I never knew. One minute I was flying high and the next I came crashing down so harshly the world shattered. It was all a lie. But then he came. He came with his dark eyes and his cutting words and his cruel, cruel stare. Grayson Rothburg. Recluse. Genius. Truth speaker. My friend Gray. My real. My hero in disguise. He says I should move on. Change. And now he's offered me a diversion, a way to help me re-evaluate what's left of me. The trouble is, I don't know how real that is either. And I'm not sure I care.

My own refusal to leave brought me to this moment. Pain is not a lie. And there he stands, watching, waiting. Everything seems surreal under his scrutiny. Or maybe that's just this castle and it's dark, obscure walls where time is endless. It's distorted and murky, and yet more real than anything has ever been. My friend Gray. Not just a hero anymore, but a need. And I'm consumed by that need. I'll dwell in this reality with him until I'm either lost or found. Broken or evolved.

I'm alone. Singular. Evolved. Yet left behind and abandoned. I should have known. I did know. But he whispered words and held me, making my heart feel something other than the false reality we were in. Tap, tap, tap. Thud. Thud. Thud. Those rhythms were not a lie. And now I'm torn between staying under Malachi's roof, letting reality outside pass me by, or returning to life beyond this fractured space to find his hidden truths. My friend Gray. My lover. The heart he's ripped open again beats too loudly for me to ignore. And my need still consumes me.