Chapter 4: Before the Storm
Aryan (ML)
(Sitting by the window)
Aryan (ML)
The sun’s almost gone…
Aryan (ML)
And I’m still here.
Still breathing.
Still... me.
[The cold wind seeps through the small cracks of the window frame. He shivers, though not from the cold.]
Aryan (ML)
(Touching his chest)
Aryan (ML)
My heart...
It’s beating too fast.
inner voice
The blood is stirring.
The moon calls.
[Aryan opens the fridge absentmindedly. Grabs a bottle of water. His hands are trembling slightly.]
Aryan (ML)
Come on. Keep it together.
[The fridge’s metallic door bends slightly under his hand as he closes it.]
Aryan (ML)
What the hell?!
[He stares at the dent he made with a casual touch.]
Aryan (ML)
No way…
That wasn’t even full strength.
inner voice
You were never meant to be weak.
Living Room – Darkened House
[The house feels emptier tonight. Shadows seem alive.]
Aryan (ML)
It’s getting harder to breathe.
Every smell is so sharp...
The neighbor’s dog. The rain on concrete. Even the damn paint on the walls.
inner voice
Because you are leaving behind human senses.
Preparing for something... more.
Aryan (ML)
I didn’t ask for this!
I didn’t ask to be some monster!
inner voice
You are not a monster.
You are the balance.
The heir of an ancient line.
[He locks the door. Draws the curtains. Turns off the lights.]
Aryan (ML)
I can’t let anyone see me like this.
[He crawls into bed, pulling the blanket over him even though he isn’t cold.]
Aryan (ML)
Maybe if I sleep, it’ll stop.
Maybe if I just close my eyes...
I’ll wake up normal again.
[Aryan tosses and turns. His muscles ache deep inside. His bones feel like they are vibrating.]
inner voice
You can’t stop it.
You were born for this.
Aryan (ML)
I’m scared.
I don’t want to lose myself.
[He feels it—a low growl vibrating in his throat, unbidden. His nails dig into the bedsheets, tearing them slightly.]
[He stumbles to the bathroom again, clutching the sink. Looks into the mirror.]
Aryan (ML)
(Whispers, voice trembling)
Aryan (ML)
Who... are you?
[His reflection stares back—eyes golden and feral, veins faintly glowing under the skin.]
inner voice
You are Aryan.
You are Moonblood.
And the world will kneel... or fall.
Aryan (ML)
(Falling to his knees)
Aryan (ML)
Make it stop.
Please.
[Tears slip down his cheeks. He feels something building inside him — something ancient and hungry.]
[10:45 PM | Bedroom – On the Floor]
[Aryan sits cross-legged on the floor, arms wrapped around himself.]
Aryan (ML)
“If you find this... and I’m not me anymore…
Remember... I tried.
I really tried.”
— Aryan
[He presses save. Locks his phone. Sets it aside.]
inner voice
Courage is not the absence of fear.
It is standing in the face of it.
Aryan (ML)
Then I guess I’m courageous as hell.
(Chuckles dryly)
[11:15 PM | Storm Outside]
[Thunder rumbles in the distance. Wind lashes against the windows.]
Aryan (ML)
(Shivering)
Feels like even the sky knows what’s coming.
inner voice
The world remembers.
Even if the people have forgotten.
Aryan (ML)
(Whispering to himself)
One more night.
Just survive this one.
[He hugs his knees, rocking slightly, trying to fight the surge of something wild under his skin.]
[11:58 PM | Two minutes to Midnight]
[Aryan’s breathing grows shallow. His ears pick up sounds miles away. His bones feel molten. His heart pounds louder than the thunder.]
Aryan (ML)
(Clutching his head)
Not yet.
Please... not yet!
inner voice
The heir does not beg.
The heir becomes.
[Suddenly, pain strikes through him like lightning. His body seizes up. He bites back a scream, fists slamming into the floor, cracking the wood beneath.]
[Aryan’s body trembles violently. His vision blurs between the room and flashes of the wild—a vast forest, blood, and fire, and a crown made of bone.]
inner voice
Welcome to the beginning, Aryan.
Welcome to the bloodline of kings.
[As the clock ticks over to 12:00 AM, Aryan collapses, gasping for air — caught between boy and beast, human and legend.]
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