Episode 4:Eyes In The Dark
1238 Words
I didn’t sleep. How could I?
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it again.
Blood. Fire. Screams.
And me… standing in the middle of it like I belonged there.
I shot upright in the bed, gasping, my heart racing so hard it felt like it would break through my chest.
The room was dark.
Silent.
But the feeling…
It was still there.
That same suffocating sensation from the forest.
Like something was watching me.
I held my breath, listening carefully.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No movement.
Just silence.
But it wasn’t empty.
It was *waiting*.
“I know you’re there,” I whispered, my voice barely steady.
No response.
I swung my legs off the bed slowly, my bare feet touching the cold floor. Every instinct inside me screamed to be careful.
To run.
But where would I go?
This wasn’t my home.
This wasn’t even my world anymore.
Another step.
Then another.
My eyes adjusted to the darkness as I moved deeper into the room. The curtains near the window shifted slightly.
My breath caught.
There was no wind.
So why were they moving?
“Show yourself,” I said, stronger this time.
Still nothing.
But then—
A flicker.
So fast I almost missed it.
A shadow moved across the wall.
My heart jumped into my throat.
“Who’s there?!”
I spun around—
And slammed straight into something solid.
A hand shot out instantly, gripping my arm before I could fall.
Strong.
Steady.
Familiar.
“Careful.”
My breath hitched.
Kael.
Relief flooded through me so suddenly it made my knees weak.
“You scared me,” I whispered, clutching onto his arm before I could stop myself.
His grip tightened slightly—not pulling me away.
Not letting go either.
“Why are you awake?” he asked, his voice low, calm… but alert.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
A pause.
“I don’t sleep much.”
Of course he didn’t.
Everything about him felt like it was always… watching.
Always aware.
I swallowed, glancing toward the window again.
“There’s something in here.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“What do you mean?”
“I felt it,” I said quickly. “And I saw something move—over there.”
He didn’t dismiss me.
Didn’t laugh.
Instead, his entire posture shifted—subtle, but sharp.
Dangerous.
Without a word, he stepped past me, his gaze sweeping across the room like a predator searching for prey.
The silence deepened.
Tightened.
Seconds passed.
Then—
“Come out.”
His voice cut through the darkness like a blade.
Cold.
Commanding.
Deadly.
Nothing happened.
For a moment, I thought maybe I imagined it.
That maybe I was losing my mind after everything that had happened.
But then—
A figure stepped out from the shadows.
My breath caught.
A man.
Tall. Dressed in dark clothing, his presence almost blending into the room itself.
But it was his eyes—
Sharp. Calculating.
Watching me.
Not Kael.
Me.
“What is this?” Kael’s voice dropped dangerously low.
The man bowed his head slightly.
“My apologies, Your Majesty. I was only observing.”
Observing?
My stomach twisted.
“You were told to report to me. Not spy on her.”
“I meant no disrespect.”
Kael stepped closer.
The air shifted instantly.
Heavy.
Threatening.
“Then explain why you’re in my room… watching what belongs to me.”
The words sent a strange heat through my chest.
What belongs to me.
The man hesitated.
Just for a second.
But Kael noticed.
Of course he did.
“I was ordered,” the man said finally.
“By who?” Kael demanded.
Silence.
The tension snapped.
Kael grabbed the man by the throat and slammed him against the wall so fast I barely saw it happen.
A gasp escaped me.
The force of it shook the room.
“I don’t repeat myself,” Kael said coldly.
The man struggled slightly—but didn’t fight back.
“Lady Selene,” he admitted.
Of course.
Of course it was her.
Anger flared inside me, sharp and sudden.
She didn’t just hate me.
She was watching me.
Testing me.
Like I was some kind of threat.
Kael’s grip tightened.
For a moment, I thought he might actually kill him.
“Leave,” he said finally, shoving him away.
The man didn’t hesitate.
He disappeared into the shadows as quickly as he appeared.
Gone.
Just like that.
The room fell silent again.
But it wasn’t the same silence.
This one was heavier.
More dangerous.
I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to steady my breathing.
“She had someone watching me?” I asked quietly.
Kael didn’t answer immediately.
His gaze was still fixed on the spot where the man had disappeared.
“Yes.”
Simple.
Direct.
No comfort.
No reassurance.
My chest tightened.
“Why?” I asked.
He turned to look at me.
Really look at me.
And something in his expression made my stomach drop.
“Because she’s not the only one who thinks you’re a problem.”
The words hit harder than I expected.
Even here…
Even under his protection…
I wasn’t safe.
A bitter laugh almost escaped me.
“Great,” I muttered. “So I left one place where I didn’t belong… just to end up in another.”
“That’s not the same.”
His voice was sharper now.
I looked up at him.
“Isn’t it?” I challenged. “They all look at me the same way. Like I shouldn’t exist.”
Silence.
Then—
Kael stepped closer.
Too close.
His presence wrapped around me again, overwhelming, impossible to ignore.
“They fear you.”
I frowned.
“No. They think I’m weak.”
“They’re wrong.”
The certainty in his voice made my breath hitch.
“You don’t even know what I am,” I said.
A pause.
Then—
“I know enough.”
Something about the way he said it sent a chill down my spine.
Enough?
What did that mean?
Before I could ask—
A sudden sharp pain exploded through my chest again.
Stronger than before.
I gasped, staggering back as the energy surged violently through my body.
Not just inside me this time—
Around me.
The air crackled.
The lights flickered.
“What—?!” I choked.
Kael moved instantly, grabbing my shoulders.
“Control it,” he said.
“I don’t know how!”
The power spiked again—wild, uncontrollable.
And then—
Everything went dark.
For a split second.
Like the entire room had been swallowed whole.
And in that darkness…
I heard a voice.
Low.
Ancient.
Not mine.
*“You cannot hide forever…”*
My eyes snapped open.
The darkness vanished.
The room returned.
Kael was still holding me.
But his expression—
It had changed.
Not cold.
Not distant.
But something far more dangerous.
Something… alarmed.
“What did you hear?” he demanded.
My breath trembled.
“I…”
I hesitated.
Because even I wasn’t sure.
But one thing was clear.
Whatever was inside me—
It wasn’t just power.
It was something else.
Something alive.
Something watching back.
And as Kael stared at me, his grip tightening slightly, his next words sent a chill through my entire body—
“It’s starting sooner than I thought.”
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD