I lock eyes with him in the middle of a massive, screaming crowd.
I hold my breath.
The voices vanish.
So do they.
My heart skips a beat.
My throat tightens, the words slip out:
"Ya… Yasuo!"
A sudden rush of air swallows everything—
and throws me elsewhere.
A place so bright it blinds me.
"Where am I?"
My voice echoes into the void.
The light begins to fade.
I open my eyes.
A bench lies ahead of me.
Then—
a male voice:
"Have you crossed over from the world of the living?"
What?
I freeze.
I answer, confused:
"No… I don't think so."
I look around more carefully.
Trees everywhere.
Flowers of every kind.
A lake full of water lilies sparkles before me,
and in the distance,
a waterfall roars gently.
The sky is clear.
The air, warm and calm.
I've never seen a place like this.
It looks like Eden.
Then—
the sound of a gong, far away.
How did I end up here?
"If you're wondering that, I have the answer."
That same voice again.
"What do you mean?"
A strange scent brushes my nose.
I turn around.
And I see him.
Those eyes I lost in the crowd.
"You're…"
A figure, wrapped in light, approaches me.
I instinctively step forward—
but he gestures for me to stay still.
I obey.
He smiles.
Those amber eyes steal the air from my lungs.
"Caél… I thought you'd never come back."
I tremble.
I don't understand.
Why was he waiting for me?
"I'm sorry… but I… don't—"
I can't finish.
He cuts me off.
"You promised."
A surge of anxiety coils around my chest.
"Promised what? I don't even know who you are!"
He lowers his gaze.
Then he says, voice broken:
"It doesn't matter. There's no time anymore."
"What? What do you mean?!"
I scream.
Agony fills my voice.
Why do I feel like I'm falling apart
in front of someone I don't even know?
"All I wanted… was to see you one last time.
Goodbye."
He begins to fade.
And my heart—
shatters.
"Wait! Tell me who you are!"
He stops. Just for an instant.
"Yasuo."
I reach for his shoulder—
and in a flash,
the screaming crowd yanks me back to reality.
A brown-haired figure vanishes
at the edge of my vision.
I push through the people,
all of them shouting my name.
I run.
I run as fast as I can.
I'm almost there—
BEEEP.
A horn explodes in my ears.
I freeze.
Collapse onto the sidewalk.
Panting.
Gasping for breath.
In front of me—
my best friend's worried face.
"Caél! What the hell were you thinking?! Did you want to get yourself killed?!"
I shake my pounding head.
Inside me,
that horrible feeling won't go away.
Like I've lost someone.
Even though I don't know who.
I try to shake it off—
but the pain clings to me.
Then, a voice.
Far away. Piercing.
"What are you still doing here?!"
It strikes like lightning.
Then disappears,
taking that sharp pain along with it.
I'm left breathless.
Without knowing why—
I collapse.
I fall into Phan's arms.
He's yelling something, calling for help.
I taste metal.
Blood.
"Caél! Caél!"
And then—
darkness.
It takes me.
Drags me under.