There was only darkness. It stretched forever like an empty sea. Cold. Silent. Endless.
And then—
A flicker.
A soft light blinked into existence, faint and distant, like a star trying to shine through fog and from the darkness, he opened his eyes.
He didn't know who he was at first. But then, like an echo in the back of his mind… a name came to him.
Sebastian.
He blinked again, and slowly, the darkness gave way to a strange vision.
A quiet lakeside.
A woman sitting at the edge with her feet just touching the water. Her hair was open, gently moving with the breeze. She looked calm… but also heavy with silence.
It was Lilith.
He tried to call out to her, but no sound came from his throat.
She couldn't hear him.
She didn't even know he was watching.
"I waited for him…" she whispered, staring at the water. "But he's been gone for a year. He didn't love me."
The words hit him like ice water.
From the side, a man appeared.
"You shouldn't wait for him," the man said softly.
