Beyond the Afterlife

CHAPTER 3

“W-Who are you?"

Despite Lyra's horror and fear, she didn’t feel in danger with the man. His eyes— they were blue, a blazing, round blue. She noticed she was tall enough to reach his broad shoulders, even though she was already five feet six inches. Beneath the light from the lamppost, Lyra could see how gorgeous the man was. The first thing she noticed was his aristocratic, pointed nose, thick eyebrows, and beautiful blue eyes shaded by long lashes. His red lips looked naturally vivid, and his face had a pale but smooth complexion. He looked like a rugged yet refined man, almost like a god come to life.

He didn’t speak, only stared at her. The way he frowned, it was as if he was searching for something in her face, something difficult to see. And yet, even though she was afraid, she couldn’t run away from the stranger. She wondered if she was dreaming. Why did it all feel so wrong? She should be drowning in confusion and fear.

But she wasn’t. She managed to gather herself and stay composed. Perhaps it was because she was a doctor, used to staying calm in panicking situations. Yet, this situation was utterly absurd. What kind of creature could move that fast? What kind of creature was he? Was this the result of human experiments in the sss? And why here in the Philippines?

"What’s wrong? Why can’t you answer me?" she insisted again, but the stranger remained silent.

“Hannuel,” he finally said after a long moment.

And his voice... why did it seem to convey two contradictory things? It was solemn yet dangerous. His voice was quietly dangerous.

“Huh?”

“I’m Hannuel,” the man repeated.

“I’m not asking for your name. What I mean is, who are you? Why do you know me? How do you know I live here?” she asked, confused.

The man sighed, and she thought she heard him whisper, “Humans... tsk!”

“If you had asked the right question, I would’ve given you the correct answer,” he said, sounding irritated.

She raised her eyebrows. The girl didn’t realize the man wasn’t good at understanding hints. He was just handsome but a little slow.

“I always saw you passing by. And here you are now,” he said as if that explained everything. The man stopped talking, which meant that was all the explanation she would get.

“And?” she asked impatiently.

“I assumed you lived here.”

“Is that all?” Lyra still had many questions. “Why did you come for me? How did you move so quickly? Who was that creature you were fighting earlier, and where is he now?”

“Argh!” The man looked up at the dark sky. “There’s no point in answering your questions; I’m going to compel you to forget everything, anyway.”

In an instant, the man grabbed her by the waist and stared at her intently. She felt something eerie from his gaze, yet something warm and comforting curled within her. It was strange to feel good under a stranger’s stare.

“You didn’t see me tonight. You left your wrecked car and walked home. Now, go inside and rest,” he said in a soft but urgent tone, his eyes still locked on Lyra.

“What the heck?” she muttered, frustrated. “Are you telling me to make a fool of myself? Walked home, huh?” She widened her eyes. “I didn’t walk! You made me jump on top of trees and rooftops! Oh my! I sound ridiculous. What the hell am I talking about? It’s crazy, isn’t it? It’s really crazy that I saw the scene from above as I jumped from one tree to another, from one roof to another.”

Lyra laughed loudly, overwhelmed by the absurdity of it all. It was as if she was just now fully absorbing the strange events. She had a delayed reaction, especially when things were too heavy or difficult to understand. And this situation wasn’t easy for even the smartest people in the country to comprehend. But she insisted on believing that what she saw and experienced had a scientific basis, even if it hadn’t been studied yet. That’s what she forced herself to think to maintain her composure. She couldn’t break down— it was dark, and there were no witnesses to what had happened.

Lyra knew and felt that the man named Hannuel wasn’t dangerous. Still, it was better to be safe than sorry. She had learned the law of survival: fear is a sign of weakness. If she showed fear, the man could use it against her. But how could she know what kind of creature he was?

“What the... why didn’t it work on you?” Hannuel stepped back, looking confused.

Lyra frowned. “What do you mean?” Her eyes suddenly widened as a thought struck her. “Did you d**g me? Is that why I’m thinking these things? Damn you! Who are you? What do you want from me?”

When she tried to grab him, he stepped back again. And in the blink of an eye, he vanished before her. She looked around. It was dark, and there was no sound, no sign that anyone else was there but her. Lyra felt even more unsettled.

“What’s happening? Am I hallucinating?”

Why did she feel so sane when she should be hallucinating? Did someone spike her drink at the bar earlier? Or was her mind finally breaking down from the immense sadness and stress in her life?

Lyra quickly entered the gate, grabbed the key from under the stove where she always left it, and locked the front door behind her. She made sure no one could get in. She was starting to feel paranoid. What was happening to her?!

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