He stepped closer, moving without sound across the cracked concrete of the schoolyard. Marin backed up instinctively, her hands trembling. "Why… why are you here?" she demanded, her voice stronger than she felt.
"Because you need to understand," he said, his eyes locking onto hers. "There's a world beneath this one, Marin. A world of shadows, of creatures who walk while humans sleep, of rules you can't even imagine."
Marin's stomach twisted. "Creatures? What are you talking about?"
Averic smiled faintly, the corners of his lips curling like a whisper of danger. "I am one of them."
Her breath caught. "You… you're a vampire."
"I am," he confirmed softly, his gaze piercing her as if testing her resolve. "And so are the enemies who hunt me. The same enemies who might find you if you stay blind to what's coming."
She shook her head, disbelief clawing at her chest. "This… this is insane. I don't belong in… any of this."
"Perhaps," he said, stepping closer until the fog seemed to bend around him like a protective veil, "but your blood… your heart… your very existence is why it matters. You are tied to what comes next, whether you want it or not."
A shiver ran down her spine—not from the cold, but from the certainty in his words. And somewhere deep inside, something ancient and unspoken stirred, answering the pull she could no longer deny.
"You have to choose, Marin," he said quietly, silver eyes softening in a way that made her chest ache. "You can step back into the safety of ignorance… or you can step forward, into the darkness, and see who you truly are."