104–Midnight Questions, Hidden Answers
Kai lay on his bed, staring into the ceiling's shadows as though they might rearrange themselves into answers. The room was still, the silence so dense it felt like it pressed against his ears. Yet inside him, everything was chaos. His body remained motionless beneath the sheets, but his mind was a battlefield—questions colliding, scattering, reforming, louder than thunder and sharper than broken glass.
He had laughed it off before Minji, pretending to be the calm one, dismissing her concerns with a shrug and a smirk. That mask had always been easy for him to wear in front of others. But here, alone, stripped of bravado, the weight of it bore down heavier than the blankets that covered him. His chest felt tight, his temples pulsed, and sleep was nothing but a cruel illusion.
Why?
Why did Moon and I awaken with this… curse? gift? power? Why us? Was it luck, or something orchestrated, calculated by hands unseen? When we fall, when the world tears us apart, where exactly do we go for that month of absence? Is it the soul that vanishes into some hidden dimension, or are we transported bodily to a place beyond time itself? And if the essence of us—the soul—truly flickers away, what would happen if someone struck at it directly? Would that be the end? Permanent, irreversible death?
The thought dug claws into him. If their so-called immortality was only skin-deep, then the illusion of safety was worse than no safety at all.
And then—Zambandari. The enigma draped in riddles. How in all realms did he come to know of this power? Why insist—no, demand—the role of Master? The man hadn't simply offered guidance; he had forced himself into their lives, cemented his authority through sheer will and manipulation. And then the resources—the blade, the essence arts, the techniques, the fluid that shimmered like captured lightning—gifts so rare and ruinously expensive that even nobles would hesitate. Why? Why bleed treasures upon us?
What is he really after?
His background—what is it? Who is he, truly? He spoke of a third candidate. Another like us. Does that one bear the same power of return, the same phantom tether between life and death? Or is it something else entirely?
And Zambandari himself—could he be lying? He denied having the respawn gift, but what if that denial was nothing more than theater? What if he holds the same power, perhaps even greater mastery over it, concealing his hand while guiding ours?
The web thickened with every question, and in its strands Kai felt himself caught.
And yet, there was more. Always more.
What of the parasite race? That wretched, invasive line that should have been erased, extinguished. How is it that one of their kind still walks, still breathes, still schemes? By all logic, they should not exist. Their survival is a contradiction, a wrongness etched into the fabric of the world. And if one parasite still lives, how many more lurk in shadows? Could their persistence tie into Zambandari's interest? Could it tie into us?
The questions multiplied, breeding like insects in the dark corners of his mind, and with each one came no answer—only sharper uncertainty, heavier silence.
Kai pressed his palms against his forehead, groaning low. The ache behind his eyes was a relentless hammer. Moon would never torment himself like this. Moon was easy, effortless, always ready to laugh and let the storm pass overhead without concern. But Kai… Kai could not. He was not Moon. He could never be Moon.
And so he lay there, crushed beneath the weight of mysteries with no resolution, trapped in the prison of his own thoughts, until the suffocation forced him up. Anything was better than this. Anything was better than drowning in questions that clawed but never answered.
Kai's temples throbbed, each unanswered thought driving a nail deeper into his skull. He pressed his palms over his eyes, growling low. Moon would be chilling right now, utterly unbothered. But Kai wasn't Moon. He couldn't just shrug off mysteries like this.
At last, desperate to drown the pounding of his own thoughts, Kai rose, pulled a yellow hoodie over his head, and whistled softly for Snow. The cub leapt from the windowsill with a faint chirp, padding to his side. Together, they slipped into the midnight hush of Nova Lumina.
The city breathed differently at this hour. Neon veins pulsed faintly through otherwise sleeping streets, colors dulled by a dusting of snow that clung to rooftops, wires. His footsteps echoed against empty boulevards, each one swallowed quickly by the weight of silence. Streetlamps burned in uneven intervals, casting half-lit pools that stretched and folded into shadowed alleys.
Fifteen kilometers of wandering later, his thoughts had not quieted, but the ache in his chest had softened. His legs carried him without intention until he stopped before a warm-lit restaurant wedged between two old brick structures. Its windows glowed with amber light, a fragile refuge in the cold.
Kai pushed the door open without hesitation. A bell chimed, and the air hit him at once—thick with the scent of dough rising in ovens, melted cheese, sizzling spices. It wrapped around him like a balm, warm and almost nostalgic, as though he had stepped into a different life.
"Pizza. One burger. And milk for my companion," he said to the waiter, gesturing at Snow.
The cub hopped onto the table as though it belonged there, curling his tail with smug satisfaction. Kai exhaled, slid into the booth, and let the tension in his body seep into the seat. For the first time all night, he allowed himself the indulgence of mindless scrolling on his device. Just noise. Blessed, empty, stupid noise.
But then—
Snow's ears twitched.
Kai froze. He had traveled enough with the cub to recognize that signal. The small body stiffened, hackles bristling. Before Kai could react, Snow launched forward in a sudden blur of white fur and claws.
"Snow! Hey—" Kai lunged instinctively, but caught nothing but air. His hands swiped for the cub's tail, missed, and he stumbled, colliding with a chair that scraped loud across the wooden floor.
He pushed himself upright, eyes snapping to where Snow had run.
At a booth in the far corner, nearly swallowed by shadows, sat a figure. A long coat pooled at her sides, and a wide-brimmed hat cast her face in impenetrable shade. Snow pressed himself against her legs, nuzzling, clinging with the desperate intensity of a child clinging to its mother.
Kai's heart thudded once—hard. His pulse quickened.
He moved quickly, urgency stiffening his limbs, and crouched down, trying to pry Snow away. The cub resisted, whining, his small claws digging into the coat's fabric. The sound he made was eerily human—a broken, whining cry, like a toddler torn from its mother's arms.
"Snow, stop," Kai whispered, but the cub thrashed, his body shaking with protest.
Kai frowned, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. Something was wrong.
In Snow's eyes, he saw it. A glimmer. A reflection that wasn't his own . Something familiar. It was as though Snow was trying to show him something.
"What the—" His voice was low, uneven.
His instincts took over. In one fluid motion, his hand shot out, faster than thought, yanking the stranger's hat free.
For a heartbeat, the world seemed to hold its breath.
And then the face emerged from shadow.
The lips curved into the faintest smirk, eyes glittering with a secret she had no intention of hiding.
"…Minji."
The name had left his throat not in anger, not in relief, but in a strange, unsteady mix of both.
His lips curved into a sharp, incredulous smirk as he finally let go of Snow. The cub purred at Minji's side, traitorously content, as if declaring his allegiance without shame.
"Well, well," Kai drawled, his voice low, mocking. "Are you spying on me now? Or should I just call this stalking?"
Minji's shoulders tightened. Her lips parted, faltered, then stammered, "N-no! I was just— I came here for food, that's all! This isn't your private territory, you know."
Kai arched a brow, the expression on his face clear as a blade: Really? Do I look that stupid to you?
Minji caught it, winced, then looked away with an exaggerated sigh. "…Fine. Yes. I followed you. Happy now? I was on my terrace, listening to music, and I saw you sneaking out with Snow. I thought—maybe you were going to meet your sugar mommy."
The smirk on Kai's lips died instantly, replaced with a sharp scowl. He dragged a hand through his hair, jaw tight, and hissed, "For the last time—he's not a she. And he's definitely not my sugar mommy. He's an old man."
Minji couldn't hold back the laugh that bubbled up. She lifted her hands in mock surrender, her grin far too entertained. "Alright, alright, sorry. My bad." Then, leaning casually against the booth as though the tension hadn't just spiked, she asked smoothly, "So… what did you order?"
Kai exhaled slowly, forcing himself not to rise to the bait. "…Just pizza and a burger. Milk for Snow."
"Mm." She tapped her chin like a judge weighing the seriousness of his crime. "Sounds plain. Guess I'll join you."
That made him pause. He blinked. "…You what?"
Her lips curved, sly and knowing. "Well, since you caught me, no point hiding it. Let's eat together. Unless, of course, you're scared."
Kai gave her a flat look, unimpressed. "Scared? Of you? Please."
But before he could protest further, the waiter returned with his plate. Minji leaned in without missing a beat, rattling off her own order—ramen, dumplings, fried meat, and more—until the waiter's brows had arched halfway up his forehead.
Kai eyed the growing list with suspicion. "…You planning to feed an army?"
"Please," Minji said, already reaching for the chopsticks the moment the order was placed. "I'm starving."
"Fair enough," Kai muttered, though the corner of his mouth twitched as though resisting a smile.
For several minutes, they ate in silence that wasn't awkward so much as it was… charged. The restaurant was quiet, empty except for them, the lanterns casting soft amber across the tables, painting shadows that stretched and flickered like they belonged to another era. Snow lapped noisily at his milk dish nearby, his purrs breaking the hush like background music.
Minji was the first to break it. She looked up mid-bite, her eyes gleaming with mischief. "You know… with just us here, the atmosphere all warm and cozy, old-style lanterns, vintage vibes…" Her grin spread, deliberate, slow. "Don't you think we should just call this what it is?"
Kai narrowed his eyes, already wary. "…What exactly?"
Her gaze held his, playful, unflinching. Then she smirked, the kind of smirk that could start a war or a romance.
"A date."
The word hung between them, bold, unashamed.
Kai leaned back, expression unreadable, though his pulse had quickened despite himself. "…You're unbelievable."
"And you're terrible at hiding how flustered you get," she shot back, smirk deepening.
Snow sneezed at that moment, milk foam dotting his whiskers as if punctuating the joke.
To be continued…