“Ethan!”

I attempted to talk about Ethan's changing eye color. 

But before I could utter a word, his eyes welled up with tears once more.

Witnessing this, my eyebrows twisted, frustration welling up within me, and I began scolding him, 

"If you cry once more, I'll leave you here."

However, my words seemed to backfire.

Ethan didn't shed more tears but instead started to hiccup.

I inhaled deeply and began patting his back until he calmed down.

"What happened? Why were you crying like that?” 

I questioned after Ethan had regained a bit of composure.

Ethan glanced downward, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. 

The pause that followed stretched into moments of silence before he spoke.

“I don't know. You were unconscious for a while. I tried to wake you up, but you didn't move an inch. So…”

“So you just started crying?” 

Ethan's ears flushed red this time. Seeing this, I let out a sigh, a mixture of exasperation and relief.

I wonder if that dream was triggered because Ethan was actually crying in reality.

At least he didn't cry like he did in that dream—the way Aethaneil had wept.

Just the memory of it feels like a dagger piercing my heart.

But that dream was quite unusual.

It's not like all those fragments I always saw; it's as if I were there and experienced those moments.

“But who is Abel?" 

The mere thought of that name shattered me. I raised my hand and clutched my chest.

After a few moments had passed, I stood up, gazed at Ethan, and said, 

“Let's go. We need to go now."

"Where are we going?"

"What do you mean 'where'? To school…”

I stopped midway because I had completely forgotten that I couldn't go to school now.

So much time had passed.

But how did Ethan know I was here?

I glanced at Ethan to ask him, but before I could say anything, he spoke.

"I was there when you were talking to Jia. And….I also don't know how I knew you would be here."

“...?”

I understood that Ethan didn't want to discuss it further, so I refrained from pushing the topic.

However, as we were about to depart from the park, I halted, hesitating for a moment before eventually asking, 

“Ethan, do you know your eye color has changed? It's blue now. When you arrived here, your eyes weren't this shade.”

Ethan, who had been preparing to leave alongside me, paused after hearing my question.

He appeared flustered and avoided my gaze.

As I saw him like that, I spoke again, 

“I'm not questioning you. I mean, my own eye color has also changed. It's just that the hue of your eyes is striking. It reminds me of the moon.”

[While I started walking without looking back, I didn't see the sad and sorrowful expression on Ethan's face.]

As both of us neared Ethan's car, Ethan asked, 

"Let's go to the amusement park."

I paused, a look of confusion crossing my face as I gazed at Ethan. 

"Out of nowhere?" 

I questioned him for an explanation.

However, Ethan's expression was full of regret. 

"I wanted to take you there, at least once." 

His voice had a hint of longing.

I felt the weight of his words. I wanted to question when we could talk about such a thing.

But seeing the sadness in his eyes, I decided to let it go.

“Let's go. I don't want to go home this early… I have lots of things in my head to clear up.”

With a bitter smile, I agreed.

***************

Pause…

Paxon abruptly halted his step.

{What happened?}

The figure walked in front of Paxon and asked.

Paxon looked at the dimly lit hallway's wall. The shadows that always loomed ominously along the walls were now falling silent.

“Something… doesn't feel right!”

The figure, however, remained silent. They followed Paxon's gaze and looked in the same direction.

Their gaze wandered around, and their expressions turned strange.

Chuckle…

Paxon left the wall and looked at the figure after hearing the sound of laughter.

Paxon discerned that the figure’s focus wasn't on the wall but rather beyond it.

After momentarily glancing at the wall, the figure shifted their gaze in front of them.

{Paxon.}

“Yes, my lord.”

{Something amusing happened again.}

“...”

{You won't understand. Even I couldn't understand it at first.}

“...”

{Something happened a long time ago.}

“...”

{Now it is just going back to its original place.}

“...”

{The bell. Well, I have been bored until now. It's good that something fun is going to happen.}

Paxon couldn't understand anything that the figure said. Yet, he didn't have the courage to question back.

His duty was to follow and obey his lord.

With the last word, the figure resumed their journey.

After a long and arduous journey, the figure and Paxon finally arrived at a colossal door before them.

Slam…

The colossal door swung open.

It was as though the door had been waiting for the figure's arrival.

Slam…

As soon as the figure and Paxon stepped inside, the door closed behind them.

Paxon came to a halt, knelt down, and bowed his head.

While the figure pressed forward until they reached the throne at the far end.

As the figure settled onto the throne, their gaze swept over the chamber and fell on the shadow that had silently trailed behind them.

{Were you talking about her the last time you came?}

“Yes, my lord.”

The figure observed the shadow from head to toe.

{Paxon, return her.}

Paxon finally looked up at the figure. He couldn't understand if something displeased his lord.

{Didn't you feel something strange when you tried to corrupt her?}

Paxon's eyes widened as he understood what his lord meant.

When he first tried to corrupt this girl, he also felt strange about how smoothly everything went.

{She was corrupt from the beginning. That's why she didn't resist you. I'm sure you knew about that.}

“But, my lord, she is the only one who can have some effect on the ‘KEY’.”

{You don't need to worry about that.}

“But–”

{ENOUGH.}

Paxon was taken aback by the sudden shout.

This is something that shouldn't happen, ever.

Yet, now he is unable to breathe because the figure puts pressure on him.

{Don't forget your place.}

When Paxon was almost out of breath, that was when the figure withdrew the pressure.

“...I apologize.”

After a moment of silence, the figure responded.

{Go back.}

With ragged breath, Paxon stood up on his feet, glanced at the shadow girl, and left the chamber.

After the chamber went silent once again, the figure leaned on the throne.

{Come out.}

A soft sound of footsteps gradually comes closer.

After a moment, a shadow came into the figure's view.

{Your body's ego is getting out of control. What should I do with it?}

Even though the figure asked a question, no answer came.

However, the figure didn't get irritated by it and looked in front of them.

{Open a crack. I want to see what my ‘KEY’ is doing.}

The shadow moved a bit further and swiftly moved its hand.

Crack…

A space rift and a crack opened.

In that crack, a girl’s projection was showing. She was happily running around.

{The ‘KEY’ seems happy.}

{...!}

The figure's eyes widened in surprise.

There was another human beside the ‘KEY’. Yet, that human was the only one who was looking right through the crack.

Chuckle…

{Interesting. It seems this ‘Human’ was the reason the bell rang.}

The figure placed a finger under their jaw, amusingly looking at the human.

{Can I even call it a ‘Human’?}