Kai didn't sleep that night.
He lay on his bunk in the dim dorm room, staring at the ceiling while Aria's words replayed in his mind:
"He's not the only one looking for you."
The boy from the alley.
The blurry figure in the camera.
A second watcher.
If one trained stranger was dangerous… a second meant things were spiraling.
Kai sat up, running a hand through his hair.
He needed answers.
A sharp knock hit his door.
Three taps.
A pause.
Two taps.
Not Aria's pattern.
Someone else.
Kai slid off the bed, silent, and opened the door just enough to see—
Lena.
She stood there with her arms folded and a familiar irritated expression.
"Kai," she said flatly, "we need to talk."
Kai blinked. Lena wasn't the type to visit anyone's dorm randomly. She was the type who graded people with her eyes like a walking exam.
He opened the door fully. "What's wrong?"
She stepped inside without waiting to be invited.
"You have five seconds to explain why you keep disappearing after school."
Kai tensed. "Lena—"
"And don't lie," she snapped. "You think I didn't notice? You vanish faster than a glitch in the system. And today, Aria dragged you somewhere like you two are hiding a crime scene."
Kai exhaled slowly. Lena's sharpness wasn't the problem — it was her ability to notice everything.
She looked around his room once, then turned back to him.
"You're involved in something."
Her tone wasn't playful.
It was certainty.
Before Kai could respond, Lena stepped closer and lowered her voice.
"You know I don't trust Aria."
Kai raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Lena scoffed. "Because she acts like she owns every secret in this school. And because every time something dangerous happens, she's the first person standing next to you."
Kai stiffened.
Lena noticed.
"Oh," she said quietly. "So she is involved."
Kai didn't answer, which was answer enough.
Lena crossed her arms, her expression tightening—not jealous, but… uneasy.
"I'm not trying to compete with her," she said, eyes narrowing. "I just don't want you blindly trusting someone whose whole life is built on controlling other people."
Before Kai could reply, a sudden thud echoed from outside the dorm hallway.
Both of them turned instantly.
Another thud.
A quiet scrape.
Lena's face changed—wary, alert.
Kai moved toward the door, but Lena grabbed his wrist.
"Kai. Stop."
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"There's someone outside."
He listened.
Soft footsteps… not walking… sliding.
Kai's blood chilled.
Not human movement.
He pushed Lena gently behind him and cracked the door open.
The hallway was dim.
Empty.
Silent.
Then—
A shadow shifted at the far end, bending unnaturally against the wall before vanishing like smoke pulled backward.
Kai's heart slammed against his ribs.
The second watcher.
And it had followed him here.
Lena stepped beside him, eyes wide. "Kai… what was that?"
Before he could answer, a voice came from behind them.
Not loud.
Not surprised.
Just annoyed.
"…Seriously?"
Kai turned sharply.
Aria stood in the hallway, holding a flashlight, staring at both of them.
First, she looked at Kai.
Then at Lena.
Then back at Kai.
Her eyebrow twitched.
"Kai," she said slowly, "why exactly is Lena in your room at 11pm?"
Lena fired back instantly. "Because unlike you, I don't lurk in shadows waiting for dramatic timing."
Aria ignored the jab.
Her eyes stayed on Kai.
"Kai. That thing you just saw…"
She stepped closer, voice firm.
"It was real. And it wasn't following you randomly. Whoever controls it knows where you sleep."
Lena's face paled slightly.
Kai clenched his fists.
Aria continued, "You're not safe alone. Not anymore."
Lena cut in, "Then tell us what you know instead of dragging him around like he's your personal investigation project."
Aria's gaze sharpened. "This isn't a competition, Lena."
Lena shot back, "Then stop acting like you're the only one allowed to protect him."
Kai felt the tension between them thicken like a storm.
Not romantic.
Not friendly.
Just two powerful personalities, both focused on him for different reasons.
Aria stepped closer to him. "Kai. Choose. Are you telling us both what's going on… or are you going to keep letting people get ahead of you?"
Lena stepped beside him too. "I'm not leaving. Not until I know what's hunting you."
Kai exhaled.
Two people.
Two different loyalties.
Both demanding answers.
Both now tangled in his danger.
And a shadow down the hall that was still watching.
Kai finally spoke, voice low:
"…We're not safe here."
Aria nodded. "Then we move. Now."
Lena swallowed. "Where?"
Kai looked at the dark hallway—
the place the distorted shadow had vanished.
And for the first time since his training years ago…
He felt surrounded.
"We find a secure place," Kai said.
"And then I'll tell you everything."
Aria and Lena both stepped closer—
on opposite sides of him.
A triangle.
Tension rising.
Secrets closing in.
And the watchers moving faster than any of them expected.