Kit lingered in the distance, eyes sharp, every movement calculated. Tonight, the line between protection and obsession blurred further. A man suddenly emerged from an alley, knife glinting in the streetlights. Niran froze.
Kit acted immediately. He tipped a nearby motorcycle into the path of the attacker, forcing the man to stumble. Niran barely noticed his savior as he ran to safety. Kit melted back into the shadows, a faint smile on his lips, and a whisper of the darker voice inside him:
"They cannot see me. They cannot know what I am. They will understand soon."
The rational side whispered back: "Patience. They will see in time."
....
Krit had been reviewing the latest reports in the mansion's study. Something had shifted. The orchestration of events was too precise, too deliberate, to be random. His instincts, honed over years, told him the manipulations were coming from someone close,someone he knew intimately.
Pha, noticing the sharp tension in Krit's jaw, approached cautiously. "You're thinking of someone close, aren't you?"
Krit's eyes remained on the map before him. "Possibly. But confirmation is necessary. Observation is our weapon. Awareness is our shield."
Pha's expression darkened. "And if it's someone you trust… someone in your circle?"
Krit didn't answer immediately. His gaze shifted to the city skyline, eyes narrowing. "Then I will not falter. They will be revealed."
....
Later, Niran sat at the café, fidgeting with the edges of his notebook. Krit noticed the tension radiating off him.
"You're on edge," Krit said softly. "I can feel it."
"I… I can't shake the feeling that someone is watching," Niran admitted, voice trembling. "And I don't know if I should feel scared or grateful for… whatever protection I keep receiving."
Krit reached out, his hand steady over Niran's. "You are not alone. Awareness is your first defense. Trust is your second. And I am here."
Across the street, Kit cataloged every detail, his duality evident even in the subtle movements he made. Protective and possessive, obsessive and calculating each action was carefully orchestrated to reinforce his role in Niran's life.
"Soon, they will understand," whispered the darker side. "Soon, they will see why it must be me."
....
That night, Pha visited Krit again. "There's something personal in all this," he said quietly. "I can feel it. And it's closer than we imagined."
Krit's eyes narrowed. "Patterns have emerged. Someone close, careful, precise. If it is someone we know… I will identify them before any harm occurs."
Kit lingered in the shadows, watching every interaction, cataloging each heartbeat and glance. The threads connecting Niran, Krit, and the invisible forces guiding events had grown taut. The storm of revelations, obsession, and hidden truths was almost upon them.
Tonight, the unseen hand that had orchestrated so much would become harder to ignore.