They both burst into laughter, their crimson eyes sparkling softly like two stars stealing a rare moment of happiness.
For the first time in a long while, Ayan felt a wave of comfort sweep over him as Ruby's smile finally broke through, her laughter wild and free, like it couldn't be held back anymore.
After a while, their laughter faded, lingering in the air like echoes of a brief, stolen joy. Ruby glanced at Ayan, her expression softening.
"Let's go, brother." Her voice was calm but warm. "I just wanted to show you this beauty."
She turned toward the view, her eyes distant.
"While you were gone... only I got to enjoy this. But after your return, I thought—I could finally share it with you. As your birthday gift. I wanted you to see that even while you weren't here, the world kept turning. Things changed."
Ruby's voice faltered. Color drained from her face as sorrow crept back in. "But I didn't know... this would happen."
Ayan saw it, the guilt clawing its way up her throat again.
He stepped forward, determined to keep it from swallowing her whole.
"Well," he said, trying to steady his tone, "I have some advice as your big brother."
He gave her a small, crooked smile. "Don't trust anyone until you truly understand their motives. And fly freely, Sis… I'll protect you, no matter the cost."
Then his gaze dropped to his own legs, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips. "Though I have no idea how I'll manage with this body."
As her smile began to return, she said with renewed spirit, "Don't you worry… I can protect myself. After all, I'm your sister! And with that, I can protect you too!"
She placed the origami bird back onto Ayan's lap, then reached into her pouch and pulled out a thick red thread.
Holding it up to the sky, the sunlight caught it, casting a thin crimson line across her face as if it had split the morning light.
Ayan blinked, watching in confusion, not quite sure what she was about to do.
Ruby gently took his right hand and wrapped the red thread around his wrist several times, forming thick layers. A soft smile bloomed on her face.
After a moment, without a word, she wrapped her arms around him in a firm hug, not the kind where a brother protects his sister but the kind where the roles had quietly reversed.
"This thread usually means a brother protects his sister," she whispered, "but in our case… I'll protect you. Forever."
"Forever?" he repeated, his voice quiet.
"Yes," she nodded. "Even after I get engaged or married to someone I love, I'll still be your sister. I'll never let you leave this world before I do."
Ayan hugged Ruby back, firm and warm, letting the moment sink in. Then he gently pulled away.
"Alright, let's go. You brought me all the way out here in my wheelchair just to show me the view, so let's enjoy it together."
She giggled and stepped behind the wheelchair, placing her hands on the handles.
"Yeah… let's go!"
※ ※ ※
After a while, Ayan and Ruby arrived at the edge of a mountain cliff.
A single tree stood there, and beneath it was a girl gazing out over the valley. She looked deep in thought, like something heavy was sitting on her chest.
The stormy wind whipped across the cliffside, sending her oxblood-red hair into a wild, chaotic dance.
At first, neither Ayan nor Ruby noticed her presence. But then the girl turned toward them, drawn by the sound of their casual conversation.
The wheelchair came to an abrupt stop.
It was as if the atmosphere shattered the moment she turned. Her presence cut through everything.
Without a word, Ruby stepped forward, eyes locked on the girl, rage and hatred burning in her gaze.
"Stop, sis. Stop. Don't engage with her," he called out, his voice loud and broken.
But Ruby didn't stop.
"Hey! Ruby—Ruby!" he shouted again, desperation in his tone.
This time, she halted.
She turned to face him, and with a voice filled with fury, she yelled. "Shut up, you idiot! Don't you get it? She's the reason you're like this! Brother, you have to understand!"
Ruby's words struck deep. She spoke the truth. He found himself unable to find any words in response.
Ruby turned sharply toward the girl standing under the tree and stormed over, her steps heavy with fury.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the girl by the collar.
"You bitch!" she shouted, her voice trembling with rage. "Do you even understand what you've done? He can't walk because of you! It's not just difficult—it's nearly impossible! The doctors say it could take decades for him to recover if he ever does."
Ruby's eyes blazed with hatred, every word laced with raw pain.
The girl didn't flinch or speak. She just stood there, her eyes filling with tears, silent, steady droplets sliding down her cheeks.
Ruby's fury boiled over. She slapped the girl hard across the face, the sound echoing like a crack of thunder. "I don't give a damn about your crocodile tears!"
She yanked the girl closer, her fists twisting the fabric tighter. "Listen to me, you selfish bitch!" she hissed. "You lost your place as his friend by hurting him. You're no longer my friend either. You betrayed that bond!"
Her grip tightened, her face inches from the girl's, her voice now lower, more dangerous. "I'm his twin sister. I have the right to scold him. Our parents have that right. Even his girlfriend or fiancée would have that right. But no one else."
Ruby's voice began to crack, her rage shaking beneath the weight of her own grief. Her eyes filled with tears, but she didn't look away.
"Do you know he cries in his sleep?" she whispered. "Like he's trapped in some cruel, heartbreaking nightmare. We've all asked, our parents, me, but he never talks about it. He just smiles, like it's nothing."
Her voice trembled. "Yes, he's made mistakes. Yes, he's sinned. But not because he wanted to. The world, the people around him, forced those choices on him. If he ever truly lost himself—if he ever crossed a line too far—I'd be the first to stop him. I'd be the one to end it. That burden belongs to his family, to the one who loves him. Not you. Never you."
She raised her head, her voice cold as steel. "Don't ever show your face to him again."
With that, Ruby let go of the girl's collar and turned away, wiping her tears as she walked back to her brother.
For some reason, she saw Ayan smiling at her, one she couldn't quite understand, but she gave him a smile in return.
The girl stood frozen, tears streaming silently down her cheeks. She didn't speak. She couldn't.
Ruby placed her hands firmly on the wheelchair handles.
She pushed him forward, past the girl who once called herself their friend, leaving her behind in a silence thick with things that could never be forgiven.
※ ※ ※
The memory faded away, bringing Ayan back to the present.
He opened his eyes slowly at first—before suddenly snapping them wide open. Something wasn't right. His wrists and legs ached, sending sharp discomfort through his body.
Glancing at his wrist, he saw it was red, where the thread Ruby had tied was torn away with force, leaving a raw, red scar.
"Why is there a scar on my wrist? What's happening? It shouldn't be here."
He couldn't process what was happening. His eyes remained fixed on the red scar seared into his wrist.
Out of nowhere, a strange, unfamiliar man's voice rang out in his head, loud and chillingly clear. "You will destroy everything. It's your unavoidable fate—predetermined and absolute."
His eyes widened. "...What?!"
Ayan couldn't understand the voice. He started glancing around his room… but within a fraction of a second…
"Hurts… it hurts so badly… aaaa… AAAAA!" His scream tore through the fading darkness, raw and broken, echoing like the wail of a dying animal.
His legs twisted grotesquely beneath him, bones grinding, snapping, reshaping with sickening cracks.
The sound of bone scraping against bone, something unnatural threading through his body, grew louder.
"Aaaa…! stop… please—!"
But it didn't stop. The pain kept growing, surging with every scream he let out, endless, merciless, alive.
"I need to call Yash… Yash, now. Where's my phone?" He winced, gritting his teeth as pain stabbed through his legs with every small movement.
Crawling across the floor, he scanned the room and spotted his phone on the bedside table. With a shaky breath, he reached out and snatched it.
But just as he was about to unlock it, his eyes froze on the lockscreen.
"What the hell? What's going on? Today's January 1st, 2026… right? So why the hell is this thing showing December 3rd, 2025?"
The shock was so intense, it made him forget the pain in his legs.
For a moment, he convinced himself it was just a simple glitch, a time error.
He quickly connected his phone to the internet and searched for today's date, his heart pounding.
What he saw made his blood run cold.
The internet also showed the date as December 3rd, 2025.
"What's happening…?" he whispered to himself, unease creeping into his voice.
His mind raced. "Wasn't I just at Central Park… with Yash? He was convincing me not to worry… saying I could find a solution…"
As he mumbled to himself, the world around him felt increasingly unreal. Goosebumps rose across his skin.
"Did something… send me back in time?"