Page 51

In the picture, two young human men stand side-by-side in front of a storefront in New York City. They both have dark hair, bright blue eyes, and wide, goofy grins. The taller one has his arm thrown over the younger one's shoulder.

The moment my eyes hit the photo, a sharp, electric pop buzzes behind my temples.

A cold winter night. The smell of fresh coffee. A young man laughing as he accidentally sews the stitch wrong. "You're hopeless, Jules! Here, let me fix it before Mr. Deaver sees."

A small gasp escapes my lips. I touch the glass over the photo. "You... you always ruined the stitches back then," I murmur aloud, the words spilling out before I even realize I'm saying them. "You never could remember which stich goes with what."

Julian lets out a loud, joy-filled bark of laughter, fresh tears streaming down his face. "Yes! Yes! That was you! You used to fix every single one of my mistakes!"

"Memories?" Teagan asks softly, holding my arm tightly.

"Just... a tiny flash," I say, shaking my head as the brief vision fades back into the fog. "Not everything. But... something."

"It doesn't matter if it all comes back or not," Julian says earnestly, grabbing both of my hands in his. "You're here. You're alive."

"Julian," Teagan speaks up gently. "How did it happen? Ryker has been trying to figure out his past for years. “

Julian sighs, pulling up two wooden stools and motioning for us to sit. He sits across from us, leaning his elbows on the table. "Twenty years ago, when the Halloween Wave hit the world, nothing happened to us at first," Julian explains. "We thought we were completely unaffected humans. We kept running our family atelier in New York, business as usual. But then... ten years ago, on the anniversary of the Wave, it hit us. Delayed shift, I guess."

"Delayed shift?" I ask, brow furrowing.

"Nobody knows why," Julian says with a shrug. "Scientists, magical researchers—none of them can explain why some people shifted instantly twenty years ago, why some shift years later, or why some stay human forever. But ten years ago, I woke up as a gargoyle. And when I went to check on you..." Julian's voice cracks. "Your place was empty. The window was open. You were just... gone."

There’s a long silence as my brother stares off into the distance, deep in thought.

"I looked everywhere, Ryker," Julian continues. "I filed missing person reports, I hired investigators, I posted fliers across three states. For years, I refused to leave New York because I was terrified you'd come home and I wouldn't be there if I left. But eventually... three years ago, I had to downsize and move up here to keep the business afloat."

Julian looks around his shop, his gaze softening. "I kept the tailoring business going because it was ours. You loved tailoring more than life itself, Ryker. Keeping the shop alive was my way of keeping you alive, even when everyone told me to move on."

Julian turns his gaze to Teagan, a deep, profound gratitude filling his features. "When I got that email from your private investigator asking about gargoyle tailors who disappeared ten years ago... I couldn't believe it. Thank you, Teagan. Thank you for not giving up on him."

"Of course. He's worth it," Teagan says softly, leaning into my side and resting his cheek against my arm. "He was once my bodyguard, this was just my way of keeping him safe."

Julian smiles warmly at us, taking in our intertwined hands and the undeniable devotion between us. "So, a famous K-drama actor and a gargoyle bodyguard, huh? Sounds like quite a story."

"It's been a wild semester," I laugh.

I look around the shop once more. The bolts of fabric, the cutting tables, my brother sitting across from me with tears in his eyes, and the beautiful, purple-haired human holding my hand in his lap. I might never get every single piece of my past back. The memories of my childhood might remain behind a hazy curtain forever. But as I sit here, right between the brother who never stopped searching for me and the person who helped me find myself, I realize something undeniable.

My future is simple. I have a passion, I have a family, and standing right beside is my mate.

I don't need to chase the ghost of who I used to be.

Not anymore.

Not when home is standing right in front of me.

Epilogue

Teagan

(One Year Later…)

The thunderous roar of the crowd outside the theatre in Hollywood is unlike anything I ever experienced back in my idol days. It’s louder. Warmer. Intoxicating.

Press barricades line both sides of the plush red carpet, packed shoulder-to-shoulder with screaming fans waving Empire of Beasts banners, light sticks glowing in shades of deep royal violet, and glowing LED signs bearing my character's name next to Caylen’s. The season finale dropped on streaming just two hours ago, and according to my manager's frantic, overjoyed text messages, the server nearly crashed from the global premiere traffic.

"Teagan! Over here!"