( PH 2 )
rain hadn't stopped if anything it had grown heavier.
Midnight in Astra never truly slept but tonight it felt like it did.
The streets were quieter shops closed.
Lights dimmed only a few neon signs flickered weakly in the distance.
Water streamed along the edges of the road.
Reflections stretched and broke under passing droplets,Anie stepped out of the café.
Cold rain hit her instantly soaking her hair.her clothes but she didn't stop her eyes were fixed across the street.
That place that spot where he had been standing.her steps slowed for a moment.
He disappeared…
Then,
something inside her resisted that thought.
No…
She stepped forward again crossing the road.the rain blurred her vision slightly.but she kept moving.
Because she felt it that presence still there.
Waiting,,,
She reached the other side and then
she saw him.standing under the faint glow of a broken streetlight.
Umbrella held still unmoving as if
he had never left.Anie stopped a few steps away her breath slowed.
Rain hit the umbrella above him in a steady rhythm.
"tap… tap… tap…"
He didn't move didn't turn didn't acknowledge her yet.
"…you were there."
Her voice came out before she could stop it.no response she took another step closer.
"Across the street…"
Still nothing her fingers tightened slightly.
"…who are you?"
Silence only the rain answered a long pause passed.
Then slowly he moved just a small shift.
The umbrella tilted slightly upward.
Not fully just enough enough for her to see his eyes.dark blue sharp still watching her.
Anie's breath caught not because she recognized him.
But because something about those eyes felt familiar.
not in memory in feeling,
"…do we know each other?"
Her voice softened uncertain.
The man didn't answer immediately.
his gaze didn't break then quietly,
"…you already asked that."
His voice was low calm but not direct.
Anie frowned slightly.
"That's not an answer."
"…it is."..... A pause.
"…just not the one you want."
The rain grew louder between them.
Anie stepped closer now only a few feet away.
"I've seen you before." silence,,
"You were there…"
Fragments of memory tried to connect.
a moment, a shadow, a presence
that shouldn't have been there.
"…that day."
Her eyes narrowed slightly,
"You helped me."
No reaction no confirmation no denial.
Just stillness,,,.
"…why?"
Her voice dropped.
"Why were you there?"
The man tilted his head slightly.
"…you're asking the wrong question."
Anie's expression hardened a little.
"Then what's the right one?" a brief pause.
"…why are you still here?"
The answer didn't make sense.
"…what?"
He lowered the umbrella just a fraction more.Still not revealing his face.
"…after everything you've seen."
"…after what you felt."
"…you're still standing in the rain—"
His voice remained steady,,
"—pretending you don't understand."
Anie's chest tightened.
"I don't understand." her voice rose slightly.
"That's the problem." rain hit harder now.
Running down her face mixing with her breath.
"…people attacked us.",,
"…Eli is in the hospital.",,,
"…and something is happening to me"
Her voice broke for a second.
"and you're telling me I'm asking the wrong question?"
Silence then,, "…yes."
a simple answer too simple Anie stared at him frustration.
confusion something deeper.
"…then tell me."her voice lowered again.
"Tell me what I'm missing."
A long pause the man didn't move.
didn't rush didn't react to her urgency
then quietly,
"…you think this started today."
Her breathing slowed.
"…it didn't."
the words landed heavier than expected.
"…what do you mean?"
No answer, "…say it clearly."another pause.
"…you were already part of it."
"…long before you noticed."
Anie's eyes widened slightly something inside her shifted.
"…that's not possible."
"…isn't it?"
The rain softened for a moment as if listening.
"…your memories…" he continued.
"…are not as complete as you believe."
Her heartbeat quickened fragments flashed again.sam that day that room.
something missing.
"…what are you saying…?"
But this time his gaze shifted slightly.
not away past her as if noticing something else.the moment changed
subtly.
"…you shouldn't be here." Anie frowned.
"What",Before she could finish he stepped back.the umbrella lowered again hiding his eyes.
"Wait !"
She moved forward but he was already turning.
"…don't follow."
His voice firmer now.m,
"Next time…" a slight pause.
"…ask better questions."
And then he walked not rushed not panicked.
Just…gone into the rain Anie stood there frozen her breath uneven.
Her mind louder than ever.
Your memories… are not complete…
The words echoed again and again,
again.her fingers slowly clenched.
"…Sam…"
A whisper for the first time doubt entered that memory.not about what happened.but about what didn't.
The rain continued to fall and somewhere far above the city,
something was already watching....