Diago's eyes locked onto the archway where Lira had vanished. Everything else..shouts, clashing metal, the echo of boots..faded into a dull, distant hum. All he could see was her. That unmistakable pink hair, the haunting violet eyes.
Without hesitation, he took off.
"Diago!" Ayumi called, startled, but he was already sprinting.
Just before he reached the corridor, Daiki lunged forward and grabbed his arm, yanking him back with force.
"Diago, wait!"
"Get your hand off me!" Diago barked, struggling, his voice a mixture of anger and desperation.
Daiki's grip didn't loosen.
"She isn't Lira!"
Diago glared at him.
"She is! What the hell are you talking about?!"
"She's not," Daiki said, steady. "You have to listen to me."
"I said get your hand off me!" Diago snarled, ripping his arm free. With one final glance at Daiki, he ran into the dark after her.
"Diago..no!" Daiki shouted after him. "You shouldn't give her attention!"
Aria came rushing to Daiki's side, her eyes wide, still trying to catch her breath.
"Daiki..what's going on?"
He turned to her, chest heaving, urgency written across his face.
"If you see anyone… anyone who doesn't seem like us..ignore them. Don't speak to them. Don't give them attention. Tell the others."
Aria's brow furrowed in confusion.
"What do you mean..?"
But he was already running.
"Daiki! " she shouted after him.
Without turning back, he called over his shoulder,
"Just trust me!"
And then he vanished into the same corridor, chasing after Diago, his silhouette swallowed by the shadows.
Aria stood frozen for a moment, heart pounding in her ears. Around her, the corridor seemed suddenly colder. Quieter. She whispered to herself,
"What is happening to us?"
Aria stood in the dim corridor, still catching her breath, her heart racing. Just moments ago, Daiki had vanished into the darkness after Diago, leaving her with more questions than answers.
The others reached her quickly..Noir first, followed by Ayumi, Yona, and Lena, all breathless and on edge.
"What's happening?" Ayumi asked, eyes darting toward the direction Daiki had gone.
"Where did they go?" Yona demanded.
Aria looked at them, still trying to steady her voice.
"Daiki said… if we see any of us..someone who looks like us, but isn't… we need to ignore them. Don't speak to them. Don't give them attention. He said to tell all of you."
Noir froze, his eyes darkening as he took in her words. He lowered his gaze and muttered quietly,
"So… he knows."
Aria turned to him, frowning.
"Knows what, Noir?"
Yona narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean by that?"
Then Lena, who had been strangely quiet, finally spoke..her voice soft but filled with an eerie certainty.
"The copies."
Everyone turned to look at her. Yona blinked.
"Copies?"
Noir sighed, the weight of his knowledge showing in his eyes.
"This place… it's where they're made. Where we were made. Or at least… the copies of us."
Ayumi's voice trembled as she pieced it together.
"Diago. Lira. Aleria . Yuima, Noah, Yuima and yona ?"
Noir nodded slowly.
"All of us. There's another version..no, versions of us somewhere in this place. Not born… made."
Yona stepped forward, his brow furrowed.
"So this place is like their womb… where they originate from?"
Noir nodded again.
"From the nearest strand. The closest match."
Ayumi took a step back, her arms crossing tightly.
"And if we see them…"
Noir looked at each of them, one by one, his voice low.
"If you see someone who looks exactly like us, but isn't us..don't engage.Don't speak. Don't even acknowledge them."
Aria spoke softly, finishing his thought.
"We shouldn't give them attention."
"We should ignore them," Ayumi echoed, shivering.
Noir confirmed with a grim nod.
"Yes."
Yona's eyes flickered, uncertain.
"But… what happens if we don't ? If someone does speak to them?"
Noir's voice was barely more than a whisper.
"A disaster."
The silence that followed was cold and absolute.
Their shadows stretched longer across the corridor, and for a moment, none of them dared to breathe too loudly. Somewhere ahead, unseen, a choice had already been made. And Diago was running straight toward it.
Daiki ran hard, breath burning in his chest, feet pounding the cold stone. Just ahead, Diago's figure tore through the hallway like a man possessed, chasing the pink-haired girl none of them were certain was real.
"Diago!" Daiki shouted. "Please..stop!"
But Diago didn't even glance back. He kept running, eyes fixed ahead, heart hammering..not from fear, but desperation. Daiki pushed harder, closing the distance.
Then..with one final burst..he lunged forward and tackled Diago to the ground. They crashed onto the floor with a heavy thud. Diago let out a guttural sound of fury, thrashing under Daiki's grip.
"Get off me!"
"Diago, just listen to me!" Daiki shouted, trying to pin him down. "Please!"
But Diago shoved, twisting, his eyes wild.
"Leave me alone! You don't get it. You have your girl already. You don't know what it's like… when you lose her."
Daiki went still, his arms still holding him down, but his eyes softened. He slowly let go. Diago sat up, breathing heavily. His face was twisted in anger, in grief.
"Go back to Aria. Just leave me. This has nothing to do with you anymore."
Daiki stood in silence, his expression unreadable.
Then, suddenly..he raised his hand and hit Diago sharply across the head. Diago cried out and dropped to his knees, gripping the side of his skull.
"What the hell?!"
He looked up, his fury returning..until he saw Daiki's face. That look. It wasn't anger. It wasn't frustration. It was deadly serious. Daiki's eyes were burning with something else entirely—warning, fear… and certainty.
Diago froze, breath caught in his chest. He knew that look. And in that moment, the fight drained from his body. His heart skipped. He stared at Daiki from where he sat on the floor, his voice a hoarse whisper.
"…You knew."
Daiki didn't move, didn't blink. He stood between Diago and the path ahead like a wall.
"If you keep going…" Daiki said quietly, "you won't be here anymore. You'll be gone. From this world. From all of us."
Diago's throat tightened. Everything inside him screamed to keep running. But now, he didn't.
He just sat there, looking up at Daiki, shaken and silent.
Daiki stood over Diago, chest rising and falling with every breath. Diago remained on the ground, silent now, stunned, staring up at him with something like clarity beginning to crack through the haze.
At that moment, the others finally reached them..rushing down the corridor, breathless and tense. Aria's eyes searched frantically. Yona was the first to step forward, grabbing Daiki's arm and pulling him back slightly.
"What are you doing?!"
Diago slowly sat up, rubbing the side of his head, gaze distant.
"He just… gave me a reminder," he muttered, not looking at anyone.
Noir remained near the back, quiet, his dark eyes fixed on Diago.
"She isn't Lira," Noir said quietly, voice low with a heaviness no one could deny. "She already…"
A memory flickered through his mind like a broken reel of film..Lira, sprinting toward the tower. The heavy iron doors slamming shut behind her. Her silhouette swallowed by the dark. Gone.
Lena looked up at Noir then, her gaze locking with his as if something passed unspoken between them. He met her eyes for only a second… then looked away.
Ayumi stood close to him, her voice low..barely above a breath.
"Let's get out of here."
Only Noir heard her. He turned his eyes to her, then gave a silent nod.
"Guys," Noir called, tone firm but controlled. "We need to go. Now."
But just as they began to gather themselves. Yona suddenly froze. His eyes locked on something, or someone..far ahead at the end of the corridor. A figure. Blurred at first, shrouded in the dim light.
Then it shifted..stepped forward into clarity. Short brown hair, wet from the leaking cracks in the ceiling above. Pale skin. Familiar eyes that widened just slightly as they met his.
"Mia?" Yona whispered, barely believing it.
He turned fully toward the figure, stepping ahead slightly.
"Mia?" he called louder this time.
Everyone else turned, startled by the tone in his voice. Noir's gaze snapped to the spot Yona was staring at. And then he saw her too.
Mia..the girl with short brown hair and soft, unreadable eyes..stood perfectly still at the edge of the corridor's darkness. Watching them.
Yona's breath caught in his throat. He took one cautious step forward, reaching slightly..toward Mia. But Noir's hand shot out, grabbing Yona's arm.
"Don't," he said, voice low but firm.
Yona turned to him, confused..half resisting, but Mia had already begun to walk. Her steps were slow at first, then quickened into a run.
"Mia!" Yona called again, instinctively stepping forward.
Noir's voice sharpened.
"You can't trust her."
But Yona's eyes didn't leave Mia. She had already reached him now, her clothes damp from the leaking ceiling, her short brown hair clinging to her face. She stopped just inches from him.
"I know a place where you can hide," she said, her voice soft..too soft.
Before Yona could respond, Lena moved forward. She stepped beside him, her eyes narrowed, shoulders tense. Mia noticed her..hesitated, and looked directly at Lena.
But Lena didn't say a word. She just stared at her with a cold, unreadable intensity, something in her expression making the air feel heavier.
Mia turned her gaze back to Yona quickly. That's when Ayumi stepped forward.
"Where have you been all this time?" Her voice cracked slightly. "We searched everywhere."
Mia looked at her. Just looked. And that look.. strangely calm, distant..hit Ayumi like a wave of confusion. Her heart stuttered. The expression Mia gave her didn't match anything..fear, relief, grief..it was… blank. Almost like she didn't understand the question.
Ayumi's brows furrowed, her mouth opening slightly, but no more words came. Yona glanced between them, the strange silence tightening around the group like a rope pulled taut. Behind him, Noir's voice dropped into a near whisper.
"This isn't right."
And ahead of them..Mia stood still, her lips barely parting, as if about to speak again. But the feeling in the air had changed. And no one could ignore it now.
To be continue ...