The night wind drifted softly, as if carrying whispers from a distant past down from the mountains.
Bangkok at night shimmered with neon lights and the constant hum of engines, yet within Akin's heart, there was a silence deeper than the world outside could ever describe.
Inside a luxury car speeding through an empty road, he gripped the steering wheel tightly. His slender fingers, once so familiar with the brush, trembled faintly, unsettled by the strange dreams that had haunted him night after night. Dreams of swords. Dreams of blood. And dreams of a woman dressed in ancient crimson robes, gazing at him with sorrowful eyes, as though they had known each other across countless lifetimes.
Tonight, the sky was starless. Only a pale moon filtered through veils of cloud, casting a quiet, colorless glow across the asphalt.
Suddenly
Flash!
A streak of silver darted across the road.
Akin swerved on instinct. The shriek of brakes tore through the night as tires scraped violently against the pavement. The car spun out of control, crashing toward the roadside.
Crash!
Everything went dark.
The sound of shattering glass echoed in his ears. His consciousness faded, yet in that fleeting moment, his body felt as though it were drifting weightless into an endless void…
…until bursts of multicolored light slowly returned to his vision. Soft music slipped into the air, mingled with laughter and the gentle clink of glasses.
Akin shook his head sharply, as if waking from a dream.
He found himself standing on the rooftop of a high-rise building in the heart of Bangkok. Before him stretched a long table filled with drinks, while the voices of colleagues rang out in celebration.
"Hey, Akin! Are you okay? You look like you haven't slept in a week!"
He forced a smile, drew a deep breath, and replied quietly, "Just… a little dizzy."
But inside his heart, questions swelled silent, heavy, and without answers.
Akin slowly stepped closer, his gaze never leaving its eyes....eyes filled with an uncanny awareness…as if they were trying to convey something directly to him.
But before he could reach it...
"Hey!! Akin!!"
Snap!
Li seized his arm with a firm grip, strong enough to yank him back just in time, his body pulled away from the edge of the rooftop where he had nearly leaned too far.
Li Xuanwu. A renowned art manager and agent, widely respected throughout the industry.
Akin gasped for breath, his chest rising and falling violently,
as though he had just awakened from a trance that was no dream.
He glanced down below…
The vast emptiness stretching hundreds of feet beneath him drained the strength from his legs.
He had almost stepped off the building without even realizing it.
"I… I almost went over…"
He murmured in shock.
For a brief moment, the world around them fell silent.
The guests at the event turned to look, their faces filled with alarm and confusion.
"Thank you… Li."
Akin said softly, his face still deathly pale.
Li looked at him with concern, the composure he usually carried now replaced by unease.
"You should rest… That was really too close just now."
Akin nodded faintly. He offered no argument, as if all his strength had been drained away along with the clarity that had only just returned to him.
He walked toward the bar counter near the glass balcony. The city lights at night refracted through the clear glass, stretching into long, shimmering streaks. Akin sat down and drew in another unsteady breath, one hand gripping the edge of the counter tightly, as though anchoring himself to reality.
Then he lifted his gaze.
He looked toward the same spot…the place where those eyes had once stared back at him.
But this time....
There was nothing there.
Reflected on the glass were only the city lights, drifting clouds of mist, and the figures of guests lost in their celebration. There was no silver fox, as if what he had seen before had never existed at all.
After the party ended, the lights on the rooftop gradually dimmed, fading in rhythm with the dying celebration.
Akin stood alone at the edge of the parking lot, beneath a starless night sky. A sudden gust of cool wind swept past, making him fold his arms tightly around himself as the soft rustling of leaves echoed in the darkness.
"I can drive you,"
Li said, stepping out with the keys to his sleek sports car in hand.
"You really don't look okay right now."
He started toward Akin's car, lifting his hand to press the remote.
But suddenly, something crossed Akin's mind. He quickly reached out, stopping Li before he could go any farther.
"It's fine," Akin said, forcing a smile.
"Just a bit dizzy. I'm okay now."
He took the keys back and gave Li's shoulder a light pat.
"You should head home. I have an early flight back to China tomorrow… but I want to stop by my old studio first."
"Oh? The one near Yaowarat?" Li raised an eyebrow.
"The small studio where you had your first exhibition in Thailand? I'm pretty sure it's already closed. It's really late, are you sure about this?"
Akin nodded.
Li hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded back.
"Alright then. Drive slowly. And don't go racing anyone again," he added with a wry grin.
"If you get arrested, don't expect me to bail you out."
Akin let out a soft laugh and walked toward his car.
Though his expression still carried a quiet trace of contemplation, as if something unseen lingered in his thoughts.
As the sports car slowly rolled out of the parking lot, Akin glanced at the rearview mirror without realizing why.
For just a split second. A faint silver shadow stood beside Li.
His heart lurched.
Screech!
He slammed on the brakes in shock. The car jerked to a sudden halt just as a red SUV cut across his path, turning sharply into the hotel's parking structure on the eighth floor.
"Again… seriously?"
Akin muttered under his breath, exhaling sharply, his hands still gripping the steering wheel.
(Damn it… I must be really drunk tonight.)
His heartbeat quickened, a faint chill crawling up his spine for reasons he couldn't explain. He leaned forward and looked again, this time, directly and deliberately.
But there was nothing.
Only the darkness of the night, the long stretch of streetlights, and the empty parking lot below.
Li must have already gone back inside. After all, he was staying at the hotel.
Akin leaned back against the seat and took a deep breath, trying to convince himself that it had all been nothing more than a hallucination.
Yet somewhere deep within him, a single thought refused to fade. If it was only an illusion…why did the feeling remain?