The morning light had turned pale, like it too was frightened to touch the world. The air inside the small apartment felt too still... stuck somewhere between silence and the faint hum of the refrigerator. Zhao Liren stood by the sink, rinsing the empty bowls. The sound of running water echoed like rainfall in an empty forest.
Li An sat by the window, the soft steam of untouched tea rising beside him. His fingers rested loosely on the cup's handle, but his gaze wasn't there. It was far away, lost beyond the quiet buildings, somewhere inside the fog that rolled lazily through the narrow streets.
"Li An," Zhao Liren called gently, trying to break the strange spell that had settled over them. "You okay? You've barely said a word since breakfast."
Li An's eyes flickered, a shade of gray too deep for comfort. He turned his head slightly, his voice soft, smooth like silk brushing over glass.
"I'm fine," he said. "It's just... the news."
Liren gave a short, nervous laugh. "Yeah, who wouldn't be shaken after that? 'Qin' written in blood... That's sick."
He turned off the tap, drying his hands. "You don't think it's real, do you? Maybe it's just the media exaggerating again."
Li An didn't answer. His reflection in the window trembled faintly with each passing breath. Qin.
A name carved into flesh and fear.
A name that didn't belong to the dead.
It belonged to him.
Outside, a crow screeched and flapped onto the balcony railing. Its feathers shimmered black-blue in the light. The bird stared at him... unblinking, intent. For a moment, it felt like the creature was watching him specifically. He tilted his head, and so did the crow, perfectly in sync.
"Creepy thing," Zhao muttered behind him. "You always attract weird birds, man."
Li An forced a faint smile. "Maybe they like me."
"They follow you," Zhao corrected. "It's not the same."
He walked closer, leaning against the wall beside him. "I was thinking... maybe you should stay away from that forest trail for a while. You go there too often, and... well, it's near the area where the police found that last body."
"I know," Li An murmured. His tone was calm, but his knuckles tightened around the cup. "I'll be careful."
Zhao nodded, uneasy. He didn't know what it was about Li An... even though zhao knew everything about about li an, not a single thing was hidden from him, he was sure he didn't know something about his best friend, that li hides even from him. something in the way he could make even simple words sound like a secret.
When Li An finally stood up, the movement was soundless, ghostlike. He placed his cup down and whispered, "I'll take a walk."
"In that direction?" Zhao frowned. "Bro, come on, you just said-"
"Not the forest," Li An said softly. "Just... I need air."
Liren sighed. "Alright, but at least text me when you're back, okay? Don't vanish like last time."
Li An gave a faint nod, pulling his coat on. His long hair brushed his jawline, the strands catching a glint of silver light before he slipped out the door.
The streets were quiet, nearly empty. Each step echoed like it didn't belong in this world. The fog had thickened, low, crawling mist that brushed against his legs and swallowed sound.
He passed the old bakery, the shuttered bookstore, the lampposts that leaned too close to each other like whispering figures. Every shadow felt alive, everything felt similar, it was the first time in a while he felt the streets this calm and empty.
And for every step forward, he felt the weight of something behind him.
A presence... soft, but deliberate.
He stopped. Nothing.
Only the crow again, perched atop a sign, its eyes like tiny mirrors reflecting him.
He walked faster. The silence pressed close, wrapping him in its invisible arms. His heartbeat began to sync with the rhythm of his footsteps, steady, steady, steady... until the faintest sound cracked through it.
Drip.
He froze.
There was a small trail of red, glistening on the pavement near the alley's edge. Not much, just a few drops. But they were fresh.
He followed them.
The alley narrowed, the walls damp and slick with moss. The air smelled metallic, heavy. His breathing slowed as he turned the corner-
- and saw the stray cat.
Its fur was soaked in rain and blood, a thin line cut across its paw. It mewed weakly, trembling. Li An knelt beside it, exhaling a long, shaking breath. "It's okay," he whispered. "You're okay."
His fingers brushed its fur, gentle, trembling, and for the briefest moment, the world steadied again.
But when he looked up, he saw it.
On the opposite wall.
Written in something dark and dripping.
One word.
QIN.
He stumbled back. The fog thickened, twisting around him like breathless laughter. His heart thundered in his chest, louder and louder until he thought it would burst through his ribs. The smell of blood filled his throat.
He looked around... no one. Only the crow above, silent, as if waiting for him to realize something he didn't want to.
A cold shiver crawled down his spine.
He whispered to the mist, "Who are you trying to find?"
The wind answered... soft and hollow~ You.
He ran home without remembering how. His chest burned, his hands were shaking, and when he finally locked the door behind him, Zhao Liren was nowhere to be seen. The apartment was quiet again. Too quiet.
He sank to the floor, breath ragged. His eyes caught his reflection in the dark window... pale, wide-eyed, trembling.
"Not again," he whispered. "Not again."
His mask lay discarded on the table. His fingers brushed against it, tracing the faint cracks on its surface.
He had built this life carefully, piece by piece.
A new name. A new city. A new silence.
But no matter how far he ran, it followed.
The name.
The forest.
The blood.
His mind whispered the truth he had buried for so long-
Li An was never real.
His name was Qin Yuelin.
And the past was coming back.
His phone buzzed, breaking the silence.
Unknown Number.
One message.
"Let's meet soon, my little sparrow... Qin Yuelin."