The road outside the monastery felt like a different universe.
Cold air slapped their cheeks the second they cleared the old backdoor, and the world widened in front of them like a dare. Snow drifted lightly, not enough to bury footprints, just enough to make everything glow under the scattered streetlights. Their breaths came out in thick clouds, overlapping like they were sharing one set of lungs.
JP's "FREEDOM!!!!!" still echoed in everyone's ears, even after someone finally managed to clamp a hand over his mouth.
"Are you trying to get us expelled?" NS hissed.
JP pulled away, eyes shining. "Bro, you don't understand. That shout was necessary."
TZ doubled over, shoulders shaking, laughing silently. "Necessary? You screamed like a caveman discovering fire."
"It's a spiritual moment," JP insisted.
XH walked a little ahead, scanning the road, flashlight in hand. The tiny beam bounced along the ground and across trees, revealing patches of gravel and thin ice. He felt the adrenaline in his chest, that reckless warmth that didn't care about rules or consequences.
Behind them, engineering guys—boys they'd almost sized up earlier at Utopia Tower—were now walking shoulder-to-shoulder with them like they'd known each other for years.
That was the strange magic of darkness.
When the lights went off, all the labels went off too.
One of the engineering guys, a tall one with a beanie pulled down to his eyebrows, whispered, "Yo, health track. You guys are actually funny."
TZ raised his chin proudly. "We are elite."
JP pointed at NS. "He's the silent type. Very mysterious."
NS muttered, "I'm cold."
The engineering guy laughed. "Respect. We're cold too. But we're free."
"Free," JP repeated, like he was tasting the word again.
XH slowed slightly so they clustered closer together. "Keep your voices down," he said.
TZ saluted mockingly. "Yes, leader."
XH shot him a look. "I'm serious."
NS nodded, quiet agreement. "If we get caught, they'll blame us first."
JP scoffed. "Why?"
NS glanced at him. "Because you screamed 'freedom' like you were starting a revolution."
JP opened his mouth, then closed it. "Fair."
They continued down the road, feet crunching lightly on frozen patches. The town was close, not far enough to be a real journey, but far enough to feel like escape. A few dim shop signs flickered in the distance. Most places were closed, but not all. In towns like this, there was always something open for people who didn't sleep at normal hours.
And the boys definitely weren't normal hours people.
They reached a small street with a row of low buildings: a convenience store, a noodle shop with fogged-up windows, a tiny game arcade sign blinking weakly, and a tea shop that looked closed but still had lights on inside.
TZ's eyes lit up. "Arcade."
JP grabbed his sleeve. "No time."
TZ pointed. "Bro, freedom has time."
NS muttered, "Freedom also has consequences."
XH looked at the arcade sign and felt that familiar pull—the one he'd felt back in the old days, when the world was smaller and fun didn't require justification.
He nodded once. "Quick."
NS stared at him. "You're enabling."
XH smiled faintly. "I'm living."
That made the engineering guys laugh, and suddenly the group moved faster, like kids breaking curfew.
The arcade door chimed when they stepped inside.
Warm air hit them immediately, and the smell of old carpets and metal machines wrapped around them like nostalgia. The space was small, but loud: a few claw machines, a basketball shooting game, a motion-sensed boxing machine, and two old racing cabinets that looked like they'd survived a decade of angry teenagers.
TZ practically ran to the boxing machine. "I call first."
JP followed him, cracking his knuckles. "Let me show you real strength."
One of the engineering guys scoffed. "You?"
JP glared. "Yes, me."
NS didn't move from the entrance at first, just standing there like he was waiting for someone to tell him this wasn't allowed.
XH nudged him gently. "Relax."
NS frowned. "I am relaxed."
"Your eyebrows are arguing with each other," XH said.
NS's mouth twitched. "Shut up."
They pooled coins together, laughing quietly. It felt almost unreal—like they'd stolen a slice of teenage life from a timeline that didn't belong to them anymore.
TZ punched the air in front of the boxing machine, triggering the motion sensors. The machine barked instructions in a robotic voice.
TZ threw exaggerated punches like he was fighting a villain.
The score popped up.
Mediocre.
JP screamed silently, then stepped up like he was entering a championship ring. He jabbed, dodged, swung too hard, nearly lost balance, recovered with pride.
His score was slightly higher than TZ's.
JP held both arms up, triumphant. "FREEDOM STRENGTH."
NS shook his head. "You're embarrassing."
The engineering guys clapped quietly anyway. The rivalry felt friendly now, playful, like they were all on the same side of something.
XH drifted toward the racing cabinets. The screens glowed with pixelated streets.
"You drive?" an engineering guy asked, stepping beside him.
XH glanced over. "A little."
The guy smirked. "Race."
XH didn't even hesitate. "Alright."
They dropped coins in, selected cars, and the game blasted cheap engine sounds into the room. XH gripped the wheel, focused, eyes narrowing.
The race began.
The arcade car jerked left too sharply at first, and XH corrected quickly, settling into rhythm. He wasn't the best, but he was consistent—steady hands, calm decisions.
The engineering guy drove aggressively, cutting corners, boosting recklessly.
They crashed into each other on-screen once, both cars spinning out.
The engineering guy laughed out loud—too loud.
Everyone froze.
A man behind the counter glanced up.
The engineering guy slapped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide, then whispered, "My bad."
NS hissed, "Bro!"
JP whispered, "You almost ruined freedom."
TZ shook silently with laughter.
They finished the race with XH in second place.
The engineering guy leaned back, smug. "I win."
XH nodded, calm. "For now."
The guy grinned. "Rematch next time."
"Next time," XH repeated, and something about the phrase felt strange. Like the future was a thing you could count on.
They shifted to the basketball shooting machine. TZ insisted he could score higher than anyone.
JP insisted he could score higher than TZ.
NS stood beside XH, arms crossed, watching the chaos.
"You're not playing?" XH asked.
NS shook his head. "I'll guard the doorway."
XH laughed. "From what? The police?"
NS's eyes stayed serious. "From consequences."
XH didn't argue. NS was like that—he protected them quietly, in ways that didn't require shouting. He didn't need to scream "freedom" to be loyal.
After the arcade, they slipped out into the cold again, cheeks flushed, energy high.
They found a small noodle shop still open, the kind that served steaming soup to travelers and late-night workers.
They squeezed into a corner, too many boys for one table, shoulders pressed together, hands warming around cups.
The broth arrived, hot enough to fog glasses and burn tongues.
TZ took a sip and immediately hissed. "HOT."
JP laughed silently, then did the same thing. "HOT."
The engineering guys copied them and cursed quietly.
NS drank carefully, expression finally softening. "This is worth it."
JP leaned back, eyes bright. "See? This is what life is."
TZ pointed his chopsticks like a weapon. "We should do this forever."
XH smiled. "We can't."
A small pause.
It wasn't sad. It was just true.
The engineering guys glanced at each other, then one of them said, "You guys were ready to throw hands earlier."
JP nodded proudly. "Yes."
"Why?" the guy asked, genuinely curious now.
JP hesitated, then shrugged. "Instinct."
TZ added, half-joking, "We're guardians."
One engineering guy laughed. "Guardians of who?"
XH didn't speak at first. His mind flickered to Kitty and June, warm on the other bus earlier, hair done, faces calm, eyes sharp. Flickered to how the boys had suddenly stopped feeling cold when other guys approached them.
He answered quietly, "Of what matters."
The table fell briefly quiet.
Then TZ ruined the seriousness by grinning. "Bro got poetic again."
JP slapped XH's shoulder. "He's in love."
XH shoved him lightly. "Eat your soup."
NS watched XH's face for a moment, then looked away. He didn't tease. He didn't comment.
But his silence felt like he understood more than he said.
They paid quickly and slipped back into the cold, flashlights out again. The town lights seemed softer now, like the world was letting them have this.
As they walked back toward the monastery, the snow thickened slightly.
Footprints lined the road behind them like proof.
TZ whispered, "Do you think the abbot is awake?"
JP whispered back, "If he is, we gaslight him again."
NS groaned quietly. "Stop saying gaslight like it's a sport."
JP grinned. "It is."
They reached the monastery wall and circled to the backdoor, hearts pounding again. The old wood creaked when they opened it. They froze, listening.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Just the heavy quiet of sleeping buildings.
They slipped inside one by one, flashlights off, moving like thieves.
As XH stepped into the hall again, the smell of old wood returned. The long room was full of breathing bodies. Mats lined the floor. The darkness felt thicker now, as if it had swallowed time while they were gone.
They settled back onto their mats with suppressed laughter, shoulders still warm from adrenaline and soup.
TZ whispered, "We did it."
JP whispered, "Freedom achieved."
NS whispered, "You're all idiots."
But his voice wasn't angry.
It was affectionate.
XH lay on his back again, staring at the ceiling he couldn't see. His heart was still racing, but it wasn't fear this time.
It was life.
A phone vibrated somewhere in the hall.
XH's.
He slid his hand under his pillow carefully and checked it.
A message from Kitty:
Kitty: still awake. this place is too quiet.
A second later, one from June:
June: where are you? i can't sleep either.
XH stared at the two messages, screen glowing faintly.
Two halls.
Two girls.
Both awake.
Both thinking.
His thumb hovered over the keyboard, unsure which truth to answer first.
Outside, the monastery bell didn't ring.
But the night still felt like it was listening.
And for the first time since the trip began, XH felt it clearly:
This wasn't just a reward.
It was a memory being made in real time.
The kind that would shine later.
The kind that would hurt later.
The kind you carried into the future whether you wanted to or not.
He typed slowly, carefully, because even a whisper could become a turning point.
XH: i'm here. i'm okay. don't worry.
Then, after a pause, he added one more line, the kind that didn't belong to jokes or freedom shouts.
XH: i'll talk to you tomorrow.
He sent it.
Put the phone away.
Closed his eyes.
And finally, at last, let the darkness take him—while his heart stayed awake just a little longer.