The village had gone quiet hours ago.
Bellgrave looked different after midnight.
During the day, the narrow streets carried footsteps, voices, carts, and the occasional sound of someone calling across the village.
At night, even those familiar sounds disappeared.
Cassian sat alone beside the small wooden table in their rented lodging, with only one lamp burning beside him.
The flame trembled whenever the night wind slipped through the slightly open window.
Cassian did not seem to notice.
The case file lay open beneath his hands.
He had already read the same pages several times.
His thumb slowly moved along the edge of the paper while his eyes returned to the same lines again.
Nothing changed.
The names remained the same.
The dates remained the same.
The reports remained exactly where they had always been.
Yet something continued to bother him.
Cassian leaned back against the wooden chair and closed his eyes for several seconds.
His fingers pressed against his forehead while he tried to gather every detail again.
The missing bodies.
The strange silver ornaments.
The church.
The families.
The repeated dates.
The missing hours.
Something was sitting between those facts.
Something he had looked at repeatedly without actually seeing.
Cassian opened his eyes again.
He pulled the file closer and began turning through the pages.
Slowly.
Carefully.
One page followed another.
Then another.
His fingers stopped near the end.
There was something strange about the paper.
Cassian lowered his head slightly.
One page was torn.
Not damaged by age.
Not accidentally folded.
Torn away.
He carefully touched the rough edge with his fingertip.
A small piece remained where the page had once continued.
His eyes moved across the remaining words.
"Bellgrave..."
Cassian's eyebrows drew together.
He read the next line again.
"The village itself is a mystery, not only its people, but its appearance..."
The sentence ended there.
Nothing followed.
Cassian turned the page.
There was nothing attached to it.
He checked the previous page.
Then the next one.
Nothing.
His fingers returned to the torn edge.
At the very bottom of the remaining paper, one small mark had been left behind.
A question mark."?".
Cassian stared at it for several seconds.
His breathing became quieter without him realizing it.
"Why did I never notice this before?"
He looked toward the dark window.
Bellgrave remained completely still outside.
Cassian slowly closed the file.
The question remained open.
He did not have an answer yet.
"..."
Several rooms away, Damon woke with a dry throat.
For a few seconds, he remained still beneath the blanket.
His eyes stayed half closed while he listened to the darkness around him.
Owen was still asleep.
His breathing came slowly from the other side of the room.
Damon swallowed once.
His throat felt unpleasantly dry.
He pushed the blanket away and sat upright.
The mattress shifted softly beneath his weight.
Damon rubbed both hands over his face before standing.
His feet touched the cold floor.
He paused there for a moment.
The room felt unusually warm.
Or perhaps he simply felt uncomfortable.
Damon quietly opened the door.
The wooden hinges gave a faint sound.
He glanced toward Owen.
Owen did not move.
Damon stepped into the corridor and gently pulled the door closed behind him.
His footsteps remained careful as he walked downstairs.
The lodging was almost completely dark.
Only a small lamp near the entrance remained lit.
Damon found the water jug and poured himself a glass.
The water disappeared quickly.
He lowered the glass and breathed out slowly.
Still thirsty.
He poured another glass.
This time, he drank more slowly.
After placing the glass down, Damon looked toward the entrance.
The night outside seemed strangely inviting.
He pushed the door open and stepped into the cool air.
The breeze touched his face almost immediately.
Damon closed his eyes.
His shoulders loosened slightly.
For the first time since waking, his breathing became comfortable.
He looked upward.
The sky above Bellgrave was dark and wide.
A few stars remained visible between the thin clouds.
Damon stood there quietly.
He could hear distant insects moving through the grass.
Somewhere far away, a dog barked once.
Then everything became quiet again.
Damon breathed deeply.
The cold air filled his lungs.
He stayed outside for another few minutes before finally turning back toward the lodging.
His hand reached for the door, and he stepped inside.
His foot caught against something near the entrance, making him stumble forward.
Damon's palm struck the wall before he could lose his balance completely.
He stayed there for a moment, breathing quietly through the sudden surprise.
Then something beneath his clothing gave a faint pulse.
Damon froze.
The sensation lasted only for a moment before disappearing again.
A strange warmth travelled through his chest.
Then, unexpectedly, relief followed.
Damon slowly straightened himself against the wall.
His breathing became easier without any effort from him.
The heaviness that had been sitting somewhere behind his eyes seemed to loosen.
He blinked several times.
For a brief moment, his thoughts felt unusually clear.
He could hear the quiet movement of the night outside.
He could feel the cold floor beneath his feet.
Even the darkness around him seemed sharper than before.
Then the feeling disappeared completely.
Damon remained still.
His fingers slowly moved toward the badge beneath his clothes.
He touched it through the fabric and waited.
Nothing happened again.
His eyebrows slowly drew together.
"This..."
Damon paused.
His thumb moved lightly over the place where the badge rested.
"Isn't this the academy badge given to all of us?"
He looked down at himself, still trying to understand why the thought felt strangely unfamiliar.
"It is meant for emergencies and communication with our professors."
His fingers remained against the badge.
"Then why did I not remember that just now?"
Damon's expression changed slightly.
He lowered his hand.
The question stayed with him.
It was not that he had forgotten the badge existed.
He knew that.
What bothered him was something much smaller.
He had never thought about it.
Not properly.
It had been there all this time.
He had carried it every day.
He had used it when necessary.
Yet somehow, he had never really noticed what it could do.
Damon stared toward the dark staircase.
"It almost feels like I have not noticed things about myself, even when they were always there."
The thought made him uncomfortable.
He rubbed his thumb against his palm and looked away.
Maybe the investigation had simply taken too much of his attention.
For days, they had been buried in reports, patterns, missing bodies, strange ornaments, and questions that seemed to lead nowhere.
Perhaps his mind had simply pushed everything else aside.
Damon exhaled quietly.
"That must be it."
He gave the badge one last glance before letting his hand fall.
Then he pushed himself away from the wall.
His footsteps were slower as he started upstairs.
For some reason, the relief he had felt moments earlier remained with him.
He just did not know why.
"...."
When Damon opened the bedroom door, Owen was still asleep.
The familiar sight immediately eased something inside him.
Owen lay turned slightly toward the wall.
One arm rested beneath his pillow.
His breathing remained slow and steady.
Damon stood beside the doorway for a moment.
He almost smiled.
Maybe the strange feeling outside had simply been exhaustion.
Maybe he had needed fresh air.
He took two steps into the room.
Then Owen moved.
Damon stopped.
Owen's shoulder shifted beneath the blanket.
His head turned slightly.
Damon looked at his face.
Something felt wrong.
He blinked.
The room remained unchanged.
He looked again.
Owen's face seemed darker.
Not simply because of the weak lamp.
Something moved across his features.
A shadow.
Then another.
Damon's breathing caught.
He stepped backward.
The darkness around Owen seemed to deepen.
For one terrible moment, dark flames appeared to move around his body.
Damon stared without understanding.
His fingers curled tightly against his palm.
"No, this cannot be happening tonight."
He rubbed both hands over his eyes.
When he opened them again, Owen was still there.
The same face.
The same bed.
The same room.
Yet Damon could still see something wrong.
His heart began beating harder.
He took another step backward.
The floor gave a faint creak beneath his foot.
Owen did not wake.
Damon turned toward the door.
His hand shook when he reached for the handle.
He pulled it open too quickly.
The door struck the wall.
Damon flinched at the sound.
Then he ran.
"..."
Mira's door stood near the end of the corridor.
Damon reached it breathlessly.
His hand rose.
He knocked once.
Then again.
Then again.
The third knock came harder than the others.
Mira stirred inside.
A muffled voice came through the door.
"Who is knocking this late tonight?"
Damon swallowed.
His chest continued rising and falling too quickly.
"Mira, please open the door quickly."
There was a pause inside.
The lock moved.
The door opened halfway.
Mira appeared with sleep still heavy in her eyes.
Her hair was slightly disordered from sleeping.
Her expression immediately showed irritation.
"Damon, why are you waking me this late?"
Damon looked at her.
His lips parted.
No answer came immediately.
Mira's irritation slowly disappeared.
She noticed his breathing.
She noticed his trembling hands.
She noticed the fear in his eyes.
Her face changed completely.
"Damon, what happened to you tonight?"
She opened the door wider.
Damon stepped backward.
Mira frowned.
She reached one hand toward him.
Her fingers had barely moved halfway before Damon saw it.
Darkness crawled across her face.
Black flames seemed to gather around her shoulders.
Her eyes appeared wrong.
Too dark.
Too unfamiliar.
Damon's entire body stiffened.
Mira stopped moving.
"Damon, please look at me carefully."
He shook his head.
He took another step backward.
Mira lowered her hand slightly.
"Damon, I am not going to hurt you."
Damon's breathing broke.
He turned and ran.
Mira remained at the doorway.
Her hand slowly lowered beside her.
For several seconds, she simply watched the empty corridor.
Then she closed her eyes briefly.
Something had frightened him badly.
She did not know what.
Mira immediately turned toward Cassian's room.
"..."
Cassian was still awake when Mira knocked.
He opened the door almost immediately.
Mira stood outside with a worried expression.
"Cassian, something happened to Damon."
Cassian's eyes sharpened.
"What happened to him exactly?"
"I do not know what he saw."
Mira stepped closer.
"He looked terrified of me when I opened my door."
Cassian's expression changed.
"Where did he go after that?"
"I believe he ran outside somewhere."
Cassian did not ask another question.
He stepped past her and walked toward the stairs.
Mira followed closely behind him.
Neither of them spoke.
The night air entered through the open entrance.
Cassian stepped outside.
The cold air brushed across his face as he looked through the quiet courtyard.
His eyes moved slowly between the shadows, searching for any sign of Damon.
Then he saw him.
Damon was sitting near the balcony, several meters away from the doorway.
His knees were drawn toward his chest, while both arms remained wrapped tightly around himself.
His fingers were gripping his sleeves so firmly that his knuckles looked pale.
Cassian's steps stopped.
"Damon."
Damon's head lifted.
Their eyes met.
For one brief second, neither of them moved.
Then Damon recoiled.
His back pressed against the wall behind him, and his breath came out sharply.
Cassian stopped immediately.
He had barely moved forward.
Yet Damon looked as though Cassian had already come too close.
Mira remained near the doorway, watching silently.
Cassian slowly lowered himself onto the ground.
He sat several meters away from Damon, leaving the distance between them untouched.
His hands rested openly against his knees.
He made no attempt to reach him.
"Damon, I am right here with you."
Damon's eyes remained fixed on him.
His fingers tightened around his sleeves.
His breathing became faster.
"Cassian, no, you are not Cassian."
Cassian's expression barely changed.
But something inside his chest sank at those words.
Damon looked at him again, almost desperately.
"You are not the Cassian I know."
Cassian swallowed quietly.
He wanted to move closer.
His entire body wanted to cross that empty space and pull Damon away from whatever frightened him.
Instead, he stayed where he was.
"Then let me stay here until you recognize me."
Damon's lips trembled.
His gaze dropped toward the floor.
He rubbed one hand over his face before pressing both palms against his eyes.
A shaky breath escaped him.
Then his hands moved to his ears.
Cassian leaned forward slightly.
He stopped himself before his knees could leave their place.
"Damon, you can close your eyes."
His voice remained low and steady.
"You only need to hear my voice."
Damon shook his head.
His shoulders trembled beneath his clothes.
"Cassian, please help me right now."
Cassian's fingers curled slowly against his knees.
"I am here."
Damon lowered one hand.
His eyes remained closed.
A tear slipped down his cheek before he could stop it.
He quickly wiped it away with the back of his hand.
Cassian noticed.
He said nothing.
He only watched Damon carefully.
Another breath escaped Damon.
This one sounded smaller.
"Cassian, please hold me like you always did."
Cassian went still.
The words carried something he could not place.
Not just fear.
Not just exhaustion.
Something older.
Something that sounded familiar to Damon and strangely distant to him.
Damon's fingers trembled against his sleeves.
"I am afraid to be alone."
Cassian's expression softened.
He lowered his voice.
"May I come closer now, baby boy?"
Damon remained silent.
His breathing continued unevenly.
Then his hand slowly moved away from his ear.
His fingers hovered between them.
He looked toward Cassian.
A small nod followed.
Cassian stood.
He took one step.
Then another.
His movements remained slow enough for Damon to stop him.
Damon's shoulders tightened.
Cassian stopped.
He waited.
Damon swallowed.
His fingers slowly opened.
Only then did Cassian take another step.
When he reached him, Cassian lowered himself again.
He did not touch him immediately.
He simply opened his arms.
Damon stared at him.
His eyes moved from Cassian's face to those waiting arms.
For a moment, he seemed caught between fear and something much more familiar.
Then he moved.
His hands caught the front of Cassian's clothes.
His forehead pressed against Cassian's shoulder.
Cassian wrapped his arms around him.
Damon's first breath shook against him.
His second came slower.
Cassian placed one hand gently against the back of his head.
His fingers moved through Damon's hair with deliberate care.
"You do not have to explain everything right now."
Damon's fingers tightened around his clothes.
"You can tell me everything whenever you are ready."
Damon did not answer.
He simply stayed there.
Cassian could feel his heartbeat through the closeness between them.
Fast at first.
Then gradually slower.
Damon's shoulders began to loosen.
The hand gripping Cassian's clothing stopped trembling so violently.
His breathing finally settled against Cassian's shoulder.
Cassian lowered his chin slightly.
He stayed still.
He did not ask what Damon had seen.
He did not ask why Damon had been afraid.
For now, he only held him.
After several quiet minutes, Damon shifted.
His head lifted slightly.
"I can walk back myself."
Cassian looked at him.
Damon pushed one hand against the floor.
He tried to stand.
His legs immediately betrayed him.
Cassian caught him around the waist before he could fall.
Damon's fingers closed around Cassian's shoulder.
"I told you that I could walk myself."
Cassian glanced toward his unsteady legs.
Then he looked back at him.
"You nearly fell before standing properly."
Damon looked away.
Cassian adjusted his hold.
Then he lifted him into his arms.
Damon's breath caught softly.
His hands immediately found Cassian's clothing again.
This time, he did not protest.
His cheek slowly rested against Cassian's shoulder.
Cassian looked down at him once.
Damon's eyes were already closed.
Cassian carried him inside.
Their footsteps were quiet against the wooden floor.
Mira followed behind them without saying anything.
She kept watching Damon.
She noticed how tightly he still held Cassian.
She noticed how Cassian kept adjusting his hold whenever Damon shifted.
Neither of them spoke.
When they reached the room, Cassian pushed the door open with his shoulder.
Owen was already awake.
He sat upright and looked toward them.
His sleepy expression disappeared immediately.
"What happened to Damon after leaving the room?"
Cassian glanced at him.
"We will talk about everything after morning comes."
Owen looked at Damon for several seconds.
Then he quietly nodded.
Cassian carried Damon to the bed.
He lowered him carefully onto the mattress.
Damon's hands remained around Cassian's clothing.
When Cassian began to pull away, Damon's fingers caught his sleeve.
Cassian stopped.
Damon looked up at him.
His eyes were heavy with exhaustion.
"Please stay for a little longer with me."
Cassian sat beside the bed.
His hand rested lightly over the blanket.
"I will stay beside you until you sleep."
Damon's fingers slowly loosened.
His eyes closed.
His breathing became quiet.
Cassian remained beside him.
The room slowly settled into silence.
Owen eventually turned away.
The wind moved softly outside the window.
Cassian looked down at Damon.
A loose strand of silver hair had fallen across his forehead.
Cassian lifted his hand.
His fingers gently moved the strand away.
They paused against Damon's cheek.
Only for a moment.
The warmth beneath his fingertips made him still.
There were faint traces of tears near the corner of Damon's eye.
Cassian's thumb moved once across his cheek.
Then his hand slowly withdrew.
Damon did not wake.
His breathing remained peaceful.
Cassian watched him for several seconds.
His hand rested quietly against his own knee.
He looked toward the sleeping Damon again.
There were questions waiting for morning.
There were things he still did not understand.
But none of them mattered more than the person sleeping safely in front of him.
Cassian remained beside the bed.
The lamp burned quietly.
Outside, Bellgrave slept beneath the dark sky.
And for this one moment, staying was enough.
—by Aurea;"Sometimes, the eyes do not deceive us. Sometimes, they simply show us what we were never meant to see."