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difficult to speak. He kept staring at me, and I felt an odd heat rise up my neck. There was something about him that both attracted me and made me want to flee. He was interested, but it wasn't only out of curiosity. There was a depth there, a pull I couldn't grasp, and I didn't know whether I wanted to. I heard footsteps coming behind me, drawing closer before I could answer. I turned, wishing for a distraction, and spotted him. Mika, twin brother of Luka. He was just as intimidating, but in a different way. Where Luka had that calm intensity, Mika exuded wild, restless energy. His dark, brother-sharp eyes fixed on me, and I instantly sensed the burden of his gaze. At first he was silent, but I could sense the tension in the air between them. Ignoring it was impossible. The two of them. "Luka," Mika remarked, his voice cold but sharp. "I see you have encountered our new visitor." Even as Mika came closer, I could feel Luka's stare burning on my skin. Their shared look at me, as though they were trying to peel away layers I had not even realised I was hiding, left me disturbed. Mika's gaze stayed on me for a second longer before his lips curled up in an almost undetectable grin. It was difficult, playful, yet there was something behind it. A deeper meaning. Mika grumbled, "new girl." You are now in our domain. Here, things operate rather differently. His comments hung in the air, heavy with significance, and I couldn't help but believe they weren't discussing the university. Pack. This universe, whatever it was, and however I had come to be in it, was not what I imagined. I remained silent since I had no idea what to say, but my heart raced uncontrollably. I moved awkwardly as the tension between the two brothers increased with every second. Then, Mika unexpectedly stepped closer and in front of me. His hand brushed a stray lock of hair from my face. Though his touch was gentle, the force of it shocked me and caused my breath to catch in my throat. Though my body let me down, I wanted to draw away and be still. It was the energy that sparked between us, not simply his touch. I couldn't identify something, some odd force that passed between us in that straightforward action. It seemed basic. Like I was inexplicably linked to him. Where he had touched me, my skin tingled; I felt a great wave of heat sweep through my body, causing my heart to beat. It was unlike anything I had ever gone through. I wished to talk, to tell them both to stop, to let me room. But I was unable to. Something deep inside me paralysed me. Mika's eyes danced with delight. "You sense it, don't you?" Though it was a low murmur, his voice struck me like a physical force. I gulped down. "What, what do you mean?" Mika, however, only grinned his knowing grin and kept his fingers by my cheek for one second longer than required. You know, Rachel, he said softly. The draw was something magnetic, something unarguable I could not ignore. Mika's presence charged every second I spent near him like an electric current in the air. Every look, every word seemed too weighted, too weighty. It seemed as though he were pulling me in and I couldn't help it. "Ymir," he whispered once again, his voice low, yanking me from my musings. I smiled nervously, my lips twitching. You are not from here, right? Dark and pi