EIRA'S POV
"Is anyone there?" My voice trembled, carried away by the stillness. The forest answered only with echoes, each one sharper, more menacing, until even my own words sounded like a stranger's.
The trees loomed overhead, branches twisting like skeletal fingers, weaving a cage of shadows around me. Panic surged hot and cold through my veins. I shouldn't be here. I needed to leave.
I spun—then froze.
A black snake.Coiled. Silent. Its eyes fixed on me, twin shards of midnight.
My body betrayed me, stumbling backward, legs weak. "Help! Help!" My voice cracked, thin against the heavy hush.
It slithered forward, smooth and deliberate, each movement squeezing the air from my lungs. I tried to run, but my legs refused to obey. Terror locked me in place.
And then—warmth. A sudden, strong grip wrapped around my waist, pulling me off the ground. I gasped, heart hammering, as I collided with a stranger's chest.
I looked up—and the world stilled.
A pair of inky black eyes held me captive. Darker than night, deeper than shadow. His face was hidden beneath a cloth, but those eyes… impossibly intense, endless, dangerous—and yet, somehow, safe.
My breath hitched. For the briefest, fragile moment, my fear faded. Something inside me stilled, as if I had been waiting for this gaze my entire life.
But the snake—
It lunged, striking with sudden violence.
His arm moved before I even saw it—fluid, precise. In a blink, the creature was hurled into the shadows, vanishing as though swallowed by the forest itself.
Silence followed. Heavy. Breathless.
I turned back—But he was gone.
The clearing stood empty, as though he had never been there at all. No footprints. No sound. Just me, trembling, clutching the memory of those eyes.
Was it real? Or another dream?
I swallowed hard, forcing my steps back toward the campus. My heart thudded with a strange new rhythm—fear, yes, but threaded with something else. Something I didn't understand.
Next day...
The next morning, I stood in the middle of the crowded campus clutching my timetable so tightly that the edges had begun to crumple.
Students hurried past me in every direction, some laughing with friends while others rushed toward their classes as if they already knew exactly where they belonged. Meanwhile, I had spent the last twenty minutes wandering through hallways and staircases, somehow becoming more lost every time I checked the timetable.
By the time I realized I had walked past the same classroom three times, frustration was bubbling inside me.
I turned another corner, my eyes fixed on the schedule in my hands instead of where I was going, and immediately collided with someone. Books scattered across the floor.
"Oh my God, I'm sorry!" I quickly crouched down to gather them, my face heating with embarrassment.
The girl I'd crashed into stared at me for a moment before a mischievous grin spread across her face. "Wow. Most people at least buy me dinner before throwing themselves at me."
I blinked in confusion before realizing she was joking. A laugh escaped me despite myself.
"I'm Era," I said softly.
"Tessy," she replied, offering me a hand. "Professional victim of hallway attacks."
Within minutes she was talking as though we'd known each other forever, and somehow her easygoing nature made my nerves settle. By the time we reached our classroom, I found myself grateful that I'd bumped into her.
Unfortunately, that gratitude disappeared the moment our teacher announced that everyone would be introducing themselves.
My stomach dropped.
One by one, students stood and spoke confidently about themselves while I sat frozen in my seat, praying my turn would never come. Of course, it did.
As I stood up, dozens of eyes turned toward me. My throat immediately tightened. "H-hello," I managed to whisper. "M-my name is Era. I... I transferred here recently."
The words barely left my mouth, but somehow they felt deafening. My voice trembled so badly that I wanted the floor to open beneath me and swallow me whole.
The moment I sat down, a girl near the window stood up dramatically.
"H-h-hello. M-my n-name is E-Era," she mocked, exaggerating every stutter while the class burst into laughter. "Seriously, you sound like a piece of garbage trying to learn how to talk."
Heat flooded my face as I stared at my desk, wishing I could disappear.
Before I could say anything, Tessy leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.
"That's funny," she said sweetly. "Because listening to you makes me wish I was deaf."
Several students gasped. The mocking girl's smile vanished instantly, and I couldn't stop the surprised look on my face. Tessy simply winked at me as though insulting people was her favorite hobby.
Thankfully, the bell rang before things could escalate further.
Later, we sat in the canteen eating lunch while Tessy entertained herself by complaining about college life. I was halfway through laughing at one of her ridiculous stories when the atmosphere suddenly changed.
The chatter died.
Conversations stopped.
An unnatural silence spread through the canteen like a cold wind.
A strange chill crawled across my skin.
Confused, I looked around before following everyone else's gaze toward the entrance.
A boy had just walked in.
He wore a black jacket and dark pants, and despite the crowded room, he seemed completely detached from everyone around him. His skin was pale, almost unnaturally so, but it wasn't that which stole my breath.
It was his eyes.
Black.
Endless.
The same eyes I had seen in the forest.
The same eyes that had haunted my thoughts all night.
My heart stumbled painfully against my ribs.
It was him.
He walked through the canteen without sparing a glance at anyone. Yet somehow, everyone seemed aware of him. Students lowered their voices as he passed. Some looked away immediately, while others stared openly, curiosity and fear flickering across their face.
"I need to thank him."
Tessy looked confused.
"Thank who?"
"Him."
Her eyes widened.
"Are you insane?"
Before she could stop me again, I stood and began walking toward him.
Every step felt heavier than the last.
The closer I got, the colder the air seemed to become.
Maybe it was my imagination.
Students watched me pass their tables. Some looked confused. Others looked horrified.
As if they already knew this would end badly.
I stopped beside his table.
He was leaning back in his chair, one arm resting casually against it. Up close, he looked even more intimidating. His features were sharp and impossibly handsome, but there was something dangerous about him too. Something that warned people to stay away.
For several seconds, he didn't acknowledge my presence.
Not even a glance.
I swallowed nervously.
"I just wanted to—"
"If you want to sleep with me," he interrupted coldly, "then say so."
The words struck me like a slap.
For a second, I genuinely thought I had heard him wrong.
The entire canteen went silent.
Then laughter erupted.
Loud.
Cruel.
Humiliating.
Jessica's voice rose above everyone else's.
"Oh my God, did she seriously go over there for that?"
More laughter followed.
Heat flooded my face so quickly that I thought I might faint.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't understand what was happening.
I had only wanted to thank him.
That was all.
Slowly,Adrain lifted his gaze and looked at me.
Those black eyes met mine.
Yesterday, they had felt safe.
Today, they felt like ice.
There was no recognition in them.
No kindness.
No sign that he remembered pulling me into his arms.
Nothing.
The laughter continued around us.
Every sound felt like a knife.
My throat tightened painfully.
Tears burned behind my eyes.
Not here.
I wouldn't cry here.
I turned abruptly and ran.
Someone called my name.
Then again.
"Era!"
It was Tessy.
I heard her chair scrape against the floor as she rushed after me.
But I couldn't stop.
I couldn't face any of them.
The laughter echoed in my ears as I ran through the corridors, past classrooms and staircases, my vision blurring.
Only when I reached the empty courtyard behind the library did I finally stop.
My chest heaved for air.
The tears I had been holding back escaped despite my efforts.
Why?
Why had he said that?