"I'm sorry," he said gently.
The anger inside me melted instantly, not because of the apology, but because of the face in front of me.
He was… breathtaking.
For a moment, I was completely lost. My brain stopped working. My tongue refused to cooperate.
He lightly touched my shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"I… I am… fine," I finally managed to stammer.
"That's good," he said with a small smile before turning to leave.
I stood there like a statue, watching him walk away, still trapped in my own fantasy.
But after a few steps, he stopped and came back.
"Do you know where the administrative block is?" he asked.
"Huh?"
He chuckled softly. "I'm a transfer student. I'm kind of lost."
My heart skipped.
A handsome transfer student… asking me for help?
I quickly offered to take him there instead of just giving directions.
"Oh, you can just direct me. I don't want to waste your time," he said politely.
"It's fine," I insisted. "I'm not busy."
That was a lie. But at that moment, nothing in the world was more important.
We walked toward the administrative block together. I tried to start a conversation, and to my surprise, he responded warmly. A few times, I caught him smiling at something I said.
Each smile felt like a personal victory.
Soon, we arrived.
"Thank you," he said. "I'm Dave. I'm majoring in Chemistry."
"I'm Clover," I replied. "Fine Arts."
I waited.
I waited for the laugh. For the smirk. For the usual reaction to my name.
But it never came.
Instead, he simply nodded. "Nice to meet you, Clover."
My heart fluttered wildly.
We said goodbye, and he walked into the building.
I suddenly remembered I was supposed to meet Jane at the pavilion.
When I arrived, she was already annoyed.
But the moment I told her about Dave, her mood brightened instantly.
We laughed, teased, and gisted like crazy until her boyfriend, John, showed up. After saying goodbye, I headed home.
That evening, everyone noticed how unusually happy I was.
After dinner, I rushed to my room and threw myself onto the bed, smiling like an idiot.
I couldn't sleep.
Dave's face kept replaying in my mind.
After what felt like forever, exhaustion finally claimed me.
And then—
The dream returned.
The red-haired woman stood tall, radiant and powerful. Her body glowed with blinding light, her presence commanding and terrifying at the same time.
Before her knelt another woman.
"Lylithrix," the red-haired woman called, her voice echoing like thunder. "You have committed countless crimes. You have slaughtered innocent souls. You have sown evil upon the earth."
The air trembled.
"With these charges, you are found guilty. Today, you shall reap what you have sown."
She raised her hand.
Dark chains wrapped around Lylithrix, dragging her into endless slumber.
The scream that followed pierced through my soul.
I woke up gasping.
My heart pounded violently.
I thought this nightmare had ended. Why now?
And something felt different this time.
Unsettling.
It felt as though I wasn't just having the dream.
It felt like I was the one.
"I don't have energy for this stupid dream," I muttered, forcing myself out of bed.
Then I remembered Dave.
A smile spread across my face as I walked into the bathroom.
I went downstairs for breakfast as usual.
At breakfast, I grabbed bread and egg, stuffing some into my bag before kissing my parents goodbye. Helen and I left together.
It was awkward walking beside her.
"So… how's class?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
She looked surprised that I initiated conversation but answered anyway.
"It's okay."
"You can go ahead," I said. "I'll follow."
She nodded and walked ahead.
As I watched her leave, I sighed.
Helen isn't bad.
I just don't understand why jealousy always finds its way into my heart whenever I look at her.
Later that afternoon, I was strolling absentmindedly along the walkway, still thinking about the dream.
"Clover!"
I turned.
It was Dave.
My heart leaped.
"I wasn't expecting to see you here," I lied smoothly.
"I was actually waiting for him" .
"Me too," he replied with a grin.
"So… what are you doing here?" he asked.
"Huh?"
I mentally slapped myself.
"I mean — just taking a stroll," I corrected.
"People do that here?" he teased.
"Of course," I said quickly. "I love strolling."
He laughed softly.
"I just finished my lectures. I was heading home, but we can chat for a while."
My heart practically exploded.
"You're really funny to be around," he added.
Before I could respond—
"Isn't that Mr. Grump?" a student whispered loudly to her friend while pointing at me.
"That's her. What's that handsome guy doing with her?"
" He probably doesn't know she is Mr Grump" the other said.
Their laughter faded as they walked away.
My stomach dropped.
I lowered my head, wishing the ground would open and swallow me whole.
Dave looked at me.
"Is that also your name?" he asked gently.
Shame burned through me.
Without thinking, I cursed under my breath and ran.
Leaving him standing there… confused.
"Today is really embarrassing" That was the last thought on my mind before I dozed off later that night.
****
Deep inside the Abyss, a woman stood tall and commanding. The ground around her was dark and cracked, smoke rising from beneath as if the earth itself feared her. An entire army of demons bowed before her, their distorted bodies kneeling in submission.
"Gather the whole army," she said calmly, yet her voice echoed with power. "We are going to invade the human world. It will soon be ours."
She laughed, a slow, devilish sound that sent chills through the atmosphere.
"Mistress," one of the high-ranking demons called, stepping forward cautiously. "A message came from the demons in the human world. The Book of Evil has been found."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Then where is it?" she asked.
The demon hesitated. "We… we haven't secured it yet."
Annoyed, she flipped her finger slightly. An unseen force slammed the demon violently to the ground. The other demons lowered their heads in fear.
"Get me the book," Lylithrix said, her voice now cold and deadly. "Go into the human world. Kill. Devour anyone who stands in your way. And bring me the Book of Evil."
Her words were final.
*****
Somewhere within the White Witch Clan, the air felt heavy with tension.
Dylan stood before the empty throne, sadness written clearly on his face.
Evil has risen again.
Thousands of years ago, Ellen had locked Lylithrix inside the casket, but her own soul was lost in the human world during that battle. Since then, the throne had remained empty.
They searched for her soul for years without success.
Now, hearing that the Book of Evil had resurfaced gave them a small spark of hope. Ellen was the one who sealed it before — and the demons had attacked the witch clan because of that.
Dylan made his decision.
He would go to the human world himself. He would secure the book before the demons reached it.
And he would protect the human girl who carries Ellen's soul.
*****
I woke up as usual, took my bath, and prepared for school.
At school, I rarely stepped out. I was scared of running into Dave. I avoided him for days until one afternoon I was called by my departmental HOD for a project defense.
When I stepped into the office and saw Dave seated there, my heart skipped.
That was when I found out that my HOD was his uncle.
With Dave sitting there, I lost every word I had prepared. My throat went dry. My mind became blank.
I failed.
I walked out feeling ashamed and embarrassed.
"Clover!" Dave called as he hurried after me.
We both sat on the bench in front of the humanities block.
"I'm sorry about the other day," he said. "It was my fault too for making fun of you. Please don't avoid me. I'll talk to my uncle so you can be granted another chance."
I couldn't stay mad at him, even if I tried.
"Fine," I said. "But you'll have to take me out for lunch one time."
He agreed immediately.
After a brief silence, I asked the question that had been bothering me.
"Why did you transfer to this school? Your former school is far better than here."
He looked away slightly.
"It wasn't that conducive for me," he answered.
I noticed he didn't want to talk about it, so I asked something else.
"What about your girlfriend? Will she be okay there?"
He went quiet for a while before replying softly.
"We broke up."
"Why? Who would break up with someone as handsome as you?" I hissed, trying to sound displeased, even though my heart felt secretly happy.
He gave a faint smile.
"I guess everything is not about being handsome."
For a moment, I saw pain in his eyes.
We later exchanged WhatsApp contacts, and I went home feeling unusually happy. That night, I barely slept. Chatting with Dave gave me butterflies.
The following day,I was walked back home after class, something suddenly blocked my path.
I froze.
Standing a few meters away from me was a hideous creature. Its skin looked burnt and torn, its eyes glowing unnaturally. Another one stepped out from behind a tree.
My heart dropped.
I let out a loud scream.
Instinct took over and I ran as fast as I could. My legs felt weak, my breath uneven, but I didn't stop. I could hear their heavy footsteps behind me — fast… too fast.
How could a normal human like me outrun monsters?
I could feel them getting closer.
Closer.
One of them leapt toward me—
And suddenly, a bright flash cut through the air.
A man dressed in white appeared between us. Before I could even process what was happening, he moved with inhuman speed. In seconds, the monsters were on the ground.
Slaughtered.
Dark blood stained the earth.
I stood there, trembling, staring at the horrifying scene.
My vision blurred.
Everything went black.
I fainted.