Chapter 2 – Countdown!

 Part 1

“You must come with me,” Vincent said, his eyes never leaving hers.

Yuna remained entranced, captivated by those piercing green eyes, until the first beep from her mobile snapped her out of the deep trance, reminding her of the reason she had come to this place in the first place.

“I must what? Look, I don't have time for your nonsense right now,” she replied, quickly getting up and rushing past the young man, leaving him behind.

Though Yuna didn’t want to admit it, when their bodies crossed paths, something ignited between them. She felt that sooner or later, she would see this mysterious man again.

━━━━━━✧❂✧━━━━━━

Darkness had overtaken Nasai's world. Solitude and silence were her only companions during that hour and a half of uncertainty. With effort, she began to open her eyes, and a blinding flash of light forced her to close them again. As if the pounding deep in her head and the uncontrollable shaking of her body weren’t enough, now she had to contend with going blind too.

“How are you feeling?” Nasai heard an anxious voice from her right.

“Where am I?” she asked, straining to focus on the figure.

“You’re in the infirmary. It seems you fainted,” he replied softly.

Once her eyes adjusted to the surroundings, Nasai could finally see the handsome man who had come to her aid. He had a strong build and angelic features, and his eyes seemed to hold the entire ocean within them. His unruly medium-length hair was half-tied, with golden strands falling gracefully across his delicately chiseled face. If it weren't for the warm hand that rested on her forehead as he saw her blush, Nasai would have sworn he was an ethereal being dressed in modern clothing.

“Do you still feel unwell?” asked the blond young man, concerned as he placed his hand on Nasai’s forehead.

“I fainted again. I thought it wouldn’t happen anymore,” she replied, trying to regain her composure and sit up in the bed.

The situation grew more awkward as Nasai noticed how his deep, penetrating eyes were watching her, taking in every inch of her. His gaze revealed subtle glimmers of sadness, longing, and joy.

“I—” the young man began to speak when a loud bang echoed through the room.

It was Yuna. Breathless, drenched in sweat, her heart racing, and her hair in disarray, she scanned the room desperately for her sister's bed. Once she found it, she rushed over like lightning.

“Hey! How are you?” Yuna asked, breathless and with her pulse still racing.

“I’m fine, relax. It’s nothing,” her younger sister replied, trying to calm her down, surprised at Yuna's frantic state.

“Are you sure? You're not lying to me?” Yuna asked, unconvinced, resting her forehead on Nasai's to check for a fever.

“I promise, I’m fine. See? No more fever.”

“Who brought you here?” Yuna asked after a deep sigh, releasing some of her stress with that breath. “I’d like to thank them.”

“A guy who…” Nasai began, intending to point at the young man, but realized there was nothing to her right—only a chair and an empty seat

“A guy who…?”

“I… There was a guy…” Nasai repeated, confused by what had just happened.

Nasai was almost certain that young man had stayed by her side, keeping her company the entire time she was unconscious. But suddenly, he had vanished, like a mirage in the desert. Maybe that’s all he was—just a simple, fleeting hallucination.

━━━━━━✧❂✧━━━━━━

The fog crept silently into the night, yet it didn’t dim the moon’s powerful glow. Its strong rays pierced through the large windows of Vincent’s gothic office.

The two brothers rested in the red Victorian chairs that decorated the room. Silence ruled the atmosphere, broken only by the crackling fire that lit up the office.

“Did you find her?” Patrick broke the silence between the two brothers.

“Yes,” Vincent replied, never taking his eyes off the wild flames that illuminated their pale faces.

“Why didn’t you bring her?”

“Not everything is achieved by force. You, of all people, know that better than anyone,” Vincent replied, pausing for a moment before continuing. He subtly turned his face toward his brother, and a faint scarlet glow briefly masked the olive green of his eyes. “Besides, a ‘tainted one’ tried to attack her.”

“Devon…” whispered the younger of the Dokovic brothers, his voice low and almost raspy.

“We’ll have to keep a close watch on her,” Vincent stated, rising from the chair.

“The safest place for her is with us.”

“She doesn’t remember anything, brother. For now, the best thing is to be cautious,” Vincent concluded, with a subtle wave of his hand, causing the fire to dance as if it had come to life, then gently fade out like a sweet melody.