Vivian sat at her desk, tapping her pencil lightly against her notebook while pretending to take notes. The classroom was filled with quiet chatter and the soft scratch of pens on paper, but none of it really reached her. Her mind was somewhere else, drifting in that familiar way it always did when things felt too normal.
Then her phone vibrated.
The sudden buzz pulled her back instantly. She glanced down at her lap, careful not to make it obvious.
Unknown Caller.
Her expression didn't change much, but something shifted inside her. A small, sharp feeling she had learned not to ignore.
She answered.
The voice on the other end didn't introduce itself. It simply told her to come to the rooftop. Now.
Vivian frowned slightly, her fingers tightening around her phone. She asked why, but the answer wasn't helpful. Just a quiet promise that she would understand soon, followed by silence as the call ended.
For a moment, she just sat there, staring at her screen.
She knew better than to get involved in things like this without thinking. But curiosity had always been stronger than caution when it came to her.
So she stood up.
No one stopped her. The teacher didn't even notice. A few students looked up briefly, then went back to whatever they were doing. Vivian moved through the classroom like she always did—quiet, controlled, almost invisible when she wanted to be.
The hallway felt different. Quieter. Each step echoed slightly as she made her way toward the stairs, her thoughts beginning to sharpen.
This wasn't random.
At the top of the stairwell, she paused for a second. She rolled her shoulders, then threw a few quick punches into the air. Not for show. Just habit. A reminder to stay ready.
Then she pushed open the rooftop door.
The wind hit her immediately, strong enough to pull at her hair and clothes. But she barely noticed it.
There was someone standing near the edge.
Still. Waiting.
Vivian stopped walking.
Something about the way they stood felt familiar, and that was what made her uneasy. She took a few slow steps forward, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to make sense of it.
Then the figure turned.
And everything inside her dropped.
Her body reacted before her mind could catch up. Her knees gave in slightly, forcing her to steady herself as her hand pressed against her chest.
That face.
She knew it.
She had seen it before—clearly, vividly.
The last time had been three years ago.
The Won Young War.
Vivian had watched her die.
There was no doubt about it. No confusion. No mistake.
And yet she was standing right there.
Alive.
Vivian's breathing became uneven as she tried to process it. It didn't make sense. None of it did. She forced herself to stand properly, even though her body still felt unsteady.
The question slipped out before she could stop it, asking how this was possible, how someone she had seen die could be standing in front of her like nothing had happened.
McKenna's response was calm. Too calm. She didn't explain anything, only hinted that she had her own ways of surviving.
That made it worse.
Vivian studied her carefully now, noticing the small details. The way she stood, the look in her eyes—there was something off. Not just physically, but something deeper. Something that didn't feel human.
A quiet realization settled in.
She couldn't win.
Not like this.
Not against her.
Vivian took a small step back, creating distance without making it obvious. She told her not to come back, her voice steady but not as strong as she wanted it to be.
McKenna didn't seem offended. If anything, she looked amused.
She mentioned that no one else knew she was alive. That Vivian was the only one.
That wasn't comforting. It felt like a warning.
Vivian's expression hardened, calling her out for what she was. Something was wrong with her, and it went beyond just surviving death.
McKenna didn't argue.
She simply stepped back toward the edge of the rooftop.
For a second, Vivian thought she might say something else. Explain something. Do something.
Instead, she just… jumped.
Vivian reacted instantly, rushing forward. Her heart was racing now, louder than anything else as she reached the edge and looked down.
There was nothing there.
No body. No movement. No sign that anyone had fallen.
Just empty space.
Vivian stood there for a moment, staring, her mind trying to catch up with what had just happened. It felt unreal, like something her brain refused to fully accept.
But she had seen her.
She knew she had.
Slowly, she stepped back, her hands trembling slightly as she lowered them to her sides. That didn't happen to her. She didn't shake.
Not like this.
Her eyes moved back to the edge of the rooftop.
If McKenna was alive, then everything Vivian thought was over… wasn't.
And whatever this was—
It had only just started.