The warmth from the ring didn't fade.
Lira held it tightly, staring at the man now inside her apartment. He was pale, bleeding, but standing — too steady for someone stabbed just hours ago.
> "Why are you here?" she asked, voice low, cautious.
He looked at her, eyes dark as the night outside.
> "To warn you," he said. "And because you've already crossed the line."
She noticed his jacket — it had the same insignia her mother once wore during her final days. A phoenix wrapped in fire.
> "Who are you?" Lira whispered.
> "I'm not your enemy, Lira. But Sijuki… he knows you're awake now. He knows you're remembering."
Her chest tightened. That name again.
Sijuki.
> "Then why didn't he come himself?"
The man smirked faintly.
> "Because he never shows up without a plan. And when he does, people die."
Silence.
The rain had started again — softly tapping against the windowpane like a clock ticking down.
> Tick. Tick. Tick.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
> "You touched the ring. Now it begins."
Her blood ran cold.
> "What begins?" she asked.
The man looked her dead in the eye.
> "The oath, Lira. The true one."
And then, he collapsed.
Right there. On her floor.
She didn't scream. She didn't cry.
She just stared.
At the ring.
And for the first time in years… it pulsed.
Like a heartbeat.
---
> 🩸 To be continued…
---