Darkness didn't come all at once.
It swallowed her slowly.
Like something was pulling her deeper… deeper… deeper—
Then—
Pain.
Sharp.
Blinding.
Lila's eyes snapped open.
She gasped, her body jerking as air rushed violently into her lungs. Dust filled her throat, making her cough as she struggled to sit up.
Everything hurt.
Her head.
Her arms.
Her chest.
"…I'm alive," she whispered hoarsely.
For a second, she just stayed there, breathing.
Feeling.
Confirming.
Alive.
But then—
Her eyes widened.
"The man—"
She looked around quickly.
Broken concrete.
Collapsed beams.
Faint light filtering through cracks above.
But no one else.
Empty.
Completely empty.
Her brows furrowed.
"That's not possible…"
He had grabbed her.
She felt it.
That grip wasn't something she imagined.
So where did he go?
And more importantly—
Why did he let her live?
Lila slowly pushed herself up, ignoring the ache in her body. Her eyes sharpened as instinct took over.
Think.
Think, Lila.
This wasn't random.
Nothing was.
She forced herself to replay everything.
The voice.
The words.
You're not the only one who remembers.
Her chest tightened.
If that was true—
Then her biggest advantage was gone.
No.
Not gone.
Shared.
And that made it worse.
Because unlike her—
She didn't know how much they knew.
Her fingers clenched slightly.
"And Alex…"
The name alone made something twist inside her.
Her heart didn't want to believe it.
But her mind—
Her mind was already analyzing.
Too many coincidences.
Too many perfectly timed appearances.
Too many moments where he seemed…
Prepared.
Her jaw tightened.
"…I need proof."
Not assumptions.
Not fear.
Proof.
A faint sound snapped her out of her thoughts.
Footsteps.
Above.
Her body tensed instantly.
Danger.
Her eyes flickered—
Numbers appeared again.
Two figures.
Medium danger.
One—
Low.
Lila narrowed her eyes.
"…Rescuers?"
Or—
Something else.
She stepped back into the shadows just as voices echoed down.
"Check down there!"
A male voice.
Urgent.
Concerned.
Familiar.
Her heart skipped.
No.
No way.
"…Alex?"
The name slipped out before she could stop it.
Silence.
Then—
"Lila?!"
His voice.
Clear.
Immediate.
And then he was there.
Jumping down through the broken opening, landing roughly but quickly recovering.
His eyes found her instantly.
Relief flooded his face.
"Are you okay?" he rushed toward her.
Too fast.
Too concerned.
Too real.
Lila didn't move.
She just watched him.
Carefully.
Analyzing every detail.
Every expression.
Every breath.
Her ability flickered—
And his number appeared.
Low.
Always low.
That hadn't changed.
But now—
That number meant nothing to her.
Because someone had just proven…
Numbers could lie.
Alex reached her, his hands hovering near her arms but not touching.
"Lila, you're hurt—"
"I'm fine."
Her tone was cold.
Sharp.
It made him pause.
Just for a second.
But she saw it.
That tiny hesitation.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…How did you find me?"
The question came out calm.
Too calm.
Alex blinked.
"What?"
"You heard me," she said, her gaze steady. "How did you know I was here?"
A pause.
Short.
But noticeable.
"I—someone tipped me off," he said.
Lila tilted her head slightly.
"Someone?"
"Yeah."
"Who?"
Another pause.
Longer this time.
"I don't know," he admitted.
Her lips curved slightly.
But there was no warmth in it.
"That's interesting."
Alex frowned slightly.
"What is?"
Lila took a step closer.
Closing the distance.
Her eyes locked onto his.
"Because the last person who 'didn't know' anything…"
A pause.
"…knew everything."
Silence.
Heavy.
Alex's expression shifted slightly.
Not guilt.
Not fear.
But something else.
Something unreadable.
"You're acting strange," he said quietly.
Lila let out a soft breath.
"Am I?"
Another step closer.
Now they were too close.
Dangerously close.
"Tell me something, Alex…"
Her voice dropped slightly.
"Where were you… the night I died?"
The air froze.
Completely.
Even the dust in the air felt still.
Alex didn't respond immediately.
His eyes stayed on hers.
Searching.
Calculating.
Then—
"…What?"
Lila didn't look away.
"Answer me."
Her tone wasn't loud.
But it carried weight.
Pressure.
Alex exhaled slowly.
"You're not making sense."
"Then make it make sense."
Silence.
A long one.
Then—
"You hit your head," he said finally. "You're confused."
Lila laughed softly.
But there was nothing amused about it.
"No."
Her eyes sharpened.
"I'm starting to remember."
That did it.
For the first time—
Alex's expression cracked.
Not fully.
But enough.
Just enough for her to see it.
And that—
That was all she needed.
Her heart dropped.
So it's true.
Not everything.
But something.
Something he wasn't telling her.
Something important.
Her chest tightened—but her face stayed calm.
Cold.
Controlled.
"Let's go," Alex said after a moment, his voice steadier now. "This place isn't safe."
Lila stared at him for a second longer.
Then—
She nodded.
"…Fine."
For now.
They climbed out of the ruins in silence.
But the tension between them—
It was no longer invisible.
It was sharp.
Heavy.
Real.
As they reached outside, the sunlight hit her face—but it didn't feel warm.
It felt distant.
Like something she couldn't trust anymore.
She glanced at Alex from the corner of her eye.
Walking beside her.
Close.
Familiar.
And yet—
A stranger.
Her fingers curled slightly.
Your biggest threat… might be the one standing closest to you.
The words echoed again.
Louder this time.
And for the first time—
Lila didn't push them away.
That night—
Lila sat in her room.
Lights off.
Silence surrounding her.
Her phone rested in her hand.
The screen glowed faintly.
A number.
Unknown.
The same one that sent the coordinates.
Her thumb hovered over it.
Then—
She typed.
"Who are you?"
The reply came instantly.
Like they had been waiting.
"Someone who wants you alive."
Her eyes darkened.
"Why?"
A pause.
Then—
"Because you haven't figured out the most important truth yet."
Her heartbeat quickened.
"What truth?"
This time—
The reply took longer.
Much longer.
And when it finally came—
It made her blood run cold.
"You didn't die the first time by accident."
Her breath stopped.
But the message didn't end.
Another one came immediately.
"And the person who pushed everything to happen…"
Pause.
Long.
Deliberate.
Then—
"…is closer to you than you think."
Lila's fingers tightened around her phone.
Her mind raced.
Her heart pounded.
But this time—
She didn't feel fear.
She felt something else.
Something darker.
"…Good," she whispered softly.
Her eyes hardened.
"If you're trying to break me…"
A slow breath.
"You're too late."
Her gaze shifted slightly—
toward the door.
Toward the outside.
Toward where Alex had stood earlier.
"…Because I'm already starting to break everything else."