White stepped out of the bedroom, Bell's shallow breaths still lingering in his ears.
He had laid her down gently, but even in sleep her body trembled, as though she was bracing for a storm that had already passed.
Luna stood waiting, her expression unreadable.
"Is she alright?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
White nodded, then shook his head. "She's… not. She looks completely drained. I don't think she's slept or eaten since yesterday."
The words felt heavy, like jagged stones in his mouth. "Her face… it was like she had been crying for hours. Maybe longer."
He sank into the nearest chair, guilt pressing down on him like chains.
"But why? Why did this happen? Why… did I forget about Bell?"
The thought twisted his stomach into knots. She wasn't just someone he knew—she was a part of him. And somehow, he had let her slip away.
He turned to Luna, desperate for clarity. "Do you know anything? Anything at all?"
She hesitated, her gaze falling to the floor. "I think I do… but I don't."
Her words were a puzzle missing half its pieces.
Frustration bubbled under his skin as he leaned forward. "That doesn't make sense. If you know something, please—just tell me."
Luna closed her eyes, her voice trembling. "The bond between you and Bell… it's weakening. I told you before—she's connected to you. But now… I can feel it unravelling."
His breath caught. "Why?"
The word tore out of him, raw and desperate. He needed an answer. Something to fix. Something to fight against.
But she only lowered her head, her whisper barely audible. "I… I don't know."
The silence that followed was suffocating. The room itself felt colder, emptier. The events of the day blurred together like a half-forgotten dream.
Why couldn't he see Bell? Why did he forget her? She wasn't just important—she was everything.
Luna finally stood, her voice steadier than before. "I should go. I'll look into everything I know so far. If anything, strange happens… message me."
And then she was gone, leaving only the thick silence behind.
White returned to the bedroom.
Bell lay there, her chest rising and falling in shallow, uneven breaths.
Even in sleep, tears clung to her lashes, fragile as crystal.
He sat beside her and gently took her hand—and she clutched his finger tightly.
Just like she used to when they walked together.
That single gesture shattered him.
His heart ached. His eyes burned. His mind screamed. Everything inside him wanted to break down.
It felt like if he left her side now, he would lose her forever.
He still didn't know how he had managed to calm her at school.
The moment he truly remembered her, when her presence returned to him—she broke.
She cried uncontrollably, and her sobs echoed through him like thunder.
He held her close, tighter than ever before, terrified.
Terrified of losing her again.
Terrified of the silence that might follow.
He patted Bell's head and promised her… no, he promised himself—that whatever happens, he would protect her.
Even if it cost others, even if it meant he had to suffer—no matter what, he would protect her.
Leaving the room so she could sleep soundly, White sat at his study table.
He picked up his notebook and pen, and wrote down everything he knew, everything that had happened up till now.
Again and again, he wrote—but nothing came together. His head spun until it felt like splitting.
He sighed to himself.
"If Aisha was here… she would be able to help me."
'Wait… who?'
He froze at the name that had slipped from his tongue.
Aisha.
Who was she? And why did he know that Aisha held the answer to all of this?
He squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to remember.
But as the thought crystallized, his head began to throb with unbearable pain, as if it were about to burst.
And then—memories struck him, flooding in with a girl's voice painted in blue.
"It's good for you, Bell. See? Your Papa always takes good care of you."
"What about me? I helped too, didn't I? Won't you reward me as well?"
In his memory, he could remember a figure with silver hair, but as far as he tried to recall her face, it was blank.
He could only hear the voices of the girl.
"I don't know… but it seems like there is one more person I am forgetting about, besides Bell."
When his mind snapped back to the present, his body moved before he realized it.
He bolted to the rooftop of his apartment.
Maybe… if—
And without hesitation—
—he jumped.
Maybe if he put himself in danger. Maybe that feeling, of a person who was always there, who sometimes felt scary, smiled wickedly, and enjoyed being with Bell, would return.
Closing his eyes against the wind, fragments of his memory slowly began to return. Her words came clearly:
"Mm-hm. Don't forget my dark deluxe chocolate cake."
"You're too greedy. Always asking for things, never giving anything back."
"There was never anything to forgive… but thanks."
A grin tore across his lips.
He shouted into the night with absolute conviction.
"I know you're watching, Aisha! And I know… just like Bell, something must have happened to you, too! If you don't appear quietly, then I have no choice—!"
He took a deep breath, clutching at his chest, and roared with everything he had:
"Aisha… I wish—no… it wasn't just a wish. I want you! Please… save me!"
As he fell, his eyes snapped open—and there it was.
A purple mist rising from above, coiling around him.
From within the haze, a hand reached out.
Slowly, a figure emerged.
Aisha.
As his body plunged downward, White reached for her.
And when her hand clasped his, the weight vanished.
Gravity lost its chains; his body became light.
With her by his side, they floated and landed safely.
"Are you really stupid?!" Aisha's voice was sharp, dripping with both anger and worry.
"How many times have I told you not to act recklessly? What would have happened if I hadn't come on time? You would've been dead already!"
"Pfft…" White chuckled—then broke into laughter.
"Hahaha… haha…"
"Why are you laughing like an idiot?" she huffed, glaring at him. "Geez. I swear, what if Bell learns that kind of reckless behaviour from you? What then?"
He kept laughing, almost choking on the tide of emotions inside him.
"Haha… yeah… Thank you. Thank—"
His voice broke mid-sentence. His strength. His facade. Everything.
Aisha blinked, her expression softening. "Hey… are you—"
"Don't worry… it's just…"
He tried to wipe the tears from his eyes, but as soon as he touched them, more streamed down, unstoppable.
He laughed and sobbed at the same time, his voice cracked and broken.
"What… why… why doesn't it stop…?"
The dam he had buried for so long burst.
For years he had endured. Suffered. Alone.
But now—after nearly losing Bell, after realizing how close he was to forgetting her forever—he finally broke.
His knees gave out, and he collapsed, sobbing harder than he ever had, whispering thanks to God through the tears.
Seeing him like that, Aisha knelt and embraced him gently.
She ran her hand through his hair and whispered softly:
"It's alright. You don't have to bury your emotions anymore. I know it hurts, and it's been so tough… but don't forget—there are still people who believe in you. Who love you. For their sake… don't lose hope."
She held him tighter, her voice trembling with warmth.
"And just like the day we first met… just like every path of your hardship… I'll always be there for you. Not just as the witch you once called me… but as a friend. A true friend who will always help you—whenever you need."
Her words wrapped around him like light in the darkness.
For the first time in so long, White let his tears fall without stopping them.
And for the first time in so long—he believed.