Noir didn't speak. He didn't flinch. Didn't deny it. He only stood there..still as a shadow, as if the weight of the moment had long since crushed any need to defend himself.
The silence stretched, heavy and electric. The sound of the rain returned, soft and steady like the world was holding its breath with them. Ayumi took a small step back.
"You were there," she said quietly. "You saw it happen."
Noir's jaw clenched. His eyes were dark..not cold, not cruel, but distant. Guarded. The kind of distance that only comes from living with something too long to explain. Daigo took a shaky breath.
"Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you stop her?"
Noir's voice, when it came, was hoarse..like it had to claw its way out of him.
"I couldn't," he said. "I wasn't supposed to interfere with the things in this world."
Ayumi's voice cracked.
"But she killed you. i mean she killed Noah ,And Aleria… she saw that?"
Noir nodded.
"She came running. Right as it happened. Right when the blood hit the floor."
Yona closed his eyes, a flicker of grief crossing his face. Daigo was shaking now.
"And after that?"
Noir hesitated. Then he looked up, and for the first time, there was no wall in his gaze. Just sorrow.
"I stayed," he said. "Even after i died. Or... part of me did. Something about this world wouldn't let go. I watched her fall apart. I watched them take her away. I watched everyone forget."
Ayumi whispered, "Even you."
Noir gave the faintest nod. "Even me."
the wind stirred, lifting the edges of Ayumi's jacket. The rain had lightened to a mist, but the cold had sunk deep now, into the marrow of their bones. Daigo wiped a hand over his face, eyes burning.
"I remembered pieces," he said. "Flickers. A smile. A voice. Her hair. But never the whole thing. Not until now."
Ayumi stepped forward, voice trembling.
"Noir… if you saw it happen… if you saw Yuima do it… why didn't you say her name? Why didn't you tell anyone?"
Noir looked at her. There was a long silence. Then he said, quietly:
"Because it would've interfered with the distance between this world and the real one. I was already too close. Saying her name… would've torn something I couldn't fix."
The rain ticked on metal and leaves. A car passed in the distance, its lights a blur. The world outside kept moving, but inside this moment, time had stopped. Yona spoke next, voice steady despite the storm inside him.
"She's still alive. Aleria. You said she was taken… where?"
Noir looked away.
"They moved her. She was transferred between facilities. Quiet places. Places for people the world doesn't want to see. But I think she's still here. Somewhere nearby. That's why I stayed."
Daigo stepped closer, his voice a thread of breath.
"We have to find her."
No one disagreed. Ayumi reached for Noir's hand again, gripping it tightly.
"If we don't, this world will erase her completely."
Noir nodded.
"And if it erases her… the real Aria could vanish with her. That's how this place works. It replaces the truth with copies until there's nothing left."
They all stood together now, at the edge of a broken reality, staring into the fog where memory and silence hung like a veil. Ayumi looked at Noir carefully.
"But… how did you even know about this world?"
Noir didn't answer. His silence was different this time..not grief, not pain, but something deeper. Older. Like he'd made a promise not to say. Ayumi's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing more. Noir finally spoke again, gently.
"I think I know where she is."
Ayumi met his eyes.
"Then take us."
He gave a slow nod. Daigo's mind:
"She remembered me. Even when I forgot her… she remembered me."
And somewhere..perhaps not far from there..Aleria stirred in a hospital room with no name, clutching a dream of a boy who had once loved her in a world that no longer existed.
They were just about to move forward when Yona suddenly felt something shift. A presence. Even Noir froze beside him, but it was Yona who moved first. A cold ripple crawled down his spine as he turned his gaze toward the edge of the street.
There—barely touched by the streetlight's shimmer..stood a girl. Drenched in thin white hospital clothes that clung to her frail figure. Her skin glowed pale in the misty dark. She looked weightless… like she could vanish at any second.
And her eyes..empty and wide..locked onto Yona's like a memory long buried had clawed its way to the surface. Yona's voice cracked out of him before he could stop it.
"…Lena?"
Ayumi gasped softly. Noir's breath hitched. But Daigo..Daigo took a sharp step back, his heart racing in his ears. His eyes widened.
"That's not.." he whispered.
His voice trembled with something beyond disbelief.
"She's not Lira…"
They all turned toward him, but he was still staring at her.
"She's Lena… That's the real Lena. The one from your world."
His breath caught.
"Lira… isn't…"
He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes slowly dropped to the ground, mouth slightly open, and then widened again with realization.
"If this is the real Lena… then where is Lira?"
His gaze shot back up to the girl..Lena..as if the terrifying truth had just started to unravel. He looked haunted. And in that moment, Yona broke the tension. He ran..fast, reckless, straight to her.
"Lena!!"
She didn't move at first. Her arms hung limp, her lips parted in a frozen gasp. Her face didn't react..until Yona reached her.
And then—
He wrapped his arms around her like someone clinging to a piece of himself. He held her tight, as though she'd vanish if he loosened his grip for even a second. For a moment, Lena didn't move. But then her body caved, and she collapsed into him, burying her face into his chest.
Tears exploded from her like a storm breaking through silence.
"Yona…!" she sobbed, her voice cracked and aching. "I missed you..I missed you so much…"
Her hands fisted in the back of his shirt as she cried with the pain of lost years.
"I thought I'd never see you again..I thought she took you from me…"
"I'm here," he whispered. "I'm here, Lena. You're safe now."
And then, pulling back just enough to look her in the eyes, Yona whispered:
"I'm sorry."
She blinked through tears.
"I'm so sorry, Lena," he said, voice trembling. "That night...I let go of your hand. I let them take you."
Her lip trembled. He went on, his breath uneven:
"I should've held on. I should've fought harder. I should've never let you go. That was my fault. All of it."
"Yona…"
"But I swear," he whispered, brushing her soaked hair back, "I'll never let your hand go again. Not ever."
Tears streamed freely down her face now. She pressed her forehead to his.
"I waited," she whispered. "I waited so long…"
"And I never stopped looking," he said.
Behind them, Ayumi stared with a mix of awe and sorrow. Noir turned away, as if giving them space, but his shoulders were tense. Daigo was still frozen. Pale. Quiet. The rain ticked gently around them. Lena's voice trembled against Yona's chest.
"I remembered you, even when everything else was gone… I remembered you."
Yona tightened his arms around her.
"And I never stopped searching."
Ayumi's voice, soft and broken, cut through the mist.
"…But how is she here?"
Noir said nothing. Yona gently brushed a strand of wet hair from Lena's face.
"We'll figure it out," he said. "You're with us now."
And in that raw, impossible moment..between broken memories and stolen identities..Daigo looked on, the chill of something darker clinging to his thoughts.
"If this is the real Lena…" he whispered again to himself, trembling, "then where is Lira?"
Daigo stepped forward, his voice sharp and low like a blade cutting through fog.
"I need to find her."
They all turned to look at him. His fists clenched at his sides.
"I need to find Lira."
His eyes didn't waver, but something behind them was cracking. Ayumi's lips parted..like she wanted to say something , but she stayed silent. Even Noir's usual unreadable expression faltered for a moment, catching the tremor in Daigo's voice.
Lena turned toward him slowly, her eyes settling on him with a softness that was almost too still. She stared at him. And inside..where no one could hear it—her heart whispered:
"I'm sorry, Daigo…"
Her gaze dropped, and a flicker of memory surged behind her eyes. The tower. That night of fractured reality. She had stood face to face with her copy...Lira.
She remembered the pale blue light that spilled through the stone chamber, the ancient hum of the tower awakening. Lira had reached out, her voice calm, resolute.
"It has to be me, Lena."
"You belong with them. I don't. Not anymore."
Then she stepped into the tower's heart—into the strange spiral of light and memory, and Gone.
And now… Daigo stood there, searching for her.
"I'm sorry, Daigo," she whispered again in her mind, her lips not daring to move. Because she couldn't tell him.
"…She wouldn't just disappear," Daigo murmured, as if speaking to ghosts. "Lira wouldn't… not without a reason."
Lena's throat tightened, and she held her breath. Ayumi took a slow step forward, glancing between him and Lena.
"Daigo," she said gently, "maybe she's still.."
"She's out there," he said, firmer this time. "I know it."
He turned away before anyone could stop him, his voice rough.
"I have to find her."
And just like that, he walked into the mist..shoulders tense, every step driven by longing, guilt, and a love not yet dead.
Lena stood in the rain, still watching him vanish into the fog, her arms clutched around herself like she could hold the truth in. She wanted to run after him. To shout the words she never could say. But she stayed still. Because some truths broke more than they healed.
And she… she wasn't ready to break him. So she whispered once more, only to herself, as the wind swallowed the sound:
"I'm sorry, Daigo…"
Daigo didn't stop walking. The fog swallowed his outline as his steps grew faster, more urgent. Every heartbeat in his chest screamed find her find Lira, don't stop.
But then— A hand gripped his wrist tightly.
"Let go," Daigo snapped, whipping around.
Noir stood behind him, eyes narrowed, his dark hair damp with mist. His grip didn't loosen.
"You need to hold yourself together," Noir said sharply.
Daigo's eyes burned with rage.
"Leave me alone."
But Noir didn't flinch. His voice didn't soften.
"No."
Daigo yanked against him, but Noir pulled harde..pulling him back, grounding him like a shadow that refused to let its light break away.
"You think you're the only one hurting?" Noir said, voice low but firm. "You think running off alone will bring her back?"
"I have to find her..!"
"And you will," Noir cut in. "But not like this. Not alone."
Daigo stared at him, breathing hard. His chest heaved with anger, grief, and confusion, clashing all at once like thunder.
"You won't get anything by storming off blind," Noir continued. "We've already lost too much. We can't afford to lose you too."
Daigo looked away, his jaw clenched, lips trembling.
"She was right there, Noir… every day. Right next to me. And I didn't even realize it wasn't her."
"I know."
"No. You don't."
For a heartbeat, silence. Then Noir's grip finally loosened, but only enough to place a steady hand on Daigo's shoulder.
"We all failed her," he said. "But if you walk away now, you'll only fail her again."
Daigo's chest rose with a shuddered breath. He looked past Noir..back at the others standing behind in silence. Yona holding Lena gently, Ayumi watching with pain in her eyes.
And Lena… She stood motionless in the mist, her gaze locked on him. A silent truth hidden deep behind those tired, sad eyes.
He didn't know what it was. But something told him..if he walked away now, he'd never hear it. Daigo finally lowered his head. His fists shook at his sides. Then he whispered, voice barely audible:
"…Then help me find her."
Noir gave a single nod.
"We will."
The fog was thick around them, but the weight of silence had finally lifted..if only slightly. Yona stepped forward, his arms still loosely wrapped around Lena, as if afraid to let her go again. His voice cut through the stillness with quiet resolve.
"Let's start from the facility."
Everyone turned to him. He looked at Noir.
"You said they took her there, right?"
Noir met his gaze and gave a slow, steady nod.
"Yes. That's where I last saw her… before everything went wrong."
Yona's jaw tightened, his eyes flickering briefly to Lena..who still hadn't spoken, though her fingers clutched faintly at his sleeve, as if grounding herself through his presence. Ayumi's voice broke through next..sharp and determined.
"Then let's go. Now."
She stepped forward, urgency in her movements.
"We've wasted enough time. If she's still out there… we don't know what they've done to her. We have to move."
Daigo looked up, his eyes dark and focused again, steadier now that Noir hadn't let him fall apart. He gave a tight nod.
"I'm ready."
Noir glanced between them, then reached into his coat and pulled out a small device..part map, part key. Its screen glowed dimly in the gloom.
"It's not far. But we'll need to move fast. If they know Lena's out… they might tighten security."
Lena finally lifted her head, eyes heavy with sorrow, but behind them, a silent strength was beginning to rise. She looked at the team standing before her. Familiar faces. Wounded hearts.
And one burning truth she hadn't told. Not yet. Not until she knew how much more would be lost.
Yona touched her hand softly.
"Can you walk?"
She nodded faintly.
"I can."
He gave her a gentle look, then turned back toward the others.
"Let's bring them back."
Together, they moved..out of the clearing, and toward the place where it had all started.
To be continue ....