Above them, the night sky, scattered with faint stars, witnessed the quiet between the three. No words were spoken, yet the silence offered a kind of peace, as if the world itself wished to give them space to heal.
After a while, Kaivan turned to Felicia. His hand slipped away from Thivi and came to rest near the girl standing there, confusion clouding her face.
"So, where do you want to go now?" he asked gently, giving her the freedom to choose.
Felicia exhaled, her voice a fragile whisper. "I don't know. I can't go home tonight. I was supposed to stay over at Julian's… my boyfriend's. But… you just attacked him."
Her confession left Kaivan silent. Guilt and uncertainty flickered across his features as he looked away, searching for answers among the trees' shadows.
Hearing this, Thivi's eyes sharpened. Her expression was hard to read, caught somewhere between shock and disappointment.
"Well then, just come with us," Kaivan said at last, trying to smooth the edges of the moment.
But Thivi quickly interjected. "I thought it would just be the two of us. But… it's fine if she comes along."
Her tone was light, but jealousy lurked beneath. She forced a smile, trying to stay open-hearted, even as she wished she could have more time alone with Kaivan.
The night swallowed the city in warmth and mystery. Above, the dark sky glittered with starlight, while streetlamps cast a soft golden glow across the pavement, stretching shadows between passing footsteps, quiet chatter, and laughter that rose like a nocturnal symphony.
Kaivan, Thivi, and Felicia walked slowly, each lost in their own thoughts. Their steps found a natural rhythm, unspoken yet steady. Kaivan remained silent, his mind elsewhere. Beside him, Thivi stole glances, as if to reassure herself he was all right. Ahead, Felicia moved with quiet grace, her pretty face touched by worry, her breaths uneven.
They arrived at a small food stall tucked into a street corner. The aroma of grilled dishes met them instantly, warm smoke laced with spices curling through the air. The stall, rough wooden tables, dim lamps, felt like a tiny oasis amid the city's bustle.
They settled at a corner table under the soft golden light. Felicia sat slightly apart, toying with the ends of her long hair, a telltale sign of restless thoughts. Thivi sat beside Kaivan, appearing relaxed, though her eyes flicked toward Felicia now and then. Kaivan busied himself with the food, his movements unhurried, as if avoiding talk.
The tension broke when Felicia drew a breath, lowered her gaze, then looked at them.
"He's actually kind," she whispered, her eyes shadowed by a deep hurt. "But he gets angry if someone else comes near me. Sometimes he threatens… sometimes he hits."
Her words lingered like fog. Thivi, who had seemed carefree, straightened sharply. The playfulness vanished from her face, her eyes narrowing.
"That's not okay, Felicia," she said firmly, her voice cutting like a blade. "No matter how mad, Kaivan has never hit me. If it's like that… it's toxic."
Kaivan paused mid-bite, lifting his gaze toward Thivi, intrigued by her courage. Felicia stared at Thivi, wide-eyed, surprise softening her pain. The spoon in her hand trembled slightly.
"Toxic?" Felicia murmured, as if testing the word on her tongue. Her gaze shifted to Kaivan. "Are you Kaivan's girlfriend, then?" she asked suddenly, her tone edged with curiosity, and something sharper beneath.
The question froze the moment in place. Kaivan stiffened, almost choking before hurriedly taking a sip of water. Thivi flushed, nervously twisting the hem of her shirt.
"No way. She's not my girlfriend," Kaivan finally said, flat but awkward. He scratched the back of his neck, a telltale sign of unease. Thivi only lowered her gaze, biting her lip, while Felicia studied them with quiet depth, trying to decipher the unspoken bond between them.
At last, Thivi spoke, her voice low but steady. "I'm not Kaivan's girlfriend yet. But if I were you, Felicia, I wouldn't let myself be treated like that." Her eyes were firm, hands gripping the edge of the table.
Felicia fell silent, staring down. Outside, the city's pulse continued, the hum of traffic, laughter, and the scent of street food, all a sharp contrast to the tension at their table. Yet beneath it all, something was shifting. That night peeled back a layer of who they were.
After a pause, Kaivan turned to Felicia. "Where will you go after we eat?"
The question drifted softly, like the night breeze. Felicia looked up at the city lights, hesitation clouding her face.
Finally, she answered in a quiet, hopeful tone. "Kaivan… since I'm not going home… would it be alright if I stayed at your place tonight?"
Her words lingered, casting a weight over the air. Thivi reacted at once, her voice playful but edged. "Why does a girl want to stay over at a guy's house?"
Felicia tried to ease the tension with a small laugh, though worry flickered in her eyes. "You're staying at Kaivan's too, aren't you? And you're not dating him."
The remark stretched the fragile tension between them. Before it could snap, Kaivan stepped in, his voice calm. "Alright, both of you can stay at my place. No need to argue."
His words softened the atmosphere. Thivi and Felicia exchanged a glance, quiet settling between them. With a simple sentence, Kaivan restored their peace.
The night moved on, city lights glittering like scattered gems as they left the street stall, stomachs full, hearts lighter. Their steps aligned with the rhythm of the evening, guiding them toward a new closeness. Beneath stars and amber lamps, a bond quietly grew, though shadows of doubt and curiosity lingered.
At Kaivan's home, night wrapped the world in hush. The ticking clock filled the room, and a faint breeze slipped through the window. In the softly lit living room, Kaivan sat facing an old book laid across the table. Warm light spilled over its ancient pages.
The Tome Omnicent lay open before him, a window into another world. Kaivan leaned closer, his mind alive with questions. Words etched themselves onto the parchment, half answers, half riddles. Slowly, they formed a message rich with meaning, etched as if by invisible hands:
"In two weeks' time, you must meet someone named Raphael in the western outskirts."
Kaivan stared at the sentence, brows furrowing. The fresh message sent a tremor through his chest, like a shadow creeping through the corners of the room. Raphael? Who was he? Why was the meeting so important? What awaited beyond it? Questions churned restlessly, filling the silence with unease.
At that moment, Thivi stepped closer. Her steps were light, the loose pajamas draped around her giving an air of calm grace. A gentle smile curved on her lips, though a faint unease flickered in her eyes. She reached out and touched Kaivan's shoulder from behind, warm, reassuring. Kaivan flinched slightly but didn't pull away. Thivi slipped her arms around him, resting her head against his shoulder, her breath warm against his ear.
"Hey, Kaivan… what's that book? I've been curious for a while. You always carry it everywhere," she whispered softly.
Her embrace was soothing. Yet the book in Kaivan's hands held more than mere worn pages. He gave a faint smile, brushing her hand without answering, letting the mystery hang unspoken, offering only a gaze too deep to read.
From the doorway, Felicia appeared. Her hair was still damp, a towel wrapped loosely around her body, her face fresh, though tinged with awkwardness. Seeing Kaivan and Thivi, she stepped closer, her eyes fixed on the old book.
"That book feels… strange. What's inside it, really?" she asked, patting her wet hair dry with a small towel.
Kaivan chuckled quietly, as if he had expected the question. He lifted the book slowly, showing its weathered leather cover.
"Curious? Go ahead and see. Just an old book," he said lightly, though his smile remained enigmatic.
Thivi reached for the book at once. She opened it carefully, as though expecting to find something hidden. But only blank pages greeted her. She looked up at Kaivan, brows raised in confusion.
"It's… empty?" she murmured, barely believing it.
Yet when Felicia's hand brushed the cover, something strange happened. Her fingers seemed to touch more than leather, something alive, almost breathing. A sharp pulse struck through her head, as though an unseen force had invaded her thoughts. She bit her lip, fighting the sudden, searing pain. Her body swayed, and in that moment of chaos, the towel slipped from her grasp.
In an instant, the room shifted. Kaivan, nearest to her, caught a glimpse of Felicia, his heart thundering. But it wasn't just embarrassment that gripped him; his eyes caught faint bruises across her skin, marks he had never known about. Before he could react further, Thivi moved with startling speed. She covered Kaivan's eyes with both hands, her face flushed.
"Don't look, Kaivan!" Thivi cried, panic in her voice. She pulled his head close to her breast, shielding his gaze. "Felicia, cover yourself, quick!"
Felicia staggered, then snapped back to her senses. She bent swiftly, grabbed the fallen towel, and wrapped it around herself once more. Her face burned, not only with shame but with the sting of lingering pain. Yet beyond that, she felt stripped bare in another way: her secret, the scars she had hidden so long, now exposed.
Amid the turmoil, the front door creaked open. A tall woman stepped inside, Kaivan's older sister. Her presence carried quiet authority, but she froze as her eyes swept over the scene: Kaivan's head pressed to Thivi's chest, his eyes covered; Thivi flustered, her cheeks crimson; Felicia fumbling with her towel.
The sister's expression hardened in stunned silence. It was as if she had stepped into a world she couldn't yet comprehend, a place brimming with mystery, chaos, and truths just beginning to break through the veil of night.