"This is a different kind of proposal… What do you think about… joining the investigation with the student council?"
Everyone's eyes widened—even Kieran looked shocked and turned to Aria with disbelief in his eyes, unsure if something like that could really work. Lou Yan remained silent for a moment, her hands folded tensely against her chest. In a moment like this, all eyes would naturally turn to the one who usually leads and gives orders—or rather, to Livia. But even she was stunned by the proposal.
"Join the investigation?" Livia replied in a tone of disbelief and hesitation, as if asking herself.
"Yes. I see mutual benefit in this opportunity. We have plenty of crucial evidence that could help you. And I'm sure some of you have your own evidence. I know you've been conducting a separate investigation under the teachers' orders. Also—won't this offer help that… thing over there? It wouldn't be considered mere evidence anymore, but an investigative partner once it wakes up. A key witness. Free. Not owned or used as a tool," said Aria calmly and logically, her voice full of confidence despite its stillness.
"This… makes sense. We would benefit more from this cooperation. But on the other hand, it would give Aria an excuse to exploit Noah once he wakes up… It's not like I wouldn't use him myself—but this is different… Aria is a stranger to Noah. She won't consider his opinion. It'll be master-slave exploitation," Livia thought anxiously as she rubbed her chin in silence, trying to think rationally.
"I don't like this," Calli thought to herself, tense, her eyes shifting between Aria and Livia.
"Livia…" Lou Yan whispered softly, worried and confused, snapping Livia out of her thoughts. She looked around, realizing that this decision rested entirely in her hands. That realization made the weight of the situation hit harder.
Livia stayed silent for a bit, reviewing what she knew, then turned to Aria with eyes full of doubt.
"What have you decided?" Aria asked coldly, though a trace of curiosity and eagerness shimmered in her eyes.
"…We'll think about it for a while," Livia said, clenching her hands tightly. Aria noticed her tension and realized the scale had started tipping in her favor, so she decided to step back—just for today.
"Alright then, we'll leave you to think it over… but this offer might not be on the table for long. I get bored quickly," Aria said before turning and leaving the room. Kieran followed after giving one last annoyed glance at Sirius, clicking his tongue before closing the door behind them.
As soon as they were gone, Lou Yan let out a sigh of relief. The tension finally dropped.
"What should we do now?" Lou Yan asked in confusion. She wished they could just rest for a few seconds, but Aria had pressured them enough to keep thinking about her proposal for another day.
"…I think it might be a mistake to accept her offer," Calli said anxiously, and everyone turned to her in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Livia asked, curious and puzzled.
"Didn't you notice something strange about how she acted?" Calli asked vaguely, and everyone was unsure.
"Strange like what?" Lou Yan asked, her mind trembling slightly from stress as her thoughts clashed.
"She means how the vice president talked about Noah," Sirius said, understanding Calli's point and helping her explain.
"Yeah, I felt like she hated even saying his name. She kept calling him 'that' or 'this.' She only said his name once, and even then, it was like she was about to puke… maybe," Calli said nervously, unsure about that last part, but certain of one thing: Aria hated Noah.
"I never noticed that," Livia said in surprise, amazed by Calli's ability to read Aria's cold expression.
"It's just a theory, but… maybe Noah and the vice president know each other," Calli suggested. Her confidence wavered, but Sirius's support kept her grounded.
"And maybe Noah did something in the past that made her hate him," Neriah added confidently, expanding Calli's theory.
"…And if we work together, Aria would be able to watch Noah—and maybe even hurt him," Lou Yan added, joining the conversation.
"…We can ask Noah after he wakes up. But… we can't really reject her offer. She's not the type to hoard information or evidence from people who help her," Livia said, opposing the others with a soft, logical tone.
Livia sighed in frustration, sitting on Noah's bed beside him, clearly losing her patience.
"All of this just because that idiot couldn't wait a little and went off on his own."
Outside Room 247, Aria walked briskly with Kieran struggling to keep up behind her.
"Aria, are you okay?" Kieran asked, confused and unsure about her sudden shift in mood.
She suddenly stopped walking and turned toward him. She looked furious—though her face stayed cold, unchanged.
"…I'm fine. I'll go to the bathroom for a moment. Go ahead," Aria said, heading for the bathroom and leaving Kieran behind.
"Uh-okay…" Kieran replied nervously, waving slowly as he watched her go.
Aria entered the bathroom and shut the door. She stood still, as if checking to make sure no one else was there. Once she was sure she was alone—
"Fuck!" Aria snapped, her expression twisting. She walked to the sink, turned the faucet on, and splashed cold water on her face—but it didn't help.
She lifted her face, staring at her dripping reflection. That alone made her angrier.
"Fuck you, you son of a bitch!" Aria shouted, punching the mirror and shattering it. She then swiped everything off the sink—soap, bottles, all of it crashing down.
"Die! Die! Die! Die!" she screamed, grabbing the mirror frame and ripping it off the wall, slamming it to the floor in a blind rage.
"Fuck!!" she screamed one final time, punching the sink and cracking it.
Her breathing turned shaky. Her hands trembled, cut slightly from the glass shards. With shaking fingers, she pulled a small plastic box from her pocket—inside were capsules and painkillers. She popped two capsules into her mouth and swallowed. They had a sweet, minty taste, followed by a sharp sting at the back of her throat.
She waited a few seconds for the pills to kick in. Then, with a sigh of relief, she looked at the mess—shattered glass, soap, moisturizers, the whole mirror frame, and a chunk of the wall torn out with it. The faucet still ran, water now pooling on the floor from the cracked sink.
"I'll have to call the maintenance workers for this," Aria said in her usual cold tone before leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
———————
Meanwhile, Noah had finished his training with Lou Yan and Calli. He decided to explore, hoping to discover something new.
"I found out some important things while training with Lou Yan and Calli. First, terms like 'the horse' and 'the champion' aren't just nicknames—they're actual roles. Lou Yan is 'the champion,' Calli is 'the horse,' Livia is 'the spy,' Sirius is 'the jester,' and Neriah is 'the merchant,' and Enel is 'the scholar.' This all takes place inside our theater club—called 'The House.' My role is 'the actor.' And there are a few rules: while we're in the club, we call each other by those names. That's why Lou Yan and Calli were shocked when I called Lou Yan by her real name—I broke one of the rules," Noah thought, calmly and logically as he took a turn.
"Actually, that mistake might be linked to the distortion that happened—like a time-rewind mechanic triggered by messing up. Maybe this world is helping me…" Noah speculated, then remembered the feeling of death when the world twisted.
"Okay… I'm not sure if it's helping or not."
Noah reached an abandoned area behind the stage. Props were scattered everywhere—short gray metal lockers, some open, others rusty. Tattered clothes, colorful socks, torn gloves, even a Santa hat were strewn around. A broken clown mask. A bag with papers sticking out. The ceiling leaked water from broken pipes. The place was a wreck.
"Guess this is the backstage's backstage," Noah joked to himself dryly—it came out more bitter than funny.
He wandered around until he noticed a photo lying on top of a locker. He picked it up. It was in bad shape—half burned, the other half showed a young child, but the face had been scratched out with black ink. Part of the background was still visible—a grassy field and some kids playing, like it was taken at a preschool.
"Whose picture is this? Why does this place feel… familiar?" Noah whispered, confused. He flipped the photo over and found some writing.
"I found this photo in—
I think she regretted—
But what your son did destroyed us—
The only reason he wasn't punished is—
We'll leave the past behind and move on—
If our paths cross again—
I hate you, your son, and all the suffering—"
Noah couldn't read the rest—the paper was burned. But he got the general idea.
"Seems like the person in the photo did something awful… hurt the writer and his family… It's not totally clear, but it's obvious this man hates both the son and the father deeply," Noah thought, confused, and slipped the photo into his pocket.
Then he noticed white light seeping through the curtain—it looked like sunlight, but purer.
"Is this the way out?" Noah wondered as he moved toward it.
"Actor!" a voice shouted behind him. Noah jumped and turned. It was Livia.
"What the hell are you yelling for?!" he snapped, ears ringing.
"What the hell are you doing?! The show's about to start! Come on!" Livia barked, grabbing his arm and dragging him away.
"The show? I thought you said it was tomorrow?" Noah asked, confused about how time even worked in this place.
"This is tomorrow, idiot! Hurry up—everyone's waiting! Don't slack off!" Livia said, slapping him lightly on the back.
"Shouldn't I change first—?" Noah asked, only to realize… he was already dressed.
He wore his fluttering black cloak with charred edges again, a dark cloth vest like a worn-down cuirass, broken iron cuffs on his wrists, and tight war pants stitched with red thread. His pale face and sunken eyes still carried that chronic exhaustion. In his right hand—an old metal sword, engraved with ancient Greek markings, its hilt made of blackened bone.
"When did I—?" Noah asked in shock, his cloak flaring behind him as Livia slapped his back again—probably just looking for an excuse.
"The show's about to begin. Get ready!" Livia said excitedly. Noah looked ahead—and found himself behind the usual red curtains leading to the stage, flanked on both sides by people he didn't recognize. Their faces were black and distorted like glitches. They were dressed like ancient warriors:
A bronze chestplate gripped like an unfeeling heart. A leather skirt swayed with warrior tassels over legs guarded by metal greaves. A red cloak fell like quiet embers. A helmet with a blood-colored crest hid their eyes. In their right hand: a short sword like a fang. In their left: a round bronze shield shining like the sun in battle.
"Who the hell are these people?!" Noah said, more shocked with each passing second.
"Now go, and crush your enemies, Polynices!" Livia shouted, giving the signal as the group surged onto the stage—dragging Noah with them.
Once he passed the red curtains, an entirely different world unfolded.
A massive colosseum—ancient stone towering around a dusty battlefield. Deafening cheers echoed from every direction, rebounding off ancient stone with awe and challenge. The blazing sun cast long shadows over blood-stained sand. The air pulsed with energy—every breath held in for the grand event.
On the other side stood their opponents, dressed just the same—same armor, same hidden faces. Both sides gripped their weapons, clashing them against their shields in a thunderous war cry.
Behind them stood Lou Yan—or rather, Antigone. She wore a dress like a torn fragment of night itself, long and trailing silently to her ankles. Wide sleeves drifted like whispers over the ground. Its black fabric didn't reflect light—it devoured it, like solidified smoke. A dark hood framed her face, hiding all but her eyes that gleamed like distant sparks. With each movement, the dress didn't follow her body—it led it, like a shadow with its own will.
Antigone raised her hand, her gown flowing like midnight itself.
"Thebans! Charge!" she cried with a deep, warrior's growl.
At once, her soldiers surged forward.
Noah's right eye glowed, a four-sided symbol lighting around his pupil. His aura shifted—he became someone else.
"Myrmidons! Forward!" Noah bellowed, spirit surging into his soldiers as they followed the command of their king, Polynices
ACT II: THE MONSTER