Julian woke to the sound of quiet voices.
Soft. Muffled. Just outside the room.
For a moment, he didn't move. Didn't open his eyes. He just listened.
"…memory loss isn't always permanent," a voice said—calm, clinical. A doctor.
"And if it doesn't come back?"
That voice—lower, strained.
Familiar.
Julian's chest tightened before he even understood why.
"There's no way to guarantee anything," the doctor replied. "You'll have to be patient."
Silence followed. Heavy. Suffocating.
Then—
"Can I see him?"
Julian opened his eyes.
The room was the same. White walls. The steady beep of machines. The weight in his head that hadn't left since he woke up.
And then the door opened.
Silas stepped in.
Like he had never left.
Their eyes met instantly.
That same look from before—intense, searching, almost… desperate.
Like Julian was something he had almost lost.
Something he couldn't afford to lose again.
"You're awake," Silas said softly.
Julian swallowed.
"Yeah."
Silas moved closer. Slowly. Carefully. Like approaching something fragile.
Or dangerous.
"Are you in pain?" he asked.
Julian hesitated. "Just… my head."
"I'll call the nurse—"
"No." The word came out too fast.
Silas stopped.
Julian didn't know why he said it.
He just—
He didn't want Silas to leave.
That realization unsettled him more than anything else.
"I'm fine," he added quickly.
Silas studied him for a moment longer… then nodded.
"Okay."
But he didn't step away.
Instead, he pulled a chair closer to the bed and sat down.
Too close.
Julian could feel it—the weight of his presence, the way his gaze didn't waver.
Like he was memorizing him.
Again.
"You really don't remember anything?" Silas asked quietly.
Julian shook his head.
Silas looked down at his hands.
For the first time since Julian had seen him… something cracked.
Just for a second.
"I thought—" Silas stopped himself. Then exhaled. "It doesn't matter."
Julian frowned slightly.
"What were you going to say?"
Silas looked back at him.
And smiled.
But this time…
It didn't reach his eyes.
"Nothing you need to worry about."
Something in Julian's chest twisted.
That didn't feel right.
A nurse came in not long after.
Routine checks. Questions. Simple things Julian struggled to answer.
"Do you know where you are?"
"…hospital."
"Your full name?"
Julian hesitated.
The silence stretched.
Too long.
Before he could say anything—
"Julian Ardent."
Silas' voice was calm. Certain.
Too certain.
Julian blinked.
The nurse nodded, writing it down like it was fact.
But Julian's gaze slowly shifted to Silas.
Something about that moment—
The way Silas answered for him.
The way he didn't even hesitate.
It made something cold settle in his stomach.
Later, when the nurse left, the room fell quiet again.
Too quiet.
Julian looked at him.
"How did you know that?"
Silas didn't react.
"Know what?"
"My name."
A pause.
Then—
Silas leaned back slightly, like the question didn't matter.
"I told you," he said softly. "We were together."
Julian's fingers curled slightly against the bedsheet.
"Yeah. But…"
But what?
He didn't even know.
It just—
Felt strange.
The certainty. The control.
Like Silas was filling in blanks that didn't belong to him.
Silas stood up suddenly.
"I'll bring you something to eat," he said.
Julian looked up. "I'm not really hungry—"
"You should eat."
Not harsh.
Not loud.
But firm enough that it didn't feel like a suggestion.
Julian went quiet.
Silas softened instantly, stepping closer again.
His fingers brushed Julian's hair back gently.
Too gently.
"You need to take care of yourself," he murmured. "For me."
Julian's breath caught.
For me.
Something about those words—
They lingered.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
When Silas left the room, the air changed.
Like pressure had been lifted.
Julian exhaled slowly, staring at the ceiling.
His mind felt empty.
But not completely.
Because beneath the emptiness…
There was a feeling.
A quiet, creeping unease.
His gaze drifted to the bedside table.
A small drawer.
Half-open.
He didn't remember opening it.
Slowly, Julian reached over and pulled it open further.
Inside—
Nothing much.
Just hospital things.
And—
A phone.
Old. Cheap. Not the kind of thing Silas would carry.
Julian frowned.
His hand hovered over it.
Then slowly—
He picked it up.
The screen flickered to life.
No password.
Just one notification.
One message.
From an unknown number.
Julian's breath stilled as he read it.
If you're seeing this, don't trust him.