Lilith's mouth was dry. Her legs refused to move.
The boy no, the young man now stood beneath the moonlight like he'd stepped out of a different time. Same face, same unreadable eyes. His voice still echoed in her chest.
"I can't protect you anymore."
She tried to speak. Her lips barely parted. "Who are you?"
He smiled faintly, like he'd been waiting a long time to hear that question.
"My name doesn't matter. You knew me once… before you made the trade."
"The trade?" Her voice cracked. "What trade? What did I give?"
He took a step closer, boots crunching on the dry leaves.
"Your pain, your grief, your memory. You gave it all up. In return, the Watchers gave you peace."
"But peace always costs something, Lilith. Always."
The wind picked up, carrying the scent of wet earth and smoke the ashes of the burned book still warm at her feet. The lake behind her shimmered, whispering her name with voices not her own.
Lilith shook her head, fists clenched.
"I didn't agree to any of this."
"You did," he said gently. "You were just too young to understand what 'forgetting' really meant."
"You weren't supposed to remember. But the lake isn't perfect. And now the pieces are coming back."
She felt it too memories rushing back like water through a cracked dam. A birthday party without laughter. A missing necklace. Her mother's trembling hands. Her own nightmares.
But one memory stood out… one she didn't expect.
A girl. Her age. Drenched in blood. In a forest.
"I saw her," Lilith whispered. "In a dream. No a memory."
The boy's expression changed. He looked... sad.
"That girl was never supposed to die."
The world tilted.
"What do you mean?"
He hesitated, then said:
"The night you made the bargain... someone else was supposed to. She was chosen. But you stepped in. You offered yourself instead."
"The Watchers accepted. But they still needed blood. So she died anyway."
Lilith fell to her knees.
"No… no, I didn't know…"
"You forgot. That was the deal."
The trees around them grew quiet. Too quiet.
Then...
A low hum. Electric. Thick like a heartbeat in the air.
The boy stiffened. "They're coming."
"Who?" she asked, already knowing.
"The Watchers."
His voice was sharp now. Urgent.
"Listen to me, Lilith. You still have a chance to fix this. But you have to go back. All the way back."
"To the house you don't remember. To the place where the pact was sealed."
Lilith stood, heart pounding. "Will you come with me?"
He looked away.
"I'm not allowed there anymore. My time ended when yours began."
She reached out to him, but he stepped back.
"Go. Before they reach the trees."
Then he was gone. Just like that. Like a photo fading in sunlight.
And Lilith ran toward the one place she feared most.
Toward the truth.