Eons Ago:
Jayden knelt, his face a mess of tears. All around him, the earth was ablaze. Flames swirled like hungry serpents, devouring everything in their path. The air was thick with the scent of smoke and the shrill screams of the burning.
The ground itself was scorched, molten lava creeping like a slow-moving demon, turning everything into a wasteland of heat and ash.
If this was hell on earth, it barely did it justice.
But Jayden? He didn't even notice. His world had already crumbled into a personal hell, created by the weight of his own fury and sorrow.
He was losing his mind.
He screamed, he laughed, he cried—he even pulled at his hair, as though trying to yank the madness out of his skull.
Her face flashed in his mind—the smile she wore just before the water consumed her. He remembered how helpless he felt, how powerless, as he watched her drown in front of him. He had failed her.
A bloodcurdling scream tore from his chest, sending waves of destruction rippling through the earth. The ground cracked open, mountains of rock crumbled to dust, and the very sky seemed to tremble with his anguish.
Adrien. Adrien had killed her. He'd dragged her into the water, laughing as if it were some twisted joke. He'd watched Jayden fall apart with that disgusting grin on his face, enjoying every moment of his torment.
"Hahahaha!" Jayden's laughter filled the air, manic and wild, as he levitated, his wings unfolding with a flash of blinding white light. His eyes glowed with an otherworldly gold, lighting up the world for a brief, intense moment.
But something went wrong. One of his wings dimmed, its radiant glow darkening to a violent crimson, as if it had been stained by his rage. One of his eyes followed suit, shifting to a deep, blood-red hue. The contrast between the two was mesmerizing—and terrifying.
"Adrien!!" Jayden screamed, his voice now raw with both fury and desperation. His tears were no longer just tears—they were blood. His gaze was dark, colder than the deepest winter. "I swear to you, I will feast on your demon flesh. I will drink your blood in payment. You wait for me, demon. I will find you. A debt of blood will be paid with blood. Do not die before I get to you. Your destiny is to fall beneath my blade."
A whisper floated across the land, deep and sinister. "I will wait. Don't disappoint me, Angel of Fated Ends."
And then, it was gone. Just like that. As though it had never been there at all.
Jayden's scream came again, this time full of pain so deep it could shatter mountains. It was the scream of a soul lost to madness.
And so, a madman was born.
---
Present Day: New York
Kelly found herself in a place that made her think, I've definitely seen this in a dream before. A cottage made of wood, surrounded by lush greenery, with flowers blooming in vibrant colors. Butterflies danced through the air, as if they were auditioning for some nature documentary.
And yet, there was something off about the cottage itself. It looked like it was about five seconds away from collapsing under the weight of its own decay. The wood was warped, the paint chipped, and it looked like a slight breeze could knock it over.
Kelly rolled her eyes. Of course this is where the dream decided to drop her. She had seen enough horror movies to know the drill—this was the part where you get all curious and walk toward the creepy door, which is just asking to be opened by an unsuspecting fool. But Kelly wasn't an idiot. No way was she falling for that.
"Not today, creepy dream," she muttered to herself, turning to admire the flowers instead. "This lady's not getting baited."
As if on cue, the door creaked open.
Kelly sighed dramatically. Typical. It was like the dream was playing by its own rules now. She was just going to have to deal with it. She braced herself for whatever weirdness was about to come through that door.
A girl stepped out. She had messy red hair, bright blue eyes, and rags that made even the most worn-out clothes look designer by comparison. She was carrying a watering can and humming a tune, casually watering the flowers like she wasn't in the middle of the strangest nightmare Kelly had ever had.
But it wasn't her clothes that caught Kelly's attention. It was the girl's face. The girl was... her. No, it wasn't just like her—it was her. Except for the red hair. Everything else? Exactly the same. It was like looking into a mirror... but one that had been dipped in horror movie fuel.
Kelly's heart skipped a beat. She blinked a couple of times, thinking she was imagining it. Then, her stomach did a somersault, and she realized this wasn't just some dream—it was weird.
The girl stopped watering the flowers and turned to face her. A slow smile spread across her face—one that Kelly knew all too well.
"Oh, why," the girl said, her voice identical to Kelly's. "I'm you."
Kelly stared. This was the moment when the screaming should start, right? The part where she flailed around like a character in a bad dream sequence? But no, instead, she just stood there, blinking.
Then she found her voice.
"Nope," Kelly said flatly. "Nope, nope, nope." She crossed her arms and shook her head. "You have got to be kidding me."
The girl just stood there, grinning like she had all the time in the world.
Kelly took a deep breath. "Okay. Okay, dream. You win. You've completely lost it. But this—this is next-level weird."
Without warning, Kelly screamed. It wasn't the dignified, terrifying scream she'd been planning. No, it was more of a What the hell is this? scream, one that broke the dream into a thousand pieces like shattered glass.
And just like that, everything disappeared.