"Jas, Dahl didn't return home."

"What time did he leave?" Jas leaned forward in his chair, concern etched on his face at Aspar's statement.

"Around 9pm. His biosynthetic pathways were slowed when he cut his locks. I don't think he'd have enough energy to last him from last night until now."

"Who gave him the permission to cut his locks? How come I didn't notice that? How low did he go?"

"Really low Jas. He has absolutely no locks."

"F*u*ck is he crazy?!"

"Seems so, I tried to disuade him from cutting it, but you know Dahl, he's just different."

Jas nodded. "You have any idea where he was going?"

"I think he did this all over some human female he met. He kept talking about her."

"And you think it wasn't  important to tell me all this before now?" One of Jas' brow arched up in annoyance.

"I really didn't  think he'll  take off and not come back. Thought it was a phase."

"Aspar I need to know everything that's  going on. Even the things that are considered insignificant can cost us everything. I was elected as leader  to protect our people." Jas looked across at Oak and Pyne who were also in the room and who nodded in agreement.

"I am sorry, it wouldn't  happen again."

"Don't  let it. We need to find Dahl. Any idea where he went?"

"Some time when we were out he showed me where she worked." Aspar said.

"We'll  start there. Aspar and Pyne you start at the female's work location. Oak and I will search the city."

They nodded and left.

...✿༺⭑⭒༻✿༺⭑⭒༻✿...

Chrysan was home on her day off. Her roommate Kelly had left for work, leaving the apartment untidy as usual. Chrysan spent most of the day cleaning, then she cooked and did the laundry.

There wasn't much showing on television that Chrysan was interested in so she turned it off. She read a book for a few hours because the story was so captivating she couldn't put it down and then she fell asleep.

Some time late in the evening going into night Kelly came home with some guy. "Chrysan meet Dahl my friend. Remember I told you about him?"

"Hi." Chrysan gave him a little finger wave although she was feeling a little overwhelmed when she took him in. He was tall and buff in an unatural way filling their small living room. Kelly invited him to sit while she got something for them to drink.

"Hi Dahl, Kelly always talks about you, it's  good to finally meet you."

"Thanks for cleaning up for me." Kelly whispered in her ear, while passing.

"Hope it was all good." Dahl smiled taking the water from Kelly.

"We have light drinks, and beer?" Chrysan said watching the way he was guzzling the water.

"Water is just good for me." He looked at the bottle like he wanted more.

"Let me get you a next one." Kelly said and went and got another handing him.

"I'm  just feeling a bit dehydrated."

Dahl said nothing as he guzzled down the next bottle of water, draining it in seconds.

Chrysan glanced at Kelly, who only shrugged in response. They continued sitting around, chatting and laughing, but Dahl seemed increasingly uncomfortable the longer he stayed.

Something about him wasn’t right.

His eyes looked more sunken now, and there was a strange tightness to his face. Chrysan could’ve sworn that when he first arrived, the short ras that lay flat across his forehead had been standing upright. Now they looked limp, almost lifeless.

And the way he kept drinking—bottle after bottle—wasn’t just thirst. It was desperation.

By the time he reached for his fifth, Chrysan silently mouthed to Kelly, “Is he okay?”

Kelly gave another helpless shrug, mouthing back, “I don’t know.”

Dahl wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his fingers trembling slightly. The fifth bottle stood empty on the table beside him, and still, he looked parched—sweat beginning to bead along his brow despite the air conditioning humming steadily in the background.

Kelly’s smile faded. “Hey… are you okay? You’re not looking too good.”

Dahl blinked slowly, like it took him a second to process her words. Then he gave a weak smile, the corners of his mouth twitching unnaturally.

“Yeah,” he said hoarsely. “Just... not feeling my best. Maybe I should go.”

He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Kelly’s cheek. His lips felt oddly cool. “Thanks for everything.”

Kelly stood with him as he moved toward the door, but his steps were sluggish. Unsteady. He took one more step and then swayed—his legs buckling beneath him.

“Dahl—!” Kelly gasped, reaching to steady him, but he was too heavy, his body collapsing like a tree felled without warning.

They both went down.

Kelly cried out as they hit the floor, his weight dragging her awkwardly beneath him. “Dahl? Dahl!”

Chrysan was off the couch in a second, heart racing as she knelt beside them. Dahl was sprawled on the floor, his breathing shallow and ragged, his skin an eerie grayish tone.

“Help me turn him!” Chrysan urged, gripping under his arm.

Together, they managed to roll him onto his back. His eyes were fluttering, and for a terrifying moment, they looked… vacant. The ras on his head, limp before, now seemed to writhe faintly like they were responding to something unseen.

“Oh my God,” Kelly whispered, tears springing to her eyes. “What’s happening to him?”

Chrysan stared down at Dahl’s face, her own breath caught in her throat. Whatever this was—it wasn’t just dehydration.

Before either of them could speak again, a loud knock thundered at the door—followed immediately by the sound of it splintering open.

The girls screamed as the door burst inward, crashing against the wall. Four massive men swept into the room like a wave—tall, broad-shouldered, moving with precise and deliberate force. They were dressed in dark clothing, their eyes scanning every corner of the apartment with sharp, calculated intent.

“Get back!” one of them barked.

Kelly scrambled backward on the floor, shielding Dahl with her body. Chrysan stood frozen in place, unable to speak or even move. Her heart pounded against her ribs like it was trying to escape.

And then she saw him.

The one who stepped forward—the one the others instinctively looked to—was even taller than the rest. His presence sucked the air from the room. He didn’t speak right away. His eyes moved over Dahl’s limp form on the floor, then quickly to Chrysan and Kelly. He didn’t seem panicked—just deadly calm. Controlled. Dangerous.

“Pyne, check his vitals,” he ordered, his voice deep and cold like stone scraping against steel. “Oak, seal the entry. Now.”

The men obeyed instantly, moving with terrifying coordination.

Chrysan still couldn’t move. Couldn’t speak. Her eyes were locked on him—the one in charge. The way he carried himself, the weight in his voice—it made her feel small. Not just physically, but insignificant. Like prey under a predator’s gaze.

“What’s happening?” Kelly cried. “Who are you people?!”

Jas didn’t look at her. His attention remained on Dahl, who now twitched slightly on the floor. His fingers spasmed. His chest rose with a sharp, rattling breath.

“We’ve got to move him,” Pyne said, kneeling to examine Dahl. “His core temperature is dropping. Internal systems are destabilizing.”

“He’s not human, is he?” Chrysan whispered, the words escaping her before she could stop them.

Jas finally looked at her then. And for a moment—his gaze held hers with startling intensity. There was no cruelty in it, no anger, just a strange stillness… like something about her caught him off guard. He didn’t know who she was—had never seen her before—but he looked at her like he couldn’t look away. Like seeing her pulled something to the surface he couldn’t quite name. “No,” he said quietly. “He’s not.”

Chrysan’s heart thundered in her chest as she bolted after Kelly, the two of them trailing the large men who were now moving with urgency. Dahl’s body hung heavy between them, his arms draped over their shoulders, feet dragging across the floor.

The hallway blurred around her. Chrysan barely registered the neighbors peeking out of doors or the sound of their own frantic footsteps echoing off the walls. All she could see was Kelly, clinging to Dahl, and the strange fluid look of panic in the men’s eyes.

When they reached the vehicle parked out front—an unmarked, dark transport van that looked more military than medical—the side doors flew open. Inside, equipment was already humming to life. Jas barked out orders, and Pyne and Oak moved fast, easing Dahl onto a stretcher-like platform.

An IV bag was already hanging from a hook inside, filled with a glowing green liquid. One of the men—Oak—inserted the line into Dahl’s arm with practiced precision. The fluid began to flow immediately, pulsing slowly through the translucent tubing into Dahl’s veins.

“What is that?!” Kelly cried, her voice breaking. “What are you giving him?!”

Oak didn’t even glance at her as he responded. “It’s a specialized rehydrating compound—paired with concentrated nutrients. His system is collapsing. We don’t have time to explain.”

Chrysan sat frozen as the van pulled off, staring at the glowing green drip, her mind racing. Rehydrating? Her brows furrowed.

“He drank five bottles of water before you came,” she said, her voice tight. “Five. And he still looked like he was dying. Why would he need more? What is happening to him?”

For a moment, no one answered.

Then Jas turned from where he stood near Dahl’s head, his face unreadable. “Because your water can’t sustain what he is.”