It was the middle of lunchtime.

Students were lying around under trees. Some were playing volleyball on the dusty field, while others were gathered by the open court—yelling, laughing, and running after the orange ball, enjoying themselves in a way only those not paying attention could do.

Sids and Epoy were sitting silently by the fence, their shadows stretched out in the sunlight.

Epoy quietly sketched in his notebook, using charcoal to capture a boy jumping for a shot. Sids leaned against the chain-link fence, staring into the distance, lost in thoughts of the past.

This should have just been another calm moment.

But then—

Click.

Flash.

Both of them flinched, looked at the direction.

Epoy’s pencil stopped moving.

Sids sat up straight, his body tense, eyes alert.

There, just beyond the court, was a boy with messy dark red hair, a camera hanging loosely around his neck, the lens still aimed at them.

Apollo.

He lowered the camera casually—as if he hadn’t just interrupted something private.

And smiled.

“Great light,” he said, as if that explained his actions.

Sids squinted. He didn’t say anything, but deep inside, he felt a surge of something. Not fear—defiance. His hand clutched instinctively as if he was ready to bring forth something he had long forgotten.

Epoy, on the other hand, just stared at him. His sketchpad slipped a bit, forgotten in his lap.

He had no reason to feel this way.

And yet—

A sense of sadness.

Deep and bitter. Like running into someone who once meant everything, only to find they shattered it all.

Apollo moved closer, putting his camera away, his eyes still on them. “You two are. . . interesting,” he remarked. “There’s a special light around you. ”

He had a hint of a smirk. Not mean, but not friendly either.

Sids stepped in front of Epoy.

“Why are you watching us? ”

Apollo shrugged. “Just capturing moments. Places. People. Stories. ”

He looked at Sids. “You seem angry. ”

Then he turned his softer gaze to Epoy.

“But you. . . you seem like you remember. ”

Epoy looked down, his jaw tense. He didn’t respond.

Not yet.

The silence lingered—too long to feel comfortable, too heavy to be a coincidence.

Sids finally spoke up. “We don’t know you. ”

Apollo tilted his head. “Maybe not at this moment. ”

Then he walked past them with a casual wave, heading to the exit gate.

Just before he vanished down the path, he looked back over his shoulder.

“I’ll see you again. ”

And just like that, he was gone.

The wind blew, rustling the leaves, brushing against them like a whisper.

Epoy sat back down, his shoulders tense. His hands shook slightly as he picked up his pencil again, but he didn’t start drawing.

Sids looked down at him. “You knew him. ”

“I think…” Epoy’s voice trembled.

“I think we both did. ”