Chapter 5: It’s Your Fault

Why is it waiting for me?

The question doesn’t go away.

It stays.

Like everything else here.

I don’t move.

Not yet.

The hallway feels different now.

Too still.

Like something is listening for what I do next.

My eyes stay on the spot where it stood.

Empty.

But it doesn’t feel empty.

My chest tightens.

It knew I would come out.

It knew I would see this.

This wasn’t chance.

I take a slow step back.

The floor creaks.

The sound feels too loud.

I stop breathing for a second.

Nothing moves.

But the feeling doesn’t leave.

It’s still here.

Not in front of me.

Somewhere else.

Watching.

Waiting.

For what?

My gaze drops.

My friend is still there.

Unmoving.

My throat tightens.

This is wrong.

All of it.

I shouldn’t be the one standing here.

I shouldn’t be the one seeing this.

But I am.

A faint shift in the air.

I freeze.

Behind me.

No sound.

No steps.

Just—

presence.

Close enough that I feel it.

I don’t turn.

If I turn—

it might be there again.

Or worse—

it might not be.

My fingers twitch slightly.

That’s all I can manage.

My body still feels locked.

Why me?

The thought comes quietly.

Why now?

Another shift.

Above.

Something passes through the air.

Soft.

Too soft.

I look up—

Nothing.

But my chest tightens harder.

It’s not gone.

It’s just not letting me see it anymore.

That’s worse.

A sound—

real this time.

Footsteps.

Running.

Voices.

My parents.

The air changes again.

Lighter.

Just a little.

Like something stepped back.

Not left.

Just… moved.

Hands grab my shoulders.

Pull me away.

“What happened?”

“Are you hurt?”

I hear them.

But the words feel far away.

My father stops mid-sentence.

My mother gasps.

Someone pulls me further back.

I don’t resist.

My eyes stay fixed ahead.

Not on her.

Beside her.

For a second—

Something moves there.

A shadow.

Not from the light.

Gone.

My chest tightens again.

It’s still here.

Even now.

Even with everyone here.

Watching.

Waiting.

For something.

For me.

My throat tightens.

I try to speak—

Nothing comes out.

Because now I understand one thing.

It didn’t just want me to see.

It wanted me to stay.

And watch what happens next.

END OF CHAPTER 4.

I don’t sleep.

Not really.

Every time my eyes close—

I see it again.

The black feathers.

The still body.

Those eyes.

Watching.

Waiting.

Morning comes, but the house doesn’t feel alive anymore.

No one speaks loudly.

No one laughs.

Even the walls feel careful.

I sit on the floor of my room with the diary beside me.

Open.

I try reading it again.

The words still look broken.

Uneven.

Like they were written by someone trying not to lose their mind.

Now I understand enough for it to scare me.

That’s worse.

I shut the diary.

Harder than I mean to.

Silence fills the room again.

I stare at nothing.

Then—

A sound.

Outside.

My body reacts before I think.

I stand too quickly.

“No…”

But something feels wrong immediately.

Too quiet.

The hallway—

the house—

everything feels far away.

Like I’m underwater.

I step toward the door slowly.

Then I see it.

The white blur.

Fast.

Crossing the hallway.

Gone in a second.

My chest tightens.

No.

Not again.

The air suddenly feels colder.

Heavier.

And then—

Everything changes.

The hallway disappears.

I stop breathing for a second.

Darkness.

Not complete darkness.

Enough to see shapes.

Enough to know I’m not alone.

“…Where am I…?”

No answer.

Then—

Voices.

Soft.

Familiar.

Too familiar.

I freeze.

Shapes begin appearing around me.

One.

Then another.

Then more.

My chest tightens painfully.

No…

My friends.

All of them.

Standing around me.

But something is wrong.

Their faces—

Scarred.

Deep marks across their skin.

Empty eyes.

Broken expressions.

Like something tore through them and left them standing anyway.

I can’t move.

“You saw it.”

One voice.

Cold.

“You were there.”

Another.

“You watched.”

My breathing becomes uneven.

“I didn’t—”

“It followed you.”

“You brought it here.”

“It chose you.”

The voices overlap now.

Closer.

Louder.

“It’s your fault.”

My head shakes immediately.

“No…”

“You didn’t save us.”

“You just stood there.”

“It’s your fault.”

The words hit harder each time.

“I didn’t do anything!” I shout.

But they keep coming closer.

Their faces look worse now.

Wrong.

Too wrong.

“It’s your fault.”

My chest feels tight enough to break.

“I tried—”

“You did nothing.”

“I couldn’t—”

“You watched.”

Everything starts closing in.

The darkness.

The voices.

Their faces.

“It’s your fault.”

All at once.

Louder.

My chest tightens sharply.

I can’t breathe properly.

Then—

“Wake up.”

A voice cuts through everything.

Sharp.

Clear.

My dragon.

“Wake up.”

The darkness cracks apart.

The voices distort.

Disappear.

I inhale sharply.

I’m back in my room.

My breathing hurts.

My hands shake slightly.

“It wasn’t real,” my dragon says quietly.

I don’t answer.

Because it felt real.

Too real.

“They’re not here,” he says.

Silence.

“…but they’re dead,” I whisper.

My throat tightens after saying it.

No one answers.

Because that part is true.

A knock interrupts the silence.

I don’t move.

The door opens anyway.

My sister stands near the doorway.

Quiet.

Watching me.

“You were talking in your sleep,” she says softly.

I don’t answer.

A long silence passes.

Then—

“Another person died.”

My chest tightens immediately.

I look away.

She takes a slow breath.

“You were there again.”

Her voice stays calm.

Too calm.

“Every time something happens…”

A pause.

“…you’re there.”

“I didn’t do anything.”

The words come out weak.

She studies me for a second.

“I know you don’t believe in any of this,” she says quietly.

“The guardian angels. The chosen child. Heaven.”

I stay silent.

“But I do.”

Her grip tightens slightly at her side.

“I believe our family was chosen for a reason.”

The room feels colder somehow.

“And maybe…” she says slowly, carefully, “…that reason wasn’t meant for you.”

I look at her properly now.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

She hesitates.

Like she doesn’t fully want to say it.

“You rejected everything.”

Her voice lowers.

“The prayers. The rituals. Everything.”

“That doesn’t mean people should die.”

“I know that.”

For the first time, her voice cracks slightly.

“But none of this feels normal anymore.”

Silence.

Then—

“What if something is wrong with you?”

The words hit harder than shouting would have.

My chest tightens painfully.

“What?”

She looks shaken after saying it.

But continues anyway.

“Maybe heaven abandoned you.”

A pause.

“Or maybe something else found you first.”

I stare at her.

Unable to speak.

“You’re always near these things when they happen,” she whispers.

“And people around you keep dying.”

“I didn’t do anything,” I say again.

But it sounds smaller now.

Less certain.

She shakes her head slightly.

“I don’t know what’s happening to you anymore.”

Something inside me snaps.

“I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING!”

My voice breaks through the room.

“You think I wanted this?!”

Then—

A sharp sound cuts through everything.

My sister turns slightly from the impact.

Silence.

My mother stands near the doorway.

Breathing unevenly.

Nobody speaks for a second.

“You don’t say things like that,” my mother says quietly.

My sister looks stunned.

Not because of the slap.

Because our mother never raises her hand.

“But what if it’s true?” she whispers.

“No.”

My mother’s voice sharpens.

“He is scared too.”

Silence fills the room.

Heavy.

My sister lowers her eyes first.

But my mother grabs her wrist before she can leave.

“Come with me,” my mother says quietly.

“Mother—”

“Now.”

Something in her voice makes my sister stop arguing.

She pulls her out of the room.

The door closes behind them.

And suddenly—

everything feels too quiet again.

I lower my head into my hands.

My chest hurts.

Too much.

The room feels smaller after my mother leaves with my sister.

Too quiet again.

I sit there alone.

Staring at nothing.

My sister’s words keep replaying in my head.

Maybe heaven abandoned you.

I press my hands against my face.

Hard.

But it doesn’t stop.

Maybe something else found you first.

My chest tightens painfully.

“I didn’t do anything…” I whisper again.

The words sound weaker every time I say them.

I look toward the diary beside me.

Then toward the dark window.

Then back to my hands.

Everything feels wrong.

The deaths.

The creature.

The records.

Me.

A horrible thought slips into my head quietly.

Too quietly.

What if she’s right?

My breathing becomes uneven immediately.

What if all of this really started because of me?

I shake my head hard.

“No…”

But the thought is already there now.

Growing.

If I disappeared—

would everything stop?

My chest tightens sharply after that thought.

I grip my arm hard enough to hurt.

Trying to stop thinking.

But another thought follows immediately.

Maybe everyone would be safer without me.

That’s when—

“Stop.”

My dragon’s voice cuts through the room.

Sharp.

Immediate.

“I can’t,” I whisper.

My chest hurts.

Everything hurts.

“I can’t keep watching people die.”

A pause.

Long.

Then—

“I can’t stay.”

I look up immediately.

“What?”

My dragon stands near the window.

Still.

Quiet.

“I was meant to guide you,” he says.

My throat tightens.

“But you’re falling apart.”

The words hurt more than they should.

“And if you lose yourself completely…”

He pauses.

“…I won’t be able to protect you.”

“You’re leaving?”

Silence.

Then—

“Yes.”

Something inside me drops.

Hard.

“No…”

“I have to.”

His voice never changes.

That makes it worse.

“I need you,” I say quietly.

A long silence follows.

“I’ve always been here,” he says.

Then softer—

“But this path was never meant to be walked for you.”

Before I can answer—

His presence begins fading.

Slowly.

Until the room feels empty.

Completely empty.

Gone.

I stare at the place where he stood.

The room stays silent.

Too silent.

I don’t realize I’m crying at first.

Not loudly.

Not even properly.

The tears just keep falling.

My chest feels hollow now.

Like something important was ripped out of me.

I slide down against the wall slowly until I’m sitting on the floor.

I pull my knees closer without thinking.

Everything feels heavy.

The deaths.

The fear.

My sister’s words.

The diary.

The creature.

And now—

even my dragon left.

A quiet knock breaks the silence.

I don’t answer.

The door opens carefully anyway.

My mother steps inside.

She stops the moment she sees me sitting on the floor.

For a second—

her expression changes completely.

Fear.

Not of me.

For me.

She closes the door quietly behind her and walks over.

Slowly.

Like I might break apart if she moves too fast.

Then she kneels beside me.

“What happened?” she asks softly.

I don’t answer immediately.

My throat hurts too much.

My mother notices the empty space near the window.

Then her eyes return to me.

“Where’s your dragon?”

That question hurts the most.

I lower my head slightly.

“He left.”

Silence.

My mother frowns slightly.

“What do you mean?”

I stare at the floor.

“He said…” My voice cracks slightly.

“…he thought I was falling apart.”

The words feel humiliating to say out loud.

“He said he couldn’t stay.”

My mother’s expression softens immediately.

“Oh…”

That single word almost breaks me again.

“I tried,” I whisper.

The tears won’t stop now.

“I tried not to break.”

My mother pulls me closer carefully.

And this time—

I don’t stop myself from crying.

She holds me quietly while my breathing shakes against her shoulder.

No prayers.

No speeches.

Just warmth.

And for the first time since all of this started—

I finally feel how exhausted I really am.

My mother stays with me until my breathing slowly calms down.

Neither of us speaks much after that.

There’s nothing left to say.

Carefully, she helps me stand.

My legs still feel weak.

Heavy.

She guides me back to the bed slowly, like she’s afraid I’ll collapse again if she lets go too soon.

I sit down quietly.

The room feels different now.

Not safe.

Just… less empty.

My mother pulls the blanket over me slightly.

The same way she used to when I was younger.

That hurts more than anything tonight.

Her hand brushes gently through my hair.

“You need rest,” she whispers.

I stare down at my hands.

“What if she was right?”

The question leaves my mouth before I can stop it.

My mother goes still for a second.

Then she kneels slightly in front of me so I’m forced to look at her.

“You are not cursed,” she says softly.

Firmly.

No hesitation.

“And whatever is happening…”

A pause.

“…you are still my child before anything else.”

My chest tightens painfully.

She leans forward and kisses my forehead gently.

Then she stands slowly.

At the door, she pauses for a moment.

“Good night,” she says quietly.

I don’t answer.

I just stare at the floor while she leaves.

The door closes softly behind her.

And once again—

I’m alone.

I lie back slowly and stare at the ceiling above me.

The house is silent now.

No voices.

No footsteps.

No wings.

But sleep still doesn’t come.

My mind keeps returning to the diary.

The records.

My ancestor.

The creature.

The words written like madness.

Like warnings nobody was supposed to understand.

My chest tightens slightly.

But deep down—

Past the fear.

Past the grief.

One thought still remains.

If my ancestor sealed that thing beneath the church…

Then who let it out?

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