Let's go back to the others.." Daiki began, but his words halted at the sudden voice that cut through the quiet.
"Hey."
Both Daiki and Aria stepped back slightly, turning toward the source. Diago stood a short distance away, his expression unreadable, eyes fixed on Daiki.
"Sorry if I'm interrupting something important," Diago said, his tone laced with something that hovered between sarcasm and sincerity.
Daiki glanced at Aria, then gave her a small nod.
"Go back to the others," he said gently. "I'll follow you."
Aria hesitated for a heartbeat, her gaze flicking from Diago to Daiki. Then she gave a soft nod, her fingers brushing Daiki's briefly before she stepped away. She turned toward the the door in the distance and began walking, her figure slowly disappearing into the dim light.
Diago stepped forward, his eyes not leaving Daiki. The space between them tightened.
Daiki watched Aria until she was out of sight, then turned back to face Diago fully. His expression shifted..calm, but guarded.
"What is it, Diago?" he asked quietly.
Diago stopped a few feet away, arms crossed.
"I could ask you the same thing," he replied, eyes narrowing slightly. "You think this is the time to get sentimental?"
Daiki didn't flinch.
"You saw what just happened back there. We might not get another chance."
Diago let out a dry, humorless chuckle.
"Right. So you decided now was the moment for a confession?"
Daiki's jaw tensed.
"It wasn't planned."
Silence hung between them, tense and unspoken. Then Daiki added, softer this time,
"I know how hard it's been on you… since you lost Lira."
Diago's gaze darkened. His shoulders stiffened.
"I get it," Daiki continued, voice steady. "You've been trying to carry it all. Confused. Angry. You bury yourself in the fight because it's the only thing that doesn't leave."
Diago looked away, jaw clenched. But he didn't argue.
"She's not just anyone to you, huh?" he said after a moment, his voice quieter now.
"No," Daiki said without hesitation. "She never was."
Diago glanced back at him, eyes sharp. "Then you'd better not get her killed."
Daiki's eyes flickered with something between guilt and resolve.
"I won't. Not her. Not any of them."
Diago stepped forward, voice low but edged with steel.
"You lead like someone carrying the weight of the world, Daiki. But you don't get to protect everyone by playing hero. Just remember that."
Daiki met his gaze evenly.
"I'm not playing anything. But I'll carry whatever I have to if it means they make it out of this."
A pause. Then, to Daiki's surprise, Diago's posture eased slightly..not soft, but less defensive.
"Good," Diago muttered, turning toward the path Aria had taken. "Then let's finish what we started."
Daiki stood still for a moment, watching Diago's back as he turned to walk away. Then his voice cut through the thick silence..steady, sharp.
"I know you're not here for this," Daiki said. "So just say it straight."
Diago paused mid-step. He turned slowly, frowning, eyes narrowing at Daiki with suspicion.
"You want it straight?" he said. "Fine."
He stepped closer, arms folded. His voice was calm but edged with tension.
"How did you get here, daiki ? to this world"
There was a long silence.
Daiki looked past him, toward the distant forest..like the answer lived in the shadows.
"It was night," he began slowly. "Back in my world. I went out looking for Aria. She'd gone missing. I felt she was still out there."
Diago tilted his head, confused.
"So you knew her before you got here?"
Daiki nodded, eyes distant.
"We were part of the same life. Same world. But then one night… everything shifted."
His voice lowered, like the memory still haunted him.
"I followed this trail through the woods behind my house. I'd never seen the path before, not even once in my life. But that night..it was there. Lit up by moonlight like it was waiting for me."
He paused, his jaw tightening.
"The air felt strange. Still, but humming. Like the forest itself was holding its breath."
Diago's expression darkened, listening now with focus.
"I walked for what felt like hours," Daiki continued. "And then I saw it..a clearing. There was this… shimmer in the air. Like heat waves, except cold. And at the center, a tree that didn't belong. It was tall, blackened like it had been burned, but the branches were full of glowing leaves."
Daiki's gaze grew heavy.
"I stepped toward it. There was no logic. Just instinct. And as soon as I touched it… everything collapsed."
"Collapsed?" Diago echoed.
Daiki nodded. "I woke up in the middle of a battlefield. This world. My name already known, people calling me 'the outsider.' The 'one who crossed over.' No warning. No way back."
A beat of silence passed between them.
"And the photo?" Diago asked carefully. "The one Yona and Mia found..in that old room . your shirt was just lying there on the floor ."
Daiki's eyes narrowed slightly,
"How do you know about that?"
Diago shrugged lightly, though his voice was serious.
"Yona told me. He showed it to me a few days ago. Said it didn't make sense. Like the shirt was just… left behind."
He stared past Diago, lost in the echo of that night.
"I remember..just before everything shifted.. I tried to leave something behind. I don't know how, but I wanted them to find it. A clue. A trace. Something to let them know where I was..."
His voice softened, heavy with meaning.
"My shirt must've fallen when I touched the tree. Or maybe… maybe it stayed behind on purpose."
He paused again, gaze distant, voice barely above a whisper.
"It's like this world didn't take me all at once… it peeled me away."
Daiki's brow furrowed as the memory continued unfolding.
"Then, suddenly… everything was gone. The forest. The tree. The cold air. I blinked, and I was lying in the middle of an open field. The sky looked different. The wind felt heavier. And everything was quiet... too quiet."
He drew in a breath, steady but distant.
"That's when I heard them. Voices. People I didn't recognize, calling from the edge of the field. They weren't speaking my name. They were calling me something else..'the outsider.' Over and over."
He glanced at Diago.
"I didn't understand them at first. But they looked at me like they were expecting me. Like they knew I didn't belong."
A beat passed before he added,
"That's how it began. No explanation. No guide. Just me… dropped into a world already watching me."
Diago frowned.
"So you really were pulled here. No summoning. No spell. Just.."
"Something anceint " Daiki interrupted. "Something that reached for me."
Diago looked unsettled, unsure what to say.
"And you think Aria was taken the same way?"
Daiki nodded.
"Not just her. Others too, maybe. We were part of something before we understood it. This world didn't choose us by accident."
The silence returned, heavier now.
Finally, Diago muttered,
"You sound insane… but it feels true."
Daiki looked him in the eyes, calm and unwavering.
"I wish it wasn't."
Daiki held Diago's gaze for a moment longer, then quietly turned and walked away, the weight of his words lingering like fog in the space he left behind.
Diago stood there in silence, lost in thought, until the soft sound of footsteps broke the stillness behind him.
Lena stepped into view, her expression gentle, eyes cautious. Diago glanced at her briefly..then looked away, his jaw tight.
She hesitated.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I know I remind you of her."
Diago didn't respond. His face gave nothing away, but something flickered in his eyes.
Lena's lips parted as if she were about to say something more, but she stopped herself. Whatever it was, she kept it buried, and let the silence settle between them.
Diago stepped forward, brushing past her without a award. Heading down the path that led back toward the others .
She stood there for a moment, watching him.Then, quietly, she stepped after him.
After a few paces, Diago paused. Without turning his head, he spoke, his voice low but steady.
"We better go back fast."
Lena nodded in silence, and the two of them walked on, side by side..together, but wrapped in their own unspoken thoughts.
As the group neared the towering structure, the quiet hum of tension wrapped tightly around them like the stillness before a storm. The air inside the half-crumbled tower was cooler, carrying the scent of damp stone and dust.
Aria stood near the far wall, arms crossed, her eyes flicking toward the entrance the moment Daiki stepped inside. Without hesitation, he walked to her, falling into place beside her like gravity itself had pulled him there.
They didn't speak. They didn't need to.
Diago entered next, his steps slower now, the weight of the conversation and everything unsaid pressing down on his shoulders. With a grunt, he dropped to the floor, leaning back against the wall and shutting his eyes briefly, exhaustion painted across his face like shadows.
Lena lingered near the door for only a moment before moving toward Yona, who stood near the back wall beside Noir. In Noir's lap, Aleria slept deeply, her small frame rising and falling with each quiet breath. Noir remained still, protective, his gaze flicking between the girl in his lap and the Ayumi standing with her arms folded, her expression sharp and clouded.
She stood across from him, half-turned away, her lips pressed tightly together and her brow furrowed in something bitter. Jealousy burned faintly in her eyes, though she wouldn't let it surface fully. Noir looked at her, his gaze unreadable, searching, but she didn't meet it.
Yona leaned slightly toward Lena as she arrived beside him. His voice was barely above a whisper.
"You okay?"
Lena nodded faintly, her eyes low.
"Yes."
He watched her for a moment, then gently placed a hand over hers.
"Everything's gonna be okay."
But her expression twisted subtly..guilt blooming behind her eyes like smoke. She said nothing. She couldn't.
The moment she'd stepped into the tower earlier, something inside her had cracked open. A memory..raw, intrusive..flashed in her mind. Lira. Her laugh. Her voice. The last time she stood in this place.
Lena closed her eyes briefly, drawing in a quiet breath. When she opened them, she caught Noir's gaze, just barely..he had turned his head slightly, glancing toward her from the corner of his eye. But then he turned away again, his attention shifting downward to Aleria, still curled in his lap like something precious he didn't know how to let go of.
Then, once more, his eyes lifted, landing on Ayumi.
She was watching him now..openly. Her anger, her longing, her resentment all twisting together behind her eyes like a storm threatening to break. She said nothing, but her silence was louder than words.
Noir didn't flinch. He didn't speak. But he didn't look away either.
For a moment, everything held still.
And then Aria, still standing beside Daiki, finally broke the quiet.
"We need a plan," she said, her voice low, but sure. "We can't stay here long."
Daiki nodded, his eyes scanning the room, stopping briefly on each person.
"No more running. We need to finish this. Together."
A murmur of agreement passed through the group..weak, tired, but real.
Whatever came next, they would face it side by side. Even if the cracks between them were starting to show.
Yona glanced at Daiki, his brow furrowed with a mixture of confusion and concern.
"How did you get here, Daiki?"
Daiki's eyes flicked to Diago for a brief moment, almost a silent acknowledgment of the conversation they'd just shared. Then he looked back at Yona, his voice quiet, steady.
"I just found myself here," he said. "In the field. I was searching… then everything shifted."
He turned slightly, his gaze settling on Aria beside him. He reached out gently and took Aria's hand, his thumb brushing over her knuckles.
"You okay?" he whispered.
Aria looked down, her breath catching. Then she turned to Yona, her voice trembling. "I'm sorry… Yona."
Yona's expression twisted in confusion.
"Why are you apologizing?"
She hesitated for just a heartbeat, then forced the words out.
"The threatening messages… it was me. I was the one sending them."
Yona's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What…?"
"They forced me," Aria whispered,
and the tears finally broke through. Her body shook slightly as she cried, and Daiki gently pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her, holding her hand tighter.
"It's okay," he whispered into her hair.
She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder as her tears fell silently.
Yona stood still, staring at them both, his voice low and stunned.
"But… why?"
Daiki's expression darkened.
"Someone threatened her."
"Who?"
Yona asked sharply, a flicker of anger in his voice now.
Daiki met his eyes evenly. The firelight from a distant lantern glinted off his gaze.
"We don't know everything yet," he said slowly.
"But I've seen traces..someone from inside. Someone who knew where to press. Someone who didn't want us to trust each other."
Diago stirred from where he sat against the wall, his voice low and hoarse.
"The same someone who's been moving pieces behind the scenes. This isn't just about the messages."
Yona's fists clenched slowly at his sides.
"Then we find them. We end this."
Aria's voice was faint, muffled against Daiki's shoulder.
"They said if I didn't do it… they'd take someone else. Someone I loved."
Noir looked up at that, eyes narrowed. Aleria stirred lightly in his lap, still asleep. Ayumi was still watching from the shadows.. jealousy flickering in her eyes, but now also something else… unease.
Silence settled over the group like a fog, thick and fragile.
And then Daiki spoke again, softly but firmly.
"We're not breaking apart. Not now. If someone's pulling the strings from within… we'll find them."
Lena, still standing beside Yona, cast her eyes downward. A shadow crossed her expression..like she, too, was remembering something. Or someone.
Yona nodded slowly.
"Then we watch each other's backs. No more secrets."
Daiki looked down at Aria, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
"We fight together. Or we fall alone "
After a long, uneasy silence, Yona's voice broke through..calm, but laced with something deeper.
"Can I ask you something?"
Aria lifted her head slowly from Daiki's shoulder and turned to face him. Her eyes were red, but she nodded.
Yona stepped forward just a little.
"Who was the one who threatened you? The one who made you send those messages?"
For a moment, Aria froze.
Her gaze flicked..not to Daiki, not to the floor, but across the room. Straight to Noir.
Noir's eyes met hers. Calm. Cold. Expectant.
To be continue ...