The wind carried a strange stillness that morning. Not the kind that brought peace—but the kind that warned of something quietly unraveling beneath the surface.
Luna sat at the edge of the rooftop, her eyes fixed on the city lights slowly fading into the hues of sunrise. Her fingers were wrapped around the locket again. It pulsed faintly against her skin, like it had a heartbeat of its own.
Kael stood a few feet away, leaning against the railing, watching her in silence. The events from the previous night still clung to the air between them—her memory flash, the dream-like vision of the masked woman, and that voice. A voice that whispered her name like it had known her far longer than she could ever remember.
"That thread on your wrist," Kael finally said, "it's changing."
Luna looked down.
What was once a faint silver thread had started to glimmer with an undertone of deep crimson—barely visible, but unmistakably there. Like a drop of blood woven into fate.
"What does it mean?" she asked softly, not looking at him.
Kael hesitated. "It means your memory is fighting to come back… and with it, something ancient. Something dangerous."
She turned to face him. "You're hiding something from me again, aren't you?"
Before he could answer, the world shifted.
A sudden pressure surrounded her, sharp and cold. Luna clutched her chest. Her vision blurred.
And then—
A voice echoed in her ears. Familiar. Soft. Gentle.
"Luna… if you remember me, don't look back."
She gasped as images surged into her mind like waves breaking through a dam. A girl—laughing beside her under a golden sky. A hand reaching out. A blade in the dark. The masked woman watching from the shadows… and a single tear falling down her cheek.
When Luna blinked, she was back on the rooftop. Shaken. Breathless. Kael rushed to her side.
"You're not supposed to force it. These memories… they're locked for a reason."
"I didn't force anything!" she snapped. "It came on its own—like it wanted me to see it."
Kael's jaw clenched. "That's what worries me."
Suddenly, the rooftop door creaked open. Rae emerged, his usually calm demeanor cracked by urgency.
"You need to see this," he said.
The three of them stood inside the studio apartment Luna had only seen in passing before—a space filled with notes, red threads pinned across walls, symbols she couldn't decipher, and photos.
Photos of her. Of Kael. Of Rae. Of people she didn't recognize.
And in the center of it all, pinned under a single golden thread—was a photo of the masked woman.
Luna stepped closer. Her hands trembled.
"I've been following leads," Rae admitted. "Trying to find the source of your memory locks, the reason your thread was silver, not red like the others."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "You weren't supposed to dig that deep."
Rae ignored him. "This woman... she was seen near the Nightfall District two weeks ago. No one knows her name. They call her La Sombra. The Shadow."
Luna whispered the words as if they held weight in her chest. "I've seen her… in my dreams. I think… I think she's connected to me."
"She's more than connected," Rae said. "She might be the one who broke your thread in the first place."
Kael's eyes flashed. "You don't know that."
But Luna wasn't listening anymore.
She reached for the photo.
And in that instant, something snapped.
Her body jerked—pain lancing through her skull. She staggered backward, and the locket on her chest split open, releasing a faint hum. A ghostly shimmer swirled into the room.
A holographic image.
It showed a younger Luna—eyes full of light—laughing with the masked woman, unmasked. They were… close. Sisters, maybe? Or something deeper?
And then the shimmer changed. The laughter turned to screams. A betrayal. A crimson thread cut by trembling hands. The masked woman vanishing into darkness… with the locket.
The image faded.
Silence fell.
No one spoke.
Luna sank to her knees. "She didn't just take my memories… she took everything."
Kael knelt beside her. "Luna…"
But before he could speak, Rae's voice cut through. "There's more."
He walked to the far wall, pulling down a veil of fabric to reveal something hidden underneath: a mirror.
But this mirror was no ordinary one.
When Luna looked into it, she didn't see herself.
She saw the masked woman—on the other side—watching her.
And then the woman spoke.
"I told you not to remember me."
The mirror shattered.
Later that night, Luna stood alone on the rooftop again.
The sky was darker than usual. Heavy. The stars barely visible.
She touched the now open locket hanging from her neck. It was no longer just a trinket—it was a key. A doorway. And it had unlocked something she wasn't sure she was ready for.
Footsteps approached behind her.
"I don't know who to trust anymore," she whispered without turning.
Kael stepped closer. "Then trust your heart."
She looked at him. "Even if it's been broken?"
"Especially then."
A faint smile ghosted her lips. But it didn't reach her eyes.
"I think Rae's hiding more than he admits," she said.
Kael hesitated. "He is."
She turned fully. "And you? What are you hiding?"
He looked away.
"I once promised someone I'd protect you… even if it meant lying."
Luna's breath caught. "Who?"
Kael met her eyes. "The masked woman."
Before Luna could respond, the wind picked up. A sound—like strings being pulled—whistled through the air.
Then came the voice.
"You've remembered too much, Luna."
She turned, and there—hovering above the rooftop—was the masked woman.
But this time… she wasn't alone.
She had Rae beside her.
And his thread?
It glowed black.