Zero found himself standing in a large, completely white room. There was no one else there. "Where am I?" he asked himself. He looked around, turning this way and that. "Is anyone here?!"he shouted, but it seemed no one could hear him. Everything was so white that even Zero's eyeswouldn't open properly. "Zero…" a familiar voice brushed his ear. He blinked and saw Sam standing in front of him, but
Sam looked different—upset and distant. "Zero…why did you do this to me? We were goodfriends, weren't we? Then why did you ruin our relationship, Zero? Tell me." Samcried out. "Sam…please…listen to me," Zero begged, suddenly broken. He reached for Sam, but Sampushed his hand away. "Don't touch me, Zero! From today our paths are separate. You meannothing to me now. I don't even want to see your face—leave." Sam shouted and began towalkaway. "Sam…please listen…Sam…Sam!" Zero kept calling, but Sam faded into the light. "Sam!" he cried, and with that his eyes flew open. It felt as if he had been pulled back intoreality;
his heart was still racing. He looked around the room. It seemed to be four in the morning. Wasit
all a dream? He remembered his grandmother saying that dreams seen at four or five in the
morning often come true. The thought made his heart thump harder. He was afraid; the cornersof his eyes were still wet and tears had fallen. He tried to recall what had happened. Suddenly he felt someone's breath on his hand. He turned toward the garden—and there was
Sam. Sam lay on the bed like a lifeless child, his hand close to Zero's. Zero's pulse quickened. "Sam," he whispered, barely able to speak. In just a few hours Sam's condition had become like that of a patient. Zero stroked Sam's hair
gently, fearing he might wake him. In a soft voice he said, "Sam, I love you so much. I don't
know when all this started… But Sam, I would die without you. When you're here, I breathe. Thepain is that I'll never tell you this—no, never." Tears slipped from Zero's eyes and were soaked into the pillow. He covered his mouth withahand and began to cry quietly—he did not want his sobs to wake Sam. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ When Maera entered the ward, she found Sara lying on the bed, one hand resting looselyaboveher head. She seemed lost in thought—so deeply immersed that she didn't even notice anyonehad entered, despite her usually sharp senses. Maera looked at her for a moment, then teased playfully,"You stare at the sky like that…is
someone living up there?"Sara turned her head toward Maera, a faint smile brushing her lipsas
she softly replied with the second verse:"Why would I feel at peace…when she was the onlyone I ever had in this world?" Maera chuckled at her response. "You still love poetry?"
"Yes," Sara answered quietly. "Because it hurts. And everything that hurts…I seemto love."Maera smiled again and walked closer. Just then, a cool breeze carrying the scent of rain driftedin through the window. Sara turned her gaze toward it. "Maera… can you take me to the window?" she asked gently. Without a word, Maera stepped forward and came to her bedside. She helped Sara up withtheutmost care—like lifting a fragile flower. Despite her efforts, Sara couldn't maintain emotional
distance. She knew Maera now belonged to Sim. And yet… she couldn't stop feeling. Maera supported her and helped her toward the window. The rain had cooled the air, andtheward was now filled with a calm, damp stillness. As the breeze touched Sara's skin, a strangepeace seemed to settle inside her. She closed her eyes, trying to feel every part of it. Whenever this atmosphere surrounded her, a poem always returned to her mind. She glancedat
Maera—who stood beside her, despite the discomfort evident on her face. Sara knewMaeradisliked the rain… and yet, she was standing there only for her. "You don't have to stay," Sara said softly. "I'm okay now."Maera quietly nodded and sat onthecouch nearby. Sara only ever felt truly okay when Maera was near. And that lie…was something even Sarahadstopped believing. Maera looked at Sara standing by the window, something flickering in her eyes. Then, without
warning, she began reciting the lines of a poem—one she knew Sara loved. Maera: "Is sorrow the heart's habit?"Sara: "Not at all…" One verse by Maera, the next by Sara. Maera: "Do you hold a grudge against someone?"Sara: "Not at all…" Maera: "There was a dream, a restless one—do you intend to forget it?"She glanced at Saraasshe spoke the line, searching her eyes for the truth.Sara: "Not at all…" Maera: "Nothing seems to feel right anymore?"Sara: "Yes…" Maera: "Has this been going on for a few days now?"Sara: "Not at all…" This time, Sara smiled.
Maera: "Do you have the strength to live… without someone, without even their memory?"Shelooked at Sara again.Sara: "Not at all…" Now Maera smiled too. They looked at each other, smiling softly, as if time had frozen around them. To Sara, that moment felt like heaven.She was looking at Maera…right there, in front of her.Shecould feel her warmth, her presence.And that was all she ever wanted.Maera. ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Just then, Sam entered the ward—snapping both Sara and Maera out of their quiet trance. "Sam," Sara said, turning to him.But Sam froze. Oh no—Sara's awake… What if she asks about Zero or Alexa? Damn, I can't lie, he thought, suddenly overwhelmed. "Sam, is everything okay?"This time it was Maera who asked, noticing the nervous expressionon his face. Sam looked as if he had walked in carrying news of a nuclear explosion. "N-no, I… I came in by mistake. I was going somewhere else," he stammered. And like thewind, he was gone—disappearing from the room in a hurry. As he stepped out, he spotted a doctor walking past and immediately approached him."Excuseme, Doctor… may I see Zeyad?""Of course," the doctor replied. "But he's still unconscious. His ward is just down that way."He smiled kindly and walked off. Sam thanked himandheaded in the direction the doctor had pointed. As he neared Zero's ward, a strange weight settled on his chest.He had never seen Zero likethisbefore.He couldn't make sense of what he was feeling. He stepped inside—and there, lying still on the bed, was Zero. Wrapped in bandages. Unmoving. The doctor's words came back to him:"It's a miracle the bullet missed his heart…otherwise, wewouldn't have been able to save him." The guilt hit Sam like a punch to the gut. He walked toward the bed, slowly. Each step heavier than the last. He looked at Zero closely.Then a tear escaped his eye.
With a trembling voice, Sam spoke:"Zero… my brother… my best friend…please forgiveme. I ignored you. I wasn't there. I'm so sorry, my good friend…please forgive me…"He took Zero's hand gently in his own and sat down on the nearby chair, his head bowed. He began to cry. There he was—Zero, lying motionless, his eyes shut. He looked almost innocent like that. Peaceful. Vulnerable. Zero had always been sensitive, perhaps the most sensitive among them. And what painedSamthe most… was that his most delicate friend—his childhood companion—was in this state. The guilt wouldn't let go.The pain wouldn't loosen its grip.Over and over, Samkept thinking—I
should never have let him go. I should've been there. Outside, the rain began to fall again—heavier now, almost storm-like. And there, sitting at Zero's bedside, still holding his hand…Sam slowly drifted off to sleep. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ "Boss, we've cast the net. Now it's only a matter of time before the fish gets caught,"ayoung recruit announced, stepping into the room where Asterus sat playing chess with Griselda. Asterus chuckled without looking up from the board. "Tell me, kid… since when did you start talking in such lousy code-language crap?
Honestly, you sound like a third-rate thug from some middle school gang." The recruit froze. He had only recently joined Asterus's syndicate, and on his very first day, hehad witnessed a man being butchered alive and set on fire. He hadn't realized Asterus was thekind of boss who sometimes smiled and joked with his people. But it only made him more afraid. Before he could utter another word, Asterus's tone shifted—calm, but razor-sharp. "Let me make something clear.""In this organization, we don't use trash language. Ever. Say what you need to say—clearly, directly. I don't want to hear you talking like that again. And one more thing…"He finally looked up, cold eyes locked onto the boy."Next time youenter my room—knock. Otherwise, you won't just get knocked out…you'll be carriedout." His voice was calm, but the chill in it was deadly.
The boy couldn't speak. He just nodded rapidly and backed out of the room like his life dependedon it. The moment he stepped into the hallway, he could breathe again. One of the guards standing nearby saw his pale face and burst out laughing. "Yo, what happened, man? Did you just have a face-to-face meeting with Death?""Bro, I just came back from death," the rookie groaned, wiping sweat fromhis brow."Is yourboss always like this? Smiling one second, Satan the next? That guy's a damn psycho!"The guard's smile vanished.In a flash, he grabbed the recruit by the collar and shoved a gunagainst his forehead. "Watch your mouth when you talk about our boss.""Say one more word, and I'll put abullet in you myself—long before he even finds out."
"U-understood!"The boy stammered, eyes wide with terror. The guard shoved him away with force."Now get the hell out of here." The boy didn't wait to be told twice—he ran. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Sim stood there for a long while, rain soaking through her clothes, her hair clinging to her face. She wasn't even aware of how cold it had gotten. She was lost in thought. What was this strange feeling…? And who was that man?
Forget it, she told herself. He was just… a kind man, that's all.But no matter howmuch shetriedto push the thoughts away, they clung to her like the rain on her skin. Finally, she turned and walked inside. The moment she stepped into the house, a musty, enclosed smell surrounded her—the kindthat
clings to homes left shut for too long. She instinctively reached for the switch. The lights
flickered on, flooding the house with warm brightness. She was completely drenched. Without a second thought, she shrugged off the heavy coat and placed it aside, then grabbedsome clothes and headed straight for a shower.
The warmth of the water comforted her, but the questions in her mind didn't stop. Even after stepping out, drying off, and dressing, she completely forgot to do the one thingshehad meant to—call Maera and let her know she'd arrived safely. But how could she?
Her thoughts were consumed. Who was he?Why did he act that way with me?Why was I so… nervous?
The questions repeated like a quiet hum in the back of her mind. Eventually, she lay down on her bed, the soft sheets a contrast to the chaos inside her. Rainstill
tapped lightly on the windows as she slowly drifted off… still thinking only of him. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Zero found himself standing in a large, empty room.White. Completely white.Everythingaroundhim—walls, floor, even the air—seemed to dissolve into a blinding brightness. "Where… where am I?" he whispered, blinking as he turned slowly, eyes struggling to
adjust."Hello?" he called out louder. "Is anyone there?!" But his voice just echoed back at him. Muffled. Distant. As if the room had swallowed his words. And then—"Zero…" A familiar voice drifted through the whiteness, soft yet cutting through the silence like a
knife.He spun around. "Sam…" There he was, standing just a few feet away. But he didn't look quite like himself. There was
something off—his expression colder, his eyes distant. "Zero," Sam began, his voice low but trembling with anger, "Why did you do this to me? Wewere good friends, weren't we? So why did you ruin everything between us?!"His voice rosesharply. "Why, Zero?! ANSWER ME!" Zero stepped forward, his eyes already brimming with tears. "Sam…please…just listen tome, I—I didn't mean to hurt you—"
"Don't touch me, Zero!" Sam shouted, backing away. "From today on, we walk different paths. You're nothing to me now! I don't even want to see your face again…Get out!"
"No—Sam, please—listen to me, I—Sam—SAM!"Zero screamed, reaching out, but Samhadalready turned.His figure faded into the blinding light—And vanished. "Sam!!" Zero jolted awake, his chest heaving, breath short, heart racing.He was in his room.Reality. Darkness now.The clock blinked softly beside him—4:00 a.m. He sat there frozen, sweat clinging to his skin. "A dream…?" he whispered, though it didn't feel
like just a dream.His grandmother's words echoed in his mind:"The dreams we see betweenfourand five in the morning… they often come true." His throat tightened. His eyes were wet.Tears still clung to his lashes and fell silently onto the pillow. He tried to steady himself—replay what had happened, make sense of it—when he suddenlyfelt
a soft warmth against his hand. A breath. He turned his head slowly. Sam was there.Curled up beside him on the bed, sleeping like a child, his face inches fromZero'shand. Zero's heart stuttered. "Sam…" he breathed. Sam looked pale. Fragile. As if he'd fallen sick in just a few hours.Zero gently reached out, brushing a hand through Sam's hair with the lightest touch—terrified of waking him. His voice was barely a whisper. "Sam… I love you so much…I don't even know when it started, but I know this—without you, I'm nothing.If you're with me, I can breathe.But the worst part is…I'll never tell you. Never. Not
ever…" Tears slipped silently from his eyes, soaking into the pillow.He covered his mouth with his handto muffle the sobs. Because he didn't want Sam to hear him cry. TO BE CONTINEUD...