"Kid? a yòu…? Lue? Harsh? Lu? What are you?"
The voice didn't just speak it pierced. Like something sharp scraping directly inside my skull, forcing its way through my thoughts. My ears rang, not from sound, but from pressure… as if the world itself was trying to push me out of it.
"I… I'm Lu… I'm Lu…" I whispered, but even my own voice felt ...wrong, distant, like it didn't belong to me.
"NO! "
The word snapped like a crack of thunder.
The space in front of me… shifted.
A shadow stood there.
Not black. Not empty.
Red.
Like it had been soaked too long in something I didn't want to understand. It wasn't just standing it existed wrong, as if reality had to bend slightly just to let it be there.
It walked toward me.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Each step didn't make a sound, but I felt it deep in my chest, like my heartbeat was being dragged out of rhythm.
In its hand, a sword.
Cold. Heavy. Certain.
And the closer it came, the more I understood something terrifying-
It wasn't coming to chase me.
It already knew where I was.
It had always known.
"AHHHH!"
I jolted awake.
My back slammed against the bed, sweat clinging to my skin, my breath coming in broken, uneven gasps. The ceiling above me was just my ceiling again, plain, harmless, ordinary but my mind refused to believe it.
My heart was still running like I hadn't escaped anything.
For a few seconds, I just sat there, gripping the bedsheet, waiting for the shadow to step out from the corner of my room.
It didn't.
Only silence answered me.
I dragged myself up slowly, legs still weak, my throat dry. The morning light was already slipping through the curtains, too normal… too indifferent.
I washed my face, but the water didn't fully wake me. The feeling stayed, like something had left fingerprints inside my head.
While getting ready for college, I kept catching myself pausing… staring at nothing.
That voice. That word.
"NO."
It didn't feel like a dream ending.
It felt like something being interrupted.
Like I had woken up too early.
And as I stepped out, locking the door behind me, one thought refused to leave-
*It was the first nightmare I've had in a long time…*
But somehow…
It didn't feel like it would be the last.
I stepped out...
It was a bright, sunlit morning, the kind where the light feels close enough to touch, as if the sky had lowered itself just for the day. I walked toward college with the warmth of the sun brushing against my skin, my mind half-awake, drifting lazily with the rhythm of the street.
A crowd had gathered near a roadside television. The volume was loud enough to cut through the usual city noise, and for some reason, my steps slowed on their own.
"Breaking news," the reporter announced, her voice filled with excitement.
"Archaeologists have discovered fossilized remains of two humans in India, estimated to be over 1600 years old. But what has stunned the research team is not just their age… the two bodies were found holding hands so tightly that over time, their bones appear to have merged together as one."
For a moment, everything else faded.
Holding hands… for that long?
I tilted my head slightly, watching the screen. "They must have been lovers," I murmured to myself. "What kind of memories were they holding onto… to never let go?"
The thought lingered for only a second before I shook it off and continued walking. My friends were already waiting for me at the college gate, and just like that, the news slipped out of my mind as if it had never mattered.
As I got closer, I spotted them instantly.
First was Lian, my closest friend, the one I trusted the most without even thinking. He always knew what to say and when to say it, like he understood people better than they understood themselves.
Then there was Shaan, the transfer student from India. He was loud, funny, and somehow capable of turning even the most boring moment into something memorable. Talking to him felt endless, like there would always be something left to say.
And finally, Alex… though, as expected, he wasn't there yet. The human embodiment of trouble, the kind of guy who teaches you exactly what not to do in life by doing all of it himself. And somehow, I always ended up following him into those situations.
I jogged the last few steps toward them just as they started walking toward the parking lot.
Shaan immediately threw his arm around my neck. "You heard about the school trip?"
Before I could answer, a familiar voice cut in.
"Yeah! I heard about it!"
Alex came speeding toward us on his bicycle like his life depended on it.
"…Apparently it's to your home country, Shaan."
I blinked. "Wait, really? India? I've always wanted to go there!"
Lian glanced at Alex with a smirk. "Looks like someone showed up just in time to hear about something important for once."
Alex straightened dramatically. "What!? I'm never late for important things. Never in my life."
We all burst out laughing.
But in the middle of that laughter… something shifted.
My attention moved on its own.
Zhan.
He had just arrived.
A black motorcycle came to a smooth stop near the parking area, its engine still humming softly. He removed his helmet in one fluid motion, and for a second, it felt like something out of a movie. His presence alone drew attention, and just like always, people started gathering around him, mostly girls, whispering, laughing, trying to get closer.
Shaan suddenly spread his arms wide beside me. "Careful, I'm ready if you faint."
I turned to him flatly. "I'm not a princess who faints over things like that."
"Ooooh," Alex chimed in immediately, "but you are our little princess."
"Stop," Lian cut in, already walking ahead. "We're late. Can we move?"
Shaan didn't budge. "My arms are still waiting, you know."
Without a word, I leaned forward and dropped into his arms.
"Good?" I said.
Everyone burst into laughter again as we started walking toward the building.
But then-
something felt off.
A strange chill ran down my spine, sharp and sudden, like being watched.
I slowed down and glanced back.
Zhan was still there, surrounded by people, yet… it felt like his attention had been on me.
But no.
He wasn't even looking in my direction.
He looked completely uninterested, like I didn't exist.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Lian asked.
"Nothing," I replied quickly. "Just thought I felt something."
Alex leaned in with a grin. "Oh, I get it. He was looking at his prince."
Shaan immediately started laughing.
"Shut up," I muttered.
"Sorry, sorry," Alex raised his hands in surrender.
I glanced back again.
He was gone.
Lian sighed lightly. "Enough teasing. Let's just get to class."
Shaan clapped his hands. "Right, back to the important topic, the trip."
Alex's eyes lit up. "Oh yeah! We're going to the Indian Ocean. Apparently, a new beach just formed out of nowhere, and now it's the biggest tourist spot. And our principal, out of nowhere, decided we should all go there."
Lian shook his head. "You know more about random things than the actual syllabus."
As they continued talking, my vision suddenly blurred.
The world around me faded.
And then-
I saw it.
A man.
Standing near the ocean.
Holding a sword.
His entire body… covered in blood.
The waves crashed behind him, violent and endless, and something about the scene felt painfully familiar, like a memory I had never lived.
My breath hitched.
"Ying? Are you okay?"
Lian's voice pulled me back.
I blinked, the vision shattering instantly.
"I'm fine," I said quickly, steadying myself. "Probably just the sun effect."
Alex opened his mouth. "Or maybe Zhan's effe-"
"Shaan's voice cut him off instantly. "Not funny."
Alex went quiet immediately, his usual confidence gone. "…Sorry." it is the hold Shaan have on Alex...
We continued to class, the mood slightly calmer now.
But even as we sat down, I couldn't shake the feeling.
Someone was watching me.
Again.
Slowly, I turned my head.
Zhan.
This time, he was looking straight at me.
Our eyes almost met-
but he turned away.
Like it meant nothing.
I frowned slightly, my thoughts tangled.
"What… was that?" I muttered under my breath.
Was he really looking at me?
Or was it just my imagination?