Vena’s POV The pendant…
It was still warm.
I held it tightly in my palm as I stared at the strange silver symbol engraved on its surface.
Just a few seconds ago…
It had glowed.
Not because of light.
Not because of magic I could understand.
It reacted…
To my blood.
A cold breeze swept across the empty garden.
The mysterious man dressed in black had already disappeared.
No footsteps.
No sound.
No trace that he had ever been there.
Yet… The pendant in my hand proved he was real.
I slowly clenched my fist.
“What exactly are you…?” More importantly…
What am I?
That night…
Sleep never came.
Every time I closed my eyes…
I heard the same words echoing inside my head.
“Don’t let her awaken.” Awaken…
Everyone kept mentioning that word.
Nikhil.
The black envelope.
Even the mysterious stranger seemed connected to it.
But nobody explained what it actually meant.
I stood up and walked toward my study table.
The envelope lay exactly where I had hidden it.
I opened it again.
Only two lines.
“The blood remembers before the mind.” “When the sleeping blood awakens…
the forgotten truth will awaken with it.” I read them again.
And again.
Then something caught my attention.
At the bottom of the page…
The silver symbol looked different.
I frowned.
“No…” “I’m imagining things.” I compared it with the symbol I had copied into my diary earlier.
They weren’t identical.
The symbol on the envelope…
Had changed.
A tiny crack-like line had appeared across its center.
“…Impossible.” I blinked.
The crack disappeared.
Everything returned to normal.
A shiver ran through my spine.
“This isn’t ordinary ink…” The next morning…
The house was unusually quiet.
I walked downstairs.
Nikhil was already sitting at the dining table reading the newspaper.
He looked up and smiled.
“Morning.” Exactly the same smile.
Warm.
Protective.
Comforting.
The smile of an elder brother.
If I hadn’t remembered my previous life…
I would’ve believed it again.
He poured tea into my cup.
“You look tired.” “Couldn’t sleep?” I forced a smile.
“Just nervous about college.” He nodded.
“That’s normal.” For a brief moment…
I almost questioned myself.
Could I be wrong?
Could the memories of my previous life somehow be distorted?
Could Nikhil…
Actually care about me?
The thought vanished the instant our eyes met.
For less than a second…
I saw it.
His expression changed.
It wasn’t hatred.
It wasn’t anger.
It was…
Calculation.
As if he were studying me.
Measuring something.
Then…
The gentle smile returned.
“So…” “What are your plans after class?” Nothing.
Not even his voice had changed.
If someone had watched us…
They would’ve thought he was the perfect brother.
Only I knew…
Monsters often smiled the sweetest.
College felt different today.
Yesterday I had been overwhelmed.
Today…
I paid attention.
Every hallway.
Every classroom.
Every face.
Someone…
Was watching me.
I couldn’t explain how I knew.
But I could feel it.
As if invisible eyes followed every step I took.
While leaving the lecture hall…
I accidentally bumped into a girl carrying a pile of books.
“I’m so sorry!” She smiled.
“It’s okay.” As she bent down to collect her books…
One old notebook slipped open.
A strange drawing filled the page.
The same symbol.
The silver symbol.
My heart skipped a beat.
“Where…” “Where did you get that?” The girl looked confused.
“This?” “Oh…” “My grandfather used to draw it all the time.” “He said it was an ancient family crest.” I swallowed.
“What’s it called?” She shook her head.
“I don’t know.” “He died before telling me.” Before I could ask anything else…
Her phone rang.
She apologized and hurried away.
I stood frozen.
Family crest…
So the symbol existed long before I received the envelope.
Then…
Who was my family?
The rest of the day passed uneasily.
By evening…
Dark clouds covered the sky.
Thunder echoed in the distance.
I was about to leave campus when my phone vibrated.
Unknown Number.
I hesitated.
Then answered.
“…Hello?” Silence.
Only breathing.
Then…
A calm male voice.
“Throw the pendant away.” I froze.
“What?” “If you value your life…” “Don’t carry it.” My grip tightened.
“Who are you?” Instead of answering…
He asked a question.
“Have you looked into a mirror today?” The call disconnected.
I immediately called back.
The number doesn’t exist.
A chill spread through my body.
Confused…
I rushed to the nearest restroom.
The fluorescent lights flickered overhead.
I stood before the mirror.
Nothing unusual.
Just my reflection.
I let out a nervous laugh.
“I’m losing my mind…” Then…
My reflection smiled.
I didn’t.
Every muscle in my body froze.
The girl inside the mirror…
Was still smiling.
Slowly…
She lifted her hand.
I hadn’t moved.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears.
“N-No…” The reflection whispered something.
No sound came out.
Only her lips moved.
Three words.
Then…
Everything returned to normal.
My reflection copied my movements again.
I stumbled backwards.
Cold sweat covered my forehead.
“What…” “What did she say?” I couldn’t remember.
No matter how hard I tried…
Those three silent words disappeared from my mind.
As if someone had erased them.
That night…
I searched every book, every website, every article related to ancient bloodlines and forgotten symbols.
Nothing.
It was as though the symbol didn’t exist.
At exactly midnight…
The pendant suddenly became warm again.
Very warm.
It began pulling gently…
Toward the window.
Almost…
As if something outside was calling it.
I slowly opened the curtains.
Far beyond the garden…
At the edge of the forest…
A faint blue light flickered once.
Then vanished.
The pendant stopped moving.
I stared into the darkness.
“…Was someone there?” Or…
Was something waiting for me?
Just then…
My phone vibrated.
A single message arrived.
No sender.
No number.
Only one sentence.
“If you want the truth about your blood…
come alone.” Below it…
A location.
The abandoned chapel hidden inside Blackwood Forest.
My finger hovered over the screen.
Should I go?
Was it a trap?
Or was this…
The first real clue about who I truly was?
Outside my window…
The blue light appeared once again.
This time…
It didn’t disappear.
It slowly began moving.
As if…
It was leading someone.
Or waiting…
For me.
To Be Continued…