Nights were no longer quiet for Serine.
It was not because of a clear fear she could point to, but a constant feeling that something was watching her. Not from the street, nor from the people, but from a deeper place… a place she could not identify, yet it was always present.
She sat on the roof of her house every night, looking at the sky that was no longer the same. Even the stars looked different, as if the light coming from them had grown dim or broken. And even up there, she saw the cracks.
She pulled her knees to her chest and remained silent for a long time.
"Do you know what is worse?" Craiven said suddenly.
She did not turn to him. She knew he was there.
"What?" she asked quietly.
"To see the truth… in the eyes of people who do not want to see it."
Serine sighed.
"I did not force anyone."
"True," he said, looking at the horizon. "But your mere presence has become enough to make them doubt."
She paused for a moment, then turned to him.
He was sitting on the edge of the roof, as usual, as if falling meant nothing to him.
But this time, it was not Craiven that caught her attention.
It was his shadow.
It stretched behind him on the roof, long because of the moonlight… but it was not still. It did not follow his movements naturally. It lagged slightly when he moved, then overtook his movement in another moment, as if it were an independent being.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Craiven…" she said slowly, "your shadow."
He looked at her, then glanced behind him.
"What about it?"
"It does not move like you."
He smiled a faint smile, but it was not comfortable.
"You finally noticed."
She rose from her spot and stepped closer.
"What is this?"
He was silent for a moment, as if thinking whether to answer or not.
Then he said quietly:
"Part of me."
She did not like the answer.
"That is not an explanation."
He exhaled softly, then sat up straight.
"When you begin to see the truth, you have two choices… either you get rid of everything false inside you, or you keep some of it."
"And Ilthar?" she asked immediately.
"He got rid of everything," he said without hesitation. "Even his shadow."
She looked again at the shadow, which was now moving slowly, as if watching her.
"And you?"
"I… could not," he said honestly this time. "I kept some things. Some lies I did not want to lose."
Serine paused, then said:
"That is why your shadow is separate?"
He nodded.
"The shadow is not just the absence of light. Sometimes… it is the things we know are true, but we choose to ignore."
She stepped closer, until she was near the shadow.
She felt something strange, as if the air had grown slightly colder.
"Do not touch it," Craiven said quickly.
But she had already extended her hand.
It was not just curiosity… it was a feeling that she needed to understand.
And when she touched the shadow—
Everything stopped.
She was no longer on the roof.
She could no longer see the moon, nor the city.
Instead, she saw… Craiven.
But not as he was now.
She saw him as a child, sitting alone in a dark corner, trying to stop himself from crying.
She saw him as a young man, smiling at others while hiding his confusion and fear of being rejected.
She saw him pulling away from people who loved him — not because he did not care, but because he never learned how to stay.
She saw small lies… not malicious, but defensive.
And she saw the moment he stood before a mirror, staring at himself, as if he did not know who he was.
She pulled her hand back suddenly.
She was on the roof again, breathing fast.
She stepped back, then again.
"What was that…?"
Craiven did not answer immediately. He was looking at the ground.
"That is me," he said finally.
She looked up at him.
"Not just you… that is—"
"That is what I do not want to be," he interrupted quietly. "Or perhaps… what I cannot get rid of."
She fell silent.
She no longer saw the shadow in the same way.
It was no longer just something strange… it had become frighteningly understandable.
"And does everyone have this?" she asked.
"Yes," he said. "But they do not see it."
She sat down slowly.
"And if they see it?"
He looked at her, then said:
"Either they face it… or they run."
She was silent for a moment, then said:
"And me?"
He smiled faintly.
"You have started to see. And that is the most dangerous place to be."
She raised her head toward the sky again.
The cracks were there, clearer than ever.
But this time, she felt that something else was with her… something moving in silence.
"Craiven…" she said.
"Yes?"
"We are not alone, are we?"
He did not answer immediately.
Then he said quietly:
"We never were."
A long moment of silence passed.
The air grew heavier, as if the city itself was holding its breath.
And somewhere far away — she could not tell where — Serine felt something… watching.
Not with curiosity.
But with anticipation.
End of Chapter Five
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