"That… was you."
Kiara's words didn't sit right.
At all.
I was still on my knees.
Breathing uneven.
My chest rising and falling too fast.
"…No," I said, shaking my head. "That wasn't me."
"It was," Luna replied.
Calm.
Certain.
I looked up at them.
Frustration building again.
"How?! I didn't do anything!"
Kiara crouched in front of me.
A slight smirk on her face.
"You didn't try to do anything," she said. "Big difference."
"That doesn't explain anything."
"It explains enough."
"No, it doesn't!"
Luna stepped closer.
Her gaze fixed on me.
"That reaction," she said, "wasn't random."
"Then what was it?"
"A defense."
I froze.
"…A defense?"
"Yes."
"Against what?"
"The connection."
I clenched my fists.
"This 'connection' thing again…"
"Because that's what it is," Kiara said. "Whether you like it or not."
I let out a frustrated breath.
"And what exactly am I connected to?"
Silence.
Of course.
Always silence at the worst moments.
I laughed dryly.
"You both really need to work on communication."
Kiara chuckled.
"Yeah, we've been told."
"By who?!"
"No one you'd want to meet."
Not comforting.
Again.
Luna crossed her arms.
"We don't have time for this."
"Then make time," I snapped. "Because I'm done walking around clueless."
She didn't respond immediately.
Instead—
She studied me.
Carefully.
Like she was deciding something.
"…Fine," she said finally.
Kiara raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? We're doing this now?"
"We don't have a choice anymore."
That sounded serious.
Too serious.
Luna looked straight at me.
"No more half-truths," I said.
A pause.
Then—
She nodded.
"Alright."
For once—
No dodging.
No vague answers.
Just straight.
"You're not just someone who became visible," she said.
My chest tightened slightly.
"Okay…"
"You're a point."
"…A what?"
"A point of connection."
That didn't help.
At all.
"Use simpler words."
Kiara smirked.
"She means you're basically a bridge."
"A bridge?!" I snapped. "Between what?!"
Luna answered this time.
"Between our world… and theirs."
Silence.
Heavy.
Cold.
"…No," I said quietly.
"That's not possible."
"You've already seen it is."
"That doesn't mean I'm some kind of—of—portal or whatever!"
"Not a portal," she corrected.
"Then what?!"
"A trigger."
That word hit different.
Worse.
"How is that any better?!"
"It's not."
At least she was honest.
Kiara leaned back slightly.
"Think of it like this," she said. "You don't open things directly…"
A pause.
"But you make it possible for them to open."
My stomach dropped.
"…That's bad."
"Very," Luna confirmed.
I ran a hand over my face.
Trying to process.
Trying to breathe.
"So… what?" I said slowly. "They need me?"
"Yes."
That answer came instantly.
No hesitation.
And that scared me more than anything else.
"…Why?"
Luna hesitated this time.
Kiara didn't speak.
That meant—
This was the part they didn't want to say.
"Say it," I said.
"…Because of what you carry."
My head snapped up.
"What I carry?"
Her eyes flickered to my chest.
To the mark.
"…Partly."
"Partly?!" I snapped. "What else is there?!"
Silence.
Again.
I laughed.
But there was no humor in it.
"Unbelievable."
Kiara sighed.
"Look, even we don't know everything—"
"Stop," I cut her off. "Just stop."
They both went quiet.
Good.
Because I needed a second.
Just one second—
To think.
To understand.
To not lose it completely.
"Ayaan."
Luna's voice was softer this time.
I didn't respond.
"You need to stay calm."
I let out a slow breath.
"Give me a reason to be calm."
A pause.
"…You're still in control."
I looked at her.
"That didn't feel like control."
"You broke the pull."
"Barely."
"But you did."
Kiara nodded.
"And that matters."
I stayed silent.
Because I didn't know what to say to that.
A bridge.
A trigger.
Something they needed.
None of it sounded good.
None of it felt right.
"…What happens if I don't cooperate?" I asked quietly.
Kiara and Luna exchanged a glance.
That was enough.
"…They'll force it, won't they?"
Luna didn't answer.
Kiara didn't joke.
Yeah.
That was a yes.
I clenched my jaw.
"Then we stop them."
The words came out before I could think.
Both of them looked at me.
Slightly surprised.
"Stop them?" Kiara repeated.
"Yeah."
"With what?" she asked.
"Good question," I muttered.
Because honestly—
I had no idea.
But one thing was clear now.
Running wasn't working.
Ignoring it wasn't working.
And waiting?
Definitely not working.
So that left one option.
Facing it.
"…Teach me," I said.
Luna blinked.
Kiara raised an eyebrow.
"Teach you what?" she asked.
"How to deal with this," I replied. "Whatever this is."
A pause.
A long one.
Then—
Kiara smiled.
Slowly.
"That's more like it."
Luna didn't smile.
But she didn't refuse either.
"…It won't be easy," she said.
"I don't care."
"You could get hurt."
"I already am."
Silence.
That hit.
Kiara exhaled.
"Fair point."
Luna looked at me for a few seconds.
Then—
She nodded.
"…Alright."
My chest tightened again.
Not from pain.
From something else.
Anticipation.
Fear.
Maybe both.
"We start today," she said.
"Wait—today?!"
"Yes."
"Can't we, like… prepare first or something?!"
Kiara laughed.
"Too late for that."
Of course it was.
I sighed.
"Great."
Just great.
Luna turned and started walking.
"Come."
I hesitated for a second.
Then followed.
Because at this point—
What choice did I have?
Behind me—
The crowd moved like nothing had changed.
Like everything was normal.
But deep down—
I knew.
Nothing was normal anymore.
And it never would be again