The ground trembled beneath Daiki's feet, every step like running through the lungs of a dying beast. Cracks split the metal beneath him. Sparks burst from broken pipes. The roar of collapsing walls chased his breath.
He ran, faster, ducking low as steel screamed and groaned above. And then.. There they were.
Lira, already at the glass wall, her body frozen in place.
And beyond the thick, reinforced pane..
Diago. He stood behind it, face pale and cut, blood trickling down his temple. His eyes locked on hers..wide, disbelieving.
"Lira…? " he breathed, his hand lifting slowly, pressing flat to the glass.
"Lira! "
He stepped forward, faster now, his voice breaking through years of silence. "I knew it..I knew I'd find you. I missed you …"
And then..
Daiki crashed into the room. Breath ragged. Shoulders heaving. He sprinted toward the glass, skidding to a stop. Diago's face changed. Grief twisted into anger, his hands balled into fists.
"Why did you come back?! " he shouted.
Daiki slammed his palms on the glass.
"Because I'm not leaving you behind!"
Diago's voice cracked.
"You were safe ! You had a way out..why would you..?!"
"Because you are the part of me I'd never forgive myself for losing!" Daiki shouted. His voice rang through the shaking chamber. "I can't leave you behind..I'd be leaving myself !"
Diago's eyes widened.
"You're a goddamn idiot…" he whispered.
"I know ," Daiki said, pressing his forehead to the glass, voice trembling. "I've always known."
Behind them, Lira still stood motionless, her expression unreadable. Watching. The walls screamed again, the sound of collapse rushing closer. Daiki turned back, shouting,
" Help me! Lira, don't just stand there! "
Lira's eyes flicked to him..shocked awake by the urgency. And then.. Mia stepped into the room.
Silent.
Her boots echoing in the fractured space. She moved forward, eyes locked on the terminal beside the glass. Her face calm, but her hands shaking. Daiki turned to her.
"Can you open it?!"
Mia said nothing. She reached into her coat, pulling out a silver device..half-broken, flickering. She jammed it into the terminal port. Sparks flew. The screen flashed red.
ACCESS DENIED.
LOCKDOWN PROTOCOL.
Mia swore under her breath, then slammed her palm against a manual override panel. The system beeped. Lights changed. The glass began to hiss.
"It's working!" Daiki shouted, heart hammering.
Lira stepped closer to the wall as the barrier started to retract into the floor, slow and loud, like something ancient being awakened.
On the other side, Diago stepped back, disbelief etched across his face. And in that moment..
A deafening crack. Part of the ceiling collapsed . A jagged steel beam crashed down between them..slicing the floor. The glass screeched to a halt..half-open.
Flames licked through the hole above. Smoke poured into the space. Sirens blared. Daiki stumbled but caught himself.
" No..no no no.."
Diago stared through the smoke.
"You have to leave...now! "
"Not without you!" Daiki yelled, his voice shaking.
Lira stepped forward, grabbing the edge of the panel, trying to force it open.
"We're not leaving anyone behind!"
Mia knelt at the terminal again, working fast, face glowing from the firelight.
" I can bypass it again, but only once. If I fail, the room floods with gas." Her voice was steel.
Diago looked between them..Daiki's furious grief, Lira's trembling resolve, Mia's sharp control.And he whispered again, softer this time:
"…You all really came for me?"
Daiki's eyes were shining.
"Every damn time."
The room groaned above them , metal bending, fire licking across the ceiling. Cracks split the walls. The half-lowered glass door finally gave a shudder, and slammed down the rest of the way with a sharp hiss .
Daiki lunged in, grabbing Diago by the arm and yanking him out just as the console behind them sparked violently, melting in flames. They both collapsed to the ground outside the containment.
Diago coughed, chest heaving, then looked up, eyes wide with relief, gratitude , and disbelief.
"Finally... Thank you."
He stood shakily, then turned, and saw her.
Lira.
She stood in the smoke and chaos, like something surviving the storm. Eyes locked on his. Without a word, Diago stepped forward and
pulled her into a tight embrace .
"I missed you," he whispered into her hair. "I missed you, Lira ."
Her hands gripped his shirt, knuckles white, face buried in his chest. Daiki, watching them for a moment, then cut in sharply,
"We need to go. Now."
Before they could move, Mia's voice snapped through the heat..clear, calm, almost too calm.
"There's another way out. There. "
She pointed to a narrow passage now visible behind a crumbled wall. It was barely holding, but beyond it...light . A tunnel of escape.
"You just have to follow the path," she said, stepping away from the wreckage. "It'll lead you out of here."
Diago turned toward her.
"And you ?"
But Mia was already running , boots striking against the steel floor, coat whipping behind her.
"I need to release someone," she called back. " Someone important."
Daiki's eyes widened.
"Hey! Wait..what do you mean by that?!"
But she was gone..swallowed by the steam and smoke and collapsing ruin. A moment of silence.
Then Daiki turned back to Diago and Lira, eyes full of urgency.
"We have to go. Now. "
Diago met his gaze, nodded once, then looked at Lira..her hand still in his.
"Let's go."
She gave a small, firm nod. Still holding her hand, they ran, all three of them..toward the path Mia had shown. Behind them, the facility groaned.. dying . Walls buckled. Fire chased their heels. But ahead..
There was light. And the hope of getting out of this nightmare world. alive. The hall screamed around her. Fire licked at the walls. Pipes burst like thunder. Stone shattered from the ceiling..raining down in deadly bursts.
But Mia kept running . She turned a final corner..and stopped. There she was. Behind a reinforced glass cage, just standing there , staring back with blank eyes..expression unreadable.
Mia froze, chest heaving.
"Maya…?"
No answer. The copy of her..the broken piece she left behind..just stared at her like a ghost. Mia stepped closer, slow, cautious. Suddenly... a massive piece of the ceiling cracked loose , slamming down inches from her feet with a deafening crash. Dust shot up. She stumbled back, but didn't stop. She looked at Maya.
"That could've crushed me. But it didn't. I came back..for you ."
Still silence. Mia opened the cage with trembling fingers, metal hissing and clanking.
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "For everything."
Maya just watched her.
"I know what I did," Mia whispered. "I know I hurt you. I let my jealousy twist me. I killed Yona . I took him from you ." Her voice cracked. "And I kept you locked in here, buried under everything I couldn't face."
Tears started to burn in her eyes.
"But he's alive. Yona is alive. And if that means anything to you, please come with me."
The tremors grew stronger. The wall split. Another beam collapsed, shaking the entire hall.
"Please," Mia breathed, holding her hand out. "We don't have time. And there's someone else. Aleria. She's still back there. We need to save her too."
Maya's eyes flickered, barely. A sliver of emotion broke through the void.
She looked at Mia's hand. Then, finally..slowly..she reached out and grabbed it.
Mia's breath hitched. Without another word, she pulled Maya out of the cage and into a full sprint, dodging falling debris, flames clawing at the edge of the corridor.
They turned the corner, and Mia saw her.
Aleria..still unconscious, slumped under Noir's jacket, untouched by the chaos, lying like a child asleep in the eye of a storm.
"Oh my god," Mia gasped, dropping beside her. "She's still sleeping… this place really is doing something to them..to the copies, or maybe to us ."
She tried to lift Aleria into her arms, but she struggled , her strength failing.
"I can't..she's too heavy.."
" Maya! " she shouted.
Maya stepped forward silently, knelt, and with surprising strength, lifted Aleria up over her shoulder , holding her steady. Mia looked at her, breathless.
"Thank you…"
Then they ran.
Side by side.. Maya carrying Aleria, Mia guiding them through the heat, the smoke, the crumbling world that once held them prisoner. And behind them..the facility continued to collapse. But they didn't stop. Not for anything.
The ground shook violently beneath their feet.The air grew thick with dust and smoke, the echoes of collapsing beams crashing behind them like thunder. They rounded a corner.. And stopped. A figure stood in the hallway. Motionless. Waiting.
Short dark brown hair. Familiar eyes. A soft smile that once meant everything.
" Yona…?" Maya whispered, freezing in place.
The copy took a slow step forward, arms out as if welcoming her.
"Maya," it said softly. "I've missed you… so much."
Maya's eyes widened. Her legs refused to move. Her heart stammered in confusion, in longing.
"Maya," Mia said quickly, voice sharp, grabbing her wrist. "It's not him. It's not Yona. "
But Maya didn't move. Her gaze stayed locked on the copy's face. It had his voice. His kindness. That look that once made her feel whole.
"Maya, please," the copy said again. "Are you… going to leave me? After everything? I thought we were perfect together…"
Maya's breath caught in her throat.
"Maya," Mia said again, stepping in front of her, grabbing her face with both hands , turning her head forcefully. "Look at me. Look at me."
Their eyes met.
"That is not Yona. I promised I'd take you to him. The real him. You have to trust me."
Maya's chest heaved, her eyes wild, but then slowly, she nodded , just once. Behind them, the Yona-copy whispered,
"Maya… don't leave me again."
Maya looked straight ahead now, jaw clenched, pushing her pain down. Holding Aleria tighter, she and Mia ran forward , ignoring the illusion.
They passed the copy without looking back.
Yona'd copy stood still, unmoving, just watching them disappear into the haze.
The ground split and trembled behind them, walls crumbling like sand, flames chasing their shadows. Maya clutched Aleria tightly as she and Mia raced down the narrow corridor. Just ahead..
The exit.
A glowing fracture of light opened at the end of the collapsing hallway. With a final burst of strength, they leapt through the threshold, and at the exact same moment, from another path, Daiki, Diago, and Lira emerged into the same clearing, stumbling out just as the structure behind them gave its final roar, and collapsed inward in a wave of stone and fire.
Nothing remained. Everything..every corridor, every illusion, every broken copy trapped inside..was gone, buried under the weight of a dying world. They all stood breathless in the moonlight, dust coating their skin, hearts pounding.
Meanwhile, at the tower..
Yona and the others had just reached it. The ancient door stood tall and locked, its surface humming softly. Overhead, the moon inched into perfect alignment.. a glowing full circle , just seconds from the key moment.
Aria stood apart , her eyes not on the door, but on the dark horizon behind them.
"…Daiki…" she whispered, her voice barely holding together.
Tears filled her eyes. Ayumi stood beside her in silence, gently reaching out to hold her arm. Aria didn't resist..she leaned into her, lips trembling.
"I can't leave him, Ayumi," she said suddenly. Her voice cracked as she broke, her knees nearly buckling. "I can't…"
She buried her face in Ayumi's chest, sobbing openly now, while Ayumi gently rested her chin on her shoulder, holding her quietly. Behind them, the moon continued to rise. Ayumi's voice returned only in her thoughts as she looked once more toward the horizon:
"Please… come back. Come back to her."
The wind howled now. Clouds churned violently above them, the moon flickering behind swirling masses of black. Lightning cracked across the sky as if the world itself were unraveling, the last remnants of that collapsing realm echoing into this one.
The tower doors began to groan open , ancient gears grinding with a thunderous shudder. A silver glow spilled out from within, lighting the crumbled earth like dawn breaking through chaos.
And then..from opposite ends.. They saw each other. Mia, Maya holding Aleria… Diago, Daiki, and Lira… running across the shaking ground toward the tower. Aria gasped and ran forward.
"DAIKI!"
He saw her and ran harder. They collided at the tower steps, breathless, overwhelmed..a desperate, relieved embrace.
"Aria…" he whispered.
"You came back," she cried into his shoulder. "You came back to me…"
Maya's eyes landed on Yona. Without hesitation, she gently placed Aleria down at the edge of the steps and rushed toward him , her breath caught in her chest. He stepped forward instinctively, catching her in his arms. Her fingers clung to him, her face buried in his shoulder. For a heartbeat, everything else vanished.
Nearby, Diago looked at Daiki , his gaze steady.
"It's time," Daiki said softly.
Diago gave a tight nod.
"Thank you… for saving me."
A long handshake passed between them. Firm. Heavy with unspoken history. Then Aria, eyes still wet, turned toward Aleria lying on the ground.
"Is she going to be okay?"
Diago checked her pulse, then met her gaze.
"She will. But now you all need to go. The tower door won't stay open much longer, and once it closes, we don't know when it'll open again. Could be thousands of years."
Daiki and Aria nodded.
"Goodbye," they whispered together.
Then, just as they turned.. Maya looked at lena.
"But… why are you with her?"
Everyone froze. Mia stepped forward, her voice steady.
"He isn't your Yona. The one who belongs to you is still out there." Maya's voice cracked.
"You lied to me!"
"I didn't," Mia said gently. "Yours is still alive. This one… he's not yours."
Maya's lip trembled. Her eyes locked on Yona, who looked at her with soft regret. Slowly, her hand fell away from his sleeve. She didn't argue again. The group began stepping into the tospr.. everyone except four : Diago, Lira , and the unconscious Aleria.
Lira stood still , her eyes fixed only on Yona. And Yona… he couldn't look away. His heart squeezed in his chest. He took a slow step forward, toward her. But Lira noticed it.. the softness in his eyes, the weight of longing, and she shook her head , silently begging him not to.
Yona froze. His breath caught. He looked at Lira again, then slowly stepped back beside Lena. But his gaze didn't leave her face. Lira's eyes, full of sadness, held his until the last moment.
Lena noticed it the interaction between them . turned her face away, eyes stinging with tears, thinking to herself:
"I will do my best to make you love me… for me. Not because I remind you of her."
As the door creaked and groaned, closing shut.. Ayumi's gaze suddenly shifted , locking onto a shadow behind the trees. She was standing there, silent, just watching. Her presence like a ghost.. real, and yet untouchable.
"yuima " whispered Ayumi.
But yuima just stand there star at her like she came to say bye bye to her . The door was closing. Its heavy stone weight groaned as it slid downward, inch by inch, glowing with the pale silver light of the full moon. The hum of ancient magic filled the air like thunder waiting to break.
Then..
"Mia!"
It was Aria who saw her. Just outside the threshold, Mia stood still in the shadows.. not moving , not trying to enter.
"Mia, what are you doing?!" Aria shouted, stepping toward the entrance, panic rising.
"Come in! The door's still open!"
To be continue...