Two days ago, it was just like any other day in the life of Elias. He was teaching kids how to surf.

  The ocean had been calm, the sun warm, the world simple.

  He had just finished packing up and was starting to walk back towards hi cottage when a hooded man approached. The stranger’s posture was tense, his face partially obscured by the low light of the evening. Elias somehow instantly know that the stranger wasn't someone from around the neighbourhood.

  Elias, ever cautious, adjusted his stance. “Can I help you?”

  The man’s voice was quiet, but urgent. “Are you Elias Veyne, son of Aldric Veyne?”

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  Elias stiffened. The name alone sent a shiver down his spine. Few people ever spoke of his father—especially not strangers. “Who wants to know?” he asked, trying to mask his unease.

  The man’s eyes flickered toward the darkening sky. He looked cautiously over his shoulder, as if expecting something—or someone—to appear.

  “We can’t talk here,” the man said. “It’s almost dark. I need to speak with you inside. Now.” Elias narrowed his eyes. “And how exactly do you know I live nearby?”

  The man hesitated. “I don’t have time to explain,” he said. “But if we stay out here much longer, we might not be even alive to regret it”. Something in his voice—a quiet, underlying fear—sent a chill down Elias’s spine. He didn’t trust this man. But something told him the stranger wasn’t lying. The air around them felt wrong.

  Finally, Elias sighed. “Fine,” he muttered. “Follow me.”

  As he turned toward the beachside path that led to his cottage, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being watched.

  And that by the time the sun had fully set—his life would never be the same again.