Chapter 8
The air felt heavier than before.
Naiiyraa stood still, her fingers clenched tightly, her eyes fixed on the photograph in Nehan's hand.
Zubii's smile.
Lerah's younger self beside her.
A past she could never escape.
"I asked you a question," Nehan said quietly.
"Have you seen her?"
Naiiyraa forced her voice to remain steady.
"…No."
The lie came out softly.
Almost convincing.
Almost.
Nehan studied her face in silence.
Then—
"Strange."
His voice remained calm.
"But your eyes said otherwise."
Naiiyraa's breath caught.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Don't you?" he replied.
A pause.
Then he stepped closer.
Close enough that she could feel the weight of his presence.
"For three years," Nehan said slowly, "I've been searching for someone who disappeared without a trace."
His eyes didn't leave hers.
"No records. No connections. Nothing."
A faint, bitter smile appeared.
"Almost as if she never existed."
Naiiyraa looked away.
But Nehan didn't let the moment go.
"Tell me," he continued, his voice lower now, "why does my sister take interest in you?"
Silence.
"I… don't know," Naiiyraa replied.
"She approached me. That's all."
Nehan watched her carefully.
As if measuring every word.
Every hesitation.
From a distance—
Genya's gaze sharpened.
"…Say nothing," she murmured under her breath.
Back on the stage—
Nehan slipped the photograph back into his coat.
Then he said something unexpected.
"She was innocent."
Naiiyraa froze.
"Zubii believed that," he continued.
"Even until the end."
His voice didn't break.
But something inside it… shifted.
"Tell me," he said quietly, "why would someone like her protect a person who destroyed everything?"
The question hit harder than any accusation.
Naiiyraa's hands trembled.
Her mind screamed at her to stay silent.
To protect the truth.
To protect Zubii's sacrifice.
But her heart—
It couldn't stay quiet.
"She didn't destroy anything."
The words slipped out.
Barely a whisper.
But loud enough.
Nehan's eyes sharpened instantly.
"…What did you say?"
Naiiyraa realized too late.
She had stepped too far.
Silence swallowed the space between them.
Then slowly—
She lifted her gaze.
This time, she didn't look away.
"You want the truth?" she said, her voice shaking—but firm.
"Then listen."
For the first time—
The mask began to crack.
"She didn't throw that acid."
The words fell into the silence like something irreversible.
Nehan didn't react immediately.
But his expression changed.
Just slightly.
Just enough.
"…Then who did?" he asked.
Naiiyraa hesitated.
Zubii's voice echoed in her memory—
Protect the truth.
Even if the world turns against you.
Her lips parted.
But before she could speak—
"Stop."
A voice cut through the air.
Both of them turned.
Genya stood at the edge of the stage.
Her expression serious.
For once—no sarcasm. No attitude.
Just warning.
"…This isn't the place," Genya said.
Her eyes met Naiiyraa's.
Then shifted to Nehan.
"There are things you're not ready to hear yet."
Nehan's gaze darkened.
"Since when do you decide that for me?"
Genya didn't respond immediately.
Then—
"Since the truth you're chasing… isn't as simple as you think."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncertain.
For the first time—
Doubt entered Nehan's eyes.
And for the first time—
The story began to change.
End of Chapter 8