I couldn't explain why.
But I knew.
In that house… we were not alone.
It could have been just a feeling. A simple premonition.
But it was so strong… so clear…
that it left no room for doubt.
I grabbed Helen's hand.
—We have to go —I whispered.
She looked at me, confused at first. But something in my expression must have been enough.
She nodded.
And that was all it took.
I ran toward the stairs.
I practically leapt down them, not thinking, as if something was about to catch us. The wood creaked beneath my feet, threatening to break, but in that moment there was something far worse than that.
Something I couldn't see.
Something I could feel.
We reached the ground floor and quickly searched for the others. They were in what looked like a kitchen, though I barely noticed.
Luca turned toward us, surprised.
—Wow, you finished fast. There's nothing here so far, there was something in—
I pressed a finger to his lips.
Silence.
Luca froze.
—What's going on? —Mira asked, frowning.
—We need to get out of this house. Now —I whispered.
—Why are you whispering? —Luca said, lowering his voice instinctively.
—I'll explain later —I replied—. But we need to leave.
A brief silence followed.
No one argued.
No one asked anything else.
Something in the air… was enough.
They all nodded.
We started moving toward the exit of the room, slowly at first… almost holding our breath.
And then—
We heard it.
A sound.
A long creak.
Slow.
Like old wood being forced.
Like a door…
opening.
We froze completely.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
—I wasn't the only one who heard that… right? —I whispered, barely able to speak.
They all slowly shook their heads.
We had heard it.
All of us.
The silence that followed was even worse.
It felt like the entire house was listening.
Suddenly, Mira stepped forward.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
She reached out and opened the door just enough to peek outside, toward the entrance hall and the stairs.
No one said anything.
We simply… followed her.
One by one, we moved closer, holding our breath, until we looked through the gap.
And then…
We saw it.
Something was moving.
Close to the ground.
Right beside the stairs.
As if… it were emerging from below.
As if something were coming out of a place that shouldn't exist.
I felt my blood turn cold.
And then it appeared.
First, the hood.
White.
Immaculate.
Then, slowly, the rest of the figure revealed itself.
A long cloak, white and gold, falling with unnatural elegance.
A suit of the same tone, flawless, almost… perfect.
Everything about it radiated purity.
Order.
Something almost divine.
But…
There was something else.
Something that didn't fit.
The edges of the cloak.
The sleeves.
The boots.
A dark tone was beginning to spread across them.
Black.
With deep purple undertones… as if darkness itself were seeping from within.
As if something corrupted was growing inside it.
As if that perfection…
was rotting.
I was completely trapped by its presence.
I couldn't look away.
It was as if everything about it forced me to watch.
And then—
A sharp thud behind me.
I turned instantly, startled.
Tarin was on the ground.
His body was trembling violently.
Convulsing.
—What…? —I murmured, not understanding anything—. What's happening to him?
I didn't have time to react.
When I looked back at the door…
He was there.
Again.
But this time…
He was moving.
Advancing slowly toward us.
Unhurried.
As if he knew we couldn't escape.
As if he didn't need to rush.
The air grew heavier.
—We need to go. Now! —I shouted, no longer holding back—. Luca, help me with Tarin!
He reacted instantly.
Together, we lifted him as best we could. I held his legs, Luca his arms. His body kept shaking uncontrollably.
—What's happening to him? —Luca asked, clearly shaken.
—I don't know —I replied—. But we need to get out before that thing gets here!
I didn't take my eyes off him.
He kept advancing.
Slow.
Unstoppable.
—Which way do we go? —Helen said, her voice tense—. The exit is that way!
—I saw a window earlier! —Mira shouted, pointing to the side—. This way!
We ran as fast as we could.
Carrying Tarin.
Every step felt slower than the last.
As if something were holding us back.
Mira reached it first.
She tried to open the window.
—It's locked! —she shouted, desperate.
—Move!
Luca carefully set Tarin down, grabbed a stone from the floor, and threw it with force.
The glass shattered into a thousand pieces.
The sound echoed through the house.
Too loud.
Too late.
—Quick!
Mira and Helen went out first.
Then, together, we lifted Tarin through.
I was last.
Before jumping…
I looked back.
And I saw him.
Standing still.
Watching us.
I couldn't see his face beneath the hood.
But I knew.
I knew he was looking at me.
Directly.
As if he could see inside me.
A chill ran down my spine.
I jumped.
The broken glass cut my arm as I landed, but I barely felt it.
—Run!
And we did.
We ran without looking back.
Without thinking.
Without speaking.
The houses blurred past me. There was no time for anything else.
Just running.
Running for our lives.
We didn't stop until we were out of breath and our legs could barely hold us.
Until the house…
disappeared from view.
When we finally stopped, the silence hit us all at once.
Until then, we hadn't had time to think.
Now we did.
And everything that had happened… came crashing down.
—Who was that? —Luca asked, still breathing heavily.
I slowly shook my head.
—I don't know… but I don't think it was someone… good.
—God, Ren… your arm —Helen said suddenly, stepping closer—. You're bleeding.
I looked down.
The wound was still open, blood slowly running down my arm.
—It's nothing —I said—. Just a scratch.
—You need a healer.
—Right now, Tarin is more important, don't you think?
I looked at him.
He was no longer convulsing.
But he was still unconscious.
—I'm sure he knows something…
—We shouldn't have come —Mira said suddenly, pacing in circles, clearly shaken—. I knew it. We shouldn't have come here.
She turned to Luca.
—If someone hadn't wanted to go on their "little adventure"…
Luca frowned.
—How was I supposed to know there'd be some weird guy in a cloak?
—What if he lived there? —Mira shot back—. What right do you have to break into someone's house?
—Do you really think someone lives in a burned house? —Luca replied, annoyed.
The tension rose again.
But then—
Movement.
We all turned.
Tarin.
He was moving.
His fingers trembled slightly before he opened his eyes, disoriented.
—Guys… —he murmured—. What… happened in there?
—That's what we were hoping you'd tell us —I said, stepping closer.
He blinked several times.
—Where… are we?
—Far from the house —Helen said gently—. You're safe.
I swallowed.
—You passed out as soon as you saw that man… —I added—. Did you see something with your power?
The moment I mentioned him…
Tarin tensed.
A shiver ran through his body.
As if the mere memory hurt.
He lowered his gaze.
—No… —he murmured—. I don't remember it well.
He paused.
Took a deep breath.
—It's… confusing.
We watched him in silence.
—I saw things… —he continued—. Horrible things.
He looked up.
And for the first time…
He looked truly afraid.
—Not just from his past.
He swallowed.
—From his future too.
A heavy silence fell over all of us.
—But I don't know which was which… —he added—. Everything was… mixed.
No one spoke.
No one knew what to say.
Tarin closed his eyes for a moment.
And when he spoke again, his voice was firmer.
Clearer.
—The only thing I'm sure of…
He looked at each of us.
—Is that we must never go near him again.
Ever.
We stayed in silence for a long time.
No one knew what to say.
—We shouldn't tell anyone about this —Luca finally said—. It's better to keep it a secret. If my parents find out… they'll kill me.
Mira nodded slowly.
—For once, I agree with you.
I looked at the others.
—Then… let's promise it.
We stepped closer.
Placed our hands together in the center.
—No one —I said.
—No one —they repeated.
We sealed the promise.
And still…
Something didn't feel right.
We started walking back home. We tried to talk about anything, as if everything had been just a simple anecdote.
But it wasn't.
You could feel it.
In the pauses.
In the glances.
In that uncomfortable silence no one wanted to acknowledge.
When we reached the usual crossroads where we split up, we said goodbye.
Everyone except Helen.
She stayed by my side.
—You need to see a healer —she insisted, looking at my arm.
I shook my head.
—My brother would find out.
She sighed.
—Then come to my house.
I didn't argue.
We went in quietly. I greeted her parents quickly, and we went up to her room.
While she wrapped my arm, she started talking about random things. Normal things.
As if nothing had happened.
As if she could bring everything back to the way it was.
And for a moment…
She almost did.
I remembered what she had said earlier.
That she wanted everything to stay like this.
Forever.
I looked at her.
And I didn't know what to think.
Because deep down…
I knew that was no longer possible.
After a while, I said goodbye and headed home.
The streets felt quieter than usual.
Or maybe it just seemed that way.
When I opened the door…
My brother was there.
Waiting.
—Little brother —he said with a smile—. Guess what. Today it's your turn to cook. I know it's a great honor for you—
—I'm not hungry —I cut him off—. I'm going to rest for a bit.
I tried to walk past him.
But he stepped in front of me.
His expression changed.
—What happened to your arm?
He grabbed me firmly.
I let out a nervous laugh.
—Nothing… just stupid stuff. You know… you slip, you fall, things like that. I'm going to lie down—
I didn't give him time to respond.
I went around him and entered my room, closing the door.
I collapsed onto the bed.
Silence returned.
And then…
The image came back.
Him.
Standing there.
Watching us.
Not moving.
Not speaking.
Just observing.
As if he already knew how everything would end.
I closed my eyes.
But it didn't fade.
If anything—
It became clearer.
Closer.
As if he were…
right in front of me.
I opened my eyes suddenly.
And for a second—
I would swear…
there was someone in the room.