The night deepened.
The moon glowed high above, silver light spilling across the sky.
Stars twinkled faintly,
like the restless shimmer in Wee's sleepless eyes.
She sat by the window, her gaze lost in the dark horizon.
Lamai, peacefully asleep, had no idea that her friend's heart was drowning in silence.
Wee's eyes glistened with tears.....
yet she could not understand why.
Her chest ached.
Her soul wanted to weep, to cry aloud,
to break apart in sobs.....
but she could not even name the reason for her pain.
She had everything.
Her friend, asleep beside her.
Her family.
Her brother...now here, in this very place.
And yet…
The moment that face appeared in her mind,
her breath grew shallow,
her heartbeat surged,
as though something inside her wanted to escape,
to run toward someone.
Far away, in another room, Kai too could not sleep.
She tossed and turned, shifting restlessly.
Sometimes she drank water,
sometimes she lay back again,
but sleep refused to come.
Half the night had passed,
and yet her eyes remained open.
Why?
She herself could not understand.
But the truth was simple....
Kai's image had taken root in Wee's heart.
And so, how could sleep possibly touch her?
Souls were calling out to one another,
yearning, echoing across the silent night.
Their bodies could not understand,
but destiny...
destiny was already weaving its threads tightly around them.
---
Morning came.
In the Photography Division,
Wee and Lamai sat among the students,
their teacher speaking from the front.
But Wee could barely keep her eyes open....
yawns slipping from her lips.
The night of wakefulness had left its mark.
Soon after, the class ended.
Their teacher left.
Rio turned, gesturing for the group to rise.
Today's lesson was a new one....
they would learn to photograph plants,
to understand camera functions,
to practice adjusting focus, light, and angles.
And plants were perfect....
sometimes still, sometimes swaying gently in the wind.
So the group made their way toward the Aurea Flora Complex.
The moment Wee and Lamai stepped inside,
their eyes widened.
What was this place?
A laboratory?
A nursery?
A hospital for plants?
Everywhere they looked,
life seemed to pulse in green and bloom.
Suda approached with a smile,
and Rio asked his permission for the group to photograph.
Suda agreed readily,
joining them as they moved deeper inside.
But then.....
Wee's eyes found Kai.
And as if pulled by an invisible thread,
Kai's gaze lifted,
meeting Wee's across the distance.
Their eyes locked.
And in that brief collision,
their hearts stumbled into a race,
a rush of heat,
an unfamiliar yet undeniable tremor.
Then, just as quickly,
Kai turned away,
forcing her gaze aside.
No…
she must be mistaken.
She must not allow herself to wander.
Her steps carried her swiftly to Teanguan's side.
She leaned close, whispering,
"We must finish our work quickly.
And then… move on to the second mission."
For Kai had not one,
but two purposes.
The first was here, in the Institute.
The second....
was vengeance.
Teanguan's eyes darkened.
He nodded.
Together,
they slipped silently away from the place.