As Angelo blacked out from the pain, chaos erupted around him.
Olivia caught him before he hit the floor, cradling his limp body.
"Angelo! Wake up—please!" Her voice cracked between sobs.
Alex stood frozen a few steps away, eyes wide, hands trembling. His brother's body twitched once, then went still. Panic clawed through his chest, thoughts racing and colliding—what should I do, what should I do?
James paced across the room, muttering under his breath. "Hospital… no, no, we can't—if word gets out again, they'll come back. Why is this happening to him?!"
In the next room, little Emma had been crying quietly. When the noise stopped, she stumbled toward them, tears streaming down her cheeks. She tugged at Angelo's sleeve.
"Wake up, Angelo… please wake up." Her small hands kept shaking him. "Mom, why isn't big brother waking up? Tell him to wake up—I want him to play with me…"
Olivia bit her lip so hard it drew blood. Hearing Emma's voice broke something in her. She pressed her forehead to Angelo's chest and wept.
Alex couldn't hold back anymore. He dropped to his knees beside them, voice cracking.
"Hey, Angelo. This isn't funny, man. Come on—open your eyes already." His tears splashed onto the floor. "If you wake up now, I'll give you my chocolate milk, alright? Just… wake up."
But Angelo didn't move. His skin was pale, his body frighteningly still—only the faint blue light pulsing from the mark on his back proved he was alive.
Alex pressed two fingers to his brother's neck. A heartbeat. Steady and strong. His breath caught.
"Dad! He's still with us!" he shouted. "We need to take him to the hospital—now!"
James froze, then moved fast. He lifted Angelo into his arms. Olivia grabbed Emma and followed him toward the door—until James stopped mid-step.
Olivia's voice wavered. "Why are you stopping?"
James turned, jaw tight. "I think we shouldn't go to the hospital."
"What?" Her voice rose. "Are you out of your mind? He needs a doctor!"
"You think I don't know that?" he snapped, then lowered his tone, trembling. "But if we take him there, people will start talking again. If the government hears about this—about him—they'll take him away." His eyes darkened. "They'll treat Angelo like a lab rat."
The words hit like ice water. Even Emma went silent.
Alex swallowed. "Then… what do we do?"
James looked down at Angelo's face, then at the others. "We wait. One hour. If he doesn't wake up by then, we go—no matter what happens. And if anyone tries to take him, they'll have to go through me first."
No one argued. They carried Angelo to his bed, laying him gently beneath the sheets. The faint glow from his back pulsed like a heartbeat in the dark.
Angelo's eyes opened to blinding white.
There was no sky. No ground. Only an endless horizon of light.
He tried to move—nothing. Tried to speak—no sound.
Something flickered in the distance. A shape made of light, almost human. He blinked, and it vanished. Panic stirred. His eyes darted around, searching.
Then—presence. Behind him.
He couldn't see it, but he knew. The same being stood there, watching.
When it spoke, its voice was neither male nor female—soft as running water over stone, yet vast as thunder.
"Embrace the darkness and light together… but do not let the Void take over."
The words echoed through the white expanse. Then, everything faded to black.
Angelo opened his eyes slowly. Blinding light seared his vision. Shapes moved—blurry, shifting, then sharpening into familiar faces. His family. Worry etched deep into every expression. He was in his room.
The voice still echoed faintly in his head. A presence lingered—quiet, unmistakable—but it wasn't the horned figure, the girl with chains, or the cold whisper from his dreams. This was something else. Something nameless.
James sat beside him, hand resting gently on his arm. "Angelo… can you hear me? Are you alright?"
Angelo parted his lips. "I'm fine—"
But the voice that emerged wasn't his. Deeper. Smooth. Almost melodic, each word carrying a subtle echo, like it was spoken from just beyond the veil of reality.
Olivia covered her mouth with trembling fingers. James flinched, uncertainty etched into his features. Alex stood behind them, pale, eyes darting between Angelo and the floor.
Angelo's reflection in the mirror Alex handed him was unfamiliar. His once-black irises shimmered like molten silver. Sharper features. Quiet power, elegance—but hollow, too calm to be real. His hands trembled as he lowered the mirror.
"Who… who is this?" he whispered. "This isn't me…"
Silence. Tears welled in Olivia's eyes. James said nothing. Alex stared at the floor, fists clenched. Even Emma looked at him as if he were a stranger.
"I… I need some time alone," Angelo whispered, holding back his tears.
They hesitated. Then James nodded. "Alright. We'll be downstairs. Call us if you need anything."
Alex lingered in the doorway. "Hey… you're still you. Just… remember that."
Angelo's reply was calm, distant, "Okay."
He sat in silence, staring at the wall, listening to the steady thrum in his chest. The mark on his back pulsed again, warm, like a second heartbeat. Something had awakened. Something wasn't going back to sleep.
The lamp on his desk was the only light he left on. He pulled his knees close, forehead resting on them, hands covering his head, bracing for a crash. Tears fell. Confusion and fear consumed him.