A man with beautiful emerald hair was sitting on a weight bench.
His hands covered his eyes and tangled in his hair. They slowly rose until his lost eyes became visible.
The expression on his face seemed to be one of shock, as if someone had shined a flashlight directly in his face.
"September second, 3026. Shara and Zoma died from the attack of a nameless creature on the Vald continent when they only went to meet some people." Dinorat recited that news like a mantra, he never stumbled, never hesitated in what he said.
"No matter how hard I try..." The man threw some weights to the floor and then punched the wall. Small tears came from his eyes.
He touched each one, wiping them away, but he couldn't make them stop. "Why is the world so unfair?"
Dinorat was about to damage something else in his room, but instead he punched a boxing bag in his room.
After the first impact, a rain of blows hit the bag, just as Dinorat's tears fell. At some point he had grown tired, his feet gave out and he clung to the bag.
"Damn it."
His eyes scanned the entire room, and when he saw a photo, he approached it. In it were him, Mia, Hanna, Shara, and Zoma. All together, laughing because Mia was kicking in the water of a pool where they had all thrown her in.
The man's hands went to the frame. He tried to tear it away forcefully, but that frame was stronger than him... Or not.
Dinorat's arms and legs trembled and he fell to the floor. His tears fell like water in a waterfall.
'Pathetic. I'm simply and plainly pathetic. How can I try to protect others when I'm so afraid?' That thought lodged itself in his mind the day Shara and Zoma died. He could never do anything. He wasn't even close, and yet he felt guilty.
A final blow to the wall resonated through his room. He got up and dried all his tears.
His sweat-soaked clothes fell to the floor. He entered the shower and washed off all the sweat he had, then dressed in simple shorts and a white sleeveless shirt.
The thunder of his footsteps resonated through the house as he descended the stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, he saw Heo and Tina together. The turtle was eating kibble bathed in fuel, while Heo was checking something on his phone.
Dinorat opened his mouth, then closed it and opened it again. "What are you doing?" His tone came out serious. He inwardly scolded himself for saying it that way.
Heo looked him in the eyes, his mouth opened a little, then he looked back at his phone. "Latest news, investments, and some videos about new technologies."
"Hmm. How interesting." Dinorat's expression seemed a little off, his furrowed brow making his expression easy to misread.
"Already, Father," said the turtle.
Dinorat's eyes opened wide upon hearing Tina. The day Heo arrived, he had stayed locked in his room. "How impressive."
Heo looked him in the eyes, then looked at Tina. "I know. She's a very good girl." He gave her a few pats on the head with a smile and then went to his room with her.
Dinorat watched Heo walk away with a grieving expression. 'His eyes...'
'I remember...'
In front of Dinorat were two people, two familiar faces. The peace in their eyes was totally discordant with the horrific scene.
Zoma had her lower body destroyed; her guts, flesh, and ribs could be easily seen. Her expression was that of someone who had found absolute peace.
The girl's light blue eyes overflowed with tranquility, her silky white hair lacked movement, and what were once nine tails had become a single tiny white-and-blue tail.
Beside her was Shara. Her perfect face lacked any trace of life; unlike Zoma, she had no body. No hair. Just a head with yellow eyes and a peaceful expression.
Dinorat's mouth filled with vomit at that scene. Even knowing he hadn't eaten, he went to the bathroom and emptied whatever was left inside him. Even after finishing, he didn't stop coughing.
'Why does he look so much like that?' He asked himself while keeping his hand over his mouth. Pressing his lips as if he could press his stomach with that.
Dinorat forced himself to swallow air. Then he exhaled forcefully. He stood up abruptly and went to his room, from which he took a black hoodie and casual yellow pants.
Once dressed in those clothes, he left the house. No destination was fixed. He just wanted to flee.
...
The tail of a Leviathan moved freely through the second floor of the house where the whole team lived. A young man stopped in front of the person who owned the tail.
"Hello, Heo," said the woman when she came across him.
Heo looked behind her, saw the door to his room. Then he looked back at her. "Hello," he said dryly.
He tried to pass by her side, but the girl's tail cut him off.
Hanna's arms crossed under her chest, making it almost impossible to see her hands. Her curly, beautiful navy blue hair covered her back, while her cloudy eyes penetrated the depths of Heo's gaze.
The young man didn't really pay much attention to her. He stood still, while Hanna waited for him to stand before her. And realizing he wouldn't do it of his own will, she pushed him with her tail.
"What's wrong?" Heo asked her without emotion. His left hand was open.
"What is your race?" Hanna asked severely.
Heo sighed and turned his back to lift his shirt and pull down his pants a little. "I don't have a race."
"Hey!" The girl covered her eyes. "Are you a nudist or what?" Even with her eyes covered, you could clearly see she was angry.
During this time, Heo was able to quickly pass by her side and lock himself in his room with Tina, who had gone ahead.
'He left... He left!'
Hanna felt frustrated. Her heavy footsteps resounded until she reached Dinorat's room, where she could open the door, but she didn't see anyone.
"Tsk." She closed his room's door and headed to her own.
Upon arriving, she took off her clothes and entered a bathtub of enormous size; being a Leviathan, she slept in a very comfortable bathtub.
"How horrible. Dinorat isn't here, I can't bring the badge to my room, and Mia is definitely asleep. Besides..." Her hand closed into a fist. "That nudist still hasn't told me his race. Although what he says could be true."
She began to move from side to side with her hand on her chin. "I think I'll watch him for a while. In this world, it's bad to make hasty conclusions."
Her body sank completely into the water when she reached that conclusion.
'Tomorrow I'll keep watching him.'