Time: 11:40 PM A university student walks home alone, clutching her bag, eyes darting — it’s late, and the shortcut feels suddenly too quiet. Then she smells it: sweet, heady Plumeria, drifting where there are no flowers.

She freezes. A figure steps from the shadowed mouth of the lane ahead — white, luminous, eyes deep and sorrowful. The girl’s heart pounds. She wants to run — but Jazlin does not approach. She simply stands, blocking the path of the man who has been following the student from the bus stop.

He stops. He stares. He sees Jazlin — and his face drains of color. He backs away, stumbling, turns, and vanishes into the night.

Jazlin looks toward the student. Her lips part — as if to speak — but no sound comes. She gives a small, sad nod… and melts into the mist, leaving only the scent of flowers behind.

The student stands there for a long moment, breathing slowly. She realizes — she was never meant to be afraid. She was being guarded.