I gasped for air, unsure why the scene I had just witnessed felt so real. I hadn’t done anything, yet it was as though I truly had. As if I inevitably would.
Would I kill Kael?
“Calm down, Seraphina. Maybe it’s not the way you think it is,” Lyra said. “Besides, if you’ve already foreseen such an ending, surely you can change it, right?”
“But… but I feel like I can’t change anything,” I shook my head. “This premonition feels so bad. And Magnus… he placed a spell on me, you know?”
As I spoke, my consciousness began to blur. For some reason, the memories that had occupied my mind moments ago seemed to vanish. I couldn’t grasp even a fragment of them, but then, suddenly, new memories emerged.
“I was sent to the psychiatric hospital when I was sixteen. Before that, I suffered from severe bipolar disorder. I hurt myself, and sometimes, I even hurt my family. My parents couldn’t handle me anymore and had no choice but to send me here.”
“In the hospital, I was confined to my room every day. I wasn’t allowed out because I was a danger to myself. The room was the only safe place. Magnus was a new doctor, fresh out of school. He treated me kindly, stayed by my side every day, and took care of me.”
“I liked him. I confessed my feelings to him, and he said yes. He promised that once I was discharged next week, we’d be together. I believed we were so in love that we’d eventually get married…”
These words kept repeating in my mind, over and over, until Lyra interrupted me.
“Wait, Seraphina, no. That’s not how it is. Snap out of it!” Lyra’s voice was sharp. “To be honest, though, I can feel the spell Magnus put on you. His mental control is incredibly strong. I need to rest now. If he finds me, there’s a good chance I’ll be wiped out.”
“Lyra, you’re going to sleep again?”
“Yes, my mental strength is drained. But once I’ve rested, I’ll return. Until then, Seraphina, you must stay strong. Don’t let his words confuse you, okay?”
After that, Lyra went silent. No matter how I called out to her, she didn’t respond.
The room was empty now, leaving only me. I felt the things I wanted to hold onto slipping further and further away. I tried so hard to grasp them, but in the end, I was left with nothing.
I liked Magnus.
Kael was someone who had hurt me in the past.
If I ever saw Kael again, I’d kill him.
No, no, that’s not what I thought. A new voice-the clear-headed version of me-emerged in my mind. It was frantic.
“Seraphina, you love Kael. You and Kael have the closest bond. If you hurt him, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Would I truly regret hurting him?
I already felt a pang of regret.
I curled up on the bed, hugging myself tightly.
Two voices battled in my head.
One was the rational me, telling me that everything I was experiencing now was false. The other was Magnus’s voice, insisting that everything I had been through was fake. He told me I loved him, that I had spent the last few years living inside the hospital.
“Don’t listen to her! Seraphina, pull yourself together!” My voice-angry and desperate-shouted in my mind.
What was going on?
I frowned as my head throbbed painfully. The noise in my mind was unbearable. I closed my eyes, trying to block it all out, and my body gradually succumbed to exhaustion.
Maybe if I slept, everything would get better.
That thought comforted me as I drifted off into a fitful sleep.
But even as I dozed, I could sense someone entering the room.
Though my eyes were closed, I could feel their gaze on me, piercing and intense, as though they were trying to see right through me.
Then, I felt the weight of someone climbing onto the bed, pulling me into their arms.
The bed was small to begin with, and with two people crammed onto it, it felt impossibly cramped.
I hadn’t been sleeping deeply, so the moment they embraced me, I woke up.
I opened my eyes and saw Magnus’s handsome face.
He was staring at me.
“Good night, Seraphina,” he said softly, smiling.
His voice was so gentle, it felt like a tender hand stroking my heart.
I was still somewhat alert, but as I rested against his body, I found myself drifting off again.
Magnus’s embrace was broad and warm.
Lying against his chest, I could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.
For a fleeting moment, a thought crossed my mind.
“Push him away, Seraphina. Kill him-just like that day when you drove your nails into Kael’s heart,” the other voice in my head screamed.
I looked up at Magnus’s chest, but I restrained myself.
No, I couldn’t do that. If I wanted to save Kael, to find him, I had to obey.
Otherwise, I’d never find Kael.
This moment of clarity left me dazed. I fought to suppress my thoughts, forcing my mind to focus.
“Seraphina, we’re the most in-love couple in the world, aren’t we?” Magnus stroked my hair, his voice low and soothing.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Your parents will adore me. And when the time comes, I’ll introduce you to my family. They’ll love you too.”
“Okay. I’d like to meet your family,” I replied.
Resting in Magnus’s arms, the thought of meeting his parents made me feel shy.
I was blushing.
Magnus chuckled at my response, his laughter deep and soft.
And just like that, I fell asleep in his embrace.
When I woke up, the room was empty. Magnus was gone.
I called out for Lyra, but there was no response. She was clearly still resting.
I walked to the door, my eyes falling on the keypad lock. Images of Magnus entering the code yesterday flickered in my mind.
2… 5… 8…
I tried the combination.
Now, just three more digits…
I pressed a button, but the red light flashed.
Error.