CHAPTER 12

A WEEK LATER

It had been a week since everything went quiet. Zephyr was gone—or so I thought. The silence in my head made me believe he had finally left me. No more voices, no more whispers, it was all gone, leaving me with an eerie silence. The chaos with Valtor, all of it –perhaps it had all been a terrible illusion, something fabricated by my exhausted mind.

But one thing, I couldn't shake was the man from my dream, the one Zephyr must have made to appear to me, the fiery orange eyed man. He continued to haunt my thoughts. Every time I remembered him, a cold shiver ran down my spine. Who was he? And why couldn't I forget him and accept it was just a mere dream?

On the outside, life was returning to normal. I had finally been able to spend time with my parents again, something I haven't done in the three long years I was confined. My dad who had been so skeptical, was slowly accepting that his daughter was truly back. The change in him was subtle, but it was there. He no longer looked at me like I was some kind of stranger.

The therapist they had called, along with the doctors, had assured my family that I was mentally stable. Their diagnosis was clear: I was fine. Another piece of evidence that convinced me Zephyr had truly vanished. But it was still hard to believe that after three years of torment, the demon was suddenly gone without a trace. No explanation, no dramatic exit, just...gone. How could it be that easy? It didn't feel real.

But then again, what did I expect? He had come into my life unexpectedly—perhaps leaving without warning was his way too. Still, the memories of what Zephyr put me through haunted me. But now, at least, I could be grateful for the quiet. Grateful he was gone. His final words echoed in my mind:

"I'm stuck with you forever"

I had thought those words would haunt me, but now, they felt like nothing more than a bad joke.

And yet, that man from my dream... his image lingered, more vivid than ever. Why couldn't I stop thinking about him? Why did the memory of his glowing eyes refuse to fade? I could still feel the frustration crawling beneath my skin.

I got out of bed for what felt like the thirteenth time that day. Emotions were hard to deal with. When I had been possessed, I felt nothing unless Zephyr allowed it. But now, every little thing felt overwhelming. Every frustration, every tiny annoyance hit me like a tidal wave. I hated it. I wasn't used to feeling like this anymore, and it was exhausting. But I reminded myself, this is what it means to be human again. I should be happy to feel anything at all.

I dragged myself to the bathroom, brushing my teeth with a strange sense of calm. The water in the shower was freezing, but I didn't care. The cold bit into my skin, and for the first time in years, I actually felt it. I shivered, but I welcomed the sensation. It made me feel…alive. I put

some clothes and headed back to my room, ready to collapse onto the bed again. Just as I was about to lie down, I heard something—a sigh.

I froze. What was that?

I looked around, heart pounding in my chest. Did I just imagine that? After all, it wouldn't be surprising, given everything I'd been through. After three years of hearing Zephyr's voice in my head, it wasn't too far-fetched that I might still imagine it, right?

Shaking it off, I decided to head downstairs. The smell of mom's cooking drifted through the house, and for once, I felt like I could actually enjoy it.

I hugged mom from behind as she cooked, feeling her smile even before I saw it.

"I still can't believe you're back" she said, her voice filled with happiness instead of the tears that usually followed those words.

"Let me help" I offered, fully expecting her to refuse like she always did. But this time, she agreed, surprising me.

"Sure, just be careful" she said, handing me a knife to chop onions. I smiled as I took it, feeling a little more like myself with every small moment.

As I chopped the onions, a strange voice whispered in my head

"Hurry." I stopped and glanced around.

"Did you say something?" I asked mom. She looked at me, confused.

"No, did you hear something?" I forced a smile, shaking my head.

"No, I must've imagined it."

But the voice… Was Zephyr still with me? That was impossible. I hadn't heard from him all week. Surely, I was just hallucinating.

I tried to focus on the task in front of me, determined to ignore it. But then it came again.

"Allison!" my mom screamed, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Allison, stop!"

I looked down, horrified. I wasn't chopping the onions anymore—I was chopping my fingers. Blood was everywhere, pooling across the counter. The sharp pain hit me as I stared in shock.

Time seemed to slow as I stared at the blood, my hand numb, my mind blank. And then, in the haze of pain and confusion, I saw him. The man from my dream. His fiery orange eyes stared back at me, and just like that, my vision blurred, darkness closing in.