"What… is this?"
Xavier frowned slightly.
"Another dream…?"
But something felt different. This wasn't like the others.
Not like the recurring nightmare where he was buried beneath debris, suffocating as distant screams of people echoed around him, mixed with the deafening roars of monsters.
No—
This one was… calm and quiet.
It was so peaceful
He found himself near the ocean, the cool breeze brushing against his skin as the faint sound of waves filled the air.
He was riding a bicycle along a familiar roadside.
"…This place…"
Recognition struck him almost instantly.
"This is… near my parents' house."
The long stretch of road.
The salty scent of the sea.
The dim streetlights that flickered faintly at night.
It was the same route he used every day back when he was still in high school.
The road he took going home and leaving.
But this scene—
This wasn't just any memory. It was that kind of day where he stayed out late.
Playing games with friends at a computer café or hanging around a convenience store, laughing over cheap junk food and drinks.
A simple, ordinary night.
Yet somehow—
This moment felt… important and familiar.
Too familiar.
"…This is the day…"
His breath slowed.
"…the day I first saw her."
Xavier's body moved on its own.
Or rather—
The version of him in this memory did.
He could feel everything.
The slight wobble of the bicycle. The cool wind brushing past his face. The taste of the yogurt drink in his mouth as he ride his bicycle.
But he wasn't in control.
It felt like he was trapped behind his own eyes. A spectator.
Watching the past unfold.
Then—
Something caught his attention.
Near the shoreline he saw a figure.
A girl.
She stood by the sea, wearing a simple white dress that swayed gently with the wind.
She was walking forward step by step into the water.
Xavier's brows slowly furrowed.
"I… can't see her face…"
But he didn't need to.
There was something about her.
A feeling.
A presence that felt heavy and empty.
Her movements were slow and somehow he could feel it.
The emotion she carried. It was despair in her eyes.
Even without seeing them clearly— It felt completely devoid of life.
A chill ran down his spine.
"…No way…"
A bad feeling twisted in his chest.
At this hour and alone…Walking into the sea…
"She's not going for a swim…"
The realization hit hard and without hesitation—
His body reacted.
The bicycle screeched to a stop.
The yogurt drink slipped from his hand, hitting the ground with a splash.
He didn't care.
"Hey!!!"
He shouted, his voice cutting through the sound of the waves.
"Don't do it!"
He ran.
His footsteps pounded against the pavement as he rushed toward her.
But she didn't stop, she didn't even turn around.
The water had already reached her knees then her waist as she kept going.
Xavier's heart began to race.
"Damn it—!"
By the time he reached the shore, she was already stepping into deeper waters.
For a split second—
He hesitated.
The cold sea, his clothes and shoes.
All of it crossed his mind—and it disappeared just as quickly.
"…Forget it."
Without another thought, he stepped into the water.
The cold hit him instantly, soaking through his clothes, but he pushed forward.
Step after step.
Until—
Finally—
He reached her and grabbed her hand.
It was cold but soft and in that exact moment—
She stopped and she slowly turned around. And for the first time he saw her face clearly.
Xavier froze.
"…What…"
How Beautiful...
No—
That word wasn't enough.
It didn't even come close. He had seen countless faces before, celebrities and models. Those people praised for their looks.
But none of them—Not a single one—
Can be compared to her.
She looked like she didn't belong to this world.
Her long white hair flowed gently in the night breeze. Her skin was pale and flawless, like delicate porcelain.
And her eyes—
Her eyes shimmered like the ocean itself, reflecting the faint light of the moon and stars.
He couldn't look away.
It felt like time itself had stopped. Like the entire world had gone silent.
Something inside him change.
His chest tightened.
His heart pounded violently, as if it were about to burst.
"…What is this feeling…?"
He had never felt anything like it before. Not once in his life.
It was overwhelming and unfamiliar.
And yet—
Strangely comforting like he had finally found something.
Something he didn't even realize he had been searching for.
But then—
Her expression changed.
It was fear.
Her eyes widened slightly and in an instant, she pulled her hand away from his grasp.
"You—!"
Her voice trembled, a mix of shock and hostility.
"How did you get into this world?!"
Xavier blinked, startled.
"Ah— I'm sorry!"
He raised both hands slightly, panicking.
"I didn't mean to grab you like that! I swear, I'm not a bad person! I just thought you were trying to—"
He stopped himself.
The words felt heavy.
"…end your life."
...
Silence followed after he said that.
The girl stared at him carefully as if trying to see through him. Her gaze moved slowly, observing every detail like she was searching for something.
Xavier felt strangely nervous under her eyes.
Then—
She spoke again but quietly this time.
"You…"
A brief pause.
Then her brows furrowed slightly.
"…You're not him."
Xavier stiffened.
Not him?
Before he could even process what she meant—
Her sharp gaze locked onto his.
"Who are you?"