Arin jerked awake to the sound of shattering glass.
For a moment, he wasn't sure if he was dreaming—until the cold draft brushed against his skin. His bedroom window was cracked open, swaying gently as if someone had just slipped through.
His pulse hammered.
No… not again.
He reached for the bedside lamp—but before his fingers touched it, the light flickered on by itself.
A shadow stood in the far corner.
Not moving.
Not breathing.
Not human.
A tall silhouette, stretched unnaturally long by the glow of the moon. Its edges rippled like smoke barely held together.
Arin's throat closed. "Why… why are you here?"
The shadow tilted its head slowly, like a predator studying prey.
Then—its voice seeped out, low and distorted.
"You saw the fracture. You felt the pull."
Arin stepped back, foot hitting the dresser. "I don't want this. Whatever it is—take it back."
The shadow moved without walking, drifting forward like darkness poured into the room.
"The Eclipse chooses. Not you."
The air around Arin tightened, pressing against his ribs. His heartbeat thundered painfully. He tried to scream—but his voice caught as an icy hand wrapped around his ankle.
A whisper slid into his ear:
"Do not trust the light."
Then the shadow yanked him downward—
hard—
as if the floor had turned to liquid night.
Arin's body dropped into darkness.
Cold. Endless. Swallowing.
The last thing he saw before the world vanished was the moon outside—
split open like a wounded eye, bleeding red across the sky.