Aarvin walked slowly down the empty hallway, the echoes of yesterday still reverberating in his mind. Every laugh, every glance, every whispered word felt heavier today. He hadn't expected anyone to appear—not now, not here. Yet a shadow emerged from the stairwell landing: Adrien. Calm, silent, dangerous in a way Oakridge rarely saw. Something in his eyes made Aarvin's chest tighten.
"Aarvin," Adrien's voice was soft, almost gentle, yet carried a weight that stopped Aarvin in his tracks.
"Adrien… you—" Aarvin began, but the words fell away.
Adrien shook his head slightly. "Let me speak first."
They moved together in silence for a few steps, the empty corridor stretching around them. Then Adrien halted, turning to face him fully.
"You're letting this… this girl… Nairi… take over too much of who you are." His tone wasn't harsh; it was honest, sharp, necessary.
Aarvin's heartbeat quickened. "I… I'm not—"
Adrien raised a hand. "Listen." He leaned in, voice dropping to a quiet but firm whisper. "Don't love someone so much that their absence becomes your identity. You give your life for a single glance, yet look away when they stand before you. No one else finds a place in your heart… and you spend your days fading away in their wait."
The words struck Aarvin like ice and fire at once. He swallowed, throat tight.
Adrien continued, softer now, almost like a brother speaking. "I'm not saying don't care. I'm saying… don't lose yourself. You are more than anyone's smile, more than anyone's attention. Oakridge… this place… it will chew you up if you let it."
Aarvin's hands clenched in his pockets. He looked down. "I… I didn't realize…"
Adrien's gaze softened slightly, though his expression remained serious. "Exactly. That's why I'm telling you now—before you let it happen. Before you give everything for someone else's shadow."
They walked a few more steps in silence. The weight of Adrien's words pressed on Aarvin, but it wasn't suffocating; it was grounding.
Finally, Adrien spoke again. "Feel. Care. But never forget… you are your own storm. Your own name. Your own fire. And if you lose that… nothing else will matter. Not her, not Riyan, not even me."
Aarvin nodded slowly, his chest tight, mind spinning, heart aching, yet somehow lighter.
Adrien stepped back, his presence fading like the shadow he always seemed to be. "Remember this," he said, voice barely above a whisper, "before you give any part of yourself away. Don't fade. Don't lose yourself, Aarvin."
And with that, he was gone.
Aarvin stood alone in the middle of the hallway, the echo of Adrien's words carving themselves into his mind. He realized he had a choice: let Oakridge, the Wolves, Nairi, rumors, and his own fears define him—or stand, be himself, and perhaps survive without losing his heart or his identity.
He exhaled slowly, feeling a fraction of the weight lift. For the first time in weeks, he felt he could breathe.
_To be continued…