Nevertheless, Ansel didn't even glance in his direction. He walked past Heka as if he were nothing more than a stranger on the street, invisible and irrelevant.
A sick feeling churned in his stomach, a mixture of rejection and regret. Immediately, he wished he had kept his silence, that he hadn't broken the fragile barrier between them.
This was exactly what he hated. The painful truth was that friendliness was often just a mask. Just because someone appeared warm and kind didn't mean they truly were.
Sometimes, people were forced to be nice out of obligation or circumstance, not genuine affection. Heka remembered the moments when he had been invisible, when no one had recognized him or cared to acknowledge his existence. The sting of being ignored was all too familiar.
Yet, as he stood there, watching Ansel disappear into the crowd, Heka realized that he had been wrong too.
After Ansel had helped him, it was as if he had vanished completely, leaving no trace or intention to reach out again, not even a simple message to check on him, to tell him how he was doing.
Driven by a mixture of desperation and confusion, Heka turned and followed Ansel's retreating figure. But as he moved forward, something strange caught his eye, a shadow in the glass nearby.
He stopped abruptly, his heart pounding with unease. Approaching the mirror, he reached out a trembling hand and touched the surface.
To his horror, there was no reflection staring back at him.
"What is this? Am I dreaming? Why doesn't my reflection not exist? Am I dead?" He whispered, voice trembling.
A cold shiver ran down his spine as the reality of the moment sank in. The world around him seemed to blur and distort, and a terrifying thought took root in his mind-had he crossed some invisible boundary between life and death?
He watched everyone around him. Then he looked back at the glass and made sure that everyone was in the mirror, except for himself.
Heka's heart pounded fiercely as he rushed forward, his eyes fixed on Ansel's retreating figure. Desperation fueled his every step.
"Ansel!! Ansel!! Ansel!!" Heka shouted, his voice echoing through the room.
It was useless. Ansel moved as if Heka didn't exist at all, his gaze never once turned back.
Determined to prove his presence, Heka reached out and tried to grasp Ansel's shoulder. He needed to feel something real, some confirmation that he was beside him.
To his shock, Ansel's hand waved dismissively. Ansel's hand passed right through his own. It pierced through Heka's outstretched fingers as if he were nothing but a ghost. Yet, Heka was certain he had touched Ansel.
"Why does Ansel's hand pierce me? What exactly happened?" He wondered, confusion and fear swirling inside him.
Before he could gather his thoughts, someone suddenly bumped into him with force. Pain shot through his wrist as he landed awkwardly, and he saw blood trickling from a fresh wound.
His mind was consumed by the mystery of his fading existence, the cruel invisibility that only he seemed to notice.
Determined to find answers, Heka scrambled to his feet and caught sight of the man who had collided with him.
Without hesitation, he chased after him.
The man jumped into a car and sped away, and without a second thought, Heka leapt into his vehicle and gave chase.
The pursuit led them deep into a dense forest. Finally, the man's car veered off the road and disappeared into the shadows of the forest.
Heka stopped his own vehicle at the edge of the trees, stepping out into the cold. The forest exuded a creepy, unnatural vibe, as if it were alive and watching him.
Apparently, he felt that this was just a trap. Realizing the man's intentions had been deliberate, Heka climbed back into his car and drove through the forest, the cold air making the windows frost over.
He watched as the ice slowly crept across the glass, obscuring his view. He turned on the heater to chase away the chill, but the cold seemed to seep into his bones. Anyhow, he forced himself to drive.
After what felt like an eternity, the forest finally gave way to a clearing, revealing a luxurious and majestic mansion standing proudly in the fading light.
He noticed a sign in front of the house, but the frozen car window distorted the letters, making it impossible to read. Curiosity gnawed at him who could own such a magnificent estate?
Deciding he needed a closer look, Heka stepped out of the car. The cold air hit him sharply, and as he took a cautious step toward the house, a strange voice pierced the silence.
"What's that sound? Is it a wild animal?" Heka murmured. His voice trembled out of his fear.
It made Heka scared and stepped in the car. He felt safer while in the car.
He hesitated, then turned around, deciding it was wiser to retreat. He drove back the path he had come, the eerie forest closing in behind him as the strange voice echoed faintly in the distance.
But as the car rolled down the winding road, the voice seemed to follow him, growing louder and more distinct with every turn. It was no animal It was no a woman's voice,Heka's heart pounded. He glanced in the rearview mirror, but the road behind was empty, shrouded in mist.
Suddenly, the car sputtered and slowed, the engine coughing as if resisting his escape. Panic surged through him. He tried the ignition again, but the engine died completely. The headlights flickered, casting eerie shadows among the trees.
Frozen in place, Heka's eyes darted toward the house perched on the hill. A faint light flickered in one of the upper windows, as if someone or something was watching him.
Gathering his courage, Heka grabbed his coat and stepped out once more. The voice called him again, clearer now. He endured himself. "Heka… don't be afraid…just calm down."