Kai lay on his back, staring at the cracks in his ceiling.The room was dim, a single lamp still on in the corner. His phone rested beside him, her last message glowing faintly — Goodnight, Kai.
He'd read it too many times.It was ridiculous, really. He'd told himself he didn't get attached anymore. That people were just temporary noise — something to fill the silence.
But Velithra wasn't noise. She was quiet in a way that felt real.
He exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his hair. The air in his room felt heavy, pressing down against his chest.
He could still see her — the way she stood on that hill, trembling but refusing to look away from the others. The way her eyes met his when she was trying not to fall apart.
Kai shut his eyes. The image wouldn't fade.
He'd seen that look before — in a mirror, a long time ago.
The knock on his door was soft, hesitant."Kai?"
He froze.
It was his mother's voice — tired, brittle around the edges."Yeah," he said finally, keeping his tone even.
The door creaked open, just enough for her to peek in. "You're still awake."
"Couldn't sleep."
Her eyes lingered on him, then on the mess of sketchbooks and papers scattered across his desk. "You've been drawing again."
He gave a half-shrug. "Helps."
She nodded once. "Try to get some rest, okay?"
When she left, closing the door softly behind her, Kai sat up and looked toward the desk.
The sketchbook lay open.He hadn't even realized what he'd drawn until now — a faint outline of a girl on a hill, hair caught in the wind, her face turned away.
Velithra.
He stared at it, jaw tightening. His pencil hovered, but he didn't add anything else.
He couldn't.
Because what scared him wasn't that she reminded him of his past.It was that she made him want a future.
Kai closed the book gently and turned off the light.
The dark swallowed him whole, but for the first time in a long time, it didn't feel empty.