ᴇʟʏꜱɪᴀɴ | BNHA

01

YOU WERE NEVER the type of girl who wanted to stand out. High school was full of chaos—clubs, sports, dances—and yet, none of it interested you. You preferred to slip by unnoticed, blending into the background while the world around you spun faster and louder.

You stuck to your routines: the same desk by the window, the same walk home, the same quiet evenings spent studying. You never craved the spotlight, never wanted anything more than the comfort of being ordinary.

"Just breeze through," you'd tell yourself, watching your classmates laugh and joke as if life was a stage meant for everyone but you. And that was fine. You were fine.

But that Friday night was different.

You had stayed late for a study session in the library—something you never did. The thought of walking home alone after dark wasn't appealing, but your sparse friends had plans, and you didn't want to be a burden by asking for a ride. You told yourself it was just another evening. The streets would be empty, peaceful.

The familiar path from school to home felt longer than usual, though. The streetlights cast long shadows over the pavement, and the once-comforting silence began to feel unnerving. You quickened your pace, hugging your school bag close, trying to shake off the unease crawling up your spine.

And then, you heard it.

Footsteps. Slow, deliberate, echoing behind you.

Your heart leapt into your throat as you risked a glance over your shoulder. A tall figure loomed at the end of the street, their face hidden in the shadows, moving in sync with you.

Your breath caught. Your legs started to move faster, almost on instinct. But so did his.

The distance between you shrank, and with every step, the reality of it sank in. This wasn't a joke or a bad dream. This was happening.

Panic surged through your veins as you broke into a run, your feet slapping against the pavement. You didn't know where to go, but anywhere felt safer than there. Your chest burned, and your pulse hammered in your ears, drowning out every other sound.

In that moment, the thought hit you like a crashing wave.

I wish I had tried to enjoy life more.

You never took risks, never did anything out of the ordinary. Always playing it safe, always fading into the background. But now, faced with something so horrifyingly real, all you could think about was how you'd wasted so much time. You had been so focused on staying safe that you forgot to actually live.

And now, it might be too late.

\\

You open your eyes slowly, the world around you a blur of muted whites and soft lights. Everything feels too bright, too foreign. Your body feels impossibly heavy, and when you try to move, it's as if your limbs are resisting every thought.

You blink, trying to make sense of your surroundings. It smells clean, sterile. You focus on the metal bars rising around you. A crib? Your mind stumbles over the thought. Panic bubbles in your chest, but all that escapes your lips is a soft whine—fragile, infantile.

What...?

Your heart races. You try to move, to speak, but it's like you've forgotten how. Your lips part again, but nothing intelligible comes out—just more soft, helpless sounds.

Everything rushes back to you in a dizzying flood. The streets, the killer, the chase. You remember it all. You remember the fear. You remember running. But this—this isn't where you were supposed to be. How did I end up here?

Your mind reels, desperate for answers. You try to look around more, squinting through the fog that clouds your vision. Your body feels impossibly small, like it doesn't belong to you. Nothing about this makes sense.

Then, you hear it—voices, muffled and distant. Someone is near you, speaking softly. The words are garbled, but the tone is soothing, gentle. A figure moves in your blurry periphery, and you try to focus, but your vision is too foggy, your head too heavy.

The voices get closer, clearer, as if they're speaking directly above you now. Your heart races, confusion and fear swirling in your chest.

Why can't I move? Why can't I speak?

Your vision sharpens, and the muffled voices around you become clearer, though they still don't make much sense. The feeling of helplessness gnaws at you, but just as your panic reaches its peak, something strange happens. A chill washes over you, and suddenly, you feel it—water. Not just around you but coming from you, like a pulse rippling through your body.

The liquid gathers quickly, surrounding you in a soft, protective bubble. It doesn't drown you or make it hard to breathe; instead, it feels comforting, like a shield between you and whatever lies beyond.

What is this? Your mind races, trying to make sense of the sensation. It feels impossible, unnatural—and yet, something deep inside you stirs, recognizing this new power as your own.

The voices outside grow more frantic. You can sense movement beyond the water, figures rushing toward you, shouting words you can't quite piece together. Their faces are a blur, but their emotions—concern, surprise—are clear as day.

This can't be real, you think. Is this a dream?

But the water surrounding you is all too real, reacting to your every breath, swirling gently like it's alive. Your mind latches onto memories of your old life—the chase, the killer, the night it all ended.

Your ears barely registered the voices swirling around you, the words blending together in a blur of sound. Everything felt distant, like you were trapped in a thick fog. But your pupils darted sideways, catching a glimpse of movement—a man stepping closer.

Almost instantly, the water surrounding you vanished, pulled away as if it had never been there. Your whole body stiffened, as if frozen in place. The sensation was strange, foreign, leaving you feeling exposed and vulnerable.

The bright hospital lights overhead glistened, casting a sharp glow that blocked the man's face from view. You could only make out the silhouette of his form as he knelt beside you. His voice was calm, though, a low murmur that broke through the haze clouding your mind.

"You'll be alright, kid," he said, his words carrying a surprising warmth.

And then, as if his reassurance had unlocked something within you, your body gave in to the exhaustion you hadn't realized was gripping you so tightly. Your eyelids fluttered shut, and sleep pulled you under, wrapping you in a gentle, INESCAPABLE EMBRACE.