While Noah was going through all of that in the nightmare, things were slowly changing in the real world as well. The clouds moved away from the sky, no longer blocking the moonlight, which now shone through one of the windows in Sector 6, room 202 — Lou Yan's room. At 10 PM, Lou Yan's room was painted white with a reddish tint. A seductive feminine fragrance filled the room, which was neat and tidy; books were arranged on the shelves, clothes folded and placed in their spots. The bed was large and pink, luxurious in size, filled with soft, plush stuffed dolls, in which Lou Yan was sinking comfortably.
Lou Yan was peacefully asleep, wearing a white gown, immersed among her gentle pink dolls. Her chest rose and fell with each relaxed breath. But her body began to sweat slightly—not from heat, but from something else. She started to toss uneasily in bed, rubbing the area under her chin and between her chest in nervous tension. Then suddenly her eyes opened wide; she woke up startled, as if she had just been seeing a nightmare.
Her breathing quickened, leaving a trembling, dry gasp born from confusion and fear. Then she felt a cold breeze that woke her fully. She turned to see her window was open.
"...What a nightmare..." Lou Yan whispered to herself nervously, clutching the edge of her gown tightly.
Flashbacks of the nightmare came rushing to her mind, or what remained of it: moments with Noah and Calli, her attempt to kiss Noah, Calli's interruption, the chase, then the moment Noah was trapped and suddenly turned into a wooden doll while trying to escape — to his death as his wooden head was smashed by livia herself.
"...That was terrifying... I hope Noah never goes through anything like that..." Lou Yan thought anxiously, then glanced at her nearby glass table, on which lay a bouquet of red roses.
"...Noah might not wake up... I- I should make use of my time, no one knows what might happen in the future after all," Lou Yan whispered lightly, a sad expression crossing her face as she imagined Noah leaving forever. Then she shook her head to refuse the thought, and smiled faintly.
———————
In Noah's nightmare, he was still standing before Livia, stunned and shocked by everything he had experienced, and Livia's smile did nothing to calm him.
"Come on, let's go. You have a few minutes to read the script before the play starts," Livia said with a friendly smile, grabbing Noah by the arm and pulling him along while he cooperated like a lifeless body with no will.
"You've been daydreaming for a while. You need to focus on your role — you're the hero, the pillar of the play. Again," Livia said, letting out a light chuckle.
"What's going on? Isn't she the one who killed me? Then why can't I resist? Why don't I feel fear? Why can't I oppose her? Why? Why? Why? Why?" Noah thought to himself in emptiness and daze. Then his right eye glowed, a white light forming a square around his pupil, faintly shining.
"Everyone's already waiting for you. I'm really impressed with you. You're always late but you memorize every line perfectly. You're truly a skilled actor, as if you were made for this role," Livia said, then turned to see Noah's dead, blank expression and smiled a friendly smile that held Noah's breath—not because it was beautiful, but because of fear.
"Shut... up," Noah whispered weakly, his trembling, shaky voice barely above a whisper.
"Hm? Did you say something?" Livia asked, her friendly smile growing wider, stretching from ear to ear.
"Shut up!" Noah shouted, pulling his hand away forcefully from Livia's grip, surprising her.
"A-actor? What's wrong with you? Did something happen?" Livia asked nervously and worriedly, reaching out to touch Noah to check on him, but he pushed her away.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut the hell up!" Noah yelled in frustration, pouring out his heart while staring downward, unable to look at Livia.
"Sh-shut up? T-the actor, did I do something to anger you?" Livia asked in confusion and surprise.
"Be silent! Your very presence angers me, makes me hate myself more and wish for death! Actor this and Actor that! Not just you, but all of you! Everyone in this damn place! I'm not the actor or whatever other name you call me! I am Noah Grace, damn it! And you're not Livia — you're just a fake copy of a friend of mine whose image and personality you twisted! You're not real! No one here is real!" Noah said angrily, tears filling his eyes and streaming down his cheeks to fall from his chin.
"Ah…" Livia said with a puzzled, surprised tone. Then Noah finally lifted his head to meet her confused gaze.
"...Actor... I'm sorry... but... d-do you have something to say? I really didn't hear anything," Livia said in a nervous, apologetic tone.
Noah stood stunned, his eyes wide at Livia's words, frozen in place without movement or speech.
"I- I'm sure I saw your lips move... b-but I really didn't hear anything... it looked like you were just moving your lips... i-is this some acting technique? You just skillfully moved your lips, you're really a skilled actor!" Livia said in an amazed, proud tone, patting Noah's shoulder while he stood there trying to process what she was saying.
"Let's go, everyone's waiting," Livia said with a friendly smile, then turned her back to Noah and began walking away.
"...Is that it then?... Is that really how it is? ...After being ignored since birth... and after gaining the system... and being despised by everyone... and enduring all that pain and suffering... the world will ignore my complaints too?! ...I understand now... I understand... this world doesn't care about me... whether I live or die... I'm just nothing on the scale... but even though the world ignores me, it still wants me to leave this place... this damned reality..." Noah thought quietly to himself, biting his lower lip hard and clenching his fist tightly.
Livia stopped walking as soon as she noticed Noah wasn't following her. She turned to face him, standing still, hands behind her back.
"Hey, actor?" Livia said with a light, puzzled smile, as Noah began walking toward her.
"...Then I'll ignore the world... if what it wants me to do is follow the script it wrote... then... I'll rebel against this script... I'm not just a side character... I refuse to remain a fool... I refuse to be a pawn... I refuse to be the main character... I will be the one who writes this script... who determines everyone's fate... I will be the god of my own existence, of myself," Noah thought quietly, raising his head to look ahead, and they arrived behind the curtains that led to the stage.
Everyone was there. Lou Yan stood among them wearing a long black dress with a tight waist and a wide train, decorated with silver threads along the edges. Its sleeves were long, ending with dark lace trim. On her head was a wide-brimmed black pointed hat. She wore short velvet gloves and high leather shoes with buttons on the sides, like a witch.
Sirius stood confidently, his hand on his hip, wearing a long dark navy jacket with brass buttons, a gray vest, and a white shirt with a high collar. His pants were dark and elegant, and his leather shoes had simple lines. Small round glasses rested in his jacket pocket, with a metal chain hanging from one button.
Calli faced the curtains, turning her head to look at Noah. She wore a long heavy burgundy dress, decorated with delicate golden embroidery patterns. The collar was high and fastened with a metal pin, and the sleeves were long and tight to the wrist. She wore ivory-colored gloves and high-heeled shoes. Her hair was tightly pinned up, adorned with a metal clip.
"You have a few minutes to prepare, hurry up!" Calli said sharply and harshly, trying to rush them.
Then, out of nowhere, the play's script appeared in her hand, and she handed it to Noah.
"This is the script, try to memorize it," Livia said in a friendly tone, and Noah took it. As he looked down, he noticed his outfit had changed as well.
He now wore a long black coat with silver buttons and two front rows. Beneath it was a white shirt with high cuffs and a turned collar. His pants were dark and straight, and his shoes were shiny leather with a short neck. Leather gloves covered his hands, and his watch hung on a small chain on his chest.
"This is the script... the fate I'm trying to break... and the bitter reality I'm trying to escape from..." Noah thought, restraining the tight grip around the script, but his hand relaxed after taking a calming breath.
"What's wrong?" Livia asked, surprised, waiting for Noah to open the script, when he let it fall from his hand to the floor.
"The actor?" Livia asked in confusion, stepping closer to Noah, bending down to pick up the script.
"I don't need it," Noah whispered gruffly, which made Livia stop and freeze for a moment, then stand back without taking the script.
"Are you sure?" Livia asked, puzzled and a bit cautious and tense. The play was important to her, so for the main character not to read the script even once was serious.
"I don't need it," Noah repeated in a louder tone this time, confident and cold.
"...Alright then..." Livia said with a displeased tone, then turned to the others.
"The play will start in seconds! Get ready!" Livia said, her voice echoing throughout the backstage, ringing in everyone's ears.
Then the red curtains opened to the other side, it looked like walking into the light, and they each began entering one by one. Noah took his first step, then the second, until he crossed to the other side.
ACT III: THE HERO