The lights flickered once.
Twice.
Then steadied.
But the cold remained.
That unnatural chill still lingered in Ward 707, curling around my ankles like invisible smoke.
I stared at the window.
The shadow was gone.
No crimson eyes.
No tall figure.
No trace that anyone had been there.
Yet every instinct in my body screamed the same thing.
Someone had been watching us.
Riya's fingers tightened around my sleeve.
"Bhaiya…"
Her voice trembled.
"Who were you talking to?"
I looked at her.
For a moment, I considered lying.
Telling her it was nothing.
Telling her exhaustion and a head wound were making me imagine things.
But after everything I had seen tonight, lies felt pointless.
I took a slow breath.
"Someone was here."
Her eyes widened.
"In the room?"
I nodded.
Her face turned pale.
The old fear returned to my chest.
Not fear for myself.
For her.
For eight years, I had protected her from the burden I carried.
From the hospital bills.
From the hopelessness.
Now there was something far worse.
A hidden enemy.
An ancient curse.
A bloodline seal is sleeping inside her.
And apparently, someone who already knew I had awakened.
I gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Go home."
Her expression changed instantly.
"No."
"Riya."
"No."
Her voice grew firmer.
"I'm not leaving you here alone."
For a moment, I saw the little girl she used to be.
Then the years of hardship flashed in her eyes.
She wasn't little anymore.
Life had made sure of that.
I exhaled slowly.
"Fine."
But inside, I made a promise.
No matter what came next—
I would not let anything touch her.
Not ever again.
I turned back toward the beds.
The curse chains still coiled around my family like living serpents, but they had changed.
The moment the shadow appeared, the chains had tightened.
The dark mist around my father's body thickened.
My golden rings pulsed.
Information flowed into my mind.
External curse synchronisation detected
Source entity: unknown
Classification: shadow-type spirit/demon lineage
My jaw tightened.
Demon.
So Grandfather had been telling the truth.
This world was not as simple as it looked.
Humans.
Demons.
Deities.
Curses.
A hidden world walking beside the ordinary one.
And now I could see it.
The pendant against my chest pulsed warmly.
Then a whisper echoed in my mind.
Follow the residue.
I frowned.
Residue?
My eyes automatically shifted toward the window.
A faint trail of crimson-black smoke lingered in the air.
Almost invisible.
Like a scent left behind.
My heartbeat quickened.
A clue.
I looked at Riya.
"Stay here."
She immediately shook her head.
"Absolutely not."
I almost smiled despite the situation.
Some things never changed.
"Then stay behind me."
She nodded.
Carefully, I moved toward the window.
The city lights beyond the glass glittered beneath the night sky.
Rain had stopped.
The streets below shimmered with reflections of neon.
The trail of crimson smoke slipped through the slightly open window and disappeared outside.
Whoever—or whatever—that thing was, it had left in a hurry.
I pushed the window wider.
Cold air rushed in.
The smoke drifted downward.
Toward the hospital courtyard.
I turned to Riya.
"Stay close."
Her fingers found the hem of my jacket.
Together, we left Ward 707.
The elevator ride down felt too slow.
Every second stretched like an hour.
The golden rings in my eyes remained active, painting the world with layers I had never seen before.
Patients glowed with faint white life force.
Doctors and nurses carried blue streams of mental fatigue.
Even the machines emitted thin currents of electric light.
Reality had changed.
Or maybe—
I had finally begun seeing it as it truly was.
The hospital courtyard was nearly empty.
A few benches stood beneath old trees, their leaves trembling in the wind.
The crimson-black smoke trail moved like a ribbon through the darkness.
It led toward the back gate.
Then stopped.
At first, I thought the trail had vanished.
Then I saw him.
A man stood beneath the shadow of the largest tree.
Tall.
Dressed in a long black coat.
Face hidden beneath the hood.
Only two crimson eyes glowed beneath the darkness.
My entire body tensed.
Riya gasped softly behind me.
The figure smiled.
A slow, cruel smile.
"So", he said, voice smooth and cold, "the Origin Eyes truly awakened."
My fists clenched.
"Who are you?"
He tilted his head.
"Merely a messenger."
The air around him twisted.
Dark mist spread across the ground like ink.
I instinctively stepped in front of Riya.
His crimson eyes moved toward her.
The smile widened.
"And the little phoenix still sleeps."
Cold terror shot through me.
He knew.
He knew about Riya's seal.
My voice turned ice-cold.
"Don't look at her."
He laughed.
A sound that made the air itself feel wrong.
"You truly know nothing, heir."
He took one step forward.
The ground beneath his foot blackened.
"Eight years ago, your family should have died."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
His eyes gleamed.
"But your father resisted longer than expected."
Rage exploded inside me.
"You did this?"
He spread his hands.
"Not I."
"Then who?"
His smile deepened.
"The ones who wish to reclaim what belongs to the Origin Bloodline."
My breathing turned heavy.
Blood pounded in my ears.
I wanted answers.
I wanted names.
I wanted revenge.
The golden rings in my eyes spun rapidly.
Suddenly, information flooded my mind.
Entity analysis initiated
Name: unknown
Type: lower shadow demon
Threat level: dangerous
Weakness detected: chest core / left rib region
I froze.
So this was one of the eyes' powers.
Weak point detection.
The demon's gaze sharpened.
"Interesting."
He looked directly into my eyes.
"You can already analyse."
Then he moved.
Fast.
Far too fast.
One moment, he stood beneath the tree.
The next—
He was right in front of me.
His clawed hand shot toward my throat.
Instinct took over.
I twisted sideways.
The golden rings flashed.
For a split second, the world slowed.
No—
My perception slowed time.
I could see the path of his strike.
The tension in his shoulder.
The opening beneath his left rib.
I drove my fist forward.
Straight into the weak point.
The impact landed.
The demon staggered backwards with a snarl.
Shock flashed across his face.
"You—"
Dark blood spilt from the corner of his mouth.
I stared at my own fist.
I had actually hit him.
No.
The eye had guided me.
The demon's expression turned murderous.
Black mist exploded from his body.
The courtyard lights shattered.
Glass rained onto the ground.
Riya screamed.
I turned—
and saw another shadow rising behind her.
My blood ran cold.
There was more than one.
The first demon laughed.
"You've only just awakened."
His crimson eyes glowed brighter.
"Let's see if the heir is worth killing."
The darkness surged toward us.
And for the first time in my life—
I was about to fight something that should not exist.