In the nightmare, Altair, his father Cassian, and his mother were having a meal. When Altair felt full, he placed his fork on the table, got down from his chair—having to jump down because of the height difference between him and the chair.
"Are you done already?" Cassian asked, food in his mouth. The words came out as just a mix between chewing and swallowing, but Altair was still able to understand him.
"Yes," Altair nodded.
"You can go out, but don't be late, alright? And also, be careful—don't talk to strangers, especially those wearing black cloaks and tall hats! They'll kidnap you and do bad things to you," Altair's mother said in a warning tone, while Cassian shot her a doubtful look and said:
"You've been watching too many movies lately, haven't you?"
"They're based on true stories!" Altair's mother replied in an annoyed tone.
"...Right, sure... Anyway, Altair, be back before lunch."
"Okay," Altair nodded again before heading to the front door. He grabbed the metal handle, pushed it, and stepped outside into the world.
The moment Altair opened the door and walked out, he was greeted by the fresh morning air with a slight chill. The sky was clear and bright blue, dotted with small white clouds that looked like cotton drifting slowly. Golden sunlight spilled over the stone rooftops with their ornate wooden windows, making them glow with a warm reddish hue.
On either side of the road stood tall trees whose leaves swayed with the breeze, casting broken shadows on the ground still damp with morning dew. The songs of birds filled the air, blending with the laughter of children from the nearby park, where they ran and played without a care, accompanied by shouts of joy and occasional calls from mothers.
The streets were alive; some neighbors opened their shops, others exchanged greetings on the sidewalks, while workers passed by carrying baskets of fresh bread, filling the air with its scent.
Was this the first time Noah had seen the whole world since being trapped in this nightmare? He couldn't remember—all his memories of the previous Acts had stuck in his mind not because of their events, but because of the pain they brought him.
"I miss the outside... I wonder what the others are doing now? Are they investigating the killer? Are they worried about me? Or did they forget me and move on without me?... I miss everyone..." Altair thought to himself. When he felt a few tears forming in his eyes, he quickly wiped them with his elbow, leaving red marks under his eyelids.
"No, this is not Noah Grace's play—this is me, Altair... Whatever the others are doing outside, it doesn't matter to me; that's Noah Grace's concern... I am a completely different person now," Altair thought before smiling faintly and running toward the park to meet his friends there.
———————
Outside, in the lab bathed in cold white light, Enel and Violet were alone, already at work. Violet opened the metal container and took out a blood tube marked with an identification number. She placed it on the table in front of Enel, who began by passing the sample through a centrifuge to separate its components. The sharp spinning sound filled the room until it stopped suddenly, revealing the clearly separated layers of blood.
With a precise tool, Enel took drops from the required layer and mixed them with a special solution to extract the DNA. Violet placed the sample inside the genetic sequencer and entered commands into the computer. On the screen, a 3D image of a DNA strand began forming, alongside comparison charts from a massive database. The numbers shifted, graphs moved, until the progress bar neared completion—and in the results box, a name began to appear letter by letter: Jarod Michaelie.
"It's Jarod's blood..." Enel said, stepping back, his eyes fixed on the screen.
"D-Do you think he's dead?" Violet asked nervously.
"I don't know, but the amount of blood we found is a lot. Even if he survived, severe blood loss will kill him. Some of the blood samples we brought back had already clotted, so it's likely several minutes have passed since whatever happened to Jarod... Most likely, he's already dead."
"Will knowing if Jarod is dead or alive add anything to the investigation?" Violet asked.
"If he's alive and we find him, he might tell us who tried to kill him—if he saw them. But if he's dead, he's dead; the dead don't talk, so his usefulness ends there," Enel said uncertainly.
"Let's go tell the others anyway. We have to search for his body regardless," Violet said with a sigh, and Enel nodded.
———————
In Sector 3, in the "Open Quarter," Aria walked alone, moving through corners and narrow alleys until she reached a familiar shop with a sign reading "The Wild Whispers Depot". She pushed the worn wooden door and stepped inside, letting it close behind her.
Behind the counter stood a thin man with pale skin, wearing an ash-colored work apron, with wide dark-honey eyes and a broad, friendly smile.
"Welcome to my world, I am Raikel Atten, keeper of the whispering souls—" Raikel began with a wide smile, but when he opened his eyes and saw Aria standing there, hand on her hip, he was so shocked his eyes looked ready to pop out.
"Y-You, Vice President... W-What are you doing in my humble shop?" Raikel asked, rubbing his hands nervously.
"No need to act in front of me—no one followed me," Aria said, exhaling from the pressure she had been feeling lately.
"T-That's great... but you're still the student council vice president..." Raikel said nervously.
"What an annoying old man... Raikel Atten, retired high-rank hunter... and one of the 'Council of Four.' Who would have thought an old man like him held authority over the academy?" Aria thought to herself irritably as she glanced around at the animal cages—some empty, some full—then back at Raikel's shabby state.
"S-So, may I know the reason for your visit?" Raikel asked nervously.
"I want to ask about a certain student," Aria said, coming out of her thoughts at his voice.
"Don't you have access to the files of any student regardless of their background? Have you already forgotten such an ability?" Raikel asked in confusion.
"Yes... The problem is, this student doesn't have a file—or rather, his file is empty," Aria said.
"Who is this student?" Raikel asked, now intrigued.
"His name is... Sirius... Soren..." Aria said, her eyes widening for a moment as she paused, struggling to pronounce his name, as if she had forgotten it for a few seconds—but she didn't think much of it.
"Sirius Soren? How do you know this boy?" Raikel asked in confusion.
"Huh? We just crossed paths, that's all—why do you ask?" Aria asked curiously.
"N-No particular reason... his name just surprised me a bit," Raikel said nervously.
"Yeah, same name as the star that disappeared 18 years ago... but that's not important. Do you have any information on him?" Aria asked in a doubtful tone.
"N-Not really... I'll try to look into it for you. If I find anything noteworthy, I'll let you know immediately," Raikel said tensely. At that moment, Aria knew he was hiding something, but she decided not to press the matter further. She sighed in annoyance, ran her hand through the front of her hair, and her grip tightened slightly with each passing second.
"I need to take my pills."
———————
In Noah's nightmare, Altair was playing with his friends in the park, running like foolish innocents unaware of what the future held. Their laughter filled the park; mothers sat on benches chatting and watching their children play. When the sun reached its peak in the sky, Altair remembered his father's words about returning before lunch.
"I have to go home," Altair thought, stopping his run.
"Altair, is something wrong?" one of his friends asked, noticing he had stopped.
"Ah, I have to go home," Altair said.
"Ehh? Really? Can't you stay a bit longer?" his friend said regretfully.
"I'm sorry... I'll see you at school," Altair said as he started running off, waving his hand.
Altair returned home expecting the same warmth of the morning, but the first thing that greeted him was a suffocating silence, so heavy it slowed his breathing. He opened the door slowly and stepped into the hallway, hearing only the creak of the wooden floor beneath his feet. Even the street sounds from outside seemed muffled behind the house's walls.
"Mom...?" Altair called in confusion, closing the door behind him as he began walking forward, glancing around.
In the living room, everything was in its place—the neatly arranged couches, the aligned cushions, the small wooden table with the remains of cold tea cups still on it, and the faint rustle of the window curtain swaying gently in a light draft.
"Dad?" Altair called again, now feeling worried.
He headed toward the bedroom, his steps slowing, each one echoing in the silence like knocks on a door he didn't want to open. He gripped the cold metal doorknob, pushed it slightly, and the door opened as if the room had been waiting for him. The moment he saw inside, he froze, as though time itself had stopped.
The bed was drenched in blood, stained a deep crimson. The sheets clung to the two bodies lying on it. His mother lay on her side, her face pale, eyes half-closed, hair stuck to her forehead with blood. Beside her, his father Cassian lay barely breathing, tears slowly rolling down his cheeks, mixing with sweat and blood.
Above him, the killer was bent slightly, hand gripping the handle of a thick knife, slowly pulling it from Cassian's chest. The blade emerged covered in fresh blood, heavy drops falling onto the soaked sheets beneath. The metallic scent of blood filled the air, mixed with wood and sweat, becoming suffocating.
The killer finally lifted his head and slowly turned toward Altair, his eyes devoid of any emotion. Altair stood frozen, unable to speak or move, his young mind not yet able to fully grasp what was happening—but he knew blood was never a good sign.
Tears he didn't understand began to fill his eyes, streaming down his cheeks.
The man started walking toward Altair. Altair's body trembled, and he stepped back, his face twisting in fear. Soon, the killer stood before him, looking down with sharp, dead eyes. Altair looked down, unable to move under the weight of that gaze. The man reached out his hand, and Altair squeezed his eyes shut, shaking—until the man simply placed it on his shoulder and walked away, leaving the house.
Altair opened his eyes; the man was nowhere in sight. He collapsed to his knees, staring at the blood dripping from the bed to the floor. The smell of iron filled the room.
"Mom...? Dad...? Please... wake up...?"