Lirien Voss walked briskly across the quad, her backpack slung over one shoulder, the golden warmth in her chest still humming like a low-frequency current she couldn't turn off. The encounter with the strange guy from Literature 301 had left her unsettled in a way that felt both ridiculous and strangely persistent.
She didn't know him. She had never seen him before today. And yet the way he looked at her — like he knew every secret she didn't even remember having — made her skin prickle.
"Eternal slave," she muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. "What kind of creep says that on a first meeting?"
She had zero intention of giving him the time of day. College was already stressful enough without adding mysterious, overly intense strangers who spoke like they'd stepped out of a dark fantasy novel.
But fate, apparently, had other plans.
He was waiting for her outside the campus café where she usually grabbed a late lunch between classes.
Kairos Vale stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looking completely out of place in his plain black hoodie and jeans. He carried himself like a king surveying his kingdom, not like a regular student waiting for a sandwich. When he saw her approaching, his dark eyes lit up with that same intense recognition.
"You walked away too quickly," he said, pushing off the wall and falling into step beside her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "We were not finished speaking."
Lirien stopped abruptly, turning to face him with her arms crossed. "Actually, we were. I don't know you. I don't want to know you. And if you keep following me and calling me weird names, I'm going to report you to campus security."
Kairos didn't look intimidated. If anything, he looked faintly amused, as if her defiance pleased him.
"You may not remember yet," he said, voice low and carrying that same commanding tone that didn't belong on a college campus, "but the bond between us is real. The spark inside you knows me. It recognized me the moment we touched. You felt it. I saw it in your eyes."
Lirien's heart skipped, but she refused to let it show. She took a deliberate step back, putting space between them.
"Look, I don't know what kind of game this is — some weird role-play thing or whatever — but I'm not interested. I have classes, I have assignments, and I don't have time for strangers who think they can just walk up and claim me like I'm property."
Kairos tilted his head, studying her with those sharp, intense eyes. "You were never property. You were mine by choice as much as by binding. Even if the memories are sealed, the truth remains. I crossed worlds to find you again. I will not leave you unprotected."
Lirien laughed — a short, incredulous sound. "Crossed worlds? Okay, that's it. I'm done. Stay away from me."
She turned and started walking faster toward the library, hoping he'd take the hint.
He didn't.
Kairos kept pace effortlessly, his long strides matching hers without effort. "This world is strange to me. These glowing boxes that speak without souls. The metal carriages that move without horses. The way people hide behind small rectangles instead of facing each other. I do not yet understand all of it. But I understand one thing clearly: you are here, and danger is coming. I will protect what is mine."
Lirien stopped again, whirling on him. "Stop. Just stop. I don't need protection. I don't know you. And if you keep following me, I really will call security. I'm serious."
For the first time, Kairos looked slightly taken aback — not by her threat, but by the firmness in her voice. He studied her for a long moment, then inclined his head slightly, almost like a bow.
"As you wish… for now," he said, the words carrying the weight of someone who was used to giving orders, not receiving them. "But know this, Lirien Voss: the spark inside you is real. The bond is real. When the memories return — and they will — you will understand why I am here."
He took a step back, giving her space, but his eyes never left hers.
"I will be watching. Not to harm you. To protect you. Whether you remember me or not."
Lirien held his gaze for a few seconds longer, then turned on her heel and walked away without another word.
Her heart was pounding.
The golden warmth in her chest was still there, stronger now, almost… happy?
She shook her head, trying to clear it.
Whoever this Kairos Vale was, she wasn't going to make it easy for him.
She wasn't the kind of girl who gave in to mysterious strangers, no matter how intense their eyes were or how strangely familiar they felt.
But as she walked into the library, she couldn't shake the feeling that something important had just begun.
And that, somewhere deep inside, a part of her already knew his name.