Anaya's POV
The rain continued to pour.
Cold droplets rolled down Anaya's face as she stared at the stranger.
He looked ridiculous.
Not because he was ugly.
Quite the opposite.
But because he looked like someone had stepped out of an old war documentary and gotten lost in modern-day Italy.
His uniform was soaked.
His boots were covered in mud.
And the expression on his face...
God.
He genuinely looked terrified.
Not the kind of fear someone felt after being robbed.
Not the fear of getting caught.
No.
This was deeper.
Like a child waking up in the wrong house.
Like someone who had lost everything.
Including reality itself.
"Where am I?" he repeated.
His voice sounded strained.
Anaya blinked.
"Uh..."
What kind of question was that?
"The city?"
The stranger frowned.
"The city?"
"Yes."
His confusion somehow became even worse.
Impressive.
Very impressive.
Anaya looked around.
Maybe this was some hidden-camera prank.
Maybe someone was filming.
Maybe she was about to become a viral meme.
Unfortunately, no cameras appeared.
Only rain.
And one very confused man.
"Okay..." she said slowly.
"What do you mean where are you?"
The stranger looked around again.
His breathing grew heavier.
"The war."
"What war?"
"The Great War."
Anaya stared.
Silence.
The man stared back.
More silence.
Then she laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because what else was she supposed to do?
The stranger didn't laugh.
"Oh."
Maybe he was serious.
---
Adolf's POV
The girl was laughing.
Not cruelly.
Not mockingly.
Just...
Confused.
Adolf couldn't blame her.
Nothing made sense.
Not the buildings.
Not the vehicles.
Not the glowing signs.
Not the moving images.
Nothing.
The world itself seemed wrong.
He turned toward a passing car.
The machine sped down the road.
No horses.
No visible engine.
Just movement.
Impossible.
His stomach twisted.
Had he died?
Was this heaven?
Hell?
Some strange dream?
"Sir?"
The girl's voice interrupted his thoughts.
He looked at her.
Dark hair.
Dark eyes.
Rain clinging to her lashes.
She looked exhausted.
Yet she hadn't left.
Most people would have.
Most people should have.
"Are you hurt?"
Adolf lowered his gaze.
Blood stained his sleeve.
Right.
That.
"I believe so."
The girl sighed.
"Wonderful."
Adolf blinked.
"Wonderful?"
"You appear injured, confused, and possibly insane."
A pause.
"That's generally not wonderful."
For some reason, Adolf almost smiled.
Almost.
---
Azul's POV
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Azul knew it before he even saw them.
The city smelled different tonight.
Older.
Like smoke.
Gunpowder.
History.
He stood inside the café doorway.
Watching the street.
Watching Anaya.
Watching the stranger.
The moment he saw the man, every instinct screamed.
Danger.
Predator.
Intruder.
Not human.
Not exactly.
Something else.
Something displaced.
The stranger looked at Anaya like she was the only familiar thing left in the universe.
Azul hated it immediately.
Possessive?
Perhaps.
Protective?
Definitely.
Logical?
Not remotely.
The stranger took another step toward her.
Azul's eyes narrowed.
Too close.
---
Anaya's POV
This was a bad idea.
A terrible idea.
An absolutely horrible idea.
Which was probably why she was considering it.
The stranger swayed.
His face had become noticeably paler.
"Oh no."
"What?"
"You look like you're about to collapse."
"I am perfectly—"
He collapsed.
Straight onto the pavement.
Anaya jumped.
"Oh, come on!"
The universe clearly hated her.
That was the only explanation.
She crouched beside him.
His skin felt hot.
Too hot.
Fever.
Fantastic.
Exactly what she needed.
A mysterious man with possible head trauma.
At midnight.
In the rain.
Her grandmother would have told her to help.
And that was the problem.
Even after death, her grandmother somehow continued influencing her decisions.
Rude.
Very rude.
Anaya sighed.
Then looked toward the dark street.
"Taxi!"
---
Adolf's POV
Voices drifted around him.
Distant.
Muffled.
The world felt strangely warm.
He opened his eyes briefly.
The girl was there.
Again.
Still there.
Why?
He didn't understand.
Yet relief washed through him anyway.
His vision blurred.
Darkness returned.
The last thing he saw was her face.
And somehow...
That frightened him less than everything else.
---
Azul's POV
The taxi door closed.
Anaya climbed inside.
The stranger was unconscious beside her.
And just like that—
They disappeared into the night.
Azul remained motionless.
Rain hammered against the pavement.
His jaw tightened.
Something about this situation felt wrong.
Not dangerous.
Not yet.
But important.
The stranger had arrived from somewhere impossible.
Azul could feel it.
And somehow...
His arrival was connected to Anaya.
The thought settled heavily in his chest.
For the first time in years, he felt genuinely uneasy.
Because fate had a scent.
And tonight—
He could smell it everywhere.
---
Anaya's POV
The taxi stopped outside her apartment building.
She stared at the unconscious stranger.
Then at her building.
Then back at him.
"No."
A pause.
"Absolutely not."
Another pause.
Thunder echoed overhead.
The stranger remained unconscious.
Anaya groaned dramatically.
"Fine."
The universe had won.
Again.
And tomorrow's Anaya would suffer the consequences.
As usual.
Little did she know...
Bringing him home would be the beginning of every problem she was about to face.
And every answer she never wanted to find.
---
End of Chapter 2