A Name in the Dark

The air was heavy with silence.

Lena's heart pounded so loudly in her chest, she swore it echoed in the corridors. She had run—past the shifting shadows, past the monstrous figures lurking in the dark, past him. The man. The one who had haunted her every step with his voice and his secrets.

And yet… she had stopped.

The cold steel wall pressed against her back as she sucked in sharp, ragged breaths. She should've kept running, should've put more distance between them. But something in her refused. Who is he?

The footsteps were slow, measured. He wasn't chasing her. He knew she wouldn't run.

She tightened her grip on the metal rod she'd scavenged earlier. Useless against the Varish. Maybe even useless against him.

And then—

"I wondered when you'd stop running."

His voice was calm. Deep. The same voice that had guided her, warned her, taunted her through the comms. Now, finally, it was here, in the flesh.

Lena turned her head, pulse erratic.

He stood at the far end of the corridor, half-shrouded in shadows. His presence was almost unnatural, like the darkness clung to him, reluctant to let go. The dim emergency lights cast an eerie glow over his face—sharp features, piercing eyes.

He looked human. And yet…

Her grip on the rod tightened. "You."

A small tilt of his head. "Me."

Silence stretched between them. A tension so thick it was suffocating. She could barely hear anything over the rush of her own blood.

Lena swallowed hard, forcing herself to speak. "What the hell are you?"

The corner of his mouth twitched—not quite a smile, not quite mockery.

And then he took a step forward.

Instinct screamed at her to move, to raise her weapon, to do something. But she didn't. She couldn't.

Because in that moment, as he finally stepped into the dim light, the only thing more terrifying than what he was—

—was who he was.

His voice was quiet. Weighted. And when he spoke, it shattered everything.

He said finally, his voice laced with something unreadable, "you and I have met before."

A sharp chill raced down her spine.

No. That wasn't possible. She couldn't remember anything beyond waking up in this nightmare of a ship. The only thing she knew for sure was survival. The weird creatures. The whispers in the dark. The unshakable feeling that she was missing something.

Her breath hitched. "You're lying."

His gaze was steady, unnervingly calm. "Am I?"

She wanted to deny it, to accuse him of playing some twisted mind game. But the way he said it—the certainty in his tone—made her hesitate.

Lena's mind was a mess of questions, but she forced herself to focus. "You knew about the Varish before I even saw them, you knew about those monsters—xyphor" she said, her voice harsher than she intended. "You knew about the ship. You—" she swallowed, her eyes burning into his, "—you know me."

He exhaled slowly, like he was weighing his next words. Then, to her frustration, he said nothing.

Lena let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Of course. Always so cryptic."

Still, nothing.

The silence between them stretched—thick, suffocating.

But before she could press further, a sound ripped through the corridor.

A low, guttural click.

Lena froze.

It wasn't the Varish or xyphor. It was something else.

Something new.

The man's entire stance shifted—tense, controlled. His gaze flicked past Lena, deep into the shadows behind her. She didn't dare turn around.

She didn't have to.

Because the next sound that came was unmistakable.

The snarl.

Lena's feet barely touched the ground as she sprinted, the man's grip on her wrist firm—almost bruising—but she didn't care. The hallway blurred past them, flashing red emergency lights painting everything in eerie streaks.

The snarl behind them deepened into a guttural roar, something between a growl and a distorted screech. The sound alone sent terror slicing through her chest.

Not like the Varish or xyphor. Not like anything she's faced before.

The man yanked her down another corridor, barely missing a clawed swipe that came too close—so close Lena swore she felt the heat of it against her back.

"Faster!" he yelled.

"I'm trying!" she snapped. Her lungs burned, her legs felt like lead, but the way his voice tightened—she knew stopping wasn't an option.

The metal flooring trembled beneath their feet, a heavy thud, thud, thud chasing after them. The creature wasn't just fast.

It was gaining on them.

Lena risked a glance back—immediately regretted it.

It wasn't just running. It was climbing, limbs twisting unnaturally as it launched itself along the walls, its long fingers digging into metal as if it were nothing.

She choked on a curse. "How do we kill it?!"

"We don't," he said, voice clipped, sharp.

Her stomach dropped. "What-"

"Door—left!"

She barely processed the words before the man shoved her through an open hatch. The second she stumbled inside, he slammed his hand against the controls. The door slid shut just as the creature lunged—

BAM.

A deafening impact shook the door. Lena staggered back, her breath ragged as the thing screeched on the other side, claws raking against the metal.

Then—silence.

Heavy. Ominous.

Lena exhaled sharply, pressing a hand to her chest. "Holy sh-"

"Don't relax," he muttered.

She scowled. "You just locked us in a-"

She froze.

For the first time, she noticed where they were.

The room was dim, filled with old equipment and monitors blinking weakly. But it wasn't the tech that made her throat go dry.

It was what was in the center of the room.

A containment pod.

And inside—

Her own reflection stared back at her.

No.

No, not a reflection.

It was her.

Lena stumbled back, bile rising in her throat. "What the hell is this?"

Kairo didn't answer. He was staring at the pod too, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.

And suddenly—everything clicked.

He knew.

He knew something about her.

And he had kept it from her.

Her pulse pounded, anger rising fast. "Hey." Her voice was sharp, demanding. "What. Is. This?"

Still, he didn't speak.

Didn't even look at her.

She took a step closer. "You knew. You knew something about me this whole time, didn't you?"

Silence.

A muscle in his jaw tensed.

Her hands clenched into fists. "Say something!"

Finally, he exhaled. His voice was quiet. "It's complicated."

"Complicated?!" she hissed. "You have been acting like some mysterious, all-knowing..." She stopped, realizing something.

"You never even told me your name."

He didn't flinch. Didn't react.

But his fingers twitched at his side.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "Why are you here? Why do you know things about this ship? About me?"

More silence.

And then—

Finally—

He spoke.

"Kairo."

It was barely above a whisper.

But it hit her like a gunshot.

The name sent a strange shiver down her spine.

It suits him. The thought came unbidden, unwelcome.

Her heart pounded against her ribs as she held his gaze. "Kairo," she repeated, testing the name on her tongue.

He nodded once.

That was it. No explanation. No answers.

And that infuriated her.

"You owe me answers," she said, stepping closer, barely leaving space between them.

His breath hitched—but just for a second.

"Later," he murmured. "We don't have time for this right now."

"We make time," she shot back.

Then—

BAM.

The door shook.

The creature was still there. And it wasn't leaving.

Kairo tensed. "We need to move."

"Not until you tell me what you know."

His jaw clenched. "Lena-"

"Tell me!"

He exhaled sharply. "Fine."

And then—before she could react

He stepped forward.

Closed the distance.

His fingers brushed against her cheek, tilting her chin up slightly.

And Lena—Lena forgot how to breathe.

His touch was surprisingly gentle, his skin warm against hers.

She swallowed hard, pulse skittering.

Kairo's gaze locked onto hers—intense, unreadable. "You want answers?"

Her lips parted.

"Yes."

The corner of his mouth lifted just slightly.

"Then keep up, Lena."

And then—he grabbed her hand—

And ran.

Lena didn't think. She just followed.

Kairo's grip was firm—too warm, too real, too steady—and for some reason, it made her breath hitch.

The halls were blurring past them, the red emergency lights flickering, casting ghost-like shadows that seemed to twist and move. A warning blared in the distance, the metallic walls vibrating with every echo.

And behind them—

A sound.

Not just footsteps.

Not just movement.

Something inhuman.

A guttural, slithering growl that crawled under Lena's skin and settled in her bones.

She didn't dare look back.

Kairo suddenly swerved, yanking her into a narrow corridor. The moment they turned, the sound changed.

Not a snarl.

Not footsteps.

Something worse.

A whisper.

Like something ancient, something that had seen too much, something that should not exist.

Lena shivered.

The air around them shifted, the temperature dropping too fast.

Kairo suddenly stopped.

Lena crashed into his back, barely catching herself before falling.

She opened her mouth to demand an explanation—but then, she saw it.

The silence is deafening. A hum of energy vibrates in the air. Lena stands beside Kairo, her heart pounding. The last time they saw thaat creature it felt like a nightmare. But now? It feels worse.

At first, it was just a shape. A distortion.

Then—eyes.

Glowing, shifting voids that pierced through the darkness.

And when the emergency lights flickered back to life, Lena's breath caught in horror.

A figure stood at the end of the corridor. No. Not stood. Hovered.

Its body was half-formed, like a shifting shadow, smoke given life. Its arms were elongated, clawed fingers twitching. A slow, eerie movement as if it was getting used to existing.

But its eyes—

Those eyes were locked onto Kairo.

Lena's entire world tilted.

Because for the first time since waking up in this nightmare—

She felt something looking at him.

Not her.

Him.

Like it knew him.

Like it had been waiting for him.

Her hand clenched around Kairo's instinctively.

His grip tightened.

The creature tilted its head. Its mouth—if it even had one—curled into something unnatural.

And then, in a voice that was not a voice at all, it spoke.

"Kairo."

Lena froze.

Her blood ran cold.

It had a name.

Not just any name. His name.

Kairo's jaw clenched.

And in a voice so low it barely reached her, he whispered:

"Dranoir."

A shiver ran down her spine.

That word—that name.

Why did it feel like it belonged to her nightmares?

She barely had time to process it before the Dranoir lunged.

Everything exploded.

Kairo pushed her back at the last second, drawing something from his side—a knife? No, a blade that flickered like it was fighting to exist.

Metal met shadow.

And Lena..

Lena could only stare.

Because the moment the blade struck, the Dranoir screamed.

Not in pain.

In rage.

The entire corridor warped. The walls trembled, the lights shattered—the ship itself seemed to recoil from the sound.

And for the first time, Lena realized—

This thing wasn't just a creature.

It was something more.

Something that could bend reality.

Something like Kairo.

The thought terrified her.

Kairo moved like he had done this a thousand times before. He spun the blade in his grip, dodging another swipe of its claws. The Dranoir moved unnaturally, its body shifting between forms like it was flickering between different versions of itself.

But Kairo—he could keep up.

How?

How did he know how to fight this thing?

How did he know its name?

And why—

Why was his expression so cold?

Lena's chest tightened.

Kairo was always unreadable, but now—now, he was something else.

Detached.

Like this wasn't his first time facing it.

Like this wasn't his first time killing one.

The realization hit her too late.

Because suddenly, the Dranoir stopped.

Not because of Kairo.

Because of her.

It turned.

It looked straight at her.

And in a voice that felt like the end of the world, it whispered:

"Lena."

She stopped breathing.

Her own name. It knew her name.

Her entire body froze, paralyzed by something deeper than fear.

And in that split second—

The Dranoir moved.

Straight for her.

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