The moon had always felt… off somehow. Liora Vale couldn't explain it. Not to anyone, not even to herself. It wasn't just light, at least; that's not what it felt like to her. It never had been. There was something else hidden in it, something she could never quite put into words. Something that didn't belong. And tonight… It felt worse. She stood by her window, arms loosely folded, her gaze fixed on the pale glow stretching across the empty street. The night outside was unnaturally still. No passing cars. No distant chatter. The city's familiar buzz had vanished, replaced by a stillness that felt almost engineered. It was as if the world had paused, held in a silence that was anything but ordinary. The moonlight spread across the road, looming over parked cars and silent buildings; it crept along surfaces like it had always been there, like it was in search of something. She shifted slightly as a faint chill ran down her spine, her fingers tightening against her arms. It wasn't the first time she had felt this way. There had been other nights, quiet ones, just like this, where something about the world felt slightly… misaligned. Where shadows stretched too long. Where silence lasted just a little too long. Where the moon didn't just shine but lingered. Watched. Waited. She had always ignored it. And no matter how many times she told herself it was nothing, that it was just her imagination running wild, it could be stress saying anything that made sense. The feeling never fully went away. But tonight didn't feel like those nights. Tonight felt… aware. Tick. Tick. Tick. The clock behind her sounded louder than usual, each second cutting sharply through the silence precise and deliberate. Liora exhaled slowly, forcing her shoulders to relax. "Yeah… I'm definitely overthinking this." Her voice sounded small in the room, like it didn't quite belong. She reached out and pulled the curtains shut, cutting off the silver glow. The room dimmed instantly, the moonlight replaced by the soft yellow warmth of her bedside lamp. Better, or so she thought it should have been. For a moment, she didn't move. She just stood there, staring at the closed curtains, as if expecting something to move behind it. She was waiting for something; she didn't know what she was waiting for. Nothing happened. Still, the feeling didn't leave. It lingered at the back of her mind, quiet but persistent; it was something she was supposed to notice but couldn't quite see. After a while, she turned away and climbed into bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin. The familiar comfort of her room surrounded her, her desk tucked neatly in the corner, books stacked unevenly, and a faint hum of electricity in the walls. Everything was normal. And yet… Her eyes drifted back to the curtains. She felt like something was still there watching her. "Just sleep," she muttered under her breath. She turned onto her side, squeezing her eyes shut as if that alone could block out the unease curling in her chest. Her fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the blanket as she tried to force her body to relax. Minutes passed. Maybe longer. The silence stretched, heavy and unyielding; even her own breathing sounded too loud. Her heartbeat felt out of place. Eventually, exhaustion pulled her under. At first, there was nothing. No thoughts. No dreams. Just darkness. Then came the light. Soft. Silver. Endless. Liora stood barefoot on a surface that looked like water, but it didn't move. There were no ripples, nor sound or reflection of anything beyond the glow itself. It stretched endlessly in every direction, smooth and untouched, like a frozen ocean made of light. She frowned slightly, her brows knitting together. "Okay… this has to be a dream." Even as she said it, doubt crept in. It didn't feel like one. Dreams were never this clear. Never this controlled and never this real. The air felt strange here. Not cold, not warm, just different. It pressed gently against her skin, like it carried something unseen, something aware of her presence. She looked down. The surface beneath her shimmered faintly. For a moment, she saw her reflection. But it didn't move when she did. Liora froze, her breath caught slightly. The reflection remained still for half a second longer; it blinked, and it made her She jerked back in surprise; before she could coordinate herself again, it was gone. "Definitely a dream," she whispered under her breath, her voice unsteady, lacking conviction; she didn't believe it anymore. Slowly, she lifted her gaze. The moon hung above her. Massive and Blinding. Far too close. It filled the sky completely, its light pouring down in heavy waves, wrapping around everything in a glow that felt almost alive. It wasn't distant the way it should have been. It felt near. Watching. Her chest tightened slightly. She had that unsettling feeling; it felt like it was watching her. A faint sound broke through the silence. A whisper. Liora turned sharply, her heart skipping. "Hello?" Nothing answered. But the silence that followed wasn't empty. It pressed in on her from all angles, thick and suffocating; it was like something unseen had drawn closer without making a sound. Her skin prickled. She took a step forward but cautiously. She got an instant reaction from the surface beneath her, rippling outward in soft waves of light. The glow shifted, spreading in slow circles that faded into the endless distance. Then she heard it again. The whisper was even closer. But it wasn't clear enough to understand, yet it was enough to feel. It brushed against her mind like a thought that wasn't hers. Her breath caught in her throat. "Who's there?" she demanded, her voice sharper now. She didn't get a response. Still, the presence felt closer. Liora froze. Every instinct in her body screamed at her not to turn around. Slowly… She did anyway. At first, there was nothing, just the endless silver haze stretching behind her. A shape began to form. Faint. Distorted. Almost human. Her breath hitched. "Who are you?" The figure didn't move right away. It stood there, barely visible, like it wasn't fully part of the world. Its form flickered at the edges, unstable, like reality itself couldn't decide what it was. But she could feel it looking at her. Not curious. Not confused. It felt like recognition. Like it already knew her. The figure tilted its head slightly. Then it spoke. Its voice was calm. Cold. And layered like more than one voice spoke at once. "You're late." Liora frowned, confusion cutting through her fear. "Late? I don't even know where I am." Silence followed. The lights in the surroundings flickered. The figure's outline glitched faintly, its form distorting for a split second. "You should have come sooner." "I didn't choose this," she snapped, frustration rising despite the fear clawing at her chest. "I don't even know what this is!" For a brief moment, everything went completely still. An unexpected crack, a sharp sound, split the ground beneath her feet. She gasped, stumbling back as thin fractures spread across the glowing surface, branching outward like shattered glass. "Wait, what's happening?" The light dimmed. The moon flickered violently. The air trembled. And the figure stepped forward. Just one step. Yet that single step makes it feel like the entire world shifted with it. Her chest tightened, panic rising fast. "Don't come closer." The cracks spread faster now, racing across the surface, breaking the illusion of stability beneath her. "You're not ready," the figure said quietly. "For what?" she demanded, her voice unsteady. The figure paused. Then, softer this time. "To remember." The world shattered. Liora shot up in bed with a sharp gasp. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to breathe, her heart pounding violently against her ribs. For a moment, she couldn't move. The dream clung to her like it hadn't fully let go. Her room slowly came back into focus. Her walls. Her desk. Her door. Everything is normal, exactly as it should be. But something felt… off. The air felt heavier. She dragged a shaky hand through her hair, her fingers trembling slightly. "Just a dream…" she murmured. But even as she said it, she knew. It wasn't. Her gaze shifted slowly toward the window. The curtains were still closed. But faint silver light slipped through the edges. Her chest tightened. Then she noticed it. Her hand. Liora frowned, lifting it slowly into the light. There it was. A faint mark. Barely visible. But glowing. Her breath caught. "That wasn't a dream…" The light pulsed once. Soft. Alive. It spread. Just slightly. Like something waking up. Liora froze. Her pulse quickened. And then she felt it again. That presence. Not in the dream. Here. Watching. Her head snapped toward the window. The curtains didn't move. Nothing did. But the feeling stayed. Heavy. Unseen. Unavoidable. And then very faintly A whisper. Right behind her. "…finally." Liora's entire body went still. She didn't turn. Didn't breathe. Because deep down She already knew. Something had found her. And it wasn't going away.
