His footsteps pounded on the clean floor, drawing attention from the people around. However, Cain kept staring ahead as he escaped the building with a slightly heavy breath.
The boy's chaotic mental state, coupled with the worsening throbbing in his head, was draining his bottomless stamina.
His black eyes narrowed as the sunlight flashed its golden rays, making him squint. After getting a clear view, Cain swept his gaze around the area before following the flow of people walking on the sidewalk.
Cain, walking to the right, smoothly passed through the pedestrians and suddenly bumped into a passenger, halting his steps.
The man whose gadget almost slipped out of his hand frowned. Yet, when seeing Cain's pale expression while clutching his head, the man held his breath and was about to reach out his hand.
"H-Hey, are you alright?"
The gray-haired boy raised his palm and opened his mouth. His voice was hoarse, laced with a shivering fear.
"...I'm sorry for bumping you. Have a good day, sir."
Not wanting to dilly-dally any longer, Cain immediately turned and ran. His expression hardened, and both his narrowed eyes emitted high intensity as if in a fight.
Cain ran, dragging his heavy footsteps, feeling as if they were tied to a large rock. Every breath he inhaled, his lungs felt burned, but he gritted his teeth and his black pupils contracted, activating his eagle eye. Both irises narrowed, focusing his gaze far away.
The long, gray-haired woman was walking across the street. She was wearing a formal white shirt with lace at the front and, at the bottom, loose straight blue pants with black heels.
The buzzing in his head intensified; it shook the boy's eardrums, blurring his vision momentarily before returning to normal.
As the woman fastened the bag on her left shoulder, she turned left, making Cain's feet stop as he stood at the crosswalk. Above him, the red traffic light was blinking.
"Haa, huff, haa, huff."
Cain straightened his posture, and he grabbed his chest, which was beating fast, pumping a lot of blood throughout his body. But somehow the sound felt distant.
A 'beep' sound that echoed on the street snapped him out of his reverie. He saw the light above had turned green, giving him access to cross the street.
He followed the stream that pushed him across the street, then started to quicken his pace to catch up with the woman.
The boy's fingers curled into tight fists, aware of his unnatural behavior for chasing a female figure he considered his mother. However, in his heart, something dark kept whispering the bitter truth that he continually refused to acknowledge.
Cain shook his head, discarding all the gloomy feelings that started to drown him in an ocean of despair. He turned in the direction the woman had passed and saw her standing on the sidewalk, crouched while talking to a small child with hair like his.
He halted and noticed a black-haired man standing with them. The man's face was gentle, as if he were looking at a treasure when he saw the two.
"Ah!?"
Cain, who stretched out his hand, stopped, his breath held. He didn't know if this was a joke the world wanted to convey to him, or if fate was playing with his feelings.
His ears twitched, and from the many people around, Cain could clearly hear the conversation of the three.
"Listen, listen Mommy. Earlier Dad and I played catch in the park over there."
The small gray-haired child raised his hands. His face was bright like the sun, spreading a warm light, teeming with life.
"Fufu, I see. I'm sorry, Mommy had a work call earlier. But everything is finished, and as my gift, I have bought you some cakes and cookies for snacks later."
"It must have been hard, right? Let me carry your bag."
The mother stood up, and she smiled as she handed her bag to the black-haired man beside her. They exchanged smiles until a car stopped in front of them, and they got in.
They entered the vehicle, and not long after the door closed, the car sped away, leaving Cain stunned in the middle of the road.
Cain stood stiff. And after a few seconds in silence, his feet began to move, leading him to follow the steps of the crowd around him.
His gaze was straight, but there was not the slightest sign of life in his black eyes. He walked, his body swaying slightly like a living dead, walking without direction.
Looking down, Cain did not know how long he had walked until a shadow passed in front of him, stopping his steps.
The boy looked up, witnessing a complete family, a father, a mother, and a daughter walking out of the park. A radiant smile on their faces, shooting a beam of happiness that stung Cain's retina as he saw the world in gray.
Cain turned to the side, seeing a path conjured of paving blocks. On both sides, a green carpet stretched far. However, his sight was drawn to a vending machine standing near an empty metal bench.
Unbeknownst to his head, his body moved on its own, approaching the machine. He who was standing in front of the vending machine glanced at the instructions for getting a drink.
He pressed the button for the canned black coffee and brought his smartwatch close to the device on the side, which replied with a 'ting' sound.
Not long after, a robot hand started operating from inside the machine, taking the cold black coffee can and putting it into the hole below.
Cain crouched down, took his drink, and when he stood up and was about to pull the lid, a shadow came beside him.
"Can you buy me a chocolate drink?"
A melodious voice like a warm wind in spring penetrated the boy's ears, thawing the ice that was freezing his heart.
He turned, and light began to fill his empty gaze again. The boy widened his eyes, seeing the silver-haired girl standing in front of him.
The girl wore a white V-neck t-shirt, covered by a light blue cardigan that matched the color of her eyes. For the bottom, she wore long, high-waist beige pants, creating a neat, fashionable impression.
"...Senior Luna?"
His gray vision faded, showing a sharp color that pierced the darkness in his head.
A breeze blew, carrying a milky scent that came from Luna's fluttering hair, which she held so it wouldn't get messy.
Cain turned to his side and looked for the drink Senior Luna meant.
"Do you want it cold or hot?"
"Cold."
Cain quickly processed the order of the princess beside him, then the two moved to sit on the nearest benches.
With a bent posture, he pulled the lever on the can lid, which made a 'fizz' sound. He brought the can to his mouth, sipping slowly to enjoy the cold sensation that stiffened his lips, coupled with the bitterness that clung to his mouth, twisting his expression.
'...She's dead!'
That sentence echoed in his head, fierce, like a lightning strike that caused his body to go numb.
From the deepest part of his heart, Cain already knew the truth, but he refused to see it and chose to turn away from reality.
He hoped, maybe he remembered wrong, yet his foolishness instead became a deadly poison that choked him from within.
'Damn it!'
The boy clicked his tongue as he leaned his back on the chair. He cast his look down, staring at the shadow that seemed to mock him from behind the void.
"What's wrong?"
Luna's voice reverberated in his ears. Her soft tone brought a soothing tune that calmed the nerves in his body.
Cain shook his head, not wanting to continue a conversation that could sap his lifespan. He sipped the coffee in his hand, enjoying the bitter taste that instead became medicine for him.
"Nothing. It's just... I saw someone who looks like an acquaintance of mine."
"Hmm, a friend?"
"Yeah, something like that."
Hearing the answer from Senior Luna, Cain gritted his teeth, feeling failed. Although he had made up his mind to stay away from the topic, one question from the girl beside him made his resolve waver.
"If you don't want to tell me, I won't force you. But, from what I heard, some problems can become lighter if you talk about it with your closest person."
Cain's hand flinched; he glanced to the side and witnessed Senior Luna drinking her chocolate drink.
"Senior, what are you doing here? Weren't you shopping for clothes?"
Luna gulped the sweetness in her mouth and opened her mouth.
"I did try on some clothes, but I didn't see anything I wanted and when I wanted to look at the shop next door. I saw you running out of the building."
Cain let out a short sigh, turning his gaze to the distance because of the girl's persistence, who kept wanting to dig into his heart.
He asked himself. Why did Senior Luna put such great trust and curiosity in him?
Then, there was a ringtone that drew the boy's attention to Senior Luna, who was looking at her smartwatch. Suddenly, the canned drink in her hand fell with a 'clank'. Luna's expression was stiff. Dread began to wash the blood on her face.
"Senior?"
Luna abruptly stood, casting a gloomy shadow over her beautiful face. She turned around, wanting to leave the place in a hurry, but a hand faster than hers reached out, grabbing her wrist.
Cain widened his eyes as he felt the warmth in the girl's hand fade, replaced by a gripping coldness that seeped into his pores.
He held his breath when he witnessed Senior Luna turning her face to him, her blue eyes shimmering in tears.
"M-My mother is..."