Rain fell like broken glass, slicing through the night as Sarah ran down the hill.
Her heart hadn't stopped pounding since Alexander's words.
Ask him who killed you.
Every step she took toward the dorms felt heavier, colder, like the air itself didn't want her to reach him.
When she reached Daniel's building, she didn't knock ,she slammed the door open.
He was there, standing by the window in the dim light, drenched from the rain. His hair clung to his forehead, and his shirt was half unbuttoned, revealing the tense lines of his chest.
"Sarah," he said quietly, turning. "You came."
Her voice trembled. "You texted me."
"I had to," he said. "I needed to make sure you were safe."
"Safe from who?" she shot back. "From Alexander? Or from you?"
His expression flickered shock, then something darker.
"So he told you," Daniel said softly. "He always moves first."
"Then it's true?" she whispered. "You do remember?"
Daniel looked away, his jaw tightening. "Bits and pieces. Dreams that won't fade. A life where you were mine. A death I can't forget."
Her heart twisted. "Then tell me, Daniel. How did I die?"
He turned slowly, his eyes shadowed. "You think I killed you?"
"Did you?" she whispered.
For a long moment, the only sound was the storm outside.
Then Daniel laughed low, broken, and terrifyingly hollow.
"I tried to save you, Sarah. Don't you remember that?" He stepped closer, rain still dripping from his hair. "You ran from me. Straight into the crash. I chased after you, but I was too late."
Sarah's stomach dropped. The memory flashes of metal, fire, and his voice screaming her name spun through her mind.
"No," she said, backing away. "That's not what happened. I saw you. You stood there and watched."
He froze. Then his smile twisted. "So that's what he told you."
"Who?"
"Alexander."
Daniel's voice sharpened like a blade. "He's been haunting you across lifetimes, Sarah. Don't you see it? He wants you bound to him. He's not human. He's never been."
Her breath caught. Alexander had said the same thing about Daniel.
"Then what are you, Daniel?" she demanded. "If he's not human, what are you?"
He didn't answer. His gaze burned with something primal, something that made her step back again.
"Do you know what it's like," he said softly, "to love someone through death? To wake up and remember every moment , every scream ,every time you slipped away?"
"Daniel"
"I've loved you for centuries," he whispered. "And every time, he takes you from me."
She shook her head. "You're lying."
He reached out, fast ,too fast and caught her wrist. "Am I?"
His hand was warm, but beneath the surface, something pulsed, faintly glowing. For an instant, she saw a flicker of light gold, like molten fire.
Sarah gasped and tried to pull away. "Let go!"
But he didn't. His grip tightened. "You think he saved you? He's using you, Sarah. You're a key. You open doors between timelines, and he needs that power to stay alive."
Her pulse thundered. "That's not true."
"Then ask him why he keeps finding you. Ask him what happens after you die."
She froze. "After?"
Daniel leaned in until his breath brushed her ear. "You come back. But you're never the same. He takes a piece of you every time."
Lightning cracked through the sky. For a heartbeat, Daniel's eyes glowed faintly gold, like something ancient and broken inside him was stirring.
Sarah wrenched free, stumbling backward. "You're scaring me!"
He flinched at that pain flashing across his face. "I don't want to hurt you, Sarah. I never did."
"Then why does it feel like you already have?"
The silence that followed felt heavy enough to crush her.
Daniel ran a hand through his wet hair, trembling slightly. "I don't remember everything. Not yet. But when I do… I'll know how to fix this. I'll make sure you never die again."
She stared at him. "You can't fix what you broke, Daniel."
His lips curved into something that wasn't quite a smile. "Maybe not. But I can make sure he doesn't take you again."
He stepped closer, voice softening. "Come back to me, Sarah. You don't belong to him."
Her throat went dry. His hand brushed her cheek, fingers lingering against her skin. The warmth was familiar ,too familiar ,and for a split second, she felt the ache of the love they once had.
But then she remembered Alexander's warning.
When you hear the wind whisper your name… that's how they find you.
And just like that she heard it.
A faint sound, almost human, curling through the broken windowpane.
"Sarah…"
Daniel's eyes widened. "No. Not now."
He grabbed her hand. "We have to go. They've found you."
"Who?" she whispered, but the air had already changed ,a cold pressure crawling up her spine. Shadows twisted at the edges of the room, forming shapes that shouldn't exist.
"Daniel"
"Run!" he shouted.
They burst into the rain, sprinting through the courtyard. The lights around them flickered as if the storm itself was alive. Behind them, the shadows stretched and reached, whispering her name again.
"Sarah…"
Daniel pulled her close, his arm wrapping protectively around her. "Don't listen! Keep moving!"
But she couldn't look away. The shadows shimmered, forming fleeting faces versions of herself, dying in countless ways.
A car crash.
A fall.
A gunshot.
A drowning.
Each vision flickered and vanished, replaced by the next.
Tears blurred her vision. "Make it stop!"
Daniel turned to her, his expression raw, desperate. "You wanted to change fate, Sarah. This is what it costs."
"Then tell me what you're not saying!" she cried.
He hesitated then whispered, "You were never supposed to live again."
The world went silent.
Sarah stared at him, rain running down her face like tears. "What?"
"You were meant to die that night," he said hoarsely. "But Alexander broke the rule. He pulled you out of the cycle. And now, time wants its balance back."
Her knees nearly buckled. "You knew? You knew this whole time?"
"I wanted to protect you," he said, reaching for her. "But you keep running to him"
She slapped his hand away. "Because I don't trust you!"
Daniel's expression shattered. For a moment, he just stood there, soaked and shaking, before whispering, "Then you'll die trusting him instead."
Before she could answer, lightning split the sky and from the flash of white, a figure emerged on the hill.
Alexander.
Standing perfectly still in the storm, his eyes locked on hers.
And behind him, the shadows stopped moving.