In the hospital where Lian was being treated, Zigh stood vigil. Lian had been moved from the ER to a private ward, and Zigh could only watch as the man lay there.

  A sharp knock at the door shattered Zigh's reverie.

  "Yes, come in," Zigh said, his voice weary.

  Devin entered the room and immediately snapped into a formal salute. "Sir, Devin reporting for duty."

  Zigh exhaled a heavy sigh. "What is the status of the perpetrator?"

  "The suspect remains unconscious, Sir. His condition is critical, but it is not life-threatening."

  Zigh crossed his arms, his gaze shifting back to the bed. "I see... Devin, can you access the civil registry?"

  "Yes, Sir. Who are we tracking?"

  "Leuliang Esculenta."

  Devin tilted his head, his eyes falling upon Lian. "Is it him?" he murmured under his breath.

  "Is there a problem, Devin?"

  "No, Sir. Nothing."

  "Then move. Fast."

  "Understood, Sir. Right away." Devin turned and exited the room with military precision.

  Left alone, Zigh looked at the man on the bed. "Who exactly are you, Lian? I couldn't even find a single match in the national citizen database when I scanned your face," he whispered.

  Zigh walked to the window, staring out at the night sky of Echo. The darkness felt oppressive. "Could it be that you are... "

  Zigh shook his head. "No, the only lead I have left is Miss Edelweiss."

  He cracked the window open, letting the cool night air filter in. Meanwhile, Outer remained anchored near Lian, its formless presence observing Zigh’s every move.

  "We’ve known each other for less than twenty-four hours," Zigh muttered to the empty room, "and yet, it doesn't feel that way at all."

  As Zigh sat back down, a faint sound came from the bed.

  "This..." Lian’s voice was a mere breeze of a sound.

  Lian’s vision was blurred at first, but slowly, the world came into focus. He saw Zigh.

  "Lian..." Outer whispered, a sound only meant for the man.

  Lian glanced toward Outer, and Zigh sprang to his feet. "Lian! You're awake!"

  Lian’s breathing was labored. "This... where is this?"

  His eyes widened, his face pale as a fading moon. Suddenly, memories of Nox and Ron flashed through his mind like a bolt of lightning. He tried to scramble out of bed, but Zigh’s hands were firm on his shoulders.

  "You need to rest," Zigh commanded.

  Lian clicked his tongue. He shoved Zigh’s hands away.

  "Lian?"

  Without hesitation, Lian reached down and ripped the IV needle from his vein. Zigh gasped, his eyes wide with shock. "Lian! Stop!"

  Lian tried to walk, but his legs were like lead. He stumbled, swaying dangerously. Zigh caught him immediately, pulling him close.

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  "Lian... why? Your body is burning up..."

  Lian pushed against Zigh’s chest, but the man wouldn't budge. The silence of the room was broken only by the sound of Lian’s desperate struggle. Tears began to track down his pale cheeks.

  "Lian..." Zigh whispered.

  Lian’s legs trembled, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He kept pushing, fueled by frantic fragments of memory.

  "Lian... that's enough..." Zigh wrapped his arms around him in a protective embrace. "Calm down..."

  "Outer..." Lian whimpered.

  In an instant, Outer dissolved into a thick, swirling mist. The room plunged into unnatural darkness. The temperature plummeted so sharply that Zigh instinctively let go, shivering.

  Zigh’s eyes dilated as he looked around. "What... what is happening?"

  "You... are just like the rest..." Lian’s voice was cold, hollow.

  "Lian... what’s wrong? Is this your power too?"

  "You will... feel... what I..."

  Lian’s strength gave out. As he began to fall, Outer was faster, catching him before he hit the floor. The black mist solidified back into Outer’s terrifying form.

  Zigh froze. His hair stood on end, his heart hammered against his ribs, and cold sweat broke across his brow. He couldn't look away.

  Outer’s blank, white eyes bored into him. Jagged teeth glinted under the flickering hospital lights. Overwhelmed by the entity's oppressive presence, Zigh dropped his gaze. As Outer exhaled, the air grew so heavy that Zigh struggled for breath.

  Zigh collapsed to his knees, his mouth moving but no sound coming out. Outer stepped closer, cradling Lian in its arms.

  "Evil," Outer hissed.

  "I... evil...?" Zigh managed to stammer.

  Outer placed Lian gently back onto the bed. Zigh didn't even have the energy to glance at the man.

  What is that thing? Zigh’s mind. Those teeth... they are sharper than any predator I’ve ever known. Those eyes... I can’t even look at them.

  The ticking of the wall clock grew deafeningly loud, as if time itself had slowed to a crawl in this cursed room. Zigh tried to move his legs, but they refused to obey.

  Outer shifted back into mist, coiling around Zigh’s body like a serpent. Its face materialized inches from his, its breath an Antarctic wind against his sweating skin.

  Zigh was paralyzed. The mist swirled around him in a suffocating vortex. I... I can't die here...

  He forced himself to speak. Outer continued to blow its freezing breath into his face.

  "M—Mercy..." Zigh choked out.

  The swirling stopped, but the coils remained tight.

  "Mercy?" Outer whispered into his ear. The sound vibrated through Zigh’s entire nervous system, sending his heart into a frantic rhythm.

  Zigh nodded weakly.

  Outer looked him in the face again, a wide, terrifying grin revealing rows of sharp teeth. "Not from Outer."

  Zigh’s breathing grew shallow. His vision began to fade into black. No... not now...

  Outer finally released him, returning to its original form. Zigh’s body slumped, and he fell unconscious on the floor.

  Outer returned to Lian’s side, gently stroking his hair. "Lian... Outer... will always protect Lian." It touched the small wound where the IV had been. "Lian always suffers."

  Outer’s voice shifted, sounding like a small, innocent child. "Lian... must not..."

  A knock at the door sounded. Outer immediately withdrew, severing all physical contact.

  "Excuse me?"

  A pause.

  "Excuse me, it's time for the patient's check-up," a nurse called out louder. She took a breath and opened the door. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw Zigh sprawled on the floor.

  "Help! Someone help!" she screamed, running back into the hallway.

  Minutes later, a doctor and two orderlies rushed in with a gurney. The doctor knelt by Zigh.

  "His body is cold..." the doctor murmured. He looked at the orderlies. "Get him onto the gurney, now! We're moving Sir Zigh to a treatment room."

  Before leaving, the doctor turned to the nurse. "Finish your rounds here."

  The nurse nodded, trembling slightly as the men wheeled Zigh away. Left alone, she checked on Lian. She paused when she saw the disconnected IV. "Strange... how did the needle come out?"

  She walked toward the IV stand. Outer stood right beside it, watching her every move.

  "The air is so cold in here..." she whispered. She noticed the window. "Oh, it's open."

  She shut the window, but the chill remained. "Why is it still the same?"

  Working quickly, she reinserted the IV. She pulled out a small, high-tech thermometer and pointed it at Lian. The room grew even colder, making her skin crawl.

  I need to get out of here, she thought. She pressed a button, and a blue beam of light scanned Lian’s body.

  Beep, beep, beep.

  "Good, all finished," she said to the empty air. She practically ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

  Outer remained, staring silently at the door.

  ***

  In another ward, Zigh slowly regained consciousness after ninety minutes.

  "I..."

  He sat up abruptly, his breath hitching.

  "That creature..." he whispered. His entire body was still shaking. "I... I can't be like this."

  His mind and body were at odds, like two magnets repelling each other. He looked at his hands; he couldn't even clench them into fists.

  Is this what the person who tried to shoot me felt? This absolute terror?

  Zigh pulled his knees to his chest, trembling.

  "Lian... what are you...?"

  He shook his head. No, Lian saved me.

  He looked up, his arms still wrapped tight around his legs.

  "Outer... is that its name?"

  Zigh’s mind was a storm of questions, but his mouth remained silent, haunted by the cold whisper of the darkness.

  To be continued...