Moonlight washed the terrace in silver.
The night was calm, almost unreal, as if the world had decided to pause—just for them. Lioran and Liara sat side by side against the low wall of the terrace.
Liara kept staring at him.
"What do I do now…?" he thought, heart pounding. "How can I tell her about Narvans… about the Ashram… about death and blood and monsters that shouldn't exist…?"
Liara leaned a little closer.
"Tell me," she said softly but firmly. "What made you so sad?"
Lioran swallowed.
Before he could respond, her expression suddenly changed. Her brows furrowed, jaw tightening.
"If someone is responsible for this," she said, her voice hardening, "then I'll show him death."
Lioran stiffened.
"I'll make him regret everything," Liara continued, eyes flashing. "So much that he'll regret why he was even born. I'll show him hell."
A chill ran down Lioran's spine.
He took a deep breath.
Huff—
"Think. Think fast." He thought. "I have to make an excuse otherwise…"
Suddenly he got an idea.
"Well…" Lioran began slowly, scratching his cheek. "Actually… when I was coming home, I saw a cat near the road."
Liara's expression softened slightly. "A cat?"
"Yeah," he said, nodding. "I feed it sometimes. It's always around that street."
She listened carefully, eyes never leaving his face.
"I was about to leave," Lioran continued, voice steady, "but then… I saw a car. It was coming really fast."
He paused.
"It was going to hit the cat."
Liara's lips parted slightly.
"I ran," Lioran said quietly. "I ran as fast as I could to save it. But…"
His fingers clenched unconsciously.
"I was too late."
VROOOOM—
THUD—
The imagined sound echoed painfully in his mind.
"The car hit it," he said. "It died… right in front of me."
Liara's shoulders drooped.
"If I had run faster," Lioran said, lowering his gaze, "I could have saved it. It's my fault."
Silence settled between them.
The moonlight felt heavier.
Liara thought for a moment, then spoke gently.
"So… because of that incident," she said, "your emotions started creating bad thoughts. You began believing that everything dies because you're close to it."
Lioran blinked.
"Yeah," he replied with a small, forced laugh. "Heh… human emotions are really bad for humans sometimes. They just make us depressed and sad."
Liara turned sharply toward him.
"No," she said.
Lioran looked at her, confused. "Huh?"
"Emotions are not bad for us," Liara said firmly.
He frowned. "But—"
"It's emotions that make humans different from animals," she continued. "A human without emotions is like a hollow wall."
She tapped the stone behind her lightly.
"Looks strong. Stands tall. But that wall can fall anytime."
Lioran stared at her.
"When everyone in the world runs out of emotions," Liara said quietly, "then it's not wrong to say that humanity has gone extinct."
Her words struck deep.
Lioran's eyes widened.
"Don't think emotions are your weakness," she said, her voice softening. "They're actually your greatest strength. You just need to believe in yourself."
The moonlight reflected in her eyes.
For a moment, Lioran forgot she was his younger sister.
He smiled.
"…Sometimes," he said, "you say something right."
Liara blinked.
"…Sometimes?"
"What do you mean sometimes?" she snapped instantly, cheeks puffing. "Are you saying I'm wrong most of the time?!"
He chuckled softly and stood up.
"Guess it's time to sleep," he said quickly, looking at the moon again. "Once again… thank you, Liara."
"Hmph," she turned away dramatically. "No problem. It's my duty as your little sister."
They went inside together.
Inside the room, Lioran lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
The house was quiet now. The distant ticking of a wall clock echoed softly.
Tick… tick… tick…
"…She's really matured," he murmured. "I never thought I'd hear something like that from her."
His gaze drifted to the window.
"So much happened in the past few months," he thought. "I trained my body… but I forgot that a strong body needs a strong mind."
He exhaled slowly.
"What happened in the past doesn't matter," he whispered. "What matters is what's happening now."
His artificial hand rested against his chest, fingers curling slowly.
"I need to train myself more," he said. "Not just my body… but my mind too."
He closed his eyes.
Then suddenly—
The story he told Liara resurfaced.
His eyes snapped open.
He sat up abruptly.
"…That wasn't a lie," he whispered. "Everything in the story is true."
He stared at his hands.
"That incident really happened," he said softly. "When I was eight."
The room faded.
Flashback — Ten Years Ago
Rain fell lightly.
A small boy knelt on the roadside, his clothes dirty, his hands shaking.
Eight-year-old Lioran cried uncontrollably.
His mother knelt in front of him, pulling him into her arms. Her face wasn't visible—but her warmth was.
"Don't cry, Lio," she said gently. "It wasn't your fault."
"But if I ran faster," Lioran sobbed, "I could have saved that puppy!"
His tears soaked her clothes.
"It died in front of me," he cried. "I couldn't do anything!"
His mother didn't scold him.
She didn't dismiss his pain.
Instead… she smiled.
And hugged him tighter.
"I'm so proud of you, Lio," she said.
Lioran blinked, confused. "What? Why…? I didn't do anything."
She held his small hand.
"In a world where people don't care for anyone," she said softly, "you're crying for a puppy."
She wiped his tears.
"That means you're kind," she continued. "It means I raised you well."
Lioran sniffed. "But… the puppy…"
"I know," she said. "But I believe the puppy was happy."
He looked up. "Happy?"
"Yes," she smiled. "Because someone cried for it."
Her voice was gentle but firm.
"That love reached it."
The rain continued to fall.
TO BE CONTINUED.