Once out of the principal's office, Liam was immediately greeted by Kael and Levi who were already standing waiting at the door.
"Are you okay?" asked Kael in a worried tone.
"I heard everything from Levi," he added quickly.
Liam responded with a faint smile. "Take it easy, I'm strong... Hehe. Relax, everything is safe."
But clearly, his expression was forced. Levi and Kael could tell right away-it wasn't an honest smile.
"Yoshh, forget all that!" exclaimed Levi, trying to change the mood. "Kael, did you promise me a treat at recess?"
"Oh yeah, right. What are you waiting for? Let's go!" Uh, hold on. Liam, what do you have to eat?"
"Hmmm, maybe noodles?" Liam replied briefly.
"Agreed! You'll be okay too, Levi? Noodles are your favorite!"
They walked to the cafeteria. Along the way, Kael and Levi really tried to make Liam laugh-throwing jokes, discussing silly things, and refraining from mentioning anything serious. Although Liam's laughter was audible, there was still something behind his eyes that had not calmed down. They knew it.
When recess ended and the bell rang, they prepared to return to class.
"After school, let's hang out together," Levi invited casually.
"That's fine, I have an empty schedule," Kael said enthusiastically.
But Liam just shook his head slowly. "Sorry, I don't think I can come. I have something to do."
Kael looked like he was about to ask a question, but Levi immediately glanced at him sharply - a code for him not to continue the question. Kael immediately understood.
"I'll go to class first. Thanks for the treat, Kael," Liam said before Kael could reply.
Levi sighed deeply. "You saw it yourself, right? He said he was safe, but his face was obviously stressed."
Kael nodded slowly. "I felt that way too. The look in his eyes was different... like he was thinking about something really heavy."
Levi looked at Liam who was disappearing down the corridor.
"I think I'll follow him after school."
Kael frowned. "Following? You mean stalking?"
"Not stalking... just watching from afar. We're his friends, Kael. If he's really in trouble, at least we know about it first."
Kael nodded slowly, then smiled in agreement. "Okay... we'll monitor. We take care of her. But... we'll do it elegantly. We don't want him to get suspicious."
"Relax, I have a plan," Levi said, now with a more serious look in his eyes than usual.
They returned to class, with their minds still busy thinking about Liam - their friend who looked calm... but was clearly carrying a heavy burden.
Levi stood leaning against the wall outside the school gate, pretending to play with his cell phone. Beside him, Kael was busy munching on the remaining chips in his hand while occasionally glancing towards the exit.
"She hasn't come out yet?" whispered Kael, his voice barely audible.
"Not yet... wait, he usually doesn't go straight home," Levi replied without turning around.
A few minutes later, Liam emerged from inside the school. He was walking alone, his steps slow but steady, his destination uncharacteristic.
"There he is..." Levi whispered.
Kael immediately straightened his body. "Okay, detective mode is on."
They let Liam get a few meters ahead before starting to follow. Kael had even lowered his jacket to cover part of his face, though it only made him look more suspicious.
"You realize he's carrying a heavier bag than usual?" Levi asked quietly.
"Yes. It's like she's hiding something," Kael replied. "Are you sure this is her house?"
"No, I'm not. This is the direction to the west. It's not the way to her house."
Liam kept walking, through the small path at the edge of the village, toward the thin forest beyond the settlement boundary.
Kael was getting nervous. "Bro... are we really following him into the forest?"
"If you're scared, just turn back," Levi said in a deliberately provoking tone.
"I'm not afraid. I'm just... wary."
Their journey brought them to a familiar place-a small, quiet lake hidden behind a dense tree line. The afternoon sunlight bounced off the surface of the water, creating mesmerizing reflections.
"This..." whispered Kael, ducking behind a bush, "...I think I've heard stories about this lake."
"Chapter 2 vibes," Levi muttered, almost as if talking to himself.
"What's that?" Kael asked almost shouting.
Levi quickly covered Kael's mouth. "Shhuuttt what do you want us to find out?" he whispered frantically.
Liam was now standing by the lake. He placed his bag on a large rock and stared at the calm water in front of him. The afternoon breeze blew softly, rustling the leaves.
Liam stopped at the edge of the lake. The wind blew gently, swaying the surface of the water quietly. In his hand, clutched tightly was a piece of paper that had begun to fray at the edges. He opened it slowly, staring at the familiar handwriting:
Stay alive. Mom, Dad, and Hiyana will always support you and protect you.
Liam's hands trembled as he read the sentence again. His tears fell without him realizing it. It was the last message from his family-the will left behind after everything was destroyed. The letter was found along with the last clothes Hiyana wore... and the shards of hope he could never recover.
"I'm sorry..." Liam whispered, his voice almost drowned out by the wind. "I tried to be strong... but I thought I could... but now... everything is so much harder."
Slowly, Liam stood up. He stepped to the edge of the lake, just above the slippery stone barrier. The wind blew his hair. His gaze was blankly forward. His body leaned slightly forward...
The last step.
"LIAM!" cried a voice that shook the air.
Kael ran through the bushes, not caring that his feet were scratched by thorns. He immediately pulled Liam's body back from the edge of the lake, knocking him to the ground roughly.
"Are you CRAZY?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" Kael shouted, his face bright red. His hand clenched into a fist, almost slamming into Liam's shoulder.
Levi followed close behind, his breath catching.
Liam fell silent. His eyes were red, his face wet with tears. The letter in his hand now fell on the ground.
"What are you thinking, Liam?!" Kael continued, his voice breaking. "We've all lost something. But this... this is not the way!"
"Kael, enough." Levi held Kael back with one hand. "Liam is already broken enough. Don't destroy him more."
Kael looked away, but his tears fell too. He had never been this emotional before. He touched his own chest as if trying to quell the tightness.
Liam slowly sat back down. He looked at his two friends... then looked down. "I... don't know... what to do."
"You think we don't care?" Levi said softly. "We know you have baggage. But we're here, Li. Me and Kael... we're here."
Kael let out a long breath. "I can't imagine if that happened, bro. I wouldn't be able to look at myself anymore. Leaving you like this alone is just a human being without empathy."
There was silence for a moment.
The wind blew softly, like an invisible embrace rubbing their wounds.
Levi finally reached for the letter lying on the ground and gave it back to Liam.
"If they were still around, they wouldn't want you to give up. So... hang in there. For them. For yourself. If you have anything, you can tell us. Don't think of yourself as alone."
Liam looked at the letter once more... then nodded slowly. There were no words, but his tears were enough to explain.
Just like before, the last time Liam visited this lake, he was again transfixed by the beauty of the sunset. The reflection of the twilight on the lake's calm surface looked like a mirror-reflecting the orange sky that was slowly turning gray.
Liam was silent, lost in his reverie, as if time had stopped before him.
Until the sky was completely dark, Levi and Kael kept him company without saying much. When the air began to feel cold, they finally decided to take Liam home.
"So this is Liam's house... it's big too. You're rich," Kael said while furrowing his brows, his tone clearly joking.
"Just B, my parents are rich," Liam said casually.
"Wow, you can stay here once in a while. Mwehehe~"
"That's fine, as long as you consume your own," Liam replied with a chuckle.
"Wow, we found a new base camp!" Kael gave a small cheer. He turned to Levi and tapped him on the shoulder. "What's wrong with you, Vi?"
Levi was still staring at the window of the room on the second floor of Liam's house, looking dreamy.
"I have a feeling that Indigo will speak out soon," Kael joked again.
Levi finally spoke up, "No, it's nothing. I was just looking at the architecture of the house... it's nice." His tone sounded half serious, half thinking.
After a few seconds of silence, Levi said, "Kael, let's go back. It's bad, just in case Liam wants to rest."
"Oh yeah, right. Sorry, Li. I'll go back first. But watch out for you, don't mess up again!" Kael said.
Inside the house, Liam rushed in and quickly locked the door. His gaze was blank again. With unsteady steps, he went to the kitchen and picked up a knife.
He walked into the room, put down his bag, took off his clothes, and sat on the floor. The knife was now pointed at his chest. Her gaze was blank, her body trembling. She bit her lip, holding back the tears that were already on the verge.
"Sorry... Sorry... I really want to rest."
The knife was now pointed at his chest. Her hands were trembling. But not because of fear. But because a part of him still hoped that someone would stop him. With a final push, Liam thrust the knife into his chest. The pain traveled fast, blood began to flow profusely, and his vision darkened.
But not long after that-Liam woke up again. The wounds disappeared, as if they never existed. His body felt stronger... stranger.
"WHAT IS THIS?!" he shouted, his eyes widening.
"EVEN DEAD... CAN'T IT?!"
"STUPID WORLD BASTARD!!!"
Liam unleashed all his anger. Fist after fist landed on the wall of his room, accompanied by gasps and wounds that never stopped disappearing. The wall cracked, hands bled, but it was all for naught. The frustration deepened.
Finally, he let his body collapse onto the bed.
Silence.
Exhausted.
She stared blankly at the ceiling of her room-a hollow stare that pierced through reality.
"What will happen tomorrow...?" she whispered softly.
"Will everything really be... alright?"
"The world... what exactly do you want from me...?"
Her eyelids slowly closed, but sleep did not come.
Instead, it was emptiness.
**
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
He woke up in a cold place.
Wet. It was dark.
He couldn't move his hands.
Blood clung to her skin like a wound that had never healed.
"This... that place again..." she muttered softly, her breath caught.
Beside her stood someone.
A man, his eyes covered by a black cloth.
Strange-but too close, like a shadow that had been hiding in the back of her mind.
"I'll lend you..." the figure said, his voice heavy and resonant.
"...for you to avenge."
"You mean... what?" asked Liam.
The man came closer, wiping the blood off Liam's face.
"NEXARIS... they're murderers."
Liam stared at him with burning anger.
"Fool! It wasn't them-YOU who killed my family! Why would I trust an asshole like you?!"
The man just smirked.
"You think getting out of this place is easy?"
"You think your power is a curse?"
"A curse is only a curse... if you give in to it."
The words split the silence.
And in it, Liam heard something.
Something that dragged him back to that night.
The night when he couldn't save anyone.
The night when he felt... useless.
"...if only that time I..."
Silence.
Hollow.
"I was too... naive, huh..."
The figure touched his chest-right on the stab wound he had made himself.
The wound still felt hot. It was still alive.
"This life is mine."
Liam's voice was soft... but steady.
His eyes looked straight at the figure.
"You have no right to take it."
It was dark.