Rachel's POV
"Rachel," she whispered, her voice low but carrying an authority I couldn't ignore. "I've been waiting for you."
Her eyes, dark as night, bore into me. It felt as though she already knew all my worries-could see straight through me.
"I need answers," I said, my voice tight. "These visions are getting worse. The cult is closing in. I don't know what to do anymore."
Seraphina stepped closer. Her cloak caught the breeze and whirled about her like a living shadow. She never broke eye contact.
"You can't run from a prophecy you're caught in," she said enigmatically. "The cult will continue. You are their source of strength. You always have been."
Her words struck like a blow to my chest. My legs wobbled, and for a moment, I doubted I could stand. Their source of strength? What did she mean? I'd spent my life running from them, hiding. And now, I was... their key?
"The cult, Luna, will stop at nothing to claim you," she continued, her voice suddenly cold with warning. "But remember-those who stand beside you won't either."
Seraphina's words echoed in my ears as I wandered back across campus in a haze. Everything around me felt skewed, like the very ground beneath me was shifting. The prophecy. The cult. I wasn't just running anymore-I was chosen.
The university's grand halls and manicured lawns felt distant, foreign. What did the prophecy really mean? Why me? Why now?
Lost in thought, I didn't notice Luka until I nearly walked straight into him. He stood by the library, his emerald eyes locking onto mine. The sharpness in his gaze stopped me in my tracks.
"Ymir," he said gently, but there was a weight to his voice, like steel wrapped in silk. "I've been searching for you."
I swallowed, my breath caught in my throat. Searching for me? Why? The intensity in his eyes unnerved me-it was like he could see straight through the mask I wore.
"You've been avoiding me," he murmured, stepping closer. The space between us shrank, thick with tension.
"I'm not hiding anything from you," I said, but the words felt hollow even as I spoke them.
He didn't buy it. His jaw clenched, and his gaze sharpened.
"I know you're hiding something, Ymir," he said, his voice low, serious. "And I intend to find out what it is."
I turned away, heart thudding in my chest. My steps echoed in the corridor, but I couldn't shake the sensation of eyes still on me.
Then I saw Mika.
He stood just outside my classroom, silent, watching. I hadn't expected him to be there, but something about the look in his black eyes made the air feel heavier.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," he said, his voice calm but taunting.
"I'm fine," I replied quickly, trying to gather myself.
Mika stepped closer. His broad frame blocked my path, his presence suffocating.
"You're lying," he said softly. "Ymir, you're not fine. You can't fool me."
I swallowed hard and tried to sidestep him, but he didn't budge.
"Stay away from Luka," he warned, his voice a growl. "You don't know what you're getting into. Stay away, or we'll both be destroyed."
Every encounter with Luka or Mika pulled me deeper into a whirlwind I couldn't escape. It was no longer just attraction-it was something darker, more consuming. No matter how I tried to stay away, they haunted my every step.
I stood in the courtyard, wind brushing against my skin, but the chill couldn't ease the heat rising in my chest. Students moved around me, their laughter and chatter fading into the background.
Luka had been keeping his distance lately-at least in public-but I could still feel him, always near. Watching. Mika, in contrast, seemed to be everywhere I turned, like a shadow I couldn't outrun.
As I neared the library again, I felt it-a presence, unmistakable and intense.
Luka.
He stood beneath the archway, arms crossed, eyes locked onto me with something unreadable.
"You're running from something, Ymir," he said, his voice low and deadly calm, like a predator closing in.
My heart raced. He was right. I was running-from the past, the cult, from him. From myself.
"I'm not running," I whispered. "I'm just... trying to live."
He took a step forward. The heat radiating from him was tangible.
"Don't fight this," Luka said softly, but his voice held the force of a command. "Ymir, we belong together."
His words echoed long after he walked away, imprinting themselves on my skin like fire. His warmth clung to me-but it did nothing to calm the storm raging inside.
I wandered further from the heart of campus, drawn by a need for quiet, for space. The deeper into the shadows I walked, the more the world around me darkened.
A movement in the corner of my eye made me freeze. A figure darted through the shadows-too quick to be a student. My stomach dropped.
I wasn't alone.
Before I could flee, a voice-low, menacing-stopped me cold.
"You can't run forever, Luna."
I spun around, heart slamming in my chest. A masked man emerged from the dark. His face hidden, but his intent unmistakable.
"Who are you?" I demanded, voice trembling but firm.
He stepped closer, silent. "You're nearly ready to embrace your fate. The cult will come. Your true identity cannot be denied."
Luna. Again, that name.
He reached out and barely touched my arm. A jolt shot through me-cold, sharp, undeniable.
"You have no choice," he said. "You are the source of their power."