bly, a chill ran down m

, but instead, lingered just at the edge of the garden, barely visible in the dim light. His form was l

red secret. I couldn't see his eyes, but I could feel them on me, watching, asses

re something else entirely. At first glance, they seemed red, glowing faintly in the soft light, but the longer I looked, the more

roubled," I managed to say, though my voice lacked conviction. There was something about his presence

slightly, like the shadows around him were breathing, shifting as he did. "Is that so?" he asked, almost mockingly. "I see you

t. It was strange and foreign, and even now, holding it felt like holding a part of somethin

barely there, almost like a figment of my imagination, and I began to wonder if I was dreaming again.

the secrets I tried so hard to bury. His words were almost hypnotic, wrapping ar

pounded in my chest, and I found myself unable to look away from where his eyes should have been. "I... I don't know," I replied, though the words felt hollow.

nt of me, though I still couldn't make out his face. His hand reached up, and I flinched slightly as he g

that made my skin crawl. "You know what you want. You always have." He leaned in ev

ering, it would take away all the pain, all the loneliness. But deep down, I knew

vibrant colors draining away until all that was left was the shadowy figure and me. His hand

t now, as if he were speaking from so

ne. The garden vanished, replaced b

ering sensation of his touch still clung to my skin, cold and unnerving. I ran a hand over my cheek

ing of unease. It was just a dream, I told myself. It had to be. But it felt

er I wis

weight of his words. Something was wrong. I had fel

e, its faint glow casting long shadows across the room. Whatever

t ready to believe that there was something-

come easily. The shadows in the room seemed to shift, almost as if they wer

the feeling that the next time I drea