The night was colder than usual, the academy grounds were filled with silence. The lamps along the stone pathways flickered faintly, their glow barely cutting through the fog rolling in from the east gates.
Elena wrapped her arms around herself as she approached the old library, its towering doors half-swallowed by ivy. The place had been abandoned for years. Students whispered it was haunted, cursed even, that anyone who lingered inside at night came out hearing voices that weren't theirs.
She hesitated on the steps.
Am I walking into a trap?
But her grip tightened around the folded note in her palm. Someone had gone through the trouble of sneaking it into her bag. "Meet me at the library this midnight Or you'll repeat the same mistakes."
Her jaw clenched. She had already lived one life ruined by betrayal. She would not allow this second chance to slip through her fingers.
The heavy doors groaned as she pushed them open. The sound echoed like a wail, dust swirled in the moonlight filtering through broken stained-glass windows. Rows of forgotten shelves stretched into the dark, their books long decayed.
A shiver crawled up her spine. Every instinct screamed to leave, but she forced her steps forward. If I'm afraid of shadows, how can I face the monsters that destroyed me before?
"Elena Zhou."
The voice sliced through the silence, deep and calm, carrying her name like a challenge.
Her breath caught. She turned sharply, clutching the edge of a cracked desk. A figure stepped out from between the shelves—tall, broad-shouldered, confident.
Adrian Chen.
Her heart stuttered. Anger and fear crashed together inside her chest. "You?" she hissed. "So you're the one playing these games?"
Adrian's expression was unreadable, his sharp eyes catching the faint glow of the moon. He looked both dangerous and strangely composed, as though he belonged in this eerie place.
"If I wanted to play games, Elena," he said coolly, "I wouldn't choose a place like this."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "Then why are you here?"
Instead of answering, Adrian walked closer. His footsteps echoed, slow and deliberate, each one making the space between them shrink. He stopped just a few feet away, towering over her.
"You've changed," he said finally, his voice low. "You used to follow quietly, accept things without question… but now you challenge me. It's like—" His eyes narrowed slightly. ".....you've lived this before."
Her stomach dropped.
Her fingers curled into her skirt, nails biting her palm. He's too close. Too close to the truth.
"What are you implying?" she forced out, her tone sharp, though her throat felt tight.
Adrian tilted his head, smirking faintly. "You tell me."
The tension stretched, thick and suffocating. The dust-filled air seemed to freeze. She wanted to snap back, to throw his arrogance in his face, but her body betrayed her, her gaze faltered for a fraction of a second, and in that instant Adrian's eyes sharpened.
He had noticed.
"Elena…" His voice softened just slightly, but there was something dangerous underneath. "You're not the same girl everyone thinks you are."
Her chest tightened. For a terrifying moment she thought he had uncovered everything—her rebirth, her secret vow for revenge. But then..
Thud!!
The sound shattered the tension. Both of them turned toward the deeper part of the library.
Something had fallen. A door creaked open.
Adrian's whole posture changed—sharp, alert, dangerous. Without hesitation, he reached out and grabbed Elena's wrist, pulling her slightly behind him.
"Stay behind me," he said, his voice laced with authority.
Her eyes widened at the sudden warmth of his grip. For a heartbeat she almost forgot to breathe. But then stubbornness flared. "I don't need you to protect me," she whispered fiercely, though her heart was racing.
Adrian didn't even look at her. His gaze was fixed on the shadows beyond, jaw tight. "You'll thank me later."
The footsteps grew louder, deliberate, echoing between the shelves. Whoever it was, they weren't hiding their approach.
Finally, a figure emerged from the dark, half-hidden by the fractured moonlight.
"Elena," the figure said, voice dripping with familiarity and venom.
Elena froze. That voice—she hadn't heard it in this lifetime yet, but it still clawed at her memory. A voice she had trusted, only to be betrayed.
Her blood ran cold.
"Lila," she whispered.
The figure stepped forward, her smile sweet and poisonous all at once. In the dim light, Lila's eyes glittered with a secret amusement, as if she had been watching a private show all along.
"I was wondering when you'd figure it out," Lila said softly, almost affectionately.
Adrian's grip on Elena's wrist tightened ever so slightly. His eyes flicked between the two women, sharp and unreadable.
But Elena could feel it—the past and present colliding. The lies, the betrayal, the wounds of her first life. And now, Lila was standing right there, alive, smiling, daring her to act.