The university buzzed quietly with the end-of-day rush. Students trickled out of classrooms, their laughter and chatter floating lazily into the evening air. But beneath the golden hues of dusk, something darker coiled unseen—waiting.
The sky was dusky when Aira quietly stepped out of the library, her bag slung over her shoulder. Her head was slightly bowed, hair brushing her face, her thoughts elsewhere.
Alone.
Just for one second.
She didn't notice the shadow that detached itself from the wall. Didn't notice the footsteps quickening behind her.
Until it was too late.
A rough hand clamped over her mouth, cutting off her startled cry.
Her eyes went wide. She thrashed violently, kicking, clawing, but an arm wrapped tightly around her waist, dragging her backward like she was nothing more than prey.
Her bag slipped from her shoulder, crashing onto the pavement.
Her muffled scream was swallowed by the dusk.
She fought harder—her nails digging into skin, her legs flailing—but the grip only tightened, bruising her arms.
The world blurred as she was shoved roughly into the back of a waiting car. The door slammed shut with a hollow thud, sealing her inside.
Her chest heaved with fury.
And then she heard it.
Liam's voice, trembling, broken, whispering desperately in her ear."I'm sorry, Aira. You'll understand soon. I just need you to remember… please…"
Her blood ran cold.
Liam.
Her tears burned—not from fear, but from pure, unrelenting rage.
How could you fall this far, Liam?
The car sped off, tires screeching into the darkening horizon.
Ten minutes later.
Zane leaned casually against the library doors, arms folded across his chest, his usual soft scowl etched into his face. He scanned the steps, waiting.
But Aira didn't appear.
His frown deepened.
He pulled out his phone, dialing her number. The shrill ringtone chimed—only for him to notice the phone buzzing on a nearby bench. Her phone. Forgotten.
Something inside him snapped.
His entire body went rigid, the blood draining from his face, replaced by ice.
His voice was low, dangerous, when he spoke. "Where's Aira?"
The others—Kai, Rei, Damian, Bianca, Ivy, Valentina—looked around in confusion, their smiles fading.
Valentina's voice trembled as she whispered, "She was just here…"
Zane bent down, his hand trembling slightly as he picked up the abandoned phone. He stared at it like it was a weapon aimed at his chest. His jaw clenched so tightly the muscles in his neck strained.
Then he straightened, his eyes burning with a lethal fire.
"Someone took her."
The words weren't loud. They weren't panicked.
But they radiated pure murder.
Everyone froze at the venom dripping from his tone.
Kai immediately whipped out his phone, barking orders to campus security.
Rei and Damian split off, sprinting toward the darker corners of campus, scanning, searching.
Bianca and Ivy rushed to the nearest security office, pulling up feeds and demanding footage.
Valentina stepped closer, placing a trembling hand on Zane's arm. "We'll find her. I swear it."
Zane didn't blink. His voice was low, lethal."If a single tear falls from her eyes… I'll break every bone in his body."
Inside a dusty, abandoned warehouse on the edge of town, Aira sat slumped in a wooden chair, her wrists cuffed tightly behind her back. The metal bit into her skin, leaving angry red marks.
Her hair clung to her damp forehead, strands falling into her furious eyes.
She had fought. She had screamed. And she had been dragged here anyway.
Her chest rose and fell steadily, though, because she refused to let fear take her.
Liam paced in front of her like a caged animal. His shirt was wrinkled, his eyes bloodshot, his hair sticking up wildly. His hands shook as he gestured toward her.
"Please, Aira. Please just listen to me!" His voice cracked with desperation. "We were perfect once! I know you still feel it! You're mine—you've always been mine!"
Aira's gaze was ice. Her words were sharp, cutting him deeper than any blade."You're sick, Liam. This isn't love. This is madness."
He dropped to his knees in front of her, clutching her bound hands as tears streaked down his face. "I'll fix everything! We'll run away! We'll be happy again! Please, just say you'll come with me!"
She yanked her hands out of his grasp with a shudder of disgust. Her eyes burned with contempt."No, Liam. You already killed what we had."
Something inside Liam cracked at her words. His face crumpled, his body folding in on itself. He wasn't just breaking—he was disintegrating before her eyes.
But Aira didn't flinch. She sat straighter, her chin lifted.
You're not the boy I once knew. You're just a ghost now.
Back on campus, Zane crouched low near the library gates.
His sharp eyes caught something glimmering faintly in the grass.
He reached out and picked it up.
Aira's star pendant.
The one he had given her just yesterday.
His fingers closed around it tightly, his knuckles turning pale. His jaw locked, the muscles in his face twitching with barely restrained fury.
He stood slowly, the pendant clenched in his hand. His voice was quieter than death itself.
"Find him. Find her. Now."
Rei and Damian didn't question. They vanished into the night, calling in every favor they had with people who owed them.
Bianca and Ivy huddled around the security monitors, pulling strings, demanding access to off-campus cameras.
Kai coordinated frantic calls, his usual playfulness gone, replaced by sharp focus.
Valentina stayed rooted at Zane's side, her face pale. She whispered shakily, "Zane… we'll get her back. We will."
But Zane's eyes were fixed on the pendant in his hand. His voice was a low growl, meant for no one but himself."If she's hurt… if she cries… I'll end this whole world."
Back in the warehouse, Aira sat perfectly still.
Her heart pounded, but her expression betrayed nothing.
She didn't cry. She didn't beg. She didn't plead.
She only watched Liam—watched the way his desperation turned him into something unrecognizable.
And in her silence, she thought:I won't give you my fear. I won't give you my tears. Because I know… he's coming.
Her lips pressed into a thin, determined line.
Zane is coming. And when he does… he will tear the world apart to reach me.
Meanwhile, miles away, Zane found his lead—a witness, pale and shaking, who swore he saw Liam shoving a girl into a car. The witness stammered out the license plate, the direction, the location.
Zane's face was a mask of ice.
He didn't waste a second.
Sliding into the driver's seat of his car, he gripped the steering wheel tightly.
His breathing was steady, controlled, but his eyes burned with fire.
And for the first time in his life… Zane smiled.
Not the lazy smirk his friends knew.
Not the charming grin he wore like armor.
But a cold, deadly smile that promised destruction.
Because tonight—someone was going to bleed.
And if Aira had been hurt, even a little…
There would be no mercy left in the world.