“I can’t keep going like this , not after watching the light leave their eyes .” Elyra left the cemetery in a pitiful attempt to escape, But it was futile. Thoughts flooded through the cracks of her mind, once protected by a strong guardian now lay crumbled. The death of her parents last month had shattered it completely.

“I need to feel anything but this sadness” she whispered to herself, knowing deep down that escape might be worse than where she was now. People had always said that sadness was the key to wisdom, that it would open her eyes. But all she saw were crying worlds in the hearts of others. And when she closed her eyes, the demons returned—whispering memories she once clung to, reminding her of how hopeless and lonely she is.*

As if listening to her cry’s the wind howled, laughing at how weak and vulnerable the human below them is.

Looking at the buildings that felt serene and peaceful once to her, now looking cold and terrifying.

“Is this my world now ? Dark loneliness and deep despair ?” Elyra thought, in the beginning she felt that these thoughts were dumb and unrealistic, but now she couldn’t think of anything but them.

Looking at the cage that she once called home, Elyra hesitated for a moment then fastened her steps opening the door seeing zephyr setting at the kitchen table, looking like he was waiting for a while, when their eyes met she felt the weight of the words that she kept holding for a long time.

“We need to talk about it we can’t keep going like this … I can’t ” she blurted out, her voice breaking

Zephyr didn’t say anything , just watched her. Elyra felt her hand tremble “you being out all day, going to god knows where, and I… I’m here, trapping myself with books and anything I can read just to stop thinking of how miserable and stupid I am. How I can’t do ‘normal’ things that everyone else does. Talking to people, making friends, have fun. But I can’t! I just can’t open this shity mouth and saying ‘hi’.”

Her breath hitched, she blinked back the tears forming “I know… I know the deaths of our parents might not mean the end of the world for you, but for me, it was. For me they were my family, my friends, my everything.”

She looked away, chest tight. “When I was out there I didn’t care about fitting in the world because I thought I didn’t need it. I thought… I was stupid enough to think I can just live with my family. that I don’t need friends.”

Elyra voice trembled, as her tears started to fall “But now my world is empty. With no one in it but me. And to my surprise, I found that all the doors to the other ‘worlds’ were closed with a key called ‘hi’. But I don’t have that key. Zephyr I don’t have any keys…”

She wiped her eyes, but tears kept coming. “Why did they have to leave ? Why can’t I just open these doors? Why am I like this? “

Zephyr took a deep breath, thinking what to say “ Elyra, I… I’m stupid too you know? I talk to a lot of people -and I mean a lot of them- when I say that. But I feel like I’m always alone no matter how many people I had as ‘friends’.”

Elyra, still crying, let out a weak laughe. “Are you stupid, how can you be alone when everyone is around you?”

Zephyr smiled, something he rarely did in the time they had spent together after their loss. “After they were gone I realised that I’m not ready for … everything. The fear of facing the world, to living on my own. And… I was afraid that I will lose you too because of this.”

After a moment of silence zephyr continued “So, I went out. I talked to every person I saw. I learned from anyone who was willing to talk. you’d be surprised of how many people just want someone to listen to their stories. “

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He looked at Elyra “Sometimes I feel like an addict, an amalgamation of useless information, wasting my time. But with each passing day, I realise that I had more solutions than questions. I started to know many people that I can ask for advice.”

A shadow of sadness crossed his face. “But then I realized… I couldn’t see them as friends. I always wanted something from them. When I see people now, I think, ‘How can I get their trust?’ or ‘How can I control them?’ Every word I say has a goal—whether it’s to gain knowledge or make allies. I felt alone. Surrounded by many, but still alone.”

Zephyr’s voice softened, as though he were opening an old wound. “I knew what you were going through, Elyra. But I didn’t know how to help. I was afraid you’d end up like me, seeing people as tools. Elyra… my world is as lonely as yours.”

Elyra wiped her eyes, her breathing shaky but calmer now. “I didn’t know you felt that way… I thought I was alone in this.” She looked at Zephyr, really looked at him for the first time in a while. “Maybe we’re both just… lost.”

Zephyr nodded, his eyes softening, but before either of them could say another word, a sharp knocking sound came from the door.

They froze.

Considering his sister condition zephyr went to open the door. To see that it was their neighbour, Dr. Evan Lorain, but something was off about him. Standing still like a dead man, tears flowing from his eyes, but his face was eerily calm , unlike what they used to see from the warm and nice neighbour who helped many people,including their family.

“Can I help doc-“ before he could finish his sentence the smell of something he knew very well reached him, blood. Only then he noticed a bloody knife, the light barely reached it. His mind screamed that something was wrong about the man in front of him. But there was a part of him couldn’t believe it.

“Doctor, did something happen?” Despite everything zephyr saw, he couldn’t help but ask. But the suffocation silence was all he got. Zephyr almost reached his limit, he wanted Evan to say something, anything, he even considered shutting the door on his face , but before he could do anything, the old man moved faster then anything zephyr could react to, then, pain followed.

Zephyr eyes wide in disbelief, with hitched breath he looked down, seeing the fresh blood escaping his skin, but Evan didn’t give him time to process what’s happening. Another stab came sinking deep in his flesh. And another. And another.

The sound of his flesh being cut over and over kept tormenting him until his body was filled with bloody holes.

Only then dr. Evan turned to the stunned Elyra.

When their eyes met Elyra’s heart dropped. She tried to run but the man was too fast for her. He grabbed her by the throat slamming her to the wall. She clawed and kicked but it was useless, her lungs burned, the man hand didn’t move, his heavy breathing filled her ears, as darkness and despair filled her vision, something inside her stirred, something her parents tried to hide and seal, eerie voices filled her ears.

She saw a light, it was warm and beautiful, it reminded her of her of her parents. She reached for it and touched it. Then, consumed it. memories started flowing into her mind, she had a loving family, she helped a lot of people, she felt peace, but one day this peace disappeared, she tried her best to regain it, helped more people, stayed with her family more, tried to remember if she did something wrong to anyone, but the peace didn’t came… only sadness She kept consuming the light, it filled her with power.

And as she continued, something inside Evan shifted. His grip loosened, his tears stopped, the calmness in his face was nowhere to be seen, he felt losing something he shouldn’t, something his very being was build on it, fragments of his memories started to fade.

‘What’s happening to me?’

His very existence started to slip away, he knew something bad was happening to him but there was no stopping it now, it was as if he was eaten alive, chunks of his soul disappeared with every breath. Panic crept into his heart.

But before Elyra could finish the light escaped, only then she opened her eyes, seeing a hand grabbing dr. Evan shoulder, then something hit his face. Hard. Knocking him to the ground.

Zephyr stood, his body filled with gaping wounds, skin hanging in tatters. Any human should be dead by now—no, anything should’ve been dead by now.

But, he didn’t, his flesh refused to die, painfully closing the wounds, not letting blood escape his veins.

He looked at Evan, his limbs moved jerkily, as though controlled by something else. The only thing that burned in his mind was a single command: kill.

Evan in the ground dizziness filled his mind.

Zephyr’s body felt like every part of it tried to kill. He fought like an animal, his body moved with joyful rage. Like a child finally able to play.

Evan tried to attack but it felt terrifyingly hopeless. It was like every strike he did was futile, zephyr flesh was like a monster in its own, not letting him die, it wasn’t even healing anymore, it was merely holding his body from crumbling to bits. The pain zephyr felt was unimaginable.

It seemed that zephyr won’t die until he sees the last breath of his pray disappear. The sound of his bones crush under the weight of his inhuman attacks numerous times echoed in the house. But the attacks never stopped. He couldn’t stop. Not after he tasted it the joy of seeing the fear of what tried to kill him.

Inevitably, Evan died, but even then zephyr didn’t stop his he kept breaking bones, both his and what’s left of its enemy. Desiring more. More pain. More fear. More death.

He toke the knife with what’s left of his hand, and opened his pray chest. Forcefully uprooted  the heart, then swallowed it whole. The taste of the heart brought a final rush of energy. But as the last echoes of life faded in his hands, he looked up—straight at Elyra.

Elyra, who watched everything happen, with the new memories, voices whispering in her ears became too loud, the smell of blood and the sight of her brother terrifying body, the sound of breaking bones and him eating Evan heart. It only after zephyr looked at her, her mind decided that it was too much and passed out.