Darkness.
A place both fancy and forgotten—once elegant, now buried under dust and silence.
Noel's eyes fluttered open.
He was already lying on the cold floor, breath shallow
His breath trembled as he tried to make sense of the strange room around him.
"So… dead weight, huh."
A voice came from the shadows.
Noel's eyes darted toward the sound.
spotting a figure sitting on an ornate chair, a cloud of smoke curling around him. From where Noel stood, he could only see the back of the man's head — the faint glow of a cigarette ember the only thing alive in the dark.
Confused, Noel tried to speak — but a sharp pain tore through his chest, the scar burning like fire.
"Who the hell are you?" he managed to say, clutching his side.
The man exhaled a slow stream of smoke.
"You're the one who's not accepting me."
His tone was calm... unsettlingly calm.
"Or maybe," he continued, "it's just not the right time yet."
Noel's breathing grew heavier. Fighting through the pain, he forced himself to his feet and took a step closer.
"Just tell me... what is this?" he demanded, reaching for the man's shoulder.
…
The moment his hand touched it—
..
Noel's eyes snapped open.
He gasped, drenched in sweat, heart pounding like a war drum. His breath came in short, panicked bursts.
BEEP. BEEP.
Noel sat there for a moment, clutching his chest, unsure if he had just woken from a dream—
—or something else entirely.
Back in college — as usual.
Noel sat with his friends, a deck of cards spread messily across the table.
Shouts, laughter, and the occasional curse filled the air as they argued over who cheated first.
Amid all that noise, Noel found himself thinking,
"After all that crap... this feels weirdly peaceful."
Everything that happened before had been... out of this world.
Too unreal. Too heavy.
Maybe this ordinary chaos — friends yelling over cards and stupid bets — was exactly what he needed.
Maybe I should just live like nothing happened, he thought, letting out a small laugh.
Nyra looked around. "Hey, where's Eira?"
Noel shrugged, glancing at his phone.
"No idea. She's still kinda new… maybe just keeping to herself."
Nyra nodded. "Yeah, she's not really used to our chaos yet."
Damian leaned back with a grin.
"Heh, give it a week. No one stays normal around us for long."
The bell rang, signaling the end of break. Everyone rushed back to their classes, except for Noel — who had none at the moment.
He wandered outside, finding shade beneath a broad tree.
The afternoon breeze was soft and lazy, carrying the warmth of the sun.
Noel leaned against the trunk, one arm tucked behind his head, the other resting loosely on his knee. His eyes half-shut, his breathing steady — caught between a nap and a daydream.
A voice suddenly broke the quiet.
"Skipping out on your friends?"
Noel's eyes flicked open. Eira stood a few feet away, hands folded behind her back, tilting her head like she'd just caught him doing something mildly suspicious.
"They're in class," Noel said, pushing himself up a little straighter.
"So I figured I'd just… sit around and do nothing for a bit."
Eira's lips curved into a small grin. "Wow. Truly ambitious."
He let out a quiet laugh. "Hey, don't knock it till you've tried it."
Without waiting for an invitation, she sat down beside him, brushing her skirt smooth against the grass. "Guess I'll join you in your thrilling adventure of doing nothing."
Noel smirked. "Careful, it's a dangerous art. You might get addicted."
"Please. I'm already better at it than you," she shot back, stretching her legs out with mock pride.
They both fell quiet after that, listening to the rustling leaves overhead. For once, the silence wasn't awkward—it was calm. Easy.
Eira glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "You look less gloomy today."
Noel raised an eyebrow. "Gloomy?"
"Mm-hm. Like a raincloud with legs," she said, grinning. "But right now… you kinda look like a lazy cat instead."
He chuckled under his breath. "That's supposed to be an improvement?"
"Definitely. I like cats," she said matter-of-factly.
"…You're weird," Noel muttered, though the corner of his mouth betrayed him with a faint smile.
"And yet you're still sitting here with me," she teased lightly.
He leaned back against the tree again, sighing. "Guess I don't hate weird, then."
That made her smile brighten—soft, genuine.
Noel's gaze lingered on her longer than he meant to. The curve of her grin, the way sunlight caught faint strands of her hair, the calm warmth in her eyes—it all felt… oddly disarming.
Something inside him loosened, something he hadn't realized was wound so tight.
He caught himself noticing things he shouldn't—her laugh, the softness in her tone, the quiet sense of peace that always seemed to follow her.
"…Why am I even noticing this?" he thought, biting back a sigh. But he didn't look away.
Then—like an echo from nowhere, faint but clear—another voice brushed through his mind.
So… this is the path you're choosing?
He froze for half a second, heart skipping once, then forced the thought aside and looked away.
Eira tilted her head, watching him with curious eyes. To her, Noel was different from the rest—quieter, harder to read—but in those small cracks, she could sense something genuine. And maybe… she liked that.
For a brief moment, neither of them spokes. Only the whisper of wind through the branches above.
A light breeze swept past, carrying a loose strand of Eira's hair across Noel's face.
Without thinking, he leaned forward. At the same time, she moved closer to brush it away.
Their faces stopped—just a breath apart.
Noel froze. He could see the glint in her eyes, the faint curve of her lips. His heartbeat spiked, loud in his own ears.
Eira blinked, her cheeks tinting pink.
Neither of them moved for what felt like forever.
Then—almost in sync—they pulled back.
"S-sorry," she muttered, tucking her hair behind her ear.
"…Yeah. My bad," Noel said quickly, scratching his cheek and looking away.
The silence that followed was heavier—but warmer too. The kind of silence that hummed with something unspoken.
Both avoided each other's eyes, though the air between them still felt charged.
And then—
"Yo! There you are!" Sasha's voice cut through the air.
The rest of the group was heading over, bags slung, laughter echoing across the courtyard.
Noel sat up straighter than necessary, pretending nothing had happened. Eira quietly adjusted her hair, her face still faintly red.
"Guess your break's over," she said softly, not quite meeting his gaze.
"Yeah…" Noel muttered, though his mind was still replaying that almost-too-close moment.
….
..
In another part of the city—
The air was heavy with the smell of old cigars and dust.
Viktor sat there, lost in thought, elbows resting on his desk. Ever since that meeting with Marco, something inside him refused to settle.
The door creaked open.
Raze walked in, his usual cocky grin in place.
"How's everyone doing?" he called, before his eyes landed on Viktor.
"Boss?"
Viktor blinked, snapping out of his daze. "Oh, Raze. You done dealing with your… personal matters?"
Raze chuckled darkly. "Handled it. One hundred percent."
—Flashback—
Raze's younger brother dangled upside down from the ceiling, a pitiful sight.
"You think you can mess with my name and walk away?" Raze's voice was calm, almost casual, as he tightened the rope. The muffled pleas echoed through the room until silence finally took over.
—Present—
Viktor nodded. "Good. Glad to have you back."
But Raze didn't leave it there. He tilted his head, frowning slightly.
"You sure you're alright, boss? You look… bothered."
Viktor exhaled, forcing a smirk. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Raze leaned forward, unconvinced. "Doesn't look like it, sir."
Viktor glanced at him, then let out a dry chuckle.
"You really don't let things slide, huh?"
"You're the one who taught me that," Raze replied.
Viktor sighed, tapping ash off his cigar.
"Alright… I guess I can't hide it from you. It's about Marco."
At the name, Raze's expression tightened.
"Well, when it comes to Marco, everyone gets tense. Some even get scared just hearing it."
Viktor didn't reply. His silence said enough.
Raze studied him for a moment, then spoke softly. "But sir… it's in your face. Marco isn't the only thing bugging you, is it?"
There was a pause before Viktor finally said, "…You're right."
He leaned forward, eyes narrowing slightly.
"There's a name—Kaelar, Used to work under Marco. Brutal. Flawless. The kind of man you'd think was untouchable. But then—he dies. Just like that. No trace, no noise."
Raze raised a brow. "Dead, huh?"
"Yeah." Viktor's eyes flickered with suspicion.
"But how can someone like him—someone that capable—just die so easily?"
He paused, then his lips curved into a faint grin.
"And they laughed, you know?"
Raze frowned. "Laughed?"
"Yeah," Viktor said quietly, tapping the desk once.
"And that's what's bugging me.?
Raze's smirk returned, darker this time. "Perhaps… they killed him."
Viktor's smile didn't fade, but his eyes grew colder. "Who knows. But something about this stinks."
He leaned back, exhaling a thin line of smoke toward the ceiling.
"Funny thing is, four years ago—when I was in your position—my old boss, the one who's not with us anymore, said something similar. He mentioned Kaelar. Said the guy was taking every bounty in the underground like he owned the place."
Raze looked thoughtful. "So this Kaelar wasn't just some name."
"No," Viktor said, voice low.
"He was something else. And I want to know who—or what—took him out."
He turned toward Raze, eyes sharp again. "You're good at digging. Do a side job for me."
Raze straightened. "Of course, boss. What do you need?"
"Find everything you can about Kaelar—his death, his records, anyone connected to him. If he's truly dead, fine. But if there's someone out there like him… I want that man in my crew."
The room fell into silence again, only the faint crackle of smoke between them.
And for the first time in a long while, Viktor smiled—not out of peace, but anticipation.