Outside, heavy rain pounded against Iván's window, filling the room with its relentless rhythm, a rhythm that drummed deep into his ears.
Sleep was restless as he shivered, his body burning with heat, tossing from side to side beneath the covers.
He groaned, tightening his eyelids as flashes of images tore through his mind.
Two red eyes—staring straight at him.
He tried to run, but suddenly he was at the edge of a cliff, the full moon glowing above.
A soft humming echoed in the air, like a lullaby, singing to their children
An unspoken truth…
Somewhere far away,
Under the moon gaze a pack of gaunt, skeletal figures tore through the snowy mountains, running on all fours, blind but relentless.
Inside, embraced by the warmth, two figures could be seen settling in for the night.
"Yo, Tiff—guess what I found in one of the drawers?" Leo smirked, holding something up.
A condom.
She glanced over, then grimaced. "Leo, ew! That thing's probably expired. There's no way I'm letting you put that in me."
"Yeah, well, I guess we'll have to settle for something else," he smirked, sticking out his tongue, making his intentions clear.
"Oh my," she giggled—until a loud noise came from outside the cabin, shifting the mood.
"What was that?" she asked, pulling a blanket over her half naked body.
"Probably just some wild animal."
"Well, go make sure it's not some creep," she said, pointing toward the door.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," he muttered with a sigh.
Stepping outside, he peered into the darkness of the wilderness.
"Hello? Is anyone out there?!" he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth yelling into the cold night.
"Help…" soft voice drifted through the air.
"What the hell?" he muttered.
"Hold up, Tiff—I'll be right back!" he shouted, taking off.
"Wait, you asshole! Don't leave me here alone!" she yelled after him.
Shivering, she jumped out of bed, hurriedly throwing on her clothes before slamming the door shut with a frustrated sigh.
"Can't believe he left me," she muttered, walking over to the window to look outside.
Seeing nothing, she huffed and turned away, heading back—
CRASH!
Glass exploded behind her. flinching, her body froze mid-step.
Slowly, she turned.
A body slumped through the jagged frame of the broken window.
Leo.
His eyes locked on hers—wide, drowning in fear.
"Run…" he said.
Then, he was ripped backward into the dark—vanishing as fast as he came.
"Leo!!" she screamed, stumbling backward as her knees nearly gave out beneath her.
"Holy shit!" she gasped, spinning around. She snatched her phone and bolted for the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.
Outside in the cold, skeletal figures hunched over a freshly killed corpse, feasting with grotesque focus.
Then their heads jerked up in unison, supernaturally attuned ears locking onto a sound behind them.
Blind, they sniffed and twitched, searching for movement… for life.
…..
The cold…
An unspoken truth.
All of humanity felt it—just as I once had, long ago.
Blue ember eyes glowed beneath the moonlight as she watched the Wendigos feast, their humanity long lost.
"Poor souls," she whispered.
Her eyes closed as a sword shimmered into existence in her hands, humming with power.
She could feel their human souls crying out for release. Though she was too late to save the living, she could still save the souls.
Her eyes snapped open, now glowing crimson and sharp as blades. "I, Aurora Valentines, shall set you free."
With a swift step, she moved like a shadow—her blade flashing with precision, slicing their heads clean off.
The bodies collapsed into the snow, lifeless. Aurora wiped her blade clean with her sleeve before it vanished as swiftly as it had appeared.
"May the moon forgive your sins," she whispered, lowering her hood and letting her silver hair spill free.
And as if answering a divine command, the bodies burst into flame.
Cleansing fire that rose without spark,
releasing the trapped human souls into the night.
"Wow, sister," a dark figure clapped behind her. "That was most impressive, I must say."
She turned, her crimson eyes fading back to blue embers as they met his crimson gaze. Her brother stood there, wearing his usual smug expression.
"Have the Cursed Ones handle the girl. Wipe all memories of this event—and of her… dead partner," she said coldly, glancing down at the human remains.
Aurora watched as her brother silently followed her command.
Then, without a word, she turned her gaze to the moon—something in the air made her feel like she was being watched.
Back in Beacon hills, Iván's eyes flew open. Gasping, he touched his forehead, breath unsteady.
"What the hell was that…?" he whispered.
"It felt so real."
What were those things? And that silver-haired girl… who was she?
Iván stumbled out of bed, heart racing, and rushed into the bathroom. He turned on the shower, collapsing beneath the stream of water, clothes and all.
"What the hell is happening to me?" he whispered, panic tightening in his chest.
"I…" He couldn't even finish the thought—his mind was spiraling.
Then his thoughts snapped back to Rowan — he knew something was up, and Iván was determined to find out what.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps—someone getting out of bed and moving toward the bathroom.
"Iván, what the hell are you doing taking a shower with your clothes on?!"
Iván froze, unsure how to answer. He didn't want to worry her, and though part of him wanted to confide in his mother, he couldn't bring himself to.
"It's nothing," he said quietly.
Daniela looked at her son with worried eyes and turned off the water.
"Iván, tell me what's really going on," she said, looking him straight in the eyes.
"I… I had a fever and a nightmare. I wasn't feeling good," he said, his body still feeling unwell.
She let out a soft sigh, her gaze gentle. Slowly, she removed her necklace—the pendant shaped like a crescent moon, one half of a pair given to her by their father.
"Take this," she said, holding it out to him.
"Mom, I can't. It belongs to Dad," Iván protested.
"Listen to your mother," she said firmly. "This necklace means more to you than it does to me. Your dad would've wanted you to have it."
Reluctantly, he nodded and allowed her to place the necklace around his neck.
And like a wave of relief, his fever slowly began to fade as he held the necklace.
"Now, do you feel better?" his mother asked.
"Yeah, but—"
"Good. I'm calling the school—you're not going anywhere tomorrow," she said, walking off before he could finish what he was about to say.