I stood still, my eyes fixed on the figure in front of me.
The vampire's dark eyes stayed on me, calm and unreadable, as if he was studying something beneath my skin. His expression carried a strange curiosity—the kind that made my chest tighten.
For a moment, the only sound between us was the distant rustling of leaves.
Then he took a step closer.
I moved back without thinking.
"Stay away from me," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"You're afraid," he said softly, "but not helpless. That's interesting."
My jaw tightened. "Who are you?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"The wrong question."
His gaze sharpened.
"What you should be asking is… what are you?"
The words hit harder than I expected.
For a second, the cave flashed in my mind again—the chains, the darkness, the creature's voice. My chest felt heavy, the memory pressing too close.
"I don't know what you're talking about," I muttered.
A low chuckle slipped from his lips.
"No," he said. "I suppose you really don't."
Before I could speak again, he vanished.
My breath caught.
A rush of air brushed past me.
Suddenly he was right in front of me, his hand reaching for my shoulder.
Too fast.
But somehow, I moved before thought could catch up.
My body twisted sharply to the side, his fingers slicing through empty air.
I stumbled back, staring at him in shock.
I hadn't planned that.
I hadn't even seen him move clearly.
Yet I still dodged.
The vampire's expression shifted.
The curiosity in his eyes deepened into something colder. More focused.
"So it's true," he said quietly.
My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
"What do you want?"
He began circling me, slow and silent, like a predator taking its time.
"I was sent to confirm something," he said. "Rumors travel fast. A boy on this campus who moved too quickly. One who survived an encounter with one of us."
My stomach dropped.
So this really wasn't random.
They had been watching me ever since that night.
The vampire stopped in front of me again.
"At first, I thought it was only the reflex of a frightened young wolf," he said.
His eyes narrowed.
"But now…"
The pause lingered.
"Something in you feels older."
A chill ran through me.
Older?
Before I could ask, he moved again—faster than before.
This time, my hand shot out on its own and caught his wrist.
The moment froze.
I stared at my own hand, stunned by how naturally it had happened.
The vampire looked down at my grip, then slowly lifted his eyes to mine.
A smile spread across his face, but this one carried no amusement.
Only certainty.
"There it is," he murmured. "You've felt it too, haven't you?"
His voice lowered.
"The speed. The hearing. The thing beneath your skin that refuses to stay asleep."
My breath caught.
I released his wrist and took a step back.
"What are you talking about?"
He straightened, his gaze never leaving me.
"It's waking," he said. "And when it fully rises…"
His voice turned colder.
"…even you may not be able to hold it back."
The words settled over me like ice.
The strange hearing.
The strength.
The anger.
The dreams.
All of it suddenly felt connected.
Before I could ask another question, he stepped backward into the darkness.
The shadows seemed to swallow him whole.
"You should pray you learn control before it's too late," his voice echoed from somewhere beyond the trees.
Then silence.
I stood there alone, staring into the empty night.
My hand was still shaking.
Not from fear.
From the memory of how easily I had caught him.
How natural it had felt.
I looked down at my fingers and slowly clenched them into a fist.
His words echoed in my head.
It's waking.
A part of me wanted to deny it.
But after everything that had happened, denial was becoming harder and harder.
Because deep down…
I could already feel the change beginning.