It's been a long time since I laughed this much. Since coming here, I laugh more frequently than ever. Every day, my mood has brightened because of Jia. But today was on another level.

I was happy.

Ethan doesn't talk much…. No, when it comes to speaking, he becomes utterly mute.

I could even count how many times he has talked to me.

Sometimes I even wonder if Ethan and Jia are really biologically connected or not. The difference between them is like day and night.

Well, they proved me wrong the next second.

Even so, both of them always make me happy. I figured out that Ethan wanted to leave after saying "hi" to me, yet he still stayed with me when I asked him to.

I didn't even know when I fell asleep while talking to him. I should have said goodbye before sleeping. Who knows when we'll meet again?

Sigh… Well, there is nothing I can do about it now. 

I guess the nurse gave me sleeping pills again.

After I regained consciousness from the coma, I tried hard to remember those pieces of memories. 

But no matter how much I tried, I couldn't remember. It was as if those memories had become sand, slipping through my hands.

The only hope left is my dream. But when I went there, everything seemed to change.

The darkness and those shadows became more ominous and sinister. Even before they did something to me, fears and anxieties were manifesting within me.

Even so, they were the ones who might know what happened during my time in a coma.

Everything went silent the moment I asked them. For a second, I thought maybe I would get some answers from them. 

But instead of answers, their movements became more restless.

The shadows twisted and distorted, taking on grotesque forms.

The shadows' touch became icy as they came close. I could feel a searing pain throughout my body.

Each touch felt like a thousand needles piercing my skin. It was as if the shadows were intent on eliminating every ounce of me at that moment.

After that day, I didn't ask them anything, and nothing happened again. I just went to my dream and sat there. Everything moved so fast, whether it was in reality or in a dream. 

Because of that, I couldn't sleep, and my health is getting worse. That's why Auntie Olivia prescribed me sleeping pills.

So, now I fall asleep without warning. 

I glanced around me. This place was as eerie as ever. The shadows still surrounded me, sending shivers down my spine.

Despite having come here countless times over the years, I became more scared simply because these shadows had grown more ominous and sinister.

I want to sneer at myself. Yet, even though I stood there, the shadows remained still.

I won't be sleeping for a long time anyway. That's why I didn't move from one place to another.

After that torture, I didn't even want to ask this place to show me anything. But today, I want to move around.

I looked at those shadows. I wonder if I take one step, will they torture me?

I tentatively took a step forward. The shadows remained motionless, unmoving, and silent. I felt relief as I realized that nothing happened.

I took a deep breath and exhaled the tension that had built up within me. I had my doubts that the shadows and this darkness would become aggressive again.

Nevertheless, a flicker of courage seized me. I took another step to be sure. When I saw that nothing happened again, I started to walk around in this dark realm.

                           ***********

Bian suddenly starts to nod two or three times and then falls asleep while sitting. Mom told me that she gave Bian sleeping pills because she couldn't sleep.

But I don't think they would give her that much for her to fall asleep that quickly. And the nurse didn't even give her sleeping pills now.

When Jia told me about it, I told her not to worry. But now that I have seen it with my own eyes, something isn't right.

I'll talk to Mom about it later.

I helped Bian lie down on the bed so that she could sleep comfortably.

Mom and Dad won't be able to say anything now that I spent... no, I mean, I visited her.

…I looked at Bian once more.

There are some books beside her bed. I took a book to pass the time until Bian woke up. She wouldn't like it if I left like this.

The room was wrapped in silence when no one was talking. The only sound I could hear was the faint rustle of the pages of the book I was reading.

I immersed myself in the book. Suddenly, a sound caught my attention. But the noise was so low that I thought it was coming from outside and ignored it.

However, with each passing moment, I felt the sound growing louder and transforming into a mournful groan. I set the book aside and looked at Bian. Her expression didn't look good.

"Bian, are you alright?"

However, Bian didn't answer, and her groans only intensified. Without hesitation, I reached out to her and shook her gently to wake her up.

"Bian, wake up. You're having a nightmare."

Yet, Bian remained unresponsive. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and her breaths were ragged and uneven.

A knot of fear tightened in my chest at the sight of her like this.

"Bian…"

Suddenly, I felt a surge of uneasiness and stopped calling her. Something urged me to go somewhere else. But both my intuition and instinct told me that if I looked or moved, I would regret it.

Yet, against my will, my body was moving of its own accord. I frowned and gritted my teeth in frustration and anger.

"Don't mess with me.”

{Don't mess with me.}

I growled and angrily looked in that direction for a moment. After some time, my body returned to normal, and I looked at Bian.

                           **********

As I continued my walk here, suddenly a shadow unexpectedly seized my hand. I was startled and flinched, but I wasn't shocked at all.

Here, everything is possible for these shadows. I braced myself for the torment that would happen now.

However, to my surprise, nothing happened; the shadow's touch did not bring the expected shock or pain.

I looked at the shadow that was still grasping my hand.

The shadow seemed to tremble a little, but I immediately questioned my senses.

How could these shadows tremble? I knew them for their ruthless torture.

When I turned around, the shadow violently yanked me back to the ground.

As I rose, my eyes were fixed on the trembling shadow.

Wait, does that mean I wasn't imagining things? 

They were trembling, as if they were afraid of something.

“Why are you…?”

Buzz... Buzz…

I completely forgot that I shouldn't ask anything. The whole place around me began to glitch. A sharp pain started in my head, and I clutched it.

Multiple shadows began to rise everywhere and loom around me. Before I could even look at those shadows, each one seized my limbs. They dropped me after taking me backward.

I rose to my feet and tried to look at my surroundings. Everything is glitching, as if they were going to be destroyed at any second.

My headache was getting worse as the glitch grew larger.

“Aaargh!”

I started to scream when I couldn't handle the pain.

All of a sudden, those glitches stopped. The pain in my head subsided. As if nothing happened. I felt a sense of relief and tried to steady my ragged breaths.

But it was all for a brief moment. As I finally caught my breath, the pain returned again along with those glitches.

Door... like her…

Buzz–Buzz

Some sounds are resonating in here, but I can't hear them because they are being drowned out by those glitches.

Key...Remember...

Buzz–Buzz 

I lowered my head and covered my ears to avoid hearing anything.

Like her... key…

Buzz–Buzz

Yet, those sounds are echoing in my mind now. It has become beyond me to endure this any longer.

“Stop, stoooop…please stop it.”

She…our... like…

Buzz–Buzz

I couldn't handle any of it anymore and collapsed to the ground. My consciousness is fading away. I know it's nothing new, but I never get used to this pain.

Before I closed my eyes, something patted my head. I lift up my half-closed eyes to see what it is.

A figure was sitting beside me.

"Who are...."

Shh…

Before I could say anything, the figure stopped me. They were looking at me with their pair of beautiful blue eyes.

Even though I couldn't see their face, I could tell they were sad. There were no tears in their eyes, but I could tell they were crying.

Seeing this, I felt a sharp pain in my heart. I didn't want to see them like this, and without realizing it, I spoke.

"Is the moon beautiful today as well?"

The figure paused their hand, but they looked sadder.

"..."

"It also resembles your eyes."

"..."

I raised my hand and touched the figure's eye, as if I was wiping their tears.

"So please don't cry."

"..."

The figure closed their eyes and rubbed their face on my hand. I was smiling at this figure. I wanted to talk with them more. I don't know why I was feeling like that, but I wanted to do it for this figure.

But before I could say anything, that figure's hand touched my forehead. I could feel their forced smile.

“Wake up, Bia.”

                           **********

When I couldn't wake her up, my heart dropped at that moment. I went to press the bell to call someone, but Bian suddenly held my hand..

She opened her eyes a little.

"Thank God. Bian, you..."

Bian gave me a warm smile, but somehow I didn't like that smile.

"Aethaneil, please don't cry."

{Aethaneil, please don't cry.}

"I'm not crying. Why would I...?"

But she fell asleep again before I could finish my words. This time, she was sleeping soundly without any discomfort.

Suddenly, my vision got blurred. When I touched my eyes to clear my vision, I was shocked.

I was really crying… Why?

No, actually, I know.

When she said those words, a lot of emotions were jumbled up inside me.

Just like that time.