Li An moved through the quiet morning light like a shadow cast by something half-remembered. His skin was pale, almost translucent, untouched by the sun, as if the world had forgotten him. Black hair fell over high cheekbones and a sharp jaw, soft and silky, brushing the nape of his neck. His eyes were storm-gray flecked with gold, his voice alluring as sirens, whenever he spoke it felt mesmerizing, calm yet holding the weight of things he didn't dare speak aloud. He had been called beautiful all his life, but for him, it had always been a curse. People saw a blessing; he felt exposed, fragile, a target for eyes that didn't understand him.

He moved with a quiet grace, careful not to disturb the apartment's silence. Animals always approached him, sensing the gentleness in him that humans rarely noticed. Birds perched at windows, cats brushed against his ankles, and he spoke to them softly, almost in whispers. His life had been shaped by running... from a home too wealthy, a family too loud, a past too heavy... but here, in Linhai, he was Li An, and for the first time in years, he could breathe without the constant weight of expectation.

Across the small apartment, Zhao Liren stirred. Broad-shouldered and tall, his presence filled the modest space effortlessly. His hair, dark and tousled, fell slightly over a square, handsome face. Amber eyes held mischief and warmth, and his muscular frame hinted at a man used to control. He was loud, playful, and untouchably confident, the kind of person who laughed easily and loved freely, for whom the world seemed smaller than it actually was. But he reserved his softness for Li An alone, the boy who carried shadows in his eyes.

The small apartment smelled faintly of porridge and morning air. Two beds shared one room, a tiny hall led to the kitchenette, and the living space, though modest, felt lived-in. It was warm, safe, and theirs.

"Li An! Get up! Breakfast's almost cold!" Liren called, voice teasing but threaded with care.

Li An stirred, eyelids fluttering open, dark lashes brushing pale cheeks. He pushed himself upright, stretching slightly. His lips lifted in a small, reluctant smile, the kind that could soften hearts without trying.

"Do I have to?" he murmured softly.

"Do you want me to throw it away?" Liren replied, smirking. "Brush your teeth first, or no porridge for you."

Li An moved quietly to the bathroom, letting cold water chase away the remnants of sleep. When he returned, he found the table set, bowls steaming in the morning light.

"Any luck with the job hunt?" Liren asked casually, leaning against the counter. His gaze was sharp, as if assessing every subtle shift in Li An's expression.

Li An shook his head, hands folded over the bowl.

"No one wants a graduate who looks like he might break in the wind," he said, voice low, almost resigned, a shadow crossing his delicate features.

Liren frowned, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

"They just don't know what they're missing. You're stronger than you think."

Li An looked at him, eyes flickering with a fragile warmth.

"You always say that," he whispered.

"Because it's true," Liren said, amber eyes steady. "My dad's construction company could use someone like you. I can put in a word."

Li An's gaze dropped.

"No. You've done enough for me already. I can't…"

He left the sentence hanging, swallowed by the quiet. Liren exhaled, letting his hand remain on Li An's shoulder, grounding him with silent reassurance.

They ate slowly, the quiet punctuated only by the faint hum of the refrigerator and the clink of spoons. Then the TV drew their attention.

"Breaking news! another young man has been found murdered in Linhai City," the anchor said, voice trembling. "Police confirm a series of killings with the same disturbing signature: a single word written in blood beside each victim."

Liren leaned forward, frowning.

"What word?"

The screen flickered, showing a blurred alley. Red smeared across the walls. And there it was...thick strokes, uneven, unmistakable.

QIN.

Li An froze. His spoon slipped, clattering against the table. His chest tightened, heart hammering like a drum in his ears.

Liren's frown deepened, voice low, wary:

"That… can't be a coincidence, right?"

Li An's lips parted slightly, eyes wide, voice barely audible:

"I… I don't know."

Sirens wailed faintly in the distance, sharp and urgent, threading into the apartment like a warning. The small, cozy world they had built suddenly felt fragile and thin, as if someone, or something...was waiting for a crack to slip through.

End of Chapter One.

The morning light had turned pale, like it too was frightened to touch the world. The air inside the small apartment felt too still... stuck somewhere between silence and the faint hum of the refrigerator. Zhao Liren stood by the sink, rinsing the empty bowls. The sound of running water echoed like rainfall in an empty forest.

Li An sat by the window, the soft steam of untouched tea rising beside him. His fingers rested loosely on the cup's handle, but his gaze wasn't there. It was far away, lost beyond the quiet buildings, somewhere inside the fog that rolled lazily through the narrow streets.

"Li An," Zhao Liren called gently, trying to break the strange spell that had settled over them. "You okay? You've barely said a word since breakfast."

Li An's eyes flickered, a shade of gray too deep for comfort. He turned his head slightly, his voice soft, smooth like silk brushing over glass.

"I'm fine," he said. "It's just... the news."

Liren gave a short, nervous laugh. "Yeah, who wouldn't be shaken after that? 'Qin' written in blood... That's sick."

He turned off the tap, drying his hands. "You don't think it's real, do you? Maybe it's just the media exaggerating again."

Li An didn't answer. His reflection in the window trembled faintly with each passing breath. Qin.

A name carved into flesh and fear.

A name that didn't belong to the dead.

It belonged to him.

Outside, a crow screeched and flapped onto the balcony railing. Its feathers shimmered black-blue in the light. The bird stared at him... unblinking, intent. For a moment, it felt like the creature was watching him specifically. He tilted his head, and so did the crow, perfectly in sync.

"Creepy thing," Zhao muttered behind him. "You always attract weird birds, man."

Li An forced a faint smile. "Maybe they like me."

"They follow you," Zhao corrected. "It's not the same."

He walked closer, leaning against the wall beside him. "I was thinking... maybe you should stay away from that forest trail for a while. You go there too often, and... well, it's near the area where the police found that last body."

"I know," Li An murmured. His tone was calm, but his knuckles tightened around the cup. "I'll be careful."

Zhao nodded, uneasy. He didn't know what it was about Li An... even though zhao knew everything about about li an, not a single thing was hidden from him, he was sure he didn't know something about his best friend, that li hides even from him. something in the way he could make even simple words sound like a secret.

When Li An finally stood up, the movement was soundless, ghostlike. He placed his cup down and whispered, "I'll take a walk."

"In that direction?" Zhao frowned. "Bro, come on, you just said-"

"Not the forest," Li An said softly. "Just... I need air."

Liren sighed. "Alright, but at least text me when you're back, okay? Don't vanish like last time."

Li An gave a faint nod, pulling his coat on. His long hair brushed his jawline, the strands catching a glint of silver light before he slipped out the door.

The streets were quiet, nearly empty. Each step echoed like it didn't belong in this world. The fog had thickened, low, crawling mist that brushed against his legs and swallowed sound.

He passed the old bakery, the shuttered bookstore, the lampposts that leaned too close to each other like whispering figures. Every shadow felt alive, everything felt similar, it was the first time in a while he felt the streets this calm and empty.

And for every step forward, he felt the weight of something behind him.

A presence... soft, but deliberate.

He stopped. Nothing.

Only the crow again, perched atop a sign, its eyes like tiny mirrors reflecting him.

He walked faster. The silence pressed close, wrapping him in its invisible arms. His heartbeat began to sync with the rhythm of his footsteps, steady, steady, steady... until the faintest sound cracked through it.

Drip.

He froze.

There was a small trail of red, glistening on the pavement near the alley's edge. Not much, just a few drops. But they were fresh.

He followed them.

The alley narrowed, the walls damp and slick with moss. The air smelled metallic, heavy. His breathing slowed as he turned the corner-

- and saw the stray cat.

Its fur was soaked in rain and blood, a thin line cut across its paw. It mewed weakly, trembling. Li An knelt beside it, exhaling a long, shaking breath. "It's okay," he whispered. "You're okay."

His fingers brushed its fur, gentle, trembling, and for the briefest moment, the world steadied again.

But when he looked up, he saw it.

On the opposite wall.

Written in something dark and dripping.

One word.

QIN.

He stumbled back. The fog thickened, twisting around him like breathless laughter. His heart thundered in his chest, louder and louder until he thought it would burst through his ribs. The smell of blood filled his throat.

He looked around... no one. Only the crow above, silent, as if waiting for him to realize something he didn't want to.

A cold shiver crawled down his spine.

He whispered to the mist, "Who are you trying to find?"

The wind answered... soft and hollow~ You.

He ran home without remembering how. His chest burned, his hands were shaking, and when he finally locked the door behind him, Zhao Liren was nowhere to be seen. The apartment was quiet again. Too quiet.

He sank to the floor, breath ragged. His eyes caught his reflection in the dark window... pale, wide-eyed, trembling.

"Not again," he whispered. "Not again."

His mask lay discarded on the table. His fingers brushed against it, tracing the faint cracks on its surface.

He had built this life carefully, piece by piece.

A new name. A new city. A new silence.

But no matter how far he ran, it followed.

The name.

The forest.

The blood.

His mind whispered the truth he had buried for so long-

Li An was never real.

His name was Qin Yuelin.

And the past was coming back.

His phone buzzed, breaking the silence.

Unknown Number.

One message.

"Let's meet soon, my little sparrow... Qin Yuelin."

The phone slipped from his fingers and clattered against the wooden floor. The screen's light bled across his pale skin, painting his trembling face in ghostly blue.

Li An- no, Qin Yuelin... stood frozen, breath trapped in his throat. His eyes, wide and glimmering like glass under moonlight, reflected the single line that still shone on the screen:

"let's meet soon, my little sparrow...Qin Yuelin."

His lips parted, but no sound came out. The soft tremor of his breath fogged the air; sweat clung to his temple. Even in fear, his beauty had a cruel precision... like a porcelain doll cracked but not yet broken. His lashes quivered, catching the light, and the faintest shiver ran through his slender hands as if the message had burned into his veins.

"Zhao…" his voice came out broken, whisper-thin. He turned, eyes darting across the empty apartment. "Zhao Liren!! are you home?"

Silence answered.

Only the ticking clock, the faint hum of the refrigerator, and the wind pressing against the window like something wanting to come in.

He took a step forward, bare feet touching the cold floor. "Liren?" he called again, louder this time. But he already knew. The jacket was gone from the chair. The shoes were missing from the mat.

Zhao had gone out.

His fingers trembled as he grabbed his phone again and hit the call button. The dial tone stretched endlessly, like the sound of a heartbeat underwater.

Come on… pick up.

Meanwhile, the neon lights pulsed like living veins. The bass from the club trembled through the air, shaking glass and skin alike. Inside, laughter and perfume mixed with the heat of liquor and the scent of sin.

Zhao Liren lounged on a velvet couch, his black shirt half unbuttoned, collarbone glinting in dim light. His hair was tousled, his jaw sharp, eyes half-lidded and full of mischief. A girl with crimson lips sat on his lap, tracing her fingers across his chest, while a boy with silver earrings leaned close, whispering something that made Zhao smirk.

He looked like temptation carved in flesh... untouchable yet owned by everyone in that room.

"Liren, come on, one more round," the bartender shouted, sliding another glass toward him.

Zhao lifted it lazily, his deep voice curling through the noise. "You trying to kill me tonight, huh?"

The boy beside him laughed, biting his lip. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Zhao was about to respond when his phone buzzed on the table, vibrating beside a pile of scattered cash. The name flashing across the screen ~ Li An ~ made his smirk fade instantly.

He frowned.

Li An never called unless it was serious.

He picked it up. "Hey-"

But the voice on the other end wasn't calm. It was shaking. Small. Fragile.

"Liren… someone, someone knows…"

Zhao sat upright, every trace of his playfulness gone. The girl on his lap shifted, confused.

"What? Li An, slow down. What happened?"

"There's a message," Li An's voice trembled, breaking between words. "They know my name. My real name- they found me"

The world around Zhao blurred into meaningless sound. The music, the laughter, the hands pulling at him... all faded under the pounding of his heart. He shoved the people off him, ignoring the protest.

"Where are you right now?"

"At home," came the whisper. "I don't know what to do, Liren… it's-it's like they're watching-"

"I'm coming. Don't hang up, you hear me?" Zhao's voice cut sharp as steel. "Keep talking to me."

He grabbed his keys, rushing out of the club. Behind him, the neon lights flickered once, then dimmed.

Li An pressed the phone to his ear, curling up on the couch, his knees drawn to his chest. "I'm scared, Liren."

"I know. Just breathe, baby," Zhao said, voice softer now, though his foot pressed hard on the accelerator. "Tell me exactly what happened."

"There was… there was a message," Li An said, tears trembling in his eyes. "It said-"

"I know. You said someone knows your real name. But that's impossible, right? Only I-" He stopped, his throat tightening. "Only I know."

"That's what I thought too," Li An whispered.

The sound of the wind outside deepened, brushing against the windows with a strange rhythm. The curtains swayed, casting ghostlike movements across the walls. The air inside the apartment grew colder, sharp with something unseen.

"Liren…" Li An's voice was almost a breath now. "I think someone's outside."

Zhao's grip on the wheel tightened. "Don't move. I'll be there in five minutes. Just lock the door, okay? Stay on the phone."

Li An nodded, even though Zhao couldn't see him. "Okay…"

He stood slowly, moving toward the door. His bare feet made no sound against the wooden floor. The handle felt icy under his fingers as he turned the lock. Click.

He leaned his forehead against the wood, breathing quietly. His reflection in the nearby mirror caught his eye, pale, trembling, almost translucent in the low light. His eyes were wide with fear, yet something else flickered behind them… something deeper.

Why now? Why me again?

He looked around the room, everything too still, too silent. Even the clock seemed to hold its breath.

"Liren," he whispered into the phone. "What if they're inside?"

"Don't say that," Zhao said quickly, trying to sound calm though panic was creeping into his tone. "Check the windows. Just look around for me, okay? I'm almost there."

Li An nodded faintly and walked toward the balcony. The crow was still there, perched exactly where it had been before. But this time… there were two.

Both stared at him, their beady eyes glinting with something intelligent, unnatural. One tilted its head, letting out a low, guttural sound that wasn't quite a caw. It sounded almost like… laughter.

He stepped back, trembling. "Liren… they're looking at me."

"Who?" Zhao's voice rose. "Who's looking at you, Li An?"

"The birds," he whispered. "They're not… normal."

Zhao cursed under his breath. "Don't look at them. Move away from the window, do you hear me?"

Li An backed away slowly, heart hammering in his chest. His breath came out shallow and fast. "Liren, hurry…"

"I'm almost there. I can see the building."

And then- click.

The sound didn't come from his phone or the door. It came from inside the apartment.

A faint metallic click, like the turning of a lock.

Li An froze. His eyes darted toward the kitchen. Nothing. The hall. Nothing. Then... under the narrow crack of the bedroom door... something shifted. Just a shadow, soft, brief, but enough to steal his breath.

"Liren," he whispered. "There's… someone in the bedroom."

Zhao's voice hardened. "Get out of there right now. Go out the front door and wait outside. Do not go near that room-"

But Li An's eyes were already fixed on the door. His voice dropped to a whisper. "I think I saw movement."

"Don't go in there, damn it!"

But he did. Slowly. Step by step. The phone still pressed to his ear, Zhao's frantic voice echoing like a ghost from another world.

He pushed the door open. The hinges creaked. The room was dark, curtains drawn, air cold enough to make him shiver. He reached for the light switch.

It flicked on.

Empty.

Everything was just as it had been. His bed. Zhao's bed. The books stacked neatly by the nightstand. The faint scent of Zhao's cologne still in the air.

He exhaled shakily. "There's no one-"

Then he saw it.

On the mirror above his desk. Written in something dark, smeared like fingerpaint.

"You can't hide, Qin."

The phone slipped from his grasp again, clattering against the floor. Zhao's voice burst through, muffled, shouting his name.

Li An's lips parted, his breathing sharp, unsteady. He stepped backward, eyes wide, tears threatening to spill.

Then the lights flickered once… twice… and went out.

Darkness swallowed the room.

For a heartbeat, everything was silent-

Until a voice, soft as breath, whispered right behind him:

"Found you."

END OF CHAPTER~