneven, trembling.
My room.
It was my room.
But it didn't feel like it.
Not yet.
My hands shook as I dragged them over my arms—my wrists—
I froze.
Nothing.
No chains.
No wounds.
Just skin.
Normal.
But the sensation—
It was still there.
Cold. Tight. Unforgiving.
I could still feel them.
A broken breath slipped past my lips.
"…No…"
The word came out hoarse, barely audible.
My chest tightened again, pain blooming deep inside—too real, too raw to ignore.
I pressed my palm harder against it, as if I could force it to stop.
But it didn't.
It only reminded me—
That it wasn't just a dream.
My gaze dropped to my hands.
They were trembling.
Uncontrollably.
As if my body hadn't realized it was over.
As if some part of me was still there—
Still watching him fall.
My breath hitched.
His eyes—
That warmth—
Even now, it refused to leave me.
It lingered.
Burned into my mind.
Into my chest.
"Why…?" I whispered.
I didn't know what I was asking.
Why him?
Why me?
Why did it hurt like that?
The room felt suffocating.
Too small.
Too quiet.
I needed air.
Now.
I stumbled out of bed, nearly losing my balance as my legs struggled to hold me. My fingers brushed against the wall as I made my way to the window.
The glass was cold beneath my touch.
I pushed it open.
A rush of night air hit my face.
Cold.
Sharp.
Real.
I inhaled deeply—once, twice—trying to steady the storm inside me.
Slowly, the world began to settle.
But the feeling didn't leave.
It stayed.
Heavy.
Lingering.
My eyes lifted.
The sky stretched endlessly above me.
And there—
Hanging in silence—
A crescent moon.
My breath stilled.
Again…
That same shape.
That same mark.
A faint chill ran down my spine.
Not from the cold.
From something else.
Something deeper.
Without realizing it, my hand drifted to my wrist.
Empty.
But for a brief moment—
I could almost see it.
A mark.
A crescent.
Faint.
Flickering—
And then gone.
I froze.
"…What… was that?"
My voice barely existed.
The night gave no answer.
Only silence.
But deep inside—
That pain remained.
Quiet.
Waiting.
As if something had just begun.
The room felt suffocating.
Too quiet.
Too close.
I couldn't stay there.
Before I could think it through, I grabbed my jacket and stepped outside.
The door clicked shut behind me.
The night greeted me with cold air and silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The empty kind.
The streets that had once been alive with laughter and light just hours ago now stood hollow.
Faded decorations still hung from poles and balconies, their colors dulled under the dim streetlights. Stray confetti clung to the pavement, crushed beneath passing footsteps that were no longer there.
A plastic streamer fluttered weakly in the wind—its soft rustling the only sound in the distance.
It was hard to believe this was the same place.
Just hours ago, it had been filled with people.
Music.
Laughter.
Now—
It felt like something had been erased.
I walked slowly, hands tucked into my pockets, my breath forming faint clouds in the cold air.
Each step echoed softly against the empty street.
Too loud.
Too noticeable.
My mind drifted back—
Blood.
Chains.
His eyes.
Warm.
Even now…
It refused to leave me.
I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair.
"Get a grip…" I muttered under my breath.
But the unease didn't fade.
It only shifted.
A few more steps.
Then—
I stopped.
Something felt wrong.
At first, it was subtle.
A slight pressure at the back of my mind.
Faint.
Almost unnoticeable.
Then it grew.
My body tensed instinctively.
That feeling—
I knew it.
Too well.
Someone…
was watching me.
But this time—
it wasn't just a presence.
It was heavy.
Sharp.
Murderous.
My breath slowed.
Careful. Controlled.
I didn't turn immediately.
Didn't move.
The air around me felt different.
Colder.
Thicker.
As if something unseen had stepped into it.
My fingers curled slightly inside my pockets.
My heartbeat steadied—
not from calm—
but from instinct.
The gaze didn't waver.
It pressed into me.
Piercing.
Intent.
Not curious.
Not distant.
Focused.
On me.
A faint sound echoed somewhere behind—
A footstep.
Soft.
Measured.
Too deliberate to be coincidence.
I slowly lifted my head, eyes narrowing slightly.
"…Who's there?"
My voice came out low.
Steady.
But the silence that followed felt wrong.
No answer.
Only that gaze—
growing heavier.
Closer.
My instincts screamed.
Move.
But before I could—
The streetlight above flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Darkness swallowed the ground for a split second.
And in that moment—
something shifted behind me.
My breath caught.
This wasn't over.
For brief second, I froze.
Something deep inside me—instinct, fear… or something far older—refused to let me move.
My fingers tightened.
Move.
I forced myself to act.
My hand slipped into my pocket, pulling out my phone.
Kevin.
That was the only name in my mind right now.
The only person I could think of calling.
The screen lit up my face as I unlocked it—
Footsteps.
Sharp. Fast.
Closing in.
My breath hitched.
That wasn't normal walking.
That was running.
Toward me.
My head snapped up.
And then—
I saw them.
Three men.
Black suits.
Their movements were synchronized—too precise, too controlled.
Not drunk.
Not lost.
Not normal.
My grip on the phone tightened.
This wasn't coincidence.
They had come for me.
They slowed as they approached—not out of hesitation…
But control.
The man in the center stepped forward.
The faint streetlight caught his face—
Cold. Empty.
"Found him."
The words were quiet. Flat.
Like I was nothing more than a task.
My heartbeat spiked.
Running…
didn't feel like an option anymore.
The air grew heavy.
That same suffocating presence returned—
Only now…
It had a form.
Three of them.
And all of their eyes—
Locked onto me.
I moved.
The moment it clicked—
I wasn't waiting anymore.
I lunged forward first.
If they wanted me—
they wouldn't get me easily.
My fist struck the closest one—
A clean hit.
He staggered—
But didn't react.
No pain.
No resistance.
My eyes widened.
What the—
The second one was already on me.
Too fast.
My arm was twisted behind my back.
Pain shot through me instantly.
I clenched my teeth and drove my elbow back—
A hit.
But it barely slowed him.
They weren't normal.
The third one moved in—
And my legs were kicked out from under me.
I hit the ground hard.
Air left my lungs.
"—gh…!"
Before I could recover—
They were already on me.
One pinned my shoulders.
Another locked my arms.
Their grip—
Inhuman.
Unbreakable.
I struggled. Kicked. Fought.
Useless.
Three against one.
And they were stronger.
Much stronger.
"Let go—!"
The third man crouched in front of me.
Calm.
Too calm.
"Don't move."
A pause.
"Just give us your blood."
My body went still.
…Blood?
For a second—
I forgot to breathe.
Why…?
Why my blood?
Why me?
"No—get off me!"
I thrashed again, desperate now.
But they didn't react.
The man pulled out a syringe.
My heart slammed violently.
No.
The needle moved closer—
Closer—
This can't be—
BANG.
The sound exploded through the night.
Everything froze.
Warmth splattered across my face.
The man in front of me—
his eyes widened—
then went empty.
He collapsed.
Right in front of me.
Blood.
Too much blood.
Another shot rang out.
The grip on me loosened.
Something had changed.
Someone…
was here.
A step.
Slow. Heavy.
From the darkness.
My head turned—
Toward the forest.
And then—
I saw him.
A figure emerged from the shadows.
Tall.
Broad.
Wrapped in black.
A hoodie that swallowed the light itself.
His face—
Hidden.
But his presence—
Cold.
Steady.
Dangerous.
The men hesitated.
Just for a second.
That was enough.
He moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
One second he was there—
The next—
Right in front of them.
A hand shot out—
Grabbing one by the throat.
Lifting him like nothing.
A sharp crack.
The body dropped.
The second attacked—
Desperate.
It didn't matter.
A twist.
A slam.
A single, heavy punch.
Silence.
Just like that—
It was over.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't think.
What… just happened…?
Slowly—
He turned.
Toward me.
My breath caught.
I still couldn't see his face.
Only darkness beneath the hood.
But those eyes—
I couldn't see them clearly—
And yet…
I felt them.
On me.
And then—
Something shifted inside me.
Not fear.
Something else.
Something familiar.
…It was him.
Without a word—
He turned.
And walked.
Like I was meant to follow.
And somehow…
I did.
The bike was waiting.
Black. Silent.
He got on.
Didn't look back.
Didn't ask.
But I understood.
I climbed on behind him.
The engine roared.
And we were gone.
The night blurred around us.
Cold wind. Empty streets.
But my focus—
Was on him.
The way he moved.
Controlled. Precise.
And then—
I saw it.
His hand.
A mark.
My breath caught.
That mark—
I had seen it before.
Earlier.
That evening.
My mind tried to connect it—
But the answer stayed just out of reach.
Still—
That feeling remained.
Familiar.
Unsettling.
Like I knew him.
Like I had seen him before—
Somewhere deeper.
Somewhere I couldn't remember.
The bike slowed.
My house.
I got off slowly.
For a moment—
I thought he would say something.
Turn.
Reveal something.
But—
He didn't.
Without a word—
He left.
Leaving behind nothing but the fading sound of the engine…
And that lingering feeling—
That I had just met someone…
I was never supposed to forget.