YURI KOI
"I'll go down and bring you some water, okay?" he said as he opened the door.
"I'm fine, thanks, babe," I replied automatically… though inside, it felt strange. Wrong.
When he left, I stood up and walked onto the balcony. And then I froze. What the hell… is this?
This wasn't Earth. This wasn't even reality.
Below me, there was no ground—only endless clouds.
Instead of a wide, open world, there was only a vast circle enclosed by railings, as though the horizon itself had been caged.
There was no sun, yet everything shone with a gentle, golden light—like Sai's eyes.
This wasn't a dream. I pinched myself. It hurt. Nothing changed.
"I'm back," he said, stepping behind me.
He handed me a cup of cold water. I drank it quickly, the chill cutting through my shock.
"Better?" he asked.
"Yes… I'm more relaxed now," I said, forcing a smile.
"Good. Then let's go down," he said.
We descended the stairs together. I didn't ask where we were going—I didn't dare. Still, the thought lingered in my head: this place looked like paradise… but it felt so achingly lonely.
A loneliness I had never experienced before pressed into my chest, heavy and cold.
He opened a door at the base of the stairs. "Ladies first."
"Thank you," I murmured, stepping through.
He guided me to a fountain. Like everything else here, it was breathtaking.
White stone gleamed with golden patterns. At its center stood a marble statue—of Sai.
We stopped before it. He knelt without hesitation. I hesitated… then mirrored him.
We began to pray. Luckily, it was the prayer every human knew. I could at least fake that.
When we finished, a deep, echoing voice rang out, as if the world itself had spoken:
"Hi, our Lord," he said, bowing lower.
Shock rippled through me, but I forced myself to follow. "Hello… our Lord," I said softly.
"Hi, my beloved ones," the voice replied, its tone hollow, cavernous, yet strangely warm.
"It is time… for that time of year," it declared.
"Yes, our Lord," we both answered.
A sharp snap echoed, and the world went black.
When my vision returned, we were standing in the same place—or at least, it looked the same.
"You have seventy-two hours" the voice said, and then it faded away.
"What do we do?" I whispered.
"Simple," he said. "We just don't eat. For seventy-two hours."
At first, I almost laughed. I thought he was joking. But the look in his eyes told me otherwise.
"Seventy-two hours without food? How the hell is that simple?" I thought, my stomach already tightening.
I glanced around. Nearby, a tree swayed, its branches heavy with ripe, red apples.
"Maybe I could just bring some of those—"
"Absolutely not!" he snapped, cutting me off immediately. "You know what happens if you eat those."
"Actually… no, I don't," I thought, biting my tongue. Asking would only make me more suspicious.
"Okay," I said instead, keeping my face neutral.
Inside, though, dread twisted in my chest.