Night had already blanketed Aarush when the three left Jake's house. The air smelled of damp streets and old lampposts. The goodbyes were quiet, with forced smiles and hugs that lasted a second longer than usual. Vero, Tobias, and Jake stayed at the door, tossing jokes into the air to lighten the mood. But nothing could fully erase the unease hanging over them.

  Kali, Dahlia, and Nicco walked in silence for several minutes. The cold had begun to settle in—or maybe it was something else, an emptiness that had nothing to do with the weather.

  "We need to talk," Nicco said suddenly, without looking at them.

  "Yes," Dahlia added, more softly. "But once we're home. I don't want to do this in the middle of the street."

  Kali looked at them both, sensing the tension they shared.

  "What's going on? What's happening?"

  "At home," Nicco repeated, almost like a promise.

  When they arrived at the apartment, something... felt off. Nothing obvious. Just a slight change in the air. A strange smell, like damp wood. A silence heavier than usual. And the plant—the one that always looked half-dead—was now closer to the edge of the shelf. No one had moved it. Or so they thought.

  "Wasn't that plant further back?" Kali murmured.

  "Doesn't matter," Dahlia replied, closing the door. "Let's sit."

  They gathered in the living room. Dahlia and Kali on the couch, Nicco on the floor in front of them, legs crossed. The silence lasted only seconds before the dam broke.

  "I've been dreaming about something," Kali began. "Something dark. Really dark. Like it's rising from its own grave. It has threads... like roots. But alive. Moving."

  "I've seen it too," Dahlia said without surprise. "And I saw a wolf. Or something like it. It wasn't just any animal. It was on the rooftops, watching. Jumping like it weighed nothing. And then that dream... that voice. 'The cycle is broken.'"

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  "It's warning us about something," Kali murmured.

  Nicco swallowed hard, lowering his head.

  "I had a dream too," he said. "But it was different. There was a house. The door was open. I heard someone calling me from inside. It was Viki's voice. But when I went in... there was no one there. Just a wall covered in symbols. And a cold so real I woke up with frozen skin."

  Kali and Dahlia exchanged glances. No one spoke for a few seconds. Then Nicco leaned toward the table.

  "There's more," he said.

  He carefully pulled a folded napkin from his jacket pocket. He placed it on the table, not touching it directly, and unfolded it precisely. Inside, perfectly wrapped, was Viki's earring.

  An unmistakable piece of jewelry. With lilac stones, asymmetrical shape. Just as they remembered it.

  Kali's eyes widened, breath caught in her throat.

  "What...? Where did you get this?"

  "It fell from Vero's bag," Nicco replied.

  "I saw it too," Dahlia added. "We didn't say anything at the time. We didn't know how."

  Kali froze, staring at the earring like it was a warning. Or a silent scream.

  "She was wearing this at the party. I'm sure. I helped her put it on."

  The silence returned, heavier now. Uneasy.

  The prelude to something bigger.

  Something they could no longer ignore.

  "How did it end up with Vero?" Kali finally asked, her voice low and slightly trembling.

  "That's what we need to find out," Nicco said, staring at the earring without touching it. "And fast."

  "Do you think... she's involved?" Dahlia asked cautiously.

  "I don't know," Nicco admitted. "But if she knows something, she's hiding it. And if she doesn't... someone's using her."

  Kali leaned toward the earring. Her fingers hovered, but didn't touch it. As if doing so might awaken something that still slept.

  "We need to talk to her," she said, with soft but firm determination. "Not confront her. Not yet. Just... observe. Listen. See if she slips."

  "Do you think she's in danger?" Dahlia asked.

  "We all are," Nicco murmured. "Some of us just don't know it yet."

  Outside, the wind slammed a leaf against the window. A sharp thud. No one moved.

  The night was watching. And finally, they were starting to watch back.

  Nicco suddenly remembered something.

  "I took pictures of the markings on the dead guy at the party," he said.

  They all leaned in as he opened the gallery on his phone.

  "Wait... haven't these markings been mentioned in the news?" Dahlia asked.

  Kali immediately turned on the TV. Nicco searched the internet while Dahlia refilled the coffee pot and poured three steaming cups.

  Nothing.

  No mention of the symbols anywhere.

  This was getting stranger by the minute. And the three of them looked at each other, afraid.

  Afraid of what they were starting to uncover.