Foxfire and The Demon's Heart

The morning air was crisp, but the weight on Selene's chest was heavier than the cold. She walked through the bustling streets, gripping her coffee cup tighter than necessary, her thoughts still tangled from the previous night.

The man at the cafe—his silver eyes.

The way he had looked at her, acknowledged her with a subtle nod, sent an eerie familiarity coursing through her. She didn't know him. Did she?

But then, there was Zane.

Zane Shadow, with his golden gaze and cryptic words, appearing and disappearing as if he owned the night itself.

Nothing about her life felt normal anymore.

As she was walking, the city was alive with its usual chaos—cars honking, people talking, neon signs flickering in the night. She clutched her bag tighter and pulled her coat around her, feeling the cold settle into her bones. But then, something changed.

She winced, stopping in her tracks.

The noise dimmed.

Not in the way it should have, like when she stepped onto a quieter street. No, this was different. The sounds around her faded as if someone had pressed mute on the world.

Selene stopped walking.

A strange pressure built in her ears, and for a split second, she swore she could hear... something else. A whisper? A rustling?

She turned sharply, scanning her surroundings. Nothing. Just the usual pedestrians, lost in their own lives.

She exhaled, shaking her head. "Get it together, Selene."

But just as she took another step forward, a shadow flickered in the corner of her eye.

She turned again—faster this time.

And there he was.

Zane.

Standing across the street, leaning against a lamppost, his hands in his pockets.

The golden glow of his eyes caught hers for a brief moment before he looked away as if uninterested.

Selene's breath hitched.

What was he doing here? Again?

She wanted to call out, but before she could, a bus passed between them, momentarily blocking her view. When it rolled past—

He was gone.

A chill ran down her spine.

Was she imagining things?

Few days later, She had been in her apartment, curled up with a book, when the lights flickered.

At first, she thought it was just a normal electrical glitch—an old building, faulty wiring. But then the temperature dropped.

The air thickened.

Her ears picked up on something faint—soft breathing. But she was alone.

Slowly, she set her book down and looked around.

A presence.

She could feel it.

Selene's heart pounded. She stood, hesitating before moving toward the window. She had no reason to, but something inside her—an unspoken instinct—urged her to look outside.

Her hands trembled as she pulled back the curtain.

And there, beneath the streetlight, stood Zane.

This time, he was watching her.

Selene's stomach twisted. How long had he been standing there?

She blinked.

And just like before—

He was gone.

Vanished into the night.

She stepped back, pressing a hand to her chest.

Something wasn't right.

She could feel it in her bones.

That Night, Selene tossed and turned, sleep refusing to come. Her body felt restless, wired with an energy she couldn't shake.

And then—

She was dreaming.

But it didn't feel like a dream.

Golden flames flickered around her, stretching into the night sky. The heat should have burned her, but instead, it felt... familiar.

Then came the whispers.

She couldn't make out the words, but they wrapped around her, pulling her deeper into the dream.

And then—

Zane.

He stood before her, shirt unbuttoned at the top, dark hair ruffled by the wind. His golden eyes burned like the flames surrounding them.

"You have to wake up," he said.

Selene's breath caught. "What—"

But before she could finish, the dream shattered.

She jolted awake, gasping.

Her sheets were damp with sweat. Her hands trembled as she ran them through her hair.

What the hell was that?

The next morning, she felt... different.

The world seemed sharper, clearer. She could hear the distant hum of a streetlamp outside her window. She could pick up the faint scent of coffee from her neighbor's apartment.

She tried to shake it off, blaming it on her restless night.

But then she realized something else.

Her reflection.

Standing before the mirror in her bathroom, she stared at herself. Her eyes looked... deeper. Brighter. As if something had stirred beneath the surface.

Her fingers hovered over her skin.

This wasn't normal.

Later that afternoon, she found herself back in the same cafe. The place had become a safe haven for her, a break from the strange shifts happening inside her.

She ordered her usual and settled into a seat by the window, trying to focus on her book.

But her senses were still heightened. She could hear the barista's quiet sigh as she steamed milk, the soft clink of a spoon against porcelain from across the room.

And then—

That presence.

She felt it before she saw him.

Zane.

He sat a few tables away, casually stirring a cup of coffee.

Selene's heartbeat quickened.

This couldn't be a coincidence anymore.

She hesitated before standing, gathering her courage. She wasn't about to keep letting this happen without answers.

Approaching his table, she cleared her throat. "Hey."

Zane glanced up, golden eyes unreadable.

"Selene," he greeted smoothly, as if it was completely normal for them to be in the same place again.

She narrowed her eyes. "You know my name."

A smirk played on his lips. "Of course I do."

A shiver crawled up her spine. "Why do I keep seeing you?"

Zane tilted his head, seemingly amused. "Maybe it's just a coincidence."

Selene scoffed. "You don't believe that any more than I do."

He chuckled but didn't deny it. Instead, he leaned back in his chair. "Maybe you're the one following me."

Her frustration flared. "That's ridiculous."

"Is it?"

Their gazes locked. For a moment, she thought she saw something flicker in his expression. Something almost... hesitant.

But then, just like always, he brushed it off.

"You're overthinking," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

Selene clenched her fists. "Then tell me. Why do I feel like something's... changing?"

Zane met her gaze, unreadable. "That's for you to figure out."

She opened her mouth to argue, but before she could, the cafe lights flickered.

A cold gust of air swept through the room, rattling the windows.

The hum of conversations faded. The world seemed to hold its breath.

Selene's skin prickled.

Something unseen passed through the space, a ripple in the air.

And when she turned back to Zane—

He was already standing, his eyes dark with something she couldn't decipher.

"Go home, Selene," he said, voice lower than before.

She stared at him. "Why?"

A muscle in his jaw twitched. "Because you're starting to see things you shouldn't."

Selene's pulse pounded.

Before she could say anything else, Zane was gone.

Again.

Leaving her with more questions than answers.

And an undeniable truth settling in her bones:

This was only the beginning.