THE GAME HAD BEGUN

That night, Sophia was restless. Maybe it was the multitude of questions swirling in her mind, maybe it was the feeling that Darian was hiding something, or maybe it was simply because she couldn't sleep. She wandered the hallways, barefoot, making sure not to draw the attention of the guards when she heard sounds from Darian's chambers.

It was something between a low growl and heavy breathing. Sophia unconsciously crept closer, her palm pressed against the wall, her heart racing in her chest. The door was slightly ajar, just enough for her to peek inside. And then she saw something she would never forget.

Darian was sitting at the edge of the bed, without gloves. His hands... were not human. His fingers were long, with sharp black claws, and the skin was lined with dark patterns that shimmered in the light of the candles, almost pulsing. Sophia gasped, barely stifling a scream, but then her foot slipped, and the door suddenly swung open.

Darian flinched and looked her straight in the eyes.

"I knew you were too curious to stay where you belong," he said darkly, not trying to hide his hands.

Sophia quickly backed away, then turned and ran down the hallway. She didn't even know where she was going, just wanting to get as far from him as possible.

But she didn't get far. Before she even realized what was happening, Darian was standing in front of her, blocking her path. He moved incredibly fast, far too fast to be an ordinary man.

"What did you see?" he asked, his voice cold.

"Nothing!" Sophia cried out, clutching her arms to her chest. "I saw nothing! I was just… looking for water!"

Darian stepped closer, and Sophia instinctively pulled back.

"You know you're lying horribly, don't you?" he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just tell me the truth."

Sophia swallowed hard. "I saw your hands… but nothing more!"

Darian stayed silent for a moment. Then, he slowly raised his hand, giving her the chance to look at it more closely.

"Do you still think you're safe here, Sophia?" he asked softly.

Sophia took a deep breath, trying to calm the wild thumping of her heart. "Well… if you were planning to kill me, you would have done it by now, right?"

Darian blinked, surprised by her reasoning. "You're smart. Sometimes."

Sophia lifted her chin. "Yeah, yeah, thanks for the compliment. But seriously, what are you, Darian? And don't give me that 'nothing you need to know' answer. It's boring."

Darian sighed, running his fingers through his temples. "You're not ready for that answer."

Sophia frowned. "What do you mean 'not ready'? Are you some sort of episode I need to watch at the right time?"

Darian narrowed his eyes. "Just stop asking questions. Or else…"

"Or else what?" Sophia leaned against the wall, now more curious than ever.

Darian just looked at her, then gave a slight smile, the first time it wasn't sarcastic or mocking.

"Or else you'll find out too much. And you're the type who doesn't know when to stop."

Sophia rolled her eyes. "Great. You're so mysterious. I hate that."

"Not more than I hate you, trust me."

The hallway was silent, except for their hurried breathing. Sophia was still holding Darian's hand, unaware of the act, while her mind raced at full speed. She had seen his hands, seen what she shouldn't have. But... she didn't feel fear. At least not the kind that would make her run away in panic.

"You have to hide your hands!" she whispered frantically, even though her fingers tightened around his as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Darian blinked, looking at her, then their joined hands, then back at her.

"You know... if you're holding them this tightly, it doesn't make much sense to tell me to hide them," he commented dryly.

Sophia jolted, as if she had only just become aware of holding him. She quickly let go of him, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to look relaxed. "Yeah, well... you know what I mean! You have to hide them from... from..."

At that moment, a faint sound like footsteps echoed. Sophia didn't wait to see who it was—she grabbed Darian by the upper arm and pulled him into the nearest room, slamming the door behind them.

Darian raised an eyebrow. "Did we just hide in our own fortress?"

"Yes! I mean... I didn't know who was coming, and you're here with..." She gestured to his uncovered hands. "You're not exactly inconspicuous, you know?"

Darian sighed and slowly pulled on the gloves he had taken out of his robe's pocket. "Happy now?"

Sophia nodded but then something else occurred to her. "Wait... everyone knows, don't they?"

Darian immediately understood what she meant. His face remained cold, but a trace of amusement flickered in his eyes. "What exactly do you think everyone knows?"

"Don't mess with me, Darian! Everyone in this damned fortress knows what you are, don't they? They just... keep quiet about it?"

Darian shrugged, as if it weren't a big deal. "Of course they know."

Sophia blinked. "Wait... what?!"

"Sophia, I think you're literally the only person who didn't know."

She felt a mix of anger and disbelief building in her chest. "You... you're telling me everyone here just kept silent and let me live in ignorance?"

"You got it right," he replied nonchalantly.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?!"

"Why would they tell you? To scare you? To make you run away?"

"Well, yeah, maybe!" Sophia ran her hands over her face, then looked at him accusingly. "And you? You could've said something! But no, of course, you didn't! Because it's fun to watch me spin around the secret like some lost chicken!"

Darian smiled, that cold, irritatingly calm smile of his. "Actually, it was pretty fun."

Sophia dropped her hands from her face and clenched them into fists. "I swear, if you look at me like that one more time with that smug-ironic expression on your face, I'll hit you with something heavy!"

Darian stepped closer. Sophia didn't back away, even though her heart was pounding faster. They stared into each other's eyes for several long moments.

"Try, but know you'll lose," he said quietly.

Sophia narrowed her eyes. "We'll see about that."

The tension between them could have been cut with a knife. But then, that sound in the hallway returned. Sophia instinctively glanced at his hands. Without thinking, she grabbed them and pulled them to her chest, as if hiding them.

Darian flinched, this time surprised. "Sophia..."

"Quiet," she whispered, listening intently.

But Darian wasn't listening. He looked at their joined hands, then at her serious expression. Sophia had always claimed she was scared of what he was, but now... she was holding him as if it was the most normal thing in the world. As if he wasn't a monster.

He felt something inside him slowly crack.

The noise from the hallway stopped. Sophia slowly raised her gaze to him, still holding his hands. "Okay, I think it's safe."

But she didn't let go.

Darian noticed this and raised an eyebrow. "Sophia... you're still holding me."

Sophia quickly let go of his hands and took a step back. "Yeah, well, you know! Unconsciously! Reflex! Doesn't mean anything!"

"Of course," he said calmly, but his gaze lingered on her longer than it should have.

Sophia quickly turned her head away. "This isn't over. I need answers, Darian. Real answers. And you'd better give them to me soon."

Darian crossed his arms over his chest. "And what if I don't?"

Sophia leaned closer and smiled sweetly. "Then I'll find a way to get them out of you."

Darian felt a small smile tug at his lips. For the first time in a long while, someone was looking at him not as a monster, not as a master, not as a threat. But as a person.

And that scared him more than anything else.