That night, as I lay in bed, I had another dream. I dreamed of being with a wolf. We ran together, rolled on the grass, and I rested against its body. Strangely, I wasn’t afraid of the wolf at all. I touched its fur, which felt coarse and not particularly pleasant. Yet, I found myself liking the sensation. Its eyes glowed with a golden light. Though it was a beast, I sensed a gentle expression on its face. Then, suddenly, it transformed into Kael’s form. Startled, I woke up gasping for air.
I believed there were still many undiscovered creatures in the world, but nothing like what I had dreamed of. Yet, I couldn’t shake the memory of the strange light in Kael’s eyes. Had I really imagined it? If I wanted answers, I would have to get closer to Kael, but I had already decided to avoid any further entanglement with him.
I got up to fetch a glass of water from the kitchen, thinking I needed to calm down. Kael’s influence on me was too strong. Why did he keep appearing in these bizarre dreams every night? It seemed I needed to stay away from him. I couldn’t let him affect me like this.
After drinking the water, I was about to return to my room when I felt the hairs on my body stand on end. My body tensed, and my hands clenched into fists involuntarily. That overwhelming sense of fear I had felt before returned, stronger than ever. My body trembled uncontrollably. Despite the warmth of the room and the absence of any breeze, I felt an icy chill.
Cautiously, I turned my head toward the source of the danger-the balcony window. The balcony was enclosed, with pale yellow curtains hanging over the glass. Normally, we kept the curtains drawn but not tightly, as there were no buildings opposite to worry about prying eyes. At that moment, through the gap in the curtains, I thought I saw something outside, pressed against the glass.
Clutching my glass, I approached the curtains. The light was too dim to see clearly. As I stepped closer, I realized it wasn’t a shadow-it was real. It was some kind of beast! Gripping my glass, I covered my mouth, frozen in place. I could feel its gaze on me. How could such a creature exist in this town? It wasn’t a bear. It looked… like a dog. Its entire body was covered in black fur, pressed against the glass. Its breath fogged up the window, and its blood-red eyes locked onto mine. I felt like it wanted to kill me!
I wanted to run, to scream, but my brain couldn’t command my body to move. My blood felt like it had frozen in my veins, and I stood as stiff as a block of ice. Suddenly, the creature blinked. My glass slipped from my hand and shattered on the floor with a loud crash. The monster bared its sharp fangs, saliva dripping from its mouth. It arched its back, ready to burst through the glass.
I screamed at the top of my lungs. I needed to escape, to run out the door and get as far away as possible. But I was on the tenth floor! If it could climb up here, it could find me anywhere. And to make matters worse, my legs felt like they were made of concrete. Each step felt like lifting a thousand pounds. With all my strength, I managed to take a few steps back.
“Damn it, run!” I thought, consumed by fear.
Just then, a loud bang echoed as a door slammed against the wall, snapping me out of my terror. Evelyn’s frantic voice called out, “Are you okay, Seraph?”
I turned to see her rushing toward me. Her hair was disheveled from running, and her face was filled with concern.
“Evelyn, there’s a monster outside!” I pointed at the window.
Evelyn glanced at the window and walked toward it. Surprised by her bravery, I grabbed her arm. “Don’t go! If it can climb to the tenth floor, it can get in. We need to run!”
The creature’s presence filled me with dread.
“Wait, Seraph, where’s this monster you’re talking about?” Evelyn asked.
I immediately looked back at the window. It looked the same as before, the curtains undisturbed. But the monster that had been outside was gone! I hurried over, cautiously checking, afraid it might suddenly leap at me like in those horror movies I’d seen. I pulled back the curtains. The glass balcony door was empty. The night outside was calm and peaceful. The streets were quiet, with only a few drunken youths passing by, kicking cans and making noise. It was just like any other ordinary night.
“Maybe you’re under too much stress and hallucinating?” Evelyn suggested as she joined me, scanning the surroundings.
“No, I saw it! A monster with black fur, huge, about two meters tall, and its eyes were red,” I described.
“A monster? A bear? Or maybe a big dog from the neighborhood?” Evelyn reached out to touch the window, then closed her eyes as if trying to sense something. “I think I smell something strange, like an animal’s scent,” she said, her fingers tracing the edge of the window.