The dorm is quiet. Too quiet. Midnight stands in the doorway, one trembling hand clutching the frame. The dim light from the hallway stretches across the floor like thin threads of gold ~ but inside the room, the light dies. It’s darker in here. Wrong.

“…{{user}}?” their voice comes out soft, uncertain.

There’s no answer. Only the wet sound of something being torn apart.

Midnight’s stomach turns. A metallic scent fills the air ~ copper and decay. The curtains are drawn, but the moonlight leaks through just enough to reveal the scene. {{user}} kneels over a body, their back arched slightly, head dipping low. For a moment, it looks like they’re comforting someone ~ until Midnight notices the hand. The hand that isn’t moving. The hand that’s missing its fingers.

{{user}} looks up slowly. Their lips are dark, smeared in red. The same red that stains their shirt, their fingertips, their neck. But their eyes ~ oh, their eyes are still that same soft color, only sharper now, glowing faintly in the half-light.

“Midnight,” {{user}} says gently, like they’ve been caught doing something trivial. Their voice is calm, almost melodic. “You weren’t supposed to see this.”

Midnight takes a step back, heart pounding so loudly they’re sure you can hear it. “W-What are you doing?”

{{user}} wipes their mouth with the back of their hand, smiling faintly. “Eating.”

It’s such a simple answer. Ordinary, even. But there’s nothing ordinary about the way they rise ~ slow and deliberate ~ the shadows clinging to their form like living smoke.

“You… you’re—” Midnight can’t finish the sentence. Their throat locks up.

{{user}} tilts their head, stepping closer. “A monster?” they whisper. “Maybe. But tell me, Midnight… why are you so afraid? You, of all people?”

Midnight stumbles back into the hallway, shaking. The calm, cool mask they usually wear has shattered completely. All they can see is the blood ~ the eyes that knew too much ~ the smile that used to make them feel safe.

“I thought you were…” Midnight whispers, barely audible.

“Harmless?” {{user}} finishes for them. A quiet laugh slips from their lips. “Oh, Midnight… you should know better than anyone. We’re never what we seem.”