There was a time when Kiran used to laugh.
At least… that's what he believed.
The thought came to him as he walked alone along the narrow mountain road, prayer flags fluttering weakly above his head, wooden houses resting quietly on the slopes. The world felt frozen in a soft, unmoving silence.
I used to laugh… didn't I?
He tried to remember. He really did.
But the memory refused to take shape.
It was as if that version of him had belonged to someone else entirely.
His hands were buried deep in the pockets of his black school uniform. His steps were slow, not because he was tired — but because he no longer had a reason to hurry.
Now I just move, he thought.
Eat. Sleep. Exist.
That was all.
Feeling had become a distant concept, like a language he once knew but had completely forgotten how to speak.
The wind brushed against his face. Any normal boy would've shivered. He didn't.
Not because he was strong — but because nothing inside him reacted anymore.
Above the mountains, pale and distant, the moon followed his path in silence.
Why does it feel like it's watching me?
Even when I've stopped watching myself…
---
That night, his house welcomed him with silence.
No lights. No voices. No warmth.
He removed his shoes at the entrance. The echo of his own movement felt louder than it should have.
No one will ask if I've eaten.
No one will ask how I feel.
The kettle hissed faintly in the kitchen.
He stared at it for a moment… then turned away.
Even I don't ask anymore.
In his room, he sat on the floor without turning on the light. Moonlight spilled through the window and carved his shadow across the wall.
Time passed.
He didn't notice.
People say time heals.
But what if some people just stop counting time…
---
Morning arrived.
School was loud.
Too loud.
Students laughed, shoved each other, complained about teachers, talked about homework, crushes, dreams.
Life moved with energy all around him.
He walked through it like a shadow.
It's not that they ignore me, he thought.
I just… don't know how to exist among them anymore.
A familiar voice pierced through the noise.
His best friend, Tumi Chouth, leaned over his desk like always — energetic, reckless, alive.
Kiran barely reacted.
He could feel Tumi watching his face instead of joking this time.
He noticed again.
I wish he wouldn't.
When Tumi suggested ditching class for momos later, Kiran nodded.
The answer escaped him before he processed it.
Why did I agree?
Did I really want to go… or did I just not want to be questioned?
---
After school, they walked beneath a burning orange sky.
Tumi spoke. He listened.
Or at least… he pretended to.
The sky really is too big for this town, he admitted inwardly.
And this town is too quiet for what's happening inside me.
They separated at the corner.
One waved with hope.
One walked forward without looking back.
That night, sleep refused to come.
His eyes stared at the ceiling as moonlight crept across the room.
Something feels wrong.
Not painful… just heavy.
When rest would not reach him, he did what he always did.
He walked.
Barefoot. Hoodie over his shoulders.
The night air swallowed him whole as he climbed the mountain path.
Why did I come here again?
I don't even remember deciding to step outside…
That's when he saw her.
A girl sitting alone on a stone beneath the moon.
Crying.
His chest tightened—
…why is my heart reacting now?
He hesitated.
Fear.
Curiosity.
And something I haven't felt in a long time…
She turned.
Her expression was calm. Too calm. Her eyes reflected the moon unnaturally.
"You shouldn't be here," she said.
Her voice was quiet.
Almost lonely.
I couldn't sleep, he told himself.
I come here when I can't breathe inside my own room.
Then everything changed.
Her eyes sharpened.
Her ears shifted—
Pointed.
A warm drop slid down his neck.
Blood…
Her breathing trembled.
No… not like this…
When she lifted her face again, faint fangs glimmered beneath shaking lips.
What is she…?
Her gaze locked onto the blood.
"Your scent… I can't resist it…"
She leaned closer.
Not aggressively.
Not gently.
Desperately.
This isn't fear anymore, he realized.
This is something far beyond it.
For the first time in years—
His heart wasn't numb.
It was pounding.
And beneath the cold moonlight, a terrifying truth settled into his soul:
She wasn't just a girl crying in the dark.
She was something else entirely.
And maybe…
So was the world he was about to enter.