Ch-3.A Name In The Dark

Kael couldn’t escape the feeling that something had changed.

Not just inside of him—his restless mind, his sleepless nights—but in the air itself. It felt charged, humming with something unseen, something waiting.

Kael had spent the morning pretending. Pretending he wasn’t thinking about the window. Pretending the word "soon" hadn’t been burned into his mind like a brand. Pretending his hands weren’t shaking every time he reached for something.

He went through the motions of the morning in a daze. Brewing coffee. Unlocking the bookstore. Shelving the same books he had touched a hundred times before. But today, everything felt off.

Like the world had shifted slightly while he wasn’t looking.

Like he wasn’t alone.

The bell above the door rang.

Kael turned, expecting a customer, expecting the routine of another dull interaction. But the moment his eyes met the figure stepping inside, the air in his lungs turned to stone.

Him.

A man in black. Tall, lean, dripping from the rain outside. His dark coat clung to him, the fabric heavy with water, but his presence—his presence—was heavier.

Kael didn’t recognize him. And yet—he did.

Something about him felt familiar. Like a whisper in the dark he’d heard a thousand times but never seen.

The man stepped forward, slow and deliberate, his boots clicking softly against the old wooden floor. His movements were measured, unhurried, like he had all the time in the world. Like he already owned this moment.

Kael' breath hitched.

The man stopped at the counter, tilting his head slightly, watching him.

Studying him.

Kael' fingers curled against the wooden surface. His skin prickled with something he couldn’t name—fear, curiosity, dread, fascination—all tangled into something sharp, something alive.

The man smiled.

It was slow. Unnerving. Not a friendly thing, but something else entirely.

Something knowing.

And then, in a voice as smooth as velvet, laced with quiet amusement, he said:

“You’ve been waiting for me, haven’t you?”

Kael swallowed, his throat dry.

His pulse hammered against his ribs. He wanted to deny it, to push back against the ridiculous weight of those words.

But deep down, in the darkest part of himself—

He wasn’t sure if it was a lie.

---

Try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try try.....hah... reached

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***