The hallway buzzed with noise—students passing by in clusters, laughter echoing off the walls, footsteps blending into a constant rhythm.
Zi walked alongside Don, hands tucked casually into his pockets, his bag hanging from one shoulder.
Don glanced at him, raising a brow.
"Did you finish the assignment in Networking?"
Zi let out a short breath and shook his head.
"Not yet. I'm stuck."
Don smirked. "Stuck… or procrastinating?"
Zi shot him a look. "I'm serious. The design's messing me up. I can't get the structure right."
Don tilted his head slightly. "Which part? The topology?"
"Yeah," Zi replied, running a hand through his hair. "I keep reworking it, but it still feels off. Either it's too complicated or it doesn't meet the requirements."
Don nodded, now a bit more interested.
"You probably overthinking it. Sir literally said keep it simple—just make sure the connections are efficient and scalable."
Zi sighed. "That's the problem. 'Simple' for him isn't simple for me."
Don chuckled. "Fair enough."
They slowed down a bit as a group of students passed in front of them.
Don continued, "What design are you going for anyway? Star? Hybrid?"
"Hybrid," Zi answered. "I tried mixing star and mesh for redundancy, but it ended up looking like a mess."
Don laughed. "Bro, you're designing a network, not a battlefield."
That word.
Battlefield.
For a split second, Zi's expression froze.
Images flashed in his mind—blood-stained ground, countless bodies, a sky filled with light.
His steps slowed.
"Yo… Zi?"
Don's voice pulled him back.
Zi blinked and forced a small smile.
"Yeah… yeah. I'm good."
Don narrowed his eyes slightly but didn't push it.
"Anyway, just show me later. I'll help you fix it."
Zi nodded. "Thanks. I might actually need that."
Don grinned. "Of course you do."
They continued walking down the hallway, blending back into the flow of students.
But deep inside, Zi couldn't shake the feeling…
That one word wasn't just a joke.
It meant something.
The hallway remained crowded, voices overlapping as students moved from class to class.
Zi walked beside Dan, casually talking—but his attention wasn't fully on where he was going. His head was slightly turned toward Dan, eyes focused on him instead of the path ahead.
"So I told him the design wasn't the issue," Zi said, half-smirking. "It's the instructions that don't make sense."
Dan chuckled. "You just don't like being told what to—"
Thud.
Zi suddenly collided with someone.
A girl stumbled back slightly as her books slipped from her arms, scattering across the floor.
"Oh—!" Zi immediately bent down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to do that."
He quickly started picking up the books, slightly flustered.
The girl knelt down as well, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.
"It's okay," she said softly. "Don't worry about it."
Their hands briefly reached for the same book.
Zi paused for a second, then handed it to her.
"Here."
"Thanks."
As Zi gathered the last book and handed it over, the girl finally looked up at him properly.
And then—
Everything changed.
Her expression froze.
Her eyes widened slightly, as if something deep inside her had been pulled to the surface.
The noise of the hallway seemed to fade.
The movement around them slowed… voices becoming distant, almost muted.
Her gaze locked onto Zi's face.
Not confused.
Not curious.
But… recognizing.
Her lips parted slowly.
"Lage…"
The word slipped out of her mouth—soft, breath-like… yet filled with shock.
Zi froze.
His hand stopped mid-motion.
His chest tightened.
That word—
It hit something deep inside him.
Something buried.
His expression shifted instantly. The casual, relaxed look disappeared, replaced by something serious… almost tense.
He slowly stood up, eyes fixed on her.
"What did you just say?" he asked, his voice low—slightly trembling.
Fragments flickered in his mind.
A battlefield.
A voice.
A name.
The girl blinked rapidly, as if snapping out of something.
"Ah… I—" She looked confused, her brows knitting together. "What…?"
She shook her head slightly, pressing her fingers to her temple.
"What did I just say…?"
Zi stepped a little closer, his gaze unwavering.
"You just said something," he insisted. "Say it again."
The girl hesitated, clearly unsettled.
"I… I don't know," she admitted. "It just… came out."
She let out a small, awkward laugh, trying to brush it off—but her eyes still held confusion.
"That was weird… sorry."
There was a brief silence between them.
Then, as if remembering something important, she straightened slightly and gave a small, polite smile.
"Uh—anyway… I'm Gly," she said. "Gly Aragon."
Zi didn't respond immediately.
He just stared at her.
Because that word…
"Lage."
It didn't feel random.
It felt…
familiar.
Zi and Don walked side by side again, the noise of the hallway slowly fading behind them as they made their way toward the exit.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.
Then Don finally broke the silence.
"That was… weird," he said, glancing at Zi.
Zi let out a quiet breath, his brows slightly furrowed.
"Yeah… it was."
Don looked back ahead, hands in his pockets.
"Do you know her?"
Zi shook his head slowly.
"No. I've never seen her before."
"Then what was that?" Don pressed. "She looked like she knew you or something."
Zi hesitated.
That word echoed again in his mind.
Lage.
"I don't know," Zi admitted quietly. "But… it didn't feel random."
Don raised a brow. "What do you mean?"
Zi stared ahead, his expression turning more serious.
"It felt like… she remembered something."
Don let out a small laugh, trying to lighten the mood.
"Bro, now you're making it sound creepy."
Zi didn't respond.
Because deep down—
It already felt creepy.
They finally reached the exit of the building.
Sunlight poured in from outside, bright and warm, a stark contrast to the strange tension building inside Zi's chest.
As they stepped out into the open campus—
Zi's eyes shifted.
And then…
They stopped.
A group of girls stood a short distance away, talking and laughing casually.
But one of them—
Caught his attention instantly.
He didn't know why.
He didn't understand how.
But something about her…
Pulled him.
As if his entire being was drawn toward her presence.
At that exact moment—
The girl turned around.
And looked directly at him.
Their eyes met.
And everything—
Stopped.
The sound of the world faded.
The movement around them slowed to nothing.
Zi's vision began to dim at the edges, darkness slowly creeping inward.
His heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears.
The girl's expression changed.
Her eyes widened in shock—
Then panic.
Suddenly, she started running toward him.
Fast.
Desperate.
Her mouth moved as she shouted something—
But Zi couldn't hear it.
The sound wouldn't reach him.
Everything was muted.
Distorted.
His vision darkened further.
Her figure blurred—
Yet he could still see her getting closer.
Reaching out.
Calling to him.
Then—
Darkness.
Thunder roared.
Loud.
Violent.
The sky cracked open as if reality itself had split apart.
The world—
Changed.
Dark clouds swallowed the sky, turning day into night within moments.
Winds howled unnaturally, tearing through cities and fields alike.
Lightning struck without pattern—rapid, chaotic, relentless.
The ground trembled.
Rivers surged.
The ocean roared as if awakened by something unseen.
Across the world, strange lights appeared—
Floating.
Flickering.
Some hovered in the sky.
Others pulsed on the ground.
Colors that didn't belong to nature.
Glowing.
Watching.
Everything felt—
Wrong.
Not a storm.
Not a disaster.
But something far beyond human understanding.
Chaos unfolded without reason.
Without warning.
As if the world itself was reacting…
To something that had just awakened.
Silence.
A faint beeping sound echoed.
Slow.
Steady.
Zi's eyes fluttered open.
White.
The ceiling above him was white.
The smell of antiseptic filled the air.
A hospital.
His vision was blurry at first, slowly clearing.
And then—
He noticed someone beside him.
A girl.
Sitting quietly.
Watching over him.
It was her.
The same girl.
The one he saw before everything went dark.
She was gently adjusting something near him, her movements careful… almost worried.
Zi's lips parted slightly.
His voice came out weak.
Shaking.
"K… Kira…"
The name slipped out naturally.
As if it belonged to her.
As if he had always known it.
The girl froze.
Her eyes widened.
But before anything else could happen—
Zi's vision collapsed again.
Darkness took him.
Time passed.
When Zi opened his eyes again—
Everything felt… normal.
Too normal.
The sky outside the window was clear and blue.
Sunlight streamed into the room peacefully.
The chaos—
Gone.
Completely gone.
He slowly turned his head.
And this time—
The girl was gone.
Instead, his parents sat beside him.
His mother leaned forward immediately, relief flooding her face.
"Zi… you're awake," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
His father stood beside her, arms crossed but visibly tense.
"You gave us quite a scare."
Zi blinked slowly, trying to process everything.
His throat felt dry.
"What… happened?" he asked weakly.
His parents exchanged glances.
"You collapsed outside your school," his father explained. "They said you suddenly fainted."
His mother nodded.
"There was panic everywhere… people didn't know what was going on."
Zi frowned slightly.
"Panic…?"
His father reached for the remote and turned the TV slightly toward him.
News reports filled the screen.
Footage of dark skies.
Violent lightning.
People running.
Buildings damaged.
Reporters speaking urgently.
"Earlier today, unexplained global phenomena caused widespread disruption—"
"Experts are still unable to determine the cause of the sudden atmospheric disturbances—"
"Strange lights were seen across multiple regions—"
Zi stared at the screen.
His chest tightened.
That wasn't just a dream.
"Do you remember anything?" his mother asked softly, holding his hand.
Zi stayed silent for a moment.
Then slowly shook his head.
"I… don't know," he said.
And it wasn't entirely a lie.
Because what he did remember…
Didn't feel like something he could explain.
The battlefield.
The voices.
The girl.
"Kira…"
And that feeling—
That something had begun.
Something far bigger than him.
The room had grown quiet.
The steady beeping of the monitor was the only sound that remained as Zi sat alone on the hospital bed. The sunlight had softened, casting a calm glow through the window—but it didn't reach him.
His parents had stepped out for a while.
For the first time since waking up—
He was alone with his thoughts.
Zi leaned back slightly, staring at the ceiling.
Everything that happened felt distant… yet too real to ignore.
The hallway.
The girl.
The word she said.
The moment outside.
The sky breaking apart.
And her—
**Kira.**
His brows tightened.
"What… was that…?" he murmured under his breath.
He raised a hand to his face, pressing his fingers lightly against his forehead as if forcing himself to remember.
"Think…"
His breathing slowed.
His eyes gradually closed.
And then—
Fragments returned.
Darkness.
Not empty—
But deep.
Endless.
A void that seemed to stretch beyond existence itself.
And within it—
He saw himself.
Standing.
No—
Not just standing.
Holding someone.
A girl.
Dressed in pure white.
Her long hair flowed weightlessly, as if gravity had no hold in that place.
A princess.
Radiant.
Familiar.
His arms were wrapped tightly around her, as if trying to protect her from something unseen.
"No…!"
His voice echoed.
Desperate.
Broken.
The space around them twisted.
Something invisible… yet powerful—
Pulled at her.
The void.
It wasn't just darkness.
It was **taking her.**
Slowly.
Relentlessly.
Her body began to drift away from him, as if reality itself was rejecting her presence.
"No… don't—!"
He tightened his grip.
But it wasn't enough.
A force beyond him.
Beyond anything human.
Magic.
Ancient.
Overwhelming.
It pulled her harder.
Her hand slipped from his grasp—
Finger by finger.
His eyes widened in terror.
"Please…! Don't take her!"
His voice cracked.
But the void didn't listen.
It never did.
The last thing he saw—
Was her reaching out to him.
Her lips moving.
Saying something—
But no sound came.
And then—
She was gone.
Consumed by the darkness.
Leaving him alone.
Zi's eyes snapped open.
A sharp breath escaped his lungs.
Tears had already formed—falling silently down the sides of his face.
His chest tightened painfully.
As if the memory wasn't just something he saw—
But something he **lost.**
His hand trembled slightly as he brought it to his face, wiping at the tears—but more kept coming.
"Why…" he whispered.
His voice broke.
Slowly…
Softly…
He said the name again.
"Kira…"
This time—
It wasn't confusion.
It was grief.
Raw.
Unfamiliar—
Yet deeply rooted inside him.
And as the tears continued to fall—
The door to the room creaked open.
Zi didn't notice at first.
His head was lowered, shoulders slightly shaking.
Footsteps.
Soft.
Careful.
Approaching.
Then—
He felt it.
A presence.
He looked up.
And froze.
Standing there—
Was her.
The same girl.
The one from before everything went dark.
The one who stayed beside him when he first woke up.
The one he called—
Kira.
She stood quietly near the door, her expression uncertain… yet drawn to him.
Their eyes met.
And in that moment—
Something clicked.
Not in his mind.
But in his soul.
Zi didn't think.
He didn't hesitate.
He suddenly pushed himself up from the hospital bed, ignoring the slight pain and the pull of the IV attached to his arm.
"Zi—!" the girl started, surprised.
But before she could react—
He closed the distance.
And pulled her into a tight embrace.
His arms wrapped around her firmly, almost desperately.
As if letting go meant losing her again.
His grip trembled.
His breathing uneven.
The girl stiffened at first, caught off guard.
"Wait—what are you—"
But then she stopped.
Because she could feel it.
His hands weren't just holding her.
They were **afraid.**
Afraid to let go.
Zi buried his face against her shoulder, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I… I found you…"
The girl's eyes widened slightly.
Her heart began to beat faster.
Because somehow—
Those words…
Felt real.
Felt heavy.
Felt like they carried a meaning neither of them fully understood.
Her hands slowly lifted.
Hesitant at first—
Then gently resting against his back.
Not pushing him away.
Not questioning it.
Just… accepting it.
The room fell silent once more.
But this silence—
Was different.
It wasn't empty.
It was filled with something unspoken.
Something awakening.
Something that had crossed time…
Dreams…
And perhaps even worlds.