When people close their eyes, they usually see nothing. Most of the time, it's the same for me.

  But not always.

  I haven't dreamed in years. When I sleep, I wake up instantly in the morning, as if the night never happened. And honestly, I’m fine with that.

  But when I don’t use my inhaler, and my chest burns, I can dream.

  Yet, I can only dream of one thing.

  Everything is dark—I see nothing but a faint red glow.

  My eyes adjust to the dimness. At first, I see massive rings surrounding me, like the bars of a cage. But as I strain my vision, I notice the empty space between them. I turn my head.

  And there it is.

  A spine.

  I quickly glance around and realize—I’m not in a cage. Those aren’t rings; they’re ribs. Cracked and broken ribs.

  I’m inside a ribcage.

  Slowly, with the grating sound of bones contracting and a noise like a fork scraping against a plate, the ribs tighten, trapping me even more.

  And when I can no longer move—

  A shadow.

  A shadow with a human-like shape and glowing red eyes approaches me.

  Its breathing is synchronized with mine.

  It leans in and places something over my face.

  A respirator, connected to a nebulizer filled with some kind of liquid.

  As I inhale, a thick, vapor-like gas floods the scene.

  And my pain disappears.

  But the relief doesn’t last long.

  I wake up.

  -AAAAAAH!

  I jolted awake, completely disoriented.

  -Mr. Twain! Are you alright?-Asked an old voice.

  As my eyes adjusted to the light, I recognized my surroundings.

  I was in the library, surrounded by elderly people and other locals who frequented the place.

  -What happened to you? We found you unconscious in the street with a nasty wound on your arm.

  I quickly looked at my arm. It was now bandaged, and the pain had nearly faded.

  That’s when I remembered my attacker.

  Heathcliff.

  A man who claimed to know me and reminded me of those terrifying monsters that granted power in exchange for painful contracts—Eidolons.

  -Did any of you see a black-haired man and a red-haired woman nearby?-I asked, desperate.

  I didn’t know how long I had been unconscious, but surely someone must have seen them leave.

  -I’m afraid not…-Replied an old man with a trembling voice.

  Damn it.

  -Is the librarian here?-A child asked as he entered the room.

  -Yeah, kid, he's right here.

  -Do you have a brother?-The boy asked bluntly.

  My heart pounded like an engine. I knew exactly who he was talking about.

  My double.

  -Did you see him?! Where?!-I lunged at the boy like a beast, ignoring the pain in my arm and lungs.

  -On my way here, I saw a man who looked just like you. I thought it was you, but he didn’t recognize me. He just smiled and walked away.

  -Do you know where he went?!

  -Twain, do you have a long-lost brother?

  -That’s the problem! I don’t! There’s a man out there wearing my face!

  The faces around me shifted from disbelief to concern.

  Did they believe me? I had been here for years—they knew I wasn’t crazy.

  -Billy! Where did you see this man?-The boy’s father asked.

  -By the station! He was with a tall black-haired man.

  -All adults, to the station! The elders will check the surrounding areas! Kids, spread the word!-An adult ordered.

  In an instant, everyone organized and rushed out of the library.

  I was shocked by how quickly they mobilized—to help me, a mere librarian claiming to have been attacked by his own double.

  For a few seconds, I ignored the pain in my chest and stood up with ease.

  "Twain, grab your weapons!"

  And just like that, I was back in the hunt.

  The sun blazed overhead, and my arm throbbed with pain.

  But adrenaline dulled it.

  -He’s getting away!-A child called from the distance.

  -We can’t lose him! Move!

  I sprinted toward the source of the voice.

  And there they were.

  Just a few meters ahead, I saw Heathcliff getting into a black SUV with tinted windows.

  -Stop right there!-I shouted at the top of my lungs.

  Hearing me, the black-haired man paused and stepped out of the car.

  -Well, well… Could it be that you actually miss your old life?-He asked with a grin.

  -I won’t stop until you give me answers. Tell your boss to step out of the car.

  "Come on, you can barely breathe properly. You won’t stand a chance against us." His smug smile sent a surge of anger through my veins.

  Before he could take another step, I pulled out my inhaler and took a deep breath.

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  In an instant, my lungs filled with strength, and my body felt lighter.

  Swish!

  Without hesitation, I drew my pistol.

  My fingers wrapped around the cold steel. My breathing was heavy but controlled. Heathcliff stood before me, his sharp gaze calculating my every move before I could even think them.

  We lunged at the same time.

  Bang!

  His hand clamped down on my wrist, deflecting the shot while his other hand reached for my gun. I resisted, shoving him with my shoulder, but he spun and slammed his knee into my ribs. My grip loosened—just for an instant.

  That was enough.

  The gun changed hands.

  I cursed under my breath and tackled him before he could raise the barrel. Slamming into him with my shoulder, I knocked him off balance and locked my fingers around his wrist in a vice grip. I squeezed hard, twisting his arm until his fingers opened by reflex.

  The gun fell.

  We both followed it with our eyes.

  And dove.

  We tumbled across the dirt, exchanging elbows and punches as our hands stretched toward the weapon. I felt it under my fingers a second before Heathcliff’s fist crashed into my jaw.

  My vision blurred. My body wavered. And in that moment, the gun slipped from my grasp.

  It slid away from us.

  For a brief second, we both froze.

  Then Heathcliff twisted, pushing himself toward it.

  I didn’t let him.

  Taking advantage of his distraction, I threw a brutal punch at his face. My knuckles cracked against his jaw, his head snapping to the side before his entire body collapsed onto the ground with a dull thud.

  He lay there, breathing heavily.

  So did I.

  The echoes of our fight faded into silence.

  -You just won’t give up, huh…?-He panted-What, does that inhaler give you superpowers?

  -When you’ve spent years carrying a weight that holds you back, shedding it gives you an edge. But you… why the hell are you still smiling after getting beaten by an asthmatic veteran?

  I wanted to hit him again, but I knew he’d summon that wolf Eidolon if I got too close.

  And yet, he still smiled—like he had something up his sleeve.

  Crack-crack-crack!

  Shattering glass.

  I instinctively stepped back and drew my other pistol.

  As I expected, the Eidolon emerged from Heathcliff’s back once again.

  But this time, more of its body was visible.

  Now I could see it more clearly—a black wolf, covered in scars, with solid purple eyes. Its mouth was full of sharp teeth, so tightly packed they obstructed each other, forming a twisted set of fangs.

  -You don’t have the range for this, so the best thing you can do is surrender and tell your boss to come out.-I said, finger resting on the trigger.

  Step!

  Without Heathcliff needing to say a word, the rear door of the jeep opened, and out stepped the person who bore my face.

  His composure was exactly the same as the first time we met—unsettling, like going to the bathroom half-asleep and seeing your reflection move a second too late in the mirror.

  I was afraid. Terrified.

  That wasn’t me.

  But he wore my face.

  I couldn’t stop thinking that if I hit him, I would feel the pain too.

  My double said nothing, simply offering a hand to help his subordinate up.

  -Did you really lose to a veteran with asthma again?-He sighed-Come on, Heathcliff, I know you can do better.-He added with a reassuring smile and a pat on the back.

  -You’re right… I can do better.-Heathcliff replied.

  And without another word, he climbed back into the car.

  I was so tense I didn’t dare shoot.

  He was right there, unarmed, and I had a gun in my hand.

  -I should’ve finished you off before…-Heathcliff muttered.

  Swish!

  With a swift motion, he rolled up his right sleeve, exposing his forearm.

  -Second Stray Wolf… lend me more of your strength…-He spoke with difficulty.

  As he spoke, four deep cuts opened along his skin, as if slashed by invisible claws.

  I could feel it—the entire town, just a hundred meters away, watching even more intently, expectant.

  As blood dripped from his wounds, the wolf that had been by his side all this time began to grow, its body becoming more complete.

  Now, between the two of us stood a three-meter-tall beast with knife-like fangs, charging straight at me.

  Awooooooooooooooo!!!

  The wolf let out a piercing howl just before lunging, jaws wide open.

  Bang! Bang! Bang!

  I fired as fast as I could, but it was like throwing thumbtacks at it—it didn’t even flinch.

  Whoosh!

  I threw myself to the ground just in time, barely dodging its attack.

  -You won’t escape!

  He was right.

  I couldn’t escape from that monster.

  Bullets didn’t work, and it was twice as fast as me.

  Grrrrrrrr!

  And then—just as the wolf was about to pounce again—I heard that hoarse, rasping voice, the one that only came when my chest ached.

  "If you wish to keep breathing… exhale."

  It was counterintuitive.

  But what was even stranger was that, instinctively, I reached toward my back, as if to grab something.

  -Another gun? That won’t help…

  My fingers searched for a weapon—but what they found was something cold and metallic.

  Something that shouldn’t be there.

  A nebulizer.

  A shiver ran down my spine.

  As if my hands knew what to do before my mind did, I suddenly held a nebulizer fitted with a mask and a respirator.

  It was exactly like in my dreams.

  "To keep breathing, you must exhale…"

  It made sense, really.

  First, you inhale. Then, you exhale.

  So I did.

  I drew a breath through the mask…

  ...And let it out.

  -HAAAAAAAAAH!

  The breath left my chest in a gust that was more than just air—it was a thick, dense mist, heavy and suffocating.

  The exhalation became a torrent of vapor that spread like an icy gale, swallowing the street in seconds.

  -Where the hell did you get that?! What the fuck is all this fog?!-Heathcliff shouted, his voice trembling as his Eidolon dissolved into the air.

  The mist grew, thick as milk poured into water, engulfing us until I could barely see my own hands.

  Only the hurried footsteps of the other man broke the silence.

  -Don’t run!-I tried to shout, but my throat burned with every word.

  Creeeeeeeeek!

  A metallic screech tore through the air, like nails scraping against a plate.

  A sound unnatural.

  A sound that didn’t come from Heathcliff.

  Or his companion.

  Something else was in the mist.

  But I couldn’t see it.

  -They’re escaping!-Someone yelled in the distance.

  I took off running, bursting out of the fog just in time to see the black jeep speeding away.

  But it wasn’t unscathed.

  Along one side of the vehicle, three deep gashes were carved into the metal, as if titanic claws had ripped through it.

  The steel bent outward, mangled.

  Something had reached them before they could flee.

  But it wasn’t enough.

  -GET BACK HERE!!!-I roared, ignoring the searing pain in my lungs.

  The jeep vanished into the distance.

  And the mist, as if it had never existed, began to fade.

  For a moment, I thought about drawing my rifle and firing, but I dismissed the idea.

  Within seconds, the vehicle was nearly out of sight, disappearing into the mountains.

  Again.

  Another damn time.

  I stood there, watching the SUV disappear over the horizon…

  …Feeling the fog in my lungs dissolve, along with my only chance for answers.