That night,
I dreamed of a presence I had lost.
I sat beside an older boy on a distant rooftop,
watching the sky in silence.
We spoke and laughed,
Suddenly, the colors shifted gradually…
The sky turned dark red, as if screaming silently.
Suddenly, the person beside me disappeared.
I screamed,
But no sound came out,
as if trapped in the depths of the ocean.
Then I heard a faint, distant voice:
"Mo…"
I turned in fear, trying to approach him…
but something sharp pierced his body…
A spear from behind.
I woke up startled at the sound of the alarm.
"Another nightmare…"
I sat at the edge of the bed,
steadying my breathing as the remnants of the dream clung to me like a shadow refusing to fade.
Morning light seeped through the curtains—gentle,
indifferent, unaware of the storm stirring inside my chest.
I changed clothes,
prepared my usual black coffee,
and turned on the news.
The world was burning again.
"SAVARNA and KARA continue their escalation—"
"New casualties reported—""VALINTHRA accuses LIANGZU—"
Two poles at war.
One claiming to be the Nation of Light.
The other is an empire of ancient might.
And somewhere between those giants…
lay the neutral nations—
weak, corrupt, drowning under their own governments.
Our home,
The Kingdom of MARVA belonged to that decaying middle ground.
I turned off the TV.
War had become background noise—
a constant hum behind everyday life.
Each of us lived alone,
scattered across the city,
maintaining the illusion of ordinary lives.
I left the apartment and headed to the metro.
Windows rattled as the train sped toward the institute.
Through the glass,
the city of BAYADNA unfolded before me—
a place overflowing with contradictions:
Laughter beside grief.
Wealth beside ruin.
Hope beside wounds no one dared show.
A perfect place to disappear.
A terrible place to live.
"Institute of Sciences Station."
The bell chimed,
pulling me from my thoughts.
I stepped onto the platform,
slipping into the role of the average student—
a role I played well,
even if the script no longer fits me.
And just like that, another day began.
**************************
I always sat in the same place: the window seat in the last row.
Some jokingly call it "the hero's seat."
maybe because whoever sits there sees the world from afar…
without truly being part of it.
Funny how humans give meaning to meaningless things.
"Good morning, MOHITO."
LOUVNA's voice—bright,
warm,
Alive—pulled me from my thoughts.
A walking sunrise in a world that had long ago forgotten the meaning of dawn.
"Good morning," I answered.
She hesitated before asking softly:
"Um… are you free after class today?"
I looked at her.
Her eyes carried a hope I didn't deserve.
"Do you need something?"
She sighed, mildly frustrated.
"We have research to finish… You forgot again, didn't you?"
Of course I did.
But I said,
"I didn't forget."
She smiled—a gentle, forgiving smile she always gave me.
"Alright. Let's finish it today."
"Sure. Somewhere quiet after class."
Her smile widened, lighting the room for a heartbeat.
"Perfect."
She returned to her seat.
I watched her for a moment.
She lived in a world of color. I lived in a world of gray.
Maybe that's why her presence felt strange—
like touching something warm after years in the cold.
**********************************
During lunch,
I could feel LOUVNA's glances.
Quickly, shy looks she tried to hide behind her notebook.
ODEL finally spoke for her:
"MOHITO, would you like to eat with us?"
ODEL…calm, gentle, thoughtful.
A presence that didn't demand anything.
One of the few I respected.
For a moment,
I wanted to say yes.
To sit with them.
To pretend I belonged.
But the shadow behind the door—
The life I lived—
always followed me too closely.
"Sorry… maybe another time."
"Another time, then," ODEL said, masking any disappointment.
I stood and walked out.
************************************
The hallway was filled with the aroma of food and the sound of student chatter.
But everything felt distant—
As if happening behind thick glass.
At the door, someone leaned against the wall silently.
SOLIMON.
He didn't need to talk—
His presence was enough.
I looked at him, and he said playfully,
but with eyes that understood everything:
"So… you turned down the invitation again."
I didn't respond immediately.
I walked closer until only half a step separated us.
"I told you I would eat with you," I said calmly.
He raised an eyebrow,
as if waiting for a deeper meaning behind my words.
"Is… that the only reason?"
I didn't answer.
"Let's go," SOLIMON finally said.
I nodded.
We walked together.
Meanwhile, LOUVNA whispered, as if afraid someone might hear:
"So… he refused again?"
She asked ODEL,
her voice a mix of sadness and resignation.
ODEL didn't answer immediately.
MONA spoke first, waving her hand with casual cheerfulness:
"That's not important!
What matters is you've got a meeting with him after class!"
She said it as if it were simple,
like the world had no complications.
MONA, LOUVNA's childhood friend,
is lively and hides her worries behind light words.
LOUVNA tried to smile but said with disappointment:
"Don't exaggerate… It's just for the research.
And… MOHITO doesn't care about me anyway.
He feels like he's not even here…
like nothing matters to him."
ODEL placed his hand on the table,
speaking in a calm,
confident tone:
"I don't think so.
Maybe he doesn't show feelings,
But he notices everything.
Sometimes…
I feel like he sees more than we say."
Both LOUVNA and MONA looked at him,
as if hearing a rare opinion.
And ODEL wasn't wrong.
MOHITO was always that distant presence—
close, yet unreachable.
No one knew much about him.
No one understood what happened behind those eyes that didn't truly look at anyone.
He avoided the light,
walked in shadows,
stayed with the same small group,
and disappeared right after class…
As if the institute were just a passage,
not a life.
But ODEL's interest didn't begin for nothing.
It began on the first day of the institute.
When MOHITO faced the group of seniors—
even though they outnumbered him by far—
He stood there in a deadly calm…
The calm of a wolf whose prey has just realized it made a fatal mistake by approaching him.
He didn't move a single step,
Yet something in his gaze shifted—
something that made them all recoil,
as if the shadow of a predatory ghost had swept through them for a single heartbeat…
A heartbeat long enough for them to feel death itself watching them from behind his eyes.
From that day on,
ODEL was certain MOHITO hid something deeper than silence.
A secret.
Heavy.
Walking with him everywhere.
*************************************
Classes ended with sunset.
The hallways were filled with slow,
tired movement,
everyone trying to reach home before darkness fully settles.
I was heading toward the exit when I heard her voice:
"MOHITO!"
I stopped.
Turned.
LOUVNA stood there,
holding her bag against her chest,
as if trying to keep her heart from falling.
She approached lightly,
smiling a small,
unmistakable smile:
"Ready for the research?"
"Ready," I said.
But inside… I wasn't ready for anything.
And I didn't know back then...
This was the last normal moment of my life.
Everything after this…
would lead me back into the darkness I tried so hard to escape.