The person standing under the pale morning light was someone I thought I'd never see in this realm—someone from a world that felt so far away, I'd almost convinced myself it didn't exist anymore.
"Aliya?"
Her head tilted, her eyes widening just enough for me to know it was really her. My chest tightened and the ground beneath my feet seemed to fall away.
Before I even realized I was moving, I was running—closing the distance between us in a heartbeat. The moment my arms wrapped around her, the dam I'd been holding back inside me cracked wide open.
I clung to her like she was the last anchor I had. The scent of her familiar perfume—warm, sweet, with a faint trace of sandalwood—washed over me, and for the first time since I'd been trapped here, I felt a piece of home.
Her arms came around me just as tightly. "Harper…" Her voice was shaky but firm, like she was holding back her own flood of emotions. "I'm going to explain everything later, but we need to leave first."
I nodded into her shoulder, still unwilling to let go. It was only when I felt the weight of stares on me—station staff watching us like we were a strange spectacle—that I finally stepped back.
She didn't say another word until we walked out into the cool, crisp morning air.
From across the street, I caught sight of a figure leaning casually against the corner of a building. The long, flowing hair, the steady gaze that missed nothing—it was Luna.
Her arms were crossed, but it wasn't the kind of posture that said relaxed. Her eyes tracked Aliya with a precision that made my stomach knot. The sunlight caught in her irises, and I swore I could see the suspicion burning there.
Aliya didn't notice. She just led me toward a sleek black car parked at the curb.
We drove in silence for a while, the streets gradually shifting from the crowded, noisy marketplace district to quieter lanes lined with elegant stone houses. The car rolled to a stop in front of a two-story home with arched windows and a balcony draped in flowering vines.
"You live here?" I asked as we stepped out.
She smiled faintly. "I got this place from my father… in this realm."
Her father? I blinked. "Aliya, how do you even know about CODE? How are you here?"
She pushed the door open and motioned for me to follow. Inside, the place was warm—polished wooden floors, bookshelves crammed with both human and strange, otherworldly volumes, a faint smell of lavender lingering in the air. It was… safe.
She turned to me, her expression softening. "After you escaped on your supposed wedding day, I went back to your house. You weren't there. Your father wasn't giving me a straight answer. He kept dodging my questions."
Her eyes darkened slightly at the memory. "So I went to the house of the old man you were supposed to marry. His daughter told me to go to CODE headquarters if I wanted to find you. I didn't even know what CODE was at the time, but… I went."
My breath caught. "You… ended up here?"
"Yes." She gave a small nod. "I've been looking for you for so long, Harper. I finally found you."
Something in her voice made my throat ache. There was no tremor, no hesitation—it was the steady voice of someone who meant every word.
But then, from the far side of the room, Luna spoke. I hadn't even heard her come in.
"Why now?"
Aliya turned toward her, brows knitting. "What?"
"Why are you just looking for her now?" Luna's tone was calm, but there was a steel edge beneath it. "Doesn't it sound convenient that you just happened to show up to save her from trouble?"
I frowned. "Luna, what are you—"
"Convenient timing is rarely coincidence," Luna said, not taking her eyes off Aliya. "Especially in CODE."
I stepped between them. "Luna, calm down. Aliya's my best friend. She means no harm."
Luna's gaze flicked to me. Her voice dropped, lower now, like she didn't want Aliya to hear. "Harper, come here."
Reluctantly, I followed her to the corner of the room. She leaned in, close enough for her breath to ghost against my ear.
"CODE uses players' memories," she whispered. "This could be part of the system's doing. You have to be careful."
I shook my head. "No. This is real. Aliya's telling the truth."
Her expression hardened. "Trust me, I've been a victim of this before. Also, the game plan is being calculated beforehand. She cannot enter the game because there are more than enough players".
The way she said it—the weight in her tone—made something cold flicker in my stomach. But I forced myself to push it down.
"We'll talk about it later," I said, glancing back at Aliya, who was watching us with faint curiosity. "For now, I just… I want to be with her."
Luna's lips pressed into a thin line. "Fine. I'll come back later."
She slipped out the door, her long coat trailing behind her.
Aliya stepped forward, arms opening. "Come here."
I let myself be pulled into her embrace again. Her warmth seeped into me, chasing away the lingering chill Luna had left behind.
"I missed you," Aliya murmured into my hair.
I closed my eyes. "I missed you too."
---
Author's POV
What Harper didn't see—what she couldn't see—was the subtle shift in Aliya's expression the moment her face was hidden against Harper's shoulder.
Her eyes, once a familiar warm brown, deepened—darkening until they gleamed a deep, unnatural red.
And her lips curved into a slow, calculated smile.
Not the smile of a friend reunited.
The smile of a predator who had finally caught her prey.