Several hours later, the sky had sunk into a deep blue-black. When Luca stirred, the world had not changed. He was still here, still trapped. 

Above him, the bridge’s half-collapsed ceiling loomed, no longer a fleeting image from a dream, but a reality he could not escape.

He was really dead…

Luca thought bitterly. 

Bullets had torn through his heart and lungs, no one could survive that. He could still feel it, the faltering heartbeat, the ragged breaths, until everything faded into nothing.

He clenched his fists, then pushed himself upright, slow and deliberate, until his back found the wall.

From their surroundings and the state they were in, it seemed they lived in poverty. Luca’s eyes dropped to his leg, bound and useless, then to the small, unfamiliar shape of his own hand.

This body... It wasn't his. Was he a ghost?

What was he supposed to do now?

What's the point of waking up?

Maybe… it would be better if he didn't…

Questions lingered, heavy and unspoken, one of them was dangerous. Then a voice shattered the silence.

"Lu!"

"Yes…?" he replied.

Evelyn emerged from the darkness, clutching a bundle of cloth to her chest. Her gaze locked onto him, trembling with worry, as if afraid that looking away might make him disappear.

“…Lu, are you hungry?” She held the bread out with both hands, her fingers tightening around the cloth. "Eat it, okay?"

He blinked, staring at the small offering. 

The darkness hadn’t left him, not fully. It lingered at the edges of his thoughts like a shadow. And in that moment, he made a choice.

To tell her the truth.

"…Evelyn… I don't think I'm your real brother." Luca lowered his head. 

When she heard it, she froze, bread still resting in her hand.

The silence that followed wasn’t awkward or uncertain, it was the kind that settled after devastation.

"What…? Of course, you're my brother."

Luca shook his head softly. 

"I look like him. I sound like him… but I'm not."

His voice was almost a whisper. "I think your brother's gone… and somehow, I ended up in his body."

"No," She said quickly. 

"You're my brother. You just… lost some memories." Her voice cracked slightly. 

"Evelyn… listen to me." Luca's voice was quiet, but firm.

"When I woke up… I didn't even know your name. I don't think I act like him either. Doesn't it feel different?"

She shook her head hard and covered her ears with trembling hands, eyes squeezed shut as if she could block out the words.

"No. No, no!" she cried, her voice trembled under the weight of it. "Please, stop saying that!"

"I'm just saying you have the right to leave me," Luca murmured. "Or even… if you want, you can kill—"

Slap!

The sound cracked through the air. His cheek burned, the sting blooming fast. Her hand lingered midair, trembling.

"Don't ever say that again!" she shouted, voice cracking. "Why would you want to leave your sister all alone in this world?!"

Her tears fell freely, lips trembling as she stared at him, each word barely holding together.

"Mom's already gone… and now you want to leave me too? What am I supposed to do? Should I just die with you?"

Her voice cracked, then she crumpled into him, burying her face against his chest, gripping his shirt like it was the only anchor holding her together.

She crumbled before his eyes, tears bursting out like a flood. And Luca saw it then, it wasn’t only his confession that wrecked her. It was the truth, festering and patient, waiting for this moment to finally break her.

Luca didn't respond. He stared at her, lips parted, but no words came, only silence.

"Just… eat, okay? Please…"

Her smile trembled beneath the weight of her tears. Still, she held out the bread with quivering hands. And Luca couldn’t look away from how much pain she wore just to keep standing.

Her mind was unstable… Most likely from losing her brother.

His chest tightened as he watched Evelyn force a trembling smile through her tears. She had suffered enough, and Luca knew, telling her the truth only deepened the wound.

Guilt twisted in his gut. No matter how he justified it, he had stolen her brother’s body. And in return, left her with nothing but confusion… and grief.

For now, all he could offer was a quiet promise to do his best to help her.

He reached out slowly as he took the bread from her shaking hands.

"... Alright, sister."

She gave a small nod and managed a smile, trembling at the edges, barely holding together.

Luca studied her face in silence, streaked with tears, drawn with exhaustion. She looked far too young to be burdened by grief that deep. Her eyes met his, blinking slowly through a blur of tears.

"What?..."

"... Nothing," He said softly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Your face is pretty funny"

“Dummy.” A faint laugh slipped out.

Afterwards, they sat in silence while he ate the dry bread. It was coarse and stale, but enough to ease the gnawing emptiness in his stomach. She passed him a cup of water next. He drank slowly, the coolness grounding him.

And that was when he noticed.

"Sister... you're not eating?"

"I already ate… earlier," she said, offering a small smile.

The faint shrug, the way her gaze dropped back to the empty cloth where the bread had been, it all spoke louder than any words.

That single piece he'd eaten... it was all they had.

The realization hit with quiet weight, tightening something in his chest..

He kept quiet and merely nodded.

"...Sister, can you tell me how old I am?" Luca asked.

"Hm… you're fourteen and I'm sixteen. That means I'm older, right?" She smiles gently, her voice soft but filled with quiet pride. “So listen, okay?”

"…I see," Luca replied calmly.

He was fourteen. It explained his youthful figure.

Outside, the sky darkened, the last hues of day bleeding into night. A soft wind slipped through the cracks, brushing cold fingers against their skin. And there was only the thin, worn cloth beneath them, threadbare and tired, like everything else they had left.

"It's getting late… we should try to get some sleep," she said softly, her eyes flicking toward the darkening sky.

"Understood, Sister."

Luca sank into the uneven bedding, rough against his back but bearable.

Moments later, she quietly moved closer, lying down beside him. Her warmth was sudden and unfamiliar. 

He blinked for a second, heart caught off guard.

"Sister, don't you have your own bed?" he murmured.

She snuggled closer, then paused and asked sadly, "... You don't want to sleep beside me?"

"It's not that..." Luca said, unsure how to answer.

"We only have one bed. But… It's warm enough like this, isn't that okay?" she asked softly.

"...Understood"

It was strange at first, lying so close. He could hear her gentle breaths, feel her quiet warmth beside him. But slowly, he began to settle into it.

"Tomorrow we are leaving. This place… It's not safe anymore." Evelyn said.

"... Where will we go?"

"To another bridge. I know a safer place. It's not far."

"Alright."

"Mm... That's why we need to sleep early. We have to move tomorrow," she murmured.

The quiet stretched between them. Then, after a while, she spoke again, soft and sleepy.

"Sleep well… Lu."

"... Good night, Sister" 

Moments later, Evelyn’s breathing settled into a gentle rhythm, her forehead resting lightly against his shoulder.

Beside them, the river murmured on, its surface catching faint scraps of dim light.

A slow breeze stirred the reeds, setting them whispering in hushed voices.

The air smelled faintly of wet stone and moss, clean, fresh, and calming.

Luca closed his eyes for a moment, letting the stillness wrap around him like a blanket.

For a heartbeat, everything was still.

The river hummed like a lullaby, and the breeze cooled the warmth behind his eyes.

It almost felt safe.

And then something shifted, subtle and heavier.

Luca could feel it, something was wrong. Not just with him… but with the world itself.

He opened his eyes slowly. And the light had changed, it bending at the edges, as if the law was no longer quite aligned.

Crimson bled across the stones silently, casting their small shelter in a dreamlike dread. 

The world held its breath, not in peace, but in strange silence.

He blinked twice, as if trying to wipe it from his vision.

What… was that? Why is the moon glowing red like blood?

… Is that normal in this world?

Luca stared at it, uncertain. 

The stillness felt wrong, like something had just begun breathing… but made no sound. Above, the sky pulsed with a silent red glow.

And his mind wouldn’t stop thinking. Questions swarmed like gnats in the dark, restless and uncatchable.

How did he end up here? 

The thought made him glance at the moon again.

Was it a god?  

A mistake? If so, whose?

He shifted just a little, gaze settling on Evelyn as she slept quietly beside him, her breathing slow and even.

The red light spilled across her face, but she didn’t stir. She breathed gently, peacefully. As if this world, strange and broken as it was, still felt like home to her.

Luca’s gaze lingered on the crimson moon. It hung there, swollen and unnatural, its glow painting the ruins in colors that didn’t belong. And the air felt heavier, though no wind stirred.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that somewhere, beyond sight, something was awake and watching.

Sleep didn’t come.