Time, the relentless force that governs all things, seemed to have chosen to stop for the girl. The world rushed by in a blur of motion.

At that moment, every heartbeat and every breath felt extended, as if the world had given her a punishment.

In that frozen instant, a torrent of emotions—disbelief, shock, despair, and rage—flooded her.

The girl came to her senses at the sight of Zain stumbling. Without a second thought, she moved to catch him before he hit the ground.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she beheld his weakened state.

"Why, why, why?" 

She muttered that one phrase, her mind reeling with conflicting emotions. She couldn't understand why he had chosen to save her.

Despite everything that had happened in their relationship, a surge of guilt overwhelmed her as she held him close.

She turned her gaze towards the other four girls. Instead of hatred, she found relief and sadness in their eyes. All of this happened in only a few seconds.

“TRAITOR.”

Before she could utter a word, the sudden screams pierced the air. It signaled a renewed wave of attacks from humans.

They launched a vicious attack on the four girls. However, they fought back, protecting the girl and Zain.

Realizing the imminent danger, the girl raised her voice.

"Stop fighting and just kill me. It's the only way for you to survive."

However, her words fell on deaf ears; the other girls were determined to stand their ground and fight until the end.

“T…they won't listen to you.” 

Zain said with a smirk, even though he struggled to utter each word. The girl locked eyes with Zain.

"What do you mean? No, no. Don't say a word."

“Just like you didn't listen to us at that time.”

Hearing Zain's words, the girl became silent. Her sense of guilt tackled her. She bit her lip and said, 

“I have done something wrong to you—”

“Aaargh.”

The girl's words were abruptly halted by a sudden scream. She immediately looked and saw Yuriya had lost one of her hands, with the other three girls protecting her.

A surge of rage overtook the girl. She gently laid Zain beside the altar and stepped forward to face the onslaught of every attacker.

The humans couldn't even tell when their lives ended because of the girl's swift movements.

The scene looked like God's wrath had descended upon the earth in a frenzy of carnage as the girl massacred those humans who had come here to kill her.

Each of her strikes was a testament to her strength. In a matter of seconds, the girl stood upon thousands of human bodies, her clothes drenched in blood.

The four girls witnessed the brutal scene as the girl ended the lives of the other humans.

The smell of blood was so strong that they were afraid it was only a matter of time before the monsters came here for their food.

As the four girls turned their gaze toward the girl, she had already rushed to Zain's side.

“Zain, wait a second, I'll heal..." 

Her words trailed off as she realized Zain wasn't breathing. 

“Z... Zain… Zain!!”

She called his name in an attempt to rouse him, but he remained motionless; there was no sign of life. 

Tears streamed down her cheeks, but no sound came out of her mouth. Yet, her sobs echoed through the chamber. 

The depth of her grief and despair seemed to pierce the very walls of the temple. 

With each trembling breath, her cries resonated with a raw intensity. Hugging Zain's lifeless form, she wept inconsolably.

"I didn't leave you guys for this. You shouldn't have betrayed those humans." 

The other girls were also crying, but they weren't blaming her.

Suddenly, the ground began to vibrate. It jolted the girl back to reality. She realized a group of monsters was marching to the temple to eat the dead.

It horrified the girl. In a panic, she looked at the other girls who were still there with her in the temple.

                         ************

{Time slipped away as the monsters closed in on the temple. They were drawn by the scent of blood.} 

{Yet, without going after the dead, they marched towards life.}

“Stop this.”

{The girl shouted those girls' names in despair. She couldn't do anything while the group of monsters was tearing them apart.}

{Their cries of agony shattered every piece of her soul. The girl…}

“STOOOOOP. STOP THIS. I DON'T WANT TO LISTEN TO IT ANYMORE. STOOOOP, STOP, stop.”

How many hours have passed? 

As soon as I came here, I saw shadows aggressively looming around. I have seen them like this before; however, today they feel kind of unsettling.

As I looked away, the shadows crept in and caught me. The shadows twisted and contorted, some taking the form of hands and reaching out to choke me.

A few shadows dragged me somewhere. Every hand felt like countless needles piercing my very skin. Their touch was icy and merciless.

It had been a few days since I had felt their torment to this extent. Each moment, the pain stretched into an eternity.

At one point, one shadow began to shift and took the form of a human.

My heart clenched in terror. I assumed it would take the shape of my mom once again. I desperately pleaded, anything but her.

However, to my surprise, the shadow took the form of someone else.

The figure didn't have a face, only a pair of golden eyes. They glinted with an otherworldly light.

I looked at the shadowy figure and tried to recognize it.

As the figure came before me, I let go of the thought of remembering. It was going to torture me anyway.

However, to my surprise, the form took all the hands from my throat and looked into my eyes.

It began to speak. Even though it didn't have any mouth, its voice echoed through the void of my dream.

I was prepared for anything it would tell me. However, it was using my siblings in its story to torture me.

“Please use your previous method to torture me. But stop using my siblings.”

I can't count how many times it has told me the same story. Each time, my heart shattered into thousands of pieces.

“Let me wake up from here.”

{The world has been…}

“Let me go.”

{Thousands of humans…}

“Please stop it.”

As soon as I said it, the voice stopped. Were they finally stopping it? Yet, I became confused when I looked at the shadowy figure.

They were looking somewhere. When I tried to look in that direction, those shadowy hands grabbed my face and didn't let me move.

After some time, the shadowy figure looked at me again. However, tears were flowing down from their eyes.

I was feeling confused. 

Was it because the shadowy figure was crying? Or because the hands didn't let me see what's there? Or because this place and the shadows became aggressive again?

No, it's not because of those things. The tears that flow down from their eyes feel like mine. The pain those golden eyes show—I feel as if it is mine.

{Please stop everything.}

After saying that they blend into the shadows.

“Bian, can you hear me?”

Everything is blurred. Just a second ago, I was seeing everything perfectly.

“Bian…”

Now that I think about it, I can see faint light. Did I become completely mad that I'm seeing light in here?

“Sis, can you see me?”

All of my thoughts halted when I heard this voice. I felt a sense of déjà vu as if the shadows once again started to repeat the story or were playing with my mind.

"Stop it.”

I tried to say it, but my voice wasn't coming out.

“Sis.”

Yet, the same voice called out to me once more. My confusion deepened, a sense of being astray clouding my thoughts.

Where am I, and why does this feel so vivid?

My vision started to flicker back into focus.

“Sis, are you alright?”

Tears welled up in my eyes as the voice echoed through my ears again. I cried out in anguish, but no sound escaped my lips.

Suddenly, a gentle touch wiped away my tears. Yet, my tears aren't stopping. Zain was standing before me. 

In my dream, that shadowy figure is merging my reality with their story. It has weakened my mind to believe everything that has been said.

That's why I desperately prayed for him to be unharmed and healthy. I wanted to see Zain to assure myself that those things weren't the reality.

I never want to see Zain in that state, even in my dream.

Zain is talking to someone with a sense of urgency and concern.

“Auntie, sis might be in pain.”

Zain's voice seemed to cut through the haze of confusion that enveloped me. With a sudden clarity, I realized where I truly was.

“Don't worry. She is just confused.”

I looked to the side where the sound came from. Auntie Olivia looked concerned as she checked on me.

Why is she looking at me like that? No, not just her; everyone looked worried and tense.

I tried to get up, but I can't move a muscle.

“It was bound to happen. She woke up after five months, after all.”

My eyes widened with shock when I learned I had been in a coma again.