The silence in the room was unbearable.
There were no clocks. No windows. No sunlight.Just cold walls, soft chains, and one blinking red light in the corner—the camera that watched her always.
Liora sat with her knees pulled up, arms wrapped tightly around her legs. She hadn't slept. She hadn't cried again. She couldn't.
She felt hollow—but not empty.Terrified—but not screaming.Her heart kept beating, even though every part of her wished it would stop.
Then, the door creaked.
She looked up.
He was back.
Aeron stepped into the room like a shadow had taken human form. The same black hoodie. The same mask. Only his eyes changed—today, they were darker. He held something in his hands. A tray.
Food.
Liora stared at it in disbelief. Bread. A bottle of water. Some fruit.
She laughed softly.Bitter. Broken.
"You planning to feed me before you cut me into pieces?" she asked without looking at him.
He didn't answer. Just placed the tray down beside her and backed away slowly—like she was dangerous.
She didn't touch the food.
"You don't have to play this game," she whispered, voice low but clear. "If you brought me here to kill me… do it. Now."
His body tensed.
"I'm not scared," she added. "So stop wasting time."
Aeron's head tilted slightly. Watching. Listening. But saying nothing.
"I mean it," she said louder. "You're not the first monster I've met. Just the first one with a mask."
She saw his fist tighten.
Still, she pushed on.
"If you wait too long… I might change my mind. I might start wanting to live. And then… killing me won't feel the same, will it?"
He stepped closer.
Her breath caught. She told herself not to move. Not to flinch. He couldn't see her fear. She wouldn't give him that.
He crouched in front of her, close enough that she could feel the cold energy coming off his body. She stared directly into his eyes—dark, stormy, unreadable.
"You think I won't do it?" he asked, voice low and calm.
"I don't care if you do," she lied.
"But you're shaking," he said, watching her fingers tremble.
She looked down. She hadn't noticed.
"So what?" she whispered. "Everyone shakes before they die."
For a long moment, he said nothing. Just watched her like a puzzle he couldn't solve.
Then he reached forward.
She froze.
But instead of hurting her, he gently picked up the bread from the tray and broke it in half. He held out one half toward her.
Liora stared at it. Then at him.
"Eat," he said quietly. "You're not dying today."
She blinked.
"Why not?" she asked, voice cracking.
"Because I haven't decided yet."
He stood, turned, and left the room without another word.
The door shut behind him with a click.
Liora sat in silence, staring at the piece of bread in her hand.
She should've been relieved.She wasn't.
She should've thrown it.She didn't.
Instead, she held it tightly, as if that single piece of bread was proof she still mattered to someone—if only a little.
And for the first time in a long time… she felt confused. Angry. Scared. Alive.
"What are you doing to me…?" she whispered into the empty room.
Meanwhile, Aeron sat just outside the door, back against the wall, fists clenched.
Her words echoed in his mind:"If you're going to kill me, do it."
But he couldn't.
Something about her—her quiet strength, her pain, the way she looked him in the eyes without begging—it all made him hesitate.
He wasn't used to hesitation.He was used to control.To death.
And now… he didn't know what he wanted.
Not anymore.