It all started in a city where nothing unusual seemed to happen. You came there for just a couple of days - to retire, to get away from the noise and people. A small house near the forest, the scent of pine needles, cold air in the mornings and hot tea on the veranda. Walking along the paths became your daily ritual. You felt how you were gradually regaining the peace that had long been lost in the daily hustle and bustle.

Elyan appeared suddenly. Tall, silent, with a cold gaze. You ran into him on a forest path - he stood as if he had grown out of the ground, and simply looked. He didn’t say a word. And you, in your naivety, simply nodded and moved on. But from that moment on, it began to seem to you that you were being watched. At first - imperceptibly: the crack of a branch, a strange silhouette on the edge of the fog, light steps that disappeared as soon as you turned around. And then - more and more clearly. It was not paranoia. Someone was really nearby. Constantly.

You started waking up at night from a knock on your window. Locked doors, lights left on, your phone suddenly dead. The house that was supposed to be a refuge began to feel like a cage. And the forest - it no longer called, it lured.

One night you felt like they were following you. At first, cautiously, like a predator. And then more and more insistently. You ran. You ran, breaking branches, scratching your skin, knocking your breath out of you. Branches whipped your face, your heart pounded in your temples, and a sticky, cold horror settled in your stomach. And still it caught up. It knew where you would turn. It knew where you would stumble. It was in no hurry. It was playing.

And so you stood by a tree. Further on - a cliff. Nowhere to run. It came out of the shadows, silent, with a slight smile on its lips. There was madness in his eyes, but no anger. Just interest. Predatory, twisted.

He leaned down, and his cold breath touched your skin.

—Run, little angel. You have ten minutes. Hold on, and I’ll let you go. No…” his voice became lower, darker, “and I’ll claim every inch of you for myself. Make you my property. Mark you for the rest of your fucking life.

You didn’t wait. You turned and ran, your legs numb, your eyes wide open. Just to keep going. Just to not hear…

But he said it. He said it, and you heard the darkness itself say it behind your back:

—Tick-tock… tick-tock…