Darian Korr's home was not a home.
It was a structure of silence.
Clean lines. Empty rooms. No warmth. No noise.
Even time inside it felt slower, like it didn't want to disturb anything.
And now—
there were small footsteps echoing inside it.
"…Wow."
Lina Veyra stood in the middle of the living room, spinning slowly.
"It's sooo big… but also kinda lonely."
Darian shut the door behind them.
"Stay in one place," he said flatly.
She immediately froze.
Then nodded seriously.
"Okay. I am staying in one place."
She took one step.
Then another.
Then wandered toward the sofa anyway.
Darian didn't react.
He was already regretting this decision.
🖤 Why he is feared (backstory thread begins)
Later that night, while Lina explored every corner like it was a treasure hunt, Darian stood near the window.
Outside, the city still feared him.
Inside, something unfamiliar had entered.
Not danger.
Something worse.
Responsibility.
A memory flickered.
A burned building.
People refusing to look him in the eye.
A name spoken like a curse in underground circles.
Darian Korr wasn't just feared.
He was the man sent where others refused to go.
And everything he touched… ended in silence.
That was why they feared him.
Because nothing ever came back the same after him.
His hand tightened slightly.
He didn't look at Lina.
🌸 Lina invades his life (chaos begins)
"Hey scary man!"
He closed his eyes briefly.
"…What."
"I found your kitchen!"
"That's not something to announce."
She ignored that completely.
"Do you eat sadness for breakfast? Because there's nothing in your kitchen."
Silence.
Darian walked past her.
Opened a cabinet.
Empty.
Another one.
Empty.
Lina gasped dramatically.
"You really DO eat sadness."
"…Stop talking."
"No."
That was immediate.
She followed him everywhere.
Too close. Too curious. Too alive.
At one point she asked:
"Do people ever smile here?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because they don't need to."
"That's weird," she said confidently. "I think you just don't know how."
He stopped walking for half a second.
Then continued.
🌙 Mystery thread (why she was left)
That night, Lina sat near the window, legs tucked under her.
"Hey."
Darian didn't look up from his phone.
"What."
"My mom said she would come back."
Silence.
"But she didn't," she continued, softer now.
"…Do you think she forgot me?"
For the first time, Darian didn't answer immediately.
He looked at her.
Not like an object.
Not like a problem.
Like something real.
"…No," he said finally. "People don't leave things they care about easily."
Lina nodded slowly.
Then smiled again.
"Okay. Then I'll just wait here."
That should've sounded simple.
But it didn't.
🌑 Ending beat of chapter
Darian watched her for a moment longer than necessary.
Then turned away.
Because if he looked too long…
he might start to understand something he had spent his whole life avoiding.
And that was dangerous.
Not for her.
For him.