The apartment was small, barely enough for two people — but tonight, it felt even smaller. Emily sat silently at the edge of her couch, knees tucked to her chest, while the masked boy who called himself… or felt like Aiden… sat frozen across from her.

The cheap light overhead flickered faintly, the shadows playing tricks on her eyes.

Emily bit her lip, staring at the stranger. The broken mask covering his face, with its spiderweb cracks, made him look fragile — like he could shatter with just a breath. And yet… there was power in him. She’d seen it when he destroyed that monster like it was nothing.

"Are you cold?" she finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

The boy didn’t answer. He stared down at his hands, flexing his fingers slowly, like he was trying to understand if they were truly his.

Emily swallowed hard. "This is insane… completely insane. What am I even doing?"

But still, she couldn’t throw him out. How could she? He looked like Aiden. Her Aiden. Or at least… some broken reflection of him.

"I’ll… make you something to eat," she said, standing up quickly just to fill the silence.

She stumbled toward the kitchen, grabbing the first thing she could — instant noodles. Her hands shook as she poured water into the pot. "Get it together, Emily. You’re stronger than this." But no matter how many times she told herself that, her heart ached.

His last words haunted her — "I love you, Emily."

And now… this? What was she supposed to do with this version of him?

When she returned with the steaming bowl of noodles, he hadn’t moved. 

"Here… eat," she offered gently, setting it down on the coffee table.

The boy blinked slowly, looking up at her. "Eat…?"

"Yeah. Food. You… you do remember how to eat, right?"

He flinched, as if the question itself pained him. "I don’t know… I don’t know anything except your name."

Emily felt her throat tighten, but she forced a small smile. "That’s… fine. I’ll remind you."

Hesitantly, the boy reached out. His hands trembled as he picked up the chopsticks and awkwardly tried to take a bite. The noodles slipped, splashing broth onto his sleeves.

"Here," Emily whispered, moving closer. She guided his hand gently, helping him eat.

The boy chewed slowly, swallowing with a wince. "It’s… warm."

"Yeah… it is." She let out a small laugh, but it sounded more like a sob. "You used to love ramen… you always said it was your comfort food."

He looked at her, lost. "I… did?"

Emily wiped her face quickly. "Forget it…"

They fell into silence again, the sound of the city barely audible from the streets below. Emily glanced around the small space — the old couch, the cracked coffee table, the photos of her family gathering dust. Everything felt wrong… like she’d stepped into someone else’s life.

"I’ll get you some clothes," she said, standing abruptly. "You can’t sleep like that… your mask… it’s too…"

"Ugly?" he finished softly.

"No!" she snapped. "I just… it looks like it hurts."

He didn’t reply, but his shoulders relaxed a little.

Emily returned with an old hoodie — her brother’s — something baggy enough to hide most of his face.

"Here…"

The boy stared at it like it was a foreign object. Slowly, he stood and moved to the bathroom. The door creaked closed, leaving Emily staring at the floor, her fists clenched.

Minutes later, the door creaked open again.

Emily turned — and her breath caught.

The boy stood there in the hoodie, the hood pulled low over his cracked mask, but his eyes… those same dark brown eyes peeked out. For a second, she could almost believe Aiden had come home.

"You… look better," she whispered.

The boy fidgeted awkwardly, unsure what to do with his hands. "Thank you… Emily."

That broke something in her. She sniffled and forced herself to smile. "You can stay here… until… until we figure things out."

The boy sat down slowly. "Do you hate me?"

Emily froze. "What?"

"You… look at me like I’m a ghost. Do you… hate that I’m here? That I’m not him?"

Her breath caught. "No… don’t ever… don’t say that."

"But I’m not him," the boy whispered. "I’m just… what’s left."

Emily bit her lip hard, tasting blood. "You’re Aiden… even if you don’t remember."

Silence stretched between them.

Then… he whispered, "I’m scared."

Emily’s heart shattered. "Me too."

Without thinking, she crawled over and rested her head on his shoulder. "Just… stay. Okay? Just… don’t disappear too."

The boy sat stiffly, but then — slowly — he rested his head against hers. "Okay."

They stayed like that… until sleep claimed them both.

Somewhere deep in the night, the temperature dropped.

The lights flickered — the shadows stretched unnaturally.

The boy’s eyes snapped open. His breath caught. He felt it — something… someone was coming.

A crack formed in the air across the room — like the world itself was tearing apart.

Emily stirred. "W-What…?" she mumbled.

From the crack… a figure emerged.

Tall, composed, and terrifying in his calmness. A steel gray mask covered his entire face, except for one cold, calculating eye. There was no emotion there. No soul.

The boy stood quickly, shielding Emily. "Who… are you…?"

The new figure stared silently. "You… I felt your awakening. It’s begun."

Emily sat up fully, eyes wide. "W-Wait… another one…?"

The cold figure turned his gaze toward her. "Emily Hayashi. Target for protection."

"T-Target…?" she whispered.

"I don’t know why. I don’t feel fear. I don’t feel love. I only feel this… duty." His voice was flat — like a machine.

Emily’s hands trembled. "What… are you?"

The first boy — the Broken Aiden — spoke softly. "He’s me."

The cold version nodded once. "A fragment. Another piece."

Emily shook her head. "How many of you are there…?"

"I don’t know," the gray-masked Aiden replied. "But we’re all waking up. One by one."

The room felt suffocating, the weight of what was happening crashing down.

"I just… I want Aiden back," Emily choked out.

The cold Aiden paused — something flickering in his lone visible eye. "The one you love… is gone. But us… we remain."

The Broken Aiden clenched his fists. "Then… what do we do?"

The cold one turned toward the window, staring into the night. "We wait. Something… is coming. I don’t know what. But it’s coming for her."

Emily felt her blood run cold.

The city lights outside flickered — just for a moment.

And somewhere, far away… something laughed.

The real nightmare… was only beginning.