"You good?"
Trinity asked me that the moment I stepped through the front door.
I froze.
I'd only just walked in. Hadn't even taken my shoes off yet. But her voice—flat, direct, not even hiding the concern—caught me off guard.
She leaned on the hallway wall, arms crossed, white hair tied back in a loose bun. Her red eyes narrowed behind her glasses.
Wait… red?
I blinked, but they were back to normal. Blue. Just blue.
I shook my head.
Sleep deprivation? Reaper hallucination? Probably both.
"I'm fine," I lied.
"You look like a sleep-deprived hobo who hasn't eaten since last Thursday."
"…Damn. Alright."
She raised an eyebrow. "You gonna talk about it, or you gonna keep pacing like you're being hunted?"
Because I am.
Instead, I just moved past her. "Long day."
Trinity didn't push.
Not directly.
She never did. She just… watched.
Dinner was quiet.
Mom wasn't home yet. Dad was working late again. Trinity and I sat at the kitchen table, chewing like we were in two different dimensions.
Until she spoke up.
"You've been different lately."
I paused mid-bite.
"How so?"
She stared at her food. "You don't laugh the same. You're quieter. Jumpy. You're always checking windows."
I didn't respond.
"And…" she added, "You keep waking up at 3:33 a.m."
I froze.
How does she know that?
"I can hear your footsteps," she said. "Even when you're trying to be quiet."
I pushed my plate away.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me."
I hesitated. But my chest started burning again—like the Mark was reminding me: time's ticking.
"Have you ever heard of the Grim Reaper Games?" I asked.
She blinked.
"…Is that a new anime or something?"
Of course she'd say that.
"I'm being serious."
Trinity leaned forward.
"No jokes. No sarcasm. Tell me what's going on."
So I did.
Not everything.
But enough.
The Mark.
The other Players.
The Reapers.
The factions.
And the death of Jaylen.
She didn't interrupt once.
When I finished, she looked at me… not with fear, or disbelief.
But recognition.
What the hell?
"You're not surprised," I said.
She shook her head. "I've been having dreams."
"…What kind of dreams?"
She stood up, walked to the sink, poured out her water.
Then turned to me.
"Dreams of a black river. Of people drowning. Of voices whispering things I shouldn't understand. And sometimes… I see you. Floating. But not alive."
My blood ran cold.
The same dream I had in Chapter One…
How?
"And this," she added, lifting the sleeve of her hoodie.
There it was.
A mark.
Not like mine—not the Reaper skull.
This one was white.
A circle with a flame burning in the center. Etched in silver lines across her forearm.
"It appeared yesterday morning," she said. "Didn't tell anyone. Thought it was a birthmark I never noticed."
I stared at it.
The shape looked… ancient. Not Reaper-coded. Not even Olympian.
Something older.
"What does it mean?" I asked.
"I don't know," Trinity said. "But every time I touch it…"
She pressed two fingers to it.
And her eyes glowed red.
Not normal red.
Burning red.
"I see things I'm not supposed to."
Suddenly, my phone buzzed.
I checked the screen.
[Alert: Grim Reaper Games Update]
New Role Detected: FLAME-BEARER
Class: Unclassified
Status: Dormant.
Player: Trinity.
I looked at her.
She looked at me.
"…You're in the Game."
She didn't argue.
Just nodded.