Mia looked up, eyes locked onto them..onto Yona, just behind Aria. The moment stretched.
"I can't," Mia said, her voice soft but firm.
"You can !" Aria cried. "You're right there..just take one step, please!"
But Mia didn't move.
"I don't deserve to go," she whispered. Her voice cracked. "It's my fault…"
Everyone inside turned toward her now..Yona, Lena, Maya, Ayumi, Daiki, diago. All watching. All hearing her.
"I was the one who started all of this. Because of me , Yona died in this world. Because of me, Maya suffered. I destroyed everything with my jealousy. You all… you're here because you survived me."
Her eyes flickered to Yona, and her voice dropped.
" And you… I almost ruined you most of all."
Yona stepped forward slightly. The light of the tower flickered across his face.
"Mia," he started, but she shook her head.
"No," she said, smiling sadly. "This world needs someone to clean up the mess I left behind. And Maya… Maya finally has a chance. You all do. But I don't."
The door rumbled again..now only inches from sealing shut .
"Mia, please!" Aria screamed, stepping closer. "You're not that person anymore! You helped us. You saved lives!"
Mia's gaze softened. Her hand lifted briefly..as if to reach for them . But instead, she turned it into a wave.
"Take care of each other," she whispered. Her eyes lingered on Yona, then lena, Aria and ayumi . "And don't look back."
The door let out a final groaning clang. Sealed.
Silence.
The tower glowed faintly from within, humming with ancient energy. And outside, in the dark wilderness, only a few were left behind : Mia , standing just beyond the barrier, hand lowered to her side.
Diago, his expression unreadable as he watched the door. Lira , quiet and still, her eyes cast to the ground. And Aleria , still stirring from her long sleep. She shifted slightly, a soft breath escaping her lips. Then..her voice, fragile and trembling, barely above a whisper:
"Noah..."
Her head turned gently, eyes still shielded by the remnants of the binding straps across her face. She blinked beneath them, disoriented, as if waking from a dream she didn't yet understand. They were the ones who stayed. The ones who still had something left to do.
The door sealed with a deep, echoing thud , cutting off the tower's chamber from the wilderness outside. Silence. Within the quiet hum of the ancient tower, the group stood frozen.. processing, waiting , and unaware of what still lingered beyond.
Outside , under the moon's silver light, Mia turned slowly to face the ones left behind..Diago.. Lira, Maya, and Aleria, who now sat up, awake but dazed. Her eyes were glassy, searching the clearing as if trying to stitch together what had just unfolded.
Mia smiled faintly. A sad, fragile curve of her lips.
"Someone has to be left behind," she said, barely louder than the wind. No one spoke. No one stopped her. Then, with a slow exhale, Mia closed her eyes.
A soft breeze swept through the clearing, and then, her form began to disintegrate. Ash. Light. She dissolved into the wind , like scattered embers rising into the moonlight, leaving nothing behind but silence and the weight of unfinished forgiveness.
Aleria , now fully awake, turned her head slowly toward the space Mia had stood. Her voice trembled.
"…What happened?"
she whispered, looking between the others. Her hand brushed the loose strap across her shoulder as her eyes widened.
" She's gone…"
No one answered. Diago's jaw clenched. He turned slightly toward Lira , who stood beside him, unmoving, her eyes lost in thought. Then his voice broke through the stillness, low and raw:
"Are you in love with him?"
Lira's eyes widened in the pale glow. She didn't speak. But after a beat of silence, she slowly reached out and took his hand. Diago looked down at her fingers wrapped in his, then up at her again, reading something between her silence.
And then..
She froze. A strange shimmer passed over her body, like static, like a signal being scrambled.
She flickered, only for a second, but enough to notice. Her face distorted slightly, a strange glitch in reality.
Inside the tower, Noir's eyes narrowed suddenly. He turned sharply toward Lena , standing beside Yona . She blinked, then jerked back slightly, her breath catching.
That same flicker. That same distortion. For just a moment, her image faltered..like someone else trying to take her place. And then, her expression shifted . She looked around, disoriented. Her gaze landed on Yona .
"…What just happened?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "How… how did I get here?"
The questions surged silently in her mind, sharp and unmoored, as if she had been pulled from one world into another..without warning. Noir's gaze remained locked on her. Silent. Still. Then, inside his head, the thought surged:
"Wait… what just happened? ..Lira's back with us."
" Then where did Lena go?..Did she switch places with Lira?"
A knot tightened in his chest. Yona froze. His breath caught, and for a heartbeat, the world around him dulled..the tower, the voices , the light, all fell away. His chest tightened.
A sorrow he had buried deep surged up again, raw and unresolved. He had mourned her. Accepted she was gone, or at least, unreachable. That he wasn't meant to have her by his side. Not anymore.
And then..
A sudden sharp pull in his chest. A strange, unexplainable ache, like something long lost being violently returned. He gasped and turned his head sharply toward her.
She was looking at him..confused, uncertain, but undeniably her . His eyes widened.
"L…Lira?" he whispered, brokenly.
Before anyone could react, Yona moved..crossed the space between them in an instant and pulled her into a tight, desperate embrace. Lira stiffened for half a breath… then clung to him even tighter, burying her face into his shoulder. A shiver passed through both of them, like two halves of something broken finally colliding.
Ayumi's jaw dropped , her voice a whisper:
"What…?"
Daiki blinked, eyes narrowed, looking back and forth between them. Aria stepped forward, stunned, her expression unreadable. None of them could speak. Everything felt like it had shifted. Because it had. Yona just held her closer, eyes closing as he whispered,
"You're really here…"
And Lira, her voice muffled against his chest, answered,
"I don't know how. But I am."
Yona pulled her closer..tighter..like letting go might undo everything. His arms wrapped around her fully, as if trying to protect her from time itself. His voice cracked, barely a whisper, but it carried everything:
"I don't care how… you're here with me again, Lira."
He didn't pull away. His face was buried in the crook of her neck for a moment, breathing her in, grounding himself. A soft, broken laugh escaped him, filled with disbelief, relief, and something close to grief.
"That's all that matters now."
Lira didn't speak..her breath caught, then steadied against his shoulder. Slowly, she hugged him back, tighter than before, like she needed to prove to herself this was real.
Behind them, the others stood frozen. Ayumi's brows drew together , her voice barely audible:
"Wait… Lira?"
Daiki exchanged a sharp glance with Aria , who could only stare, her lips parting in shock. Something impossible had just happened… And yet, it felt exactly right.
And somewhere outside , Lena , whose hand was still in Diago's , blinked in surprise. Her expression shifted..confusion flickering behind her eyes as if something had just snapped out of place inside her.
Diago blinked too, feeling something… different. The warmth of her hand felt the same, but something in the air had changed. He looked at her..closer now, but said nothing.
And Lena opened her mouth slightly, confusion in her eyes..She was about to speak, to ask the question swirling in her mind:
"Why am I here? Why am I not with… Yona?"
The words barely formed in her throat when suddenly..a flash of light , a sharp, unnatural flicker of static energy, burst across the clearing.
Her breath caught.
Diago turned sharply, instinctively, his grip on her hand tightening..feeling the strange shift but not understanding yet. The flicker vanished as quickly as it came. But the tension it left behind clung to everything.
A strange silence. A new weight in the air. Something had just shifted.AndAleria looked up at her, sensing the strange energy ripple again in the air.
the tension of moments ago softening from diago's eyes as he smiled, as if nothing unusual had happened..just a sweet moment between two souls rediscovered.
"I missed you so much, Lena ," he said gently.
She smiled back, warmth in her voice.
"I missed you too, Diago."
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. His voice dropped to a whisper only she could hear.
"I love you. Don't disappear again. I won't handle it a second time."
She nodded silently, her eyes misting as she hugged him tighter. Neither of them noticed the way Aleria< had suddenly stood up, her head turning in every direction, panicked and searching.
"Where is he?" she muttered, more to herself than to the others. "Where is Noah ?"
And then.. A voice, low and teasing, from just behind her:
"Do you miss me?"
Aleria's eyes widened.
"…No…ah? "
She spun around, and there he was. Noah , standing with that familiar soft grin, his arms opening slightly.
"Come to me, my princess."
Tears sprang to her eyes instantly. She didn't hesitate. She ran to him, crashing into his embrace as she burst into sobs.
"I missed you, Noah," she choked out into his chest. "So much…"
Noah wrapped his arms around her, holding her like something lost and finally found.
Not far from them, Yuima stood quietly behind the tree, still watching from a distance. Her eyes were calm, but heavy, and deeply confused. She muttered to herself, barely audible over the soft wind:
"What happened here...? Everything shifted into something else."
Her brows furrowed as her gaze swept over the others.
"That flash of light… after it happened, everything changed. But… why didn't it affect me?"
She slowly raised her hand, staring at it..turning it over.
"I don't feel anything strange..."
A beat passed.
Then, in a whisper full of unease, she added:
"This world… it's like it's adjusting everything."
Her voice faded into the wind. Then, cautiously, she looked back toward them all..toward the reunions, the hugs, the tears..watching as if the world had turned itself inside out in front of her… and somehow left her standing still.
She felt a shift in the air, and then, a presence behind her. She turned slowly.
Yona's copy stood there, silently. They stared at each other for a long moment. Then Yuima closed her eyes, her voice barely a breath:
"She's there… waiting for you."
He nodded once. Then stepped forward, gently passing her. At that very moment, not far away.. Maya was on her knees in the grass. Her head bowed. Her voice broken and soft.
"He left me," she whispered. "Yona will never come to me again…"
A hand touched her shoulder. A voice, soft and warm, from in front of her.
"Am I that kind of boy?"
Maya slowly raised her head. Her eyes widened. He was kneeling before her, smiling gently. Maya didn't speak. She just threw herself forward, burying her face in his chest, trembling.
He lowered himself down fully, sitting on the ground, holding her carefully..one arm supporting himself, the other around her. She cried into him, and he let her. No words. No explanation. Just that quiet space between them
Yuima took a slow step forward, her gaze distant. Her voice barely left her lips, soft and bitter:
"It's me… I'm the one left alone."
She walked a few more steps into the clearing, her pace slow, as if the truth was pulling her down with every breath. Then she stopped, eyes drifting up to the night sky.
"Noah… and Yona…" she whispered.
"They already died in this world. And those boys with them… they're just another copy."
She turned her head back slightly, looking over her shoulder at the distant forms embracing behind her. Her voice grew colder.
"The world just… adjusted them. To be together. So that life could continue in this world."
She looked forward again, stepping again, but suddenly, a sharp knock echoed in her mind like a jolt. She gasped, her hand flying to her chest, clutching at her heart.
"What..?" she choked out.
Her knees buckled. She fell forward onto one knee. And then… A soft stream of ash began rising from her body. From her fingertips. Her shoulders. Her skin. Floating upward like whispers in the moonlight. Her eyes widened in horror.
"So it's me…" she whispered.
"The world will sacrifice me. The way it sacrificed Mia…"
A pause. Her face twisted with disbelief.
"But why me?"
Her voice cracked as the air around her shimmered. Her form flickered, destabilizing. But then..she forced herself upright. Straightening through the disintegration. Her hair dancing in the wind. Her body fracturing. But her voice steady now.
"I did something bad."
Her jaw tightened.
" And no one's with me."
She looked up into the empty sky.
"That's why… this world sees me as an error. Something to erase."
As the wind calmed and the air settled. Yuima, still standing behind the tree, faded like a reflection losing its light . She didn't crumble like Mia .she simply vanished, like a breath exhaled into the night. Her presence, her weight in the world, was simply… no longer there.
And in that same instant..Ayumi gasped. Her hand flew to her chest, just over her heart. Her knees buckled slightly, and she stumbled forward.
"Ayumi?"
Noir turned quickly, stepping in beside her, catching her before she could fall. He gripped her shoulders, his brow furrowed.
"Are you okay?"
She didn't look at him right away. Her eyes were wide, staring downward..lost in something invisible. Then, her voice came out low. Shaken.
"I… I don't know. Something just… hit me. Like a pain in my chest. But not physical. It's like something inside me…"
Her breath trembled as she spoke. Noir didn't answer immediately. He just pulled her gently into his arms, holding her close. Then, quietly.. under his breath, barely audible..he whispered only to himself:
"Something's shifted again…".
To be continue...