CHAPTER 191: THE WEEK-LONG BREAK [10]

Elina started to rise from her seat, to get on the bed and call it a night.

But then suddenly, she paused.

Her entire body went rigid, eyes widening, as she felt it.

The raw, heavy pressure, radiating just right behind her back.

It wasn’t something physical, not like someone touching her back.

But a presence. Undeniable and oppressive.

Just like standing too close to a furnace, but it felt cold instead of hot.

Her breath caught in her throat.

No one should be here. I’m alone in the room and even the door is locked.

The thoughts raced through her mind.

Then how?

Then she forced herself to move. Slowly and carefully, turned her head back mechanically, over her shoulder.

And what she saw was... nothing.

Just her empty room. Moonlight streaming in, forming shadows across the floor.

The curtains were still swaying gently.

She blinked. Once then twice.

And began looking around more thoroughly now, scanned every corner, but still nothing.

No one was there at all.

Sigh!

Her shoulders dropped slightly. Some tension releasing her.

"I must be imagining things." She mumbled, running a hand through her hair.

I have been reading too much without enough sleep. Maybe that’s why I’m getting these hallucinations.

She stood fully and moved towards her bed.

Just as she steps across the room.

Whoosh!

She felt something pass behind her.

Air seemed to be displaced.

And it felt like the same presence, but now moved through the space behind her.

She paused mid-step.

And whipped around.

But still...

Nothing.

Again.

It was just empty space.

"W-What’s going on?" She stammered. Her heart began to pound harder against her ribs now.

Then, just as she was about to move back—

Her golden eyes began to glow.

Bright and luminescent. Like molten metal.

What—

The suddenly she clutched her head, as a sharp pain shot through her skull. Her vision began to blur immediately.

The room swam out of focus.

Colors seemed to blend together. Edges becoming indistinct.

Everything hazed over like looking through thick fog.

But it was in that haze—

There.

When she saw it.

A figure.

Standing exactly where she’d felt that presence moments ago.

Wearing just black garments. And strange ones. Made from the material she’d never seen before. And cut in a style that didn’t belong to any region she knew of.

Though the figure’s face was obscured with shadow where their features should have been. Or maybe the blur prevented her from seeing them clearly.

She couldn’t tell.

Her breath almost stopped.

The figure’s head tilted. Slightly. Regarding her.

Then their mouth moved and the words that came out, were foreign and guttural.

"K̴a̸e̴l̵’̶v̸o̵r̴a̶t̸h̵ ̴n̸’̵z̴e̷r̶a̵k̶.̶.̵.̴"

The sounds scraped against her mind. Made the ache in her skull throb more.

"Argh!"

She couldn’t understand. Couldn’t parse meaning from the noise.

What is this?

Her glowing eyes stayed locked on the figure.

Frozen.

Unable to move.

Unable to scream.

Then the figure started to move towards her, slowly.

One step forward.

Elina’s breath hitched. Her chest seized.

Move. Move. MOVE.

She screamed in her mind, but her body wouldn’t respond, it was locked in place like stone.

It took another step.

Came closer to her.

Elina’s golden eyes tracked the movement. Wide. Terrified.

Her mouth opened. Tried to form words. A scream. Anything.

Nothing came out.

Just a strangled sound in the back of her throat.

No no no no—

Another step.

The figure stood directly in front of her now.

So close.

That oppressive presence pressed down harder. Suffocating. Like the air itself had become too thick to breathe.

The figure’s face tilted as it looked down, as if studying her.

Then its mouth moved again.

"V̶o̸r̴’̵t̶h̶a̶l̵u̶m̴.̴.̶.̸"

Suddenly, Elina’s eyes began to glow brighter.

More intense.

The golden light spilled from her irises and began casting visible beams in the hazy vision.

What’s happening?

Her scarlet hair darkened. The vibrant red deepening.

Heat started to build in her forehead. Concentrated there.

Then a golden mark appeared there.

Deep and luminous. Like molten metal beneath skin.

It pulsed once and again.

The figure raised their hand.

Their fingers extended toward her forehead.

Elina just stood there, watching, she couldn’t pull away. Couldn’t even flinch.

Just watched as that hand came closer.

Until the finger pressed against the glowing mark.

Cold.

So impossibly cold it burned.

The figure’s spoke again and muttered some words. Like an incantation.

Inaudible.

Then—

Something materialized between them.

A card.

Black as midnight. Edged with golden stripes that shimmered and shifted.

In the center symbols, circuits appeared and moved. Rearranging themselves in patterns that hurt to look at directly.

The card hovered there for a heartbeat.

Then dissolved.

The golden light erupted, it was brilliant and blinding.

The particles flowed toward her, straight into the mark on her forehead.

Then the light vanished beneath her skin.

The mark pulsed once more. Then faded.

And was gone, like it hadn’t been there in the first place.

The figure’s hand lowered.

Their head tilted again. Something almost... gentle in the gesture.

"Take care, child."

The words came clear this time. Audible and understandable.

The voice neither male nor female. Just present.

"I’ll meet you when you’re ready."

And with that, the figure began to fade.

Dissolving like smoke in wind.

The black garments. The presence. The suffocating pressure.

All of it. Was gone.

The haze lifted from Elina’s vision abruptly.

Her golden eyes dimmed. Returned to normal.

Her hair lightened back to scarlet.

The room snapped back into focus. Clear. Real.

Just moonlight and curtains and familiar furniture.

And the strange emptiness.

She was alone again.

Then suddenly her body’s rigidity released all at once.

Thud!

She collapsed.

Knees hit the floor first. Then her hands. Then her whole body crumpled sideways.

Her cheek pressed against the cool wood.

Her eyes stared unfocused at nothing.

Then closed. As consciousness left her.

The moonlight painted her still form in silver.

The curtains continued their gentle sway.

Everything peaceful.

As if nothing had happened at all.