Chapter 5: unraveling threads

Lexi shook off the strange flicker of unease that passed through her as the streetlights steadied. Probably just a power glitch. She had bigger things to worry about—like her upcoming assignments and the fact that she hadn't figured out what to do about the new guy in her class who wouldn't stop staring at her.

With a huff, she adjusted her bag and quickened her pace. Life moved on, and whatever that weird moment had been, it wasn't her problem.

But she was wrong.

---

Across town, Adrian sat in a dimly lit lounge, the scent of expensive liquor and perfume thick in the air. His so-called friends laughed and drank around him, their presence familiar but distant.

He had barely spoken all night, too distracted by the weight of his own thoughts. The name Allie refused to leave his mind. It wasn't just a passing déjà vu—it was something deeper. Something real.

The flash of fragmented memories had shaken him, but it was the whisper on the rooftop that lingered the most.

"You shouldn't have remembered."

Someone was aware of his search. And they weren't happy about it.

"Yo, Adrian, man, you good?" One of his friends—a demon named Caleb—clapped him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Adrian smirked lazily, falling into his usual persona. "Yeah, just thinking about what to drink next."

Caleb chuckled. "That's more like it. Thought for a second you were getting all... serious."

Adrian leaned back, the smirk never leaving. Let them think he was the same reckless playboy, the same untouchable demon. It was safer that way.

But he wasn't going to let this go.

If there were answers out there, he was going to find them.

And that started with Aunt Jennie.

---

The Next Day – Kenyatta University

Allie stifled a yawn as she made her way across campus, coffee in hand. Lexi had been in an unusually talkative mood that morning, going on about some random blackout downtown and how "weird vibes were in the air."

Allie had tuned most of it out. She had too much on her mind—deadlines, presentations, and the fact that Aunt Jennie had been acting... off.

Her aunt had been more secretive than usual, disappearing for long hours and barely responding to Allie's messages. Not that she ever hovered, but this was different.

"Okay, so hear me out," Lexi said, snapping Allie back to the present. "What if—and I'm just saying what if—there's some supernatural explanation for all the weird stuff happening?"

Allie snorted. "Like what, ghosts messing with the electricity?"

Lexi wagged a finger. "Don't mock it. There are things in this world we don't understand."

"Like how you still haven't finished that paper?"

Lexi groaned. "Ugh, don't remind me."

The conversation shifted, and Allie let herself relax. Whatever weirdness was in the air, it had nothing to do with her.

If only she knew how wrong she was.

---

Elsewhere – Aunt Jennie's Shop

Aunt Jennie moved swiftly through the small, cluttered backroom of her herbal shop, her fingers tracing over ancient tomes and relics most would dismiss as trinkets.

She had barely gotten any sleep. The book had told her what she feared—The Cycle was breaking.

And now, Adrian was looking for her.

That was a problem.

She had spent years keeping Allie safe, ensuring the past remained buried. But if Adrian was regaining fragments of his memories... if the supernatural world caught wind of it...

It was only a matter of time before everything unraveled.

A knock at the door made her tense.

It was time to face him.

---

Adrian walked through the bustling streets, his usual swagger intact but his mind elsewhere. He wasn't here to party, to charm, or to waste time.

He was here for answers.

And Aunt Jennie was going to give them to him—whether she wanted to or not.

Little did he know, the moment he walked through that door, everything would begin to spiral even faster than he had anticipated.

Because fate had never been on his side.

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