Outside, beyond Noah's dream and his strange reality, the killer was still active, and everyone was on edge—even the university had suspended classes for the second time in a row, something that had never happened before in Nova University's history.
In Sector One, in the hospital, in room 247, everyone sat around Noah. Calli and Lou Yan were the closest, seated beside him. Neriah sat near one of the walls, and Sirius stood out on the balcony, gazing up at the cloudy sky, while Livia stood by the door.
The table near Noah was full of medications, clearly showing that doctors had been injecting him with drugs to hasten his awakening. There was also a plate of peeled and neatly sliced apples, as if everyone was expecting him to wake up soon—waiting for something that might finally stir him.
The room was silent, like a funeral for a close friend. No one knew what the future held here, so their biggest worry was: What if Noah doesn't wake up? A whole day had already passed, after all.
"…When will he wake up?" Lou Yan whispered softly, nervously and with a hint of fear, reminding everyone of their situation. Their only hope was patience and prayer.
"What if…?" Calli said, unable to finish her sentence before biting her lower lip and looking away from Noah.
"…This is getting unbearable," said Livia, pushing herself off the wall and walking toward Noah's sleeping body. She had changed. She no longer waited for him to wake just to see the chaos that would follow—now, she only worried, praying that he would open his eyes.
At that moment, the door to the room opened, and everyone turned to see one of the Elders of the Council of Four—an old, tall woman with wrinkles around her eyes, nearly white-grey eyes, and curled white hair from age. She wore a pristine white hospital robe.
It was September Valen, at least in everyone's eyes.
"Finally," Livia muttered, slightly annoyed, though it wasn't hostility—she actually felt relieved.
September shut the door behind her and approached Noah's bed. The others stepped aside to give her space.
"Damn you, Noah! Making me worry like this!" September thought to herself. She wanted to clench her fists or say something, but it would seem too strange to everyone else.
She stood beside Noah's bed and placed both her index and middle fingers on a point on his forehead, between strands of his hair.
Everyone looked at her with eyes full of longing and confusion, waiting for good news. Then she removed her fingers from Noah's forehead, and some could hear her clicking her tongue in annoyance—a slip she hadn't meant to reveal.
"…Physically, the boy is fine. No internal damage," September said slowly, in the calm voice of an old woman. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
"But…" she added—immediately putting everyone on edge. "But" was never a good word, even in history.
"The boy's mental state is a bit concerning. I couldn't delve too deep, but… his consciousness isn't here. It's like he's in a dream entirely separate from reality," September said, letting her words hang in the air and settle into everyone's minds.
"Is… is his life in danger?" Lou Yan asked, clasping her hands to her chest, anxious and shaken.
"Not really… but even if he wakes up, his consciousness might be damaged—depending on what he's seeing in that dream," September warned, her tone making everyone hold their breath.
"Is there any way to help him?" Neriah asked, trying to sound calm and cool despite the storm inside him.
"…Faith and prayer will be your tools. But they're more for your comfort than a real treatment," September said quietly before turning her back to them and walking toward the door. Everyone felt a sense of despair—their situation hadn't changed. The only difference now was knowing there was nothing they could do but wait.
September left them alone, in silence, confusion, and fear.
"Only the gods know what's happening in that boy's dream… My goddess, please… let his state be more of a dream than a nightmare…"
———————
In Noah's dream—he stood on a stage, facing Lou Yan and Calli. Each of them held a set of papers containing their lines and the plot of the story—the script. The audience was empty now, though it had been full a moment ago. Time moved strangely here, but that wasn't the problem.
The problem was his ridiculous costume. It had suddenly changed again—and somehow become even more ridiculous.
He wore a long black cloak, its edges faintly burning and drifting behind him like dry smoke. His vest was made of dark, tightly wrapped fabric—like a makeshift cloth armor, roughly stitched with copper thread. Both his wrists were cuffed with broken iron shackles, still dangling with short chains that clinked softly when he moved. His pants were tight, dark, embroidered with deep red thread—resembling the garb of ancient warriors.
His face was the strangest part: pale white, messy hair, and dark circles around his eyes like someone who hadn't slept in days.
He stood there, in front of Lou Yan and Livia, wearing a ridiculous, deadpan expression, unable to believe what was happening.
"Why the hell am I dressed like this?! And why are you two in your normal clothes?!" Noah said angrily, pointing at Lou Yan and Calli.
"To help you get into character," Lou Yan said matter-of-factly, as if it was the most obvious truth.
Noah couldn't even respond. He was just frustrated. The clothes were uncomfortable and absurd—he even had the urge to punch himself.
"Don't worry, actor! You look amazing in anything," Calli said dramatically, hugging herself.
"Shut up!" At least Noah and Lou Yan were thinking the same thing.
"Let's just focus on rehearsal, or Livia might kick our butts," Lou Yan muttered nervously. The three of them froze in place, their mental gears grinding to a halt as they all imagined Livia's angry face if they messed up. They all nodded in agreement.
"This play is based on the legend of Antigone, but with a twist. After the war between her brothers, Eteocles and Polynices, and both their deaths, Antigone takes the throne instead of her uncle Oedipus. Then Polynices returns from the dead—that's me, the monster—to reclaim the throne, but is stopped by Antigone who's played by Lou Yan, and her fiancé Haemon who's played by Calli... Why the hell is Calli playing a guy?!" Noah thought nervously, gripping the script tightly.
"Antigone, you don't deserve the throne. Since my death, you've led the kingdom to ruin. I'll kill you here and conquer the Colosseum… then the world," Noah said in a flat, deadpan tone. It sounded silly and cringeworthy—but hey, it was just practice. No one would laugh, right?
"Pfft—" Lou Yan stifled a laugh, covering her mouth, and Calli was visibly struggling, her neck veins popping as she fought not to burst out laughing.
"…I want to die," Noah thought, utterly humiliated.
"What are you laughing at?! These lines are awful—who the hell wrote this?!" Noah yelled, crumpling the script and tossing it on the ground.
Both Lou Yan and Livia pointed straight at Noah, struggling not to laugh.
"You did!" Lou Yan said, smiling awkwardly, trying her best not to crack up.
"I don't want to do this anymore," Noah thought, defeated, nearly on the verge of tears before remembering he had to defend himself.
"Come on, Lou Yan, as if you could write anything better," he said, standing his ground.
"H-huh?!" Lou Yan gasped, and Calli audibly inhaled in shock.
"H-he just called me by my name…" Lou Yan said, stunned, as if Noah had just committed some kind of crime or sin.
"Yeah, that is your name. What else should I call you? A cow?" Noah said, confused, his tone light and playful.
A long, uncomfortable silence followed.
That's when Noah heard the sound of glass shattering—loud and sudden, like thunder. Then it began.
He looked up to see everything around him cracking like glass—not just what was in front of him, everything, like it was his very eyes that were shattering.
"W-what is this?!" Noah gasped. The world around him began to distort and twist, like a violent vortex. He stumbled back in shock, watching even Calli and Lou Yan twist and melt.
"W-what's happening?!" he cried, backing away—only for the floor to vanish beneath him. He looked down and saw it too was twisting and warping.
"Eek!" Noah fell, unable to feel the ground or his legs, scrambling backward.
Everything—Calli, Lou Yan, the earth, the sky—was corrupted, faces distorted like a glitching screen. Even Noah's own hands and body twisted. He could no longer crawl. He collapsed completely, like his head had detached from his body, leaving only his consciousness, falling endlessly into a void.
"What is this?! What is this?! What is this?!" Noah's mind repeated, frozen in terror, tears falling upward, as if his head were upside down.
"No… no—"
"Bethelis"
"Guesara"
Noah opened his eyes—and found himself once again on the stage, standing, Lou Yan and Calli in front of him, still stifling their laughter.
"It's you!" Lou Yan said, pointing out that he was the one who wrote the script.
Noah felt strange—his body frozen for a moment, like time stopped. Slowly, he raised his trembling hands and touched his face, then gripped his neck, as if trying to choke himself.
That's when he saw it—a screen, one he was used to seeing every day, had suddenly appeared before him:
[System Rebooted]