The sound came again.Tap.Tap.Tap.
Velithra's breath hitched. The morning sun painted thin streaks across the floor, but the air in the room felt dim — like light couldn't reach them fully.
Kai took a slow step toward the window. "Stay back," he said softly, glancing over his shoulder at her. His tone was steady, but his hand trembled as he reached for the glass.
Velithra's fingers gripped the edge of her desk. "Kai, don't—"
He touched the pane.
And the tapping stopped.
For a heartbeat, everything went completely still. The sound of the world — the cars outside, the birds, even the ticking clock — vanished, leaving only silence so thick it seemed alive.
Then, faintly, the glass fogged beneath his fingertips.
Words began to form there — shaky, uneven, like written by a hand that didn't quite know how to hold itself steady.
The bridge.
Velithra's voice came out in a whisper. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Kai stared at the word until it faded. "I think…" He swallowed hard. "I think it's where we're supposed to go."
She shook her head instantly. "No. No, Kai, we don't even know what this is. It could be dangerous."
He turned to face her. "It already is."
The way he said it made her go quiet. There was something in his eyes — that same flicker of pain she'd seen before, the one that said he'd lost something once.
Velithra exhaled slowly, trying to steady her voice. "You're not scared?"
Kai gave a small, humorless smile. "I am. But pretending not to be has gotten me this far."
He grabbed his jacket from the chair and slung it over his shoulder. "I'll go. You don't have to come."
Velithra hesitated. Every instinct screamed to stay inside, to forget the dream, the window, the words. But her chest tightened — that same invisible pull that tied her to him.
She grabbed her bag. "You're not going alone."
For a second, his expression softened — surprise flickering beneath the guarded calm.
Outside, the air was sharp and cool. They walked side by side in silence, their footsteps echoing against the pavement. The town felt emptier than usual, like everyone else had vanished while they weren't looking.
When they reached the edge of the old bridge, Velithra stopped. The structure stretched across the misty river, wood and steel worn down by time. The wind carried the faint scent of rain — even though the sky was clear.
Kai stared ahead. "This is it."
"How do you know?"
"Because," he said quietly, "I've been here before."
Velithra turned to him, startled. "When?"
He didn't answer. Just stepped forward, the wind tugging at his hair. "Last time… before everything changed."
Something in his tone made her blood run cold.
The bridge groaned under their weight as they walked, the world around them fading into that same eerie stillness from her dream. The air thickened. The river below shimmered faintly, like it was reflecting something that wasn't there.
Velithra's hand brushed his. He didn't move away.
And then, just as they reached the center, the light dimmed — unnaturally fast.
Kai turned his head slowly, eyes narrowing. "It's starting again."
Velithra gripped his sleeve. "Kai—"
The ground beneath them trembled.And from somewhere far below, a voice whispered — too faint to be real, too familiar to be ignored.
Her voice.
Calling his name.