In Sector 6, Building 4, on the 3rd floor, in Room 201, Noah and Calli sat together, talking about the events of their daily lives—from the funny to the strange. Of course, Noah lied about every one of them, leaving space for Calli to open up and share more details about her life.
"I didn't expect to meet a girl from Beichen. The weather must be cold there," Noah said in a tone of wonder and curiosity.
"Yeah, it is. But the worst part is when Velikaya's forces storm the city with all their vehicles, causing chaos and noise. Just because the Empire allied with them, they think they can cross borders whenever they want without consequences," Calli said in an annoyed tone, swaying slightly and pointing her glass at Noah, the effects of alcohol apparent.
"Velikaya has a long history with the Empire. The war started 300 years ago over a small disagreement that turned into a terrifying war. A ceasefire treaty was signed after the 'New World Revolution' 200 years ago. I think they officially allied a year or two ago… Anyway, it was so long ago that Velikaya used to be called Russia," Noah thought to himself with a sarcastic tone, taking a sip from the juice in his hand.
"They're just a bunch of scum. I remember they once raided our neighborhood thinking a criminal from their country had escaped here. Screw them. All they want is to drool over Isle's ass," Calli said angrily, then took a swig of her beer, emptied the glass, and refilled it.
"Who?" Noah asked, puzzled and tense.
"Our neighbor, Isle. Blonde with a nice ass. Damn her, every day she wears tight clothes just so everyone can see it. Go to hell, you bitch!" Calli shouted, raising her glass in the air, cursing the woman, and took another big gulp.
"I-I think you're drunk," Noah said with an awkward smile.
"I-I'm n-not… d-drunk..." Calli slurred, swaying in place, dizzy in her head and even hurting from moving her eyes—before suddenly passing out.
Noah kept staring at her, half amused and half puzzled, smiling lightly. Just then, his phone rang in his pocket. When he pulled it out to check the caller, it was an unknown number.
"Who is this?" Noah thought to himself in confusion, then answered and brought the phone to his ear. On the other side, he heard a familiar voice—it was Livia.
"Um, Noah, can you come over?" Livia asked with a hesitant and tense voice.
"What's wrong?—No, wait, how did you get my number?" Noah asked, confused and a bit anxious. He couldn't remember giving Livia his number—he couldn't even recall giving it to anyone at the university.
"It's kind of serious..." Livia whispered nervously. When Noah sensed the gravity in her voice, despite its softness, he looked at Calli, then stood up and approached the door.
"What happened?" he asked, voice tense and serious.
"...The body disappeared," Livia said weakly. Noah was stunned by the news and couldn't hold back his voice anymore.
"Wait, what did you just say? Can you repeat that again?!" Noah said, shocked, unable to believe what he'd heard.
"I said the body disappeared. Erika Bennet's corpse is gone. Come now!" Livia said, her voice now raised and commanding.
"O-Okay! I'm coming right now!" Noah said in a rush, then ended the call and turned to Calli, who was standing behind him, holding a beer bottle.
"Did something happen?" Calli slurred, wobbling in place, too drunk to process what she was saying.
"N-No, everything's fine, but I have to go now, it's getting late," Noah said quickly, placing his glass on the table. But Calli grabbed his hand, stopping him from leaving.
"No~ Stay longer, we can have sooo much fun~" Calli said, grabbing Noah's hand and bouncing in place with a pout.
"Seriously, I don't have time for this," Noah said, pulling his hand away and pushing Calli, making her fall back onto the couch and drop the beer bottle.
"Aah~ Noah, don't be rough with me, this is my first time~" Calli said as she rolled on the couch, pretending to resist. But she got no reply.
When she lifted her head, she found Noah had vanished and the door was wide open.
"Noah?"
Outside, Noah walked briskly down the corridor.
"Dammit! Didn't Lou Yan say she'd guard the body? What the hell was she doing when someone walked in, took everything, and vanished?! Damn you! If you're useless, then what's the point of you existing?!" Noah thought furiously, gritting his teeth hard enough to make a grinding noise. He turned a corner—and collided with a girl.
She had messy black hair that completely covered her face, was dressed in school uniform, and fell to the ground.
"Ah, shit, are you o—" Noah began to say, turning to look at the girl. But she had curled up on the floor, covering her head with her arms in a defensive position, trembling in fear.
"The devil! Please don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me! Please don't hurt me!" the girl repeated like a mantra, shaking in terror. Tears started to stream from her eyes, overwhelmed by pure fear.
"What the—... I don't have time for this emo kid!" Noah muttered in confusion but ignored the situation and moved on. What did something like this matter compared to a missing corpse?
———————
After about 30 minutes, Noah finally reached Sector 1. He sprinted toward Lecture Hall 3 with everything he had. When he finally entered the hall, he was met with something he hadn't wanted to imagine—the corpse that was supposed to be in the center of the hall surrounded by bloodstains had vanished. What made it worse was the writing on the wall in red paint: "fools."
"W-what happened here?" Noah asked nervously, entering the room slowly and spotting Livia leaning against the broken table.
"Luo Yan was inspecting the room when she accidentally found a mana chalk," Livia said, walking toward Noah.
"Mana chalk?" Noah repeated, shocked and confused. The existence of mana chalk confirmed the theory about rituals being used. But what good was that now if the body was gone?
"Yes. That's why I ran out to tell you. We spent some time talking… but when we came back, the corpse was gone. Everything had been cleared… and that writing was left. It's clearly a provocation," Livia said with a sarcastic tone—though not directed at the killer, but at herself and her own stupidity.
"Are you joking? A talk? A useless, meaningless talk is the reason we lost a corpse? A corpse?! …Damn you all. I don't want to stay calm or pretend to be the good guy anymore! What is all this nonsense happening around me?! Naive friends, bullies who used to torture me daily, a girl trying to seduce me with her body, and an emo kid who keeps bumping into me?! What is this chaos?! It's disgusting! Disgusting to the core!" Noah thought to himself, furious. His outer mask cracked slightly, and his expression twisted. Then he turned to the writing on the wall and began walking toward it.
"Hmm… Can you see a new story?" Livia asked curiously and with interest.
"I'm not a storyteller," Noah cut off her excitement. She could tell he was irritated and assumed he had every right to be.
"Alright… he has the right to be angry. I wasted his time today on pointless research, put him in a group even though he clearly prefers working alone… I deserve the hate he's directing at me. I've ruined two friendships in less than 24 hours… I really hate myself," Livia thought, biting her lip in frustration and self-loathing.
But she was wrong about one thing: Noah wasn't angry at her—he was angry at all the chaos around him. And he couldn't find any place in himself to store that anger. So he chose someone to blame. Not the killer… but Luo Yan.
Noah placed his finger on the writing, dragged it through the "red paint," then pulled his finger back and looked at it closely. That's when he noticed something.
"Paint, my ass… this is blood," Noah said, turning to Livia to inform her.
"Blood?!" Livia exclaimed, surprised. She walked to the writing, ran her finger over it, and without hesitation, licked and tasted it.
"It is blood!" she said, shocked.
"Do you put everything in your mouth?" Noah thought, disturbed and absolutely grossed out.
"It's a provocation and a warning," Noah said, turning back to the writing.
"What do you mean?" Livia asked, puzzled.
"He's clearly calling us fools. And it's fair to assume this blood belongs to Erika Bennett. It's like he's saying, 'Mess with me, and your blood will be next.' Or something like that," Noah explained. He didn't feel fear or anxiety. The threat hadn't fazed him. He expected Livia to be scared, but when he looked at her… she looked excited.
"Why do I see excitement in your eyes?" Noah asked, genuinely confused, unable to comprehend her feelings.
"What kind of dumb question is that? Haven't you ever wanted to jump into a horror movie and beat the killer to death?" Livia asked with excitement in her tone.
"No. Never felt that," Noah replied coldly.
"…Sometimes it's not about the thrill we chase… but the escape. Even someone else's nightmare can look like freedom," Livia said, touching the blood with her fingers. Her words held a hidden meaning Noah couldn't understand.
"…Anyway, where are the others? Derek and Luo Yan?" Noah asked, surprised. A serious matter like this should involve everyone—especially Luo Yan.
"Derek said this whole thing is a waste of time. He told me not to contact him again. He cursed me out and everyone else too. Such a lovely person… As for Luo Yan, she's on the rooftop… alone…" Livia said. She seemed unaffected when talking about Derek's departure, but mentioning Luo Yan clearly stung.
"There's a rooftop in this university?" Noah thought, then turned around and walked out.
"Where are you going?" Livia asked, watching him leave.
"To Luo Yan," Noah replied, then exited without waiting for her response.
"W-well then…"
———————
On the university rooftop, it was vast but empty. Luo Yan sat curled up at the edge, staring at the horizon.
"I ruined everything… because of me, the girl's corpse disappeared. All I had to do was watch it. That's all I had to do, and I still failed. Everyone down there must hate me. They're probably cursing me right now… Livia too. I didn't need to say all that. She was just trying to help me… If only I was honest about my feelings… If only I was better… Would everything have turned out okay?" Luo Yan wondered as she stared downward. Tears welled in her eyes, and she curled up tighter like a stone wishing to vanish forever.
Just then, Noah appeared behind her. He had climbed up to the rooftop and saw her curled up, trembling. Her body shook—he assumed she was crying.
"…If I could, I'd push her from there. What a pathetic display. If one mistake can break your spirit, what was the point of all the pain and hardship you've endured to get this far? I pity those fools who have the potential to be more than pawns, but because they have fragile souls that shatter, they're weak. They think they're weak and rely on others to fix their problems. If your idea of salvation is crying every time you get the chance, then you're not broken. You're not destroyed or sad. You're just a pathetic human being—one who doesn't value themselves… and a human who doesn't value themselves doesn't deserve pity…" Noah thought coldly as he walked up behind Luo Yan. From that point, he could hear her crying.
"…But those who've never known pity, who've suffered day after day without end, who've never seen a light at the end of the tunnel… they deserve to know what pity feels like, so they might aspire to become better…" Noah thought again, this time with a flicker of empathy for Luo Yan. He sat beside her at the edge.
"What are you doing?" Noah asked, trying to catch a glimpse of her face.
"Go away," Luo Yan said coldly, wiping her tears on her shirt.
"…The truth doesn't change based on our ability to accept it...lou yan, It's okay to make mistakes. But the greatest mistake you can make in life… is to be continually fearing you will make one," Noah said softly, trying to comfort her.
"…The only mistake I made was bringing you to this university!" Luo Yan snapped, surprising Noah.
"Ever since you showed up—ever since you entered our lives—everything has gotten worse. My relationship with Livia fell apart because of you. You spent forever talking to that bitch when all you had to do was question her and come back. Who knows if you were even screwing her?! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" she screamed, her voice rising with each word, her anger growing by the second.
"Just… disappear from our lives. You were always a stranger… and you'll always be a stranger to us," Luo Yan yelled, finally lifting her head and turning to face Noah. Her eyes were red from crying, and they were filled with real hatred and resentment.
"…I… I'm sorry?" Noah said awkwardly and confused. He didn't feel anything. He was used to worse. But Luo Yan's mixed emotions toward him were strange. Her eyes were full of contradictions—hate, anger, and something else he couldn't place. A strange feeling he'd never experienced before, like…
"I love you…" Luo Yan said, biting her lip hard, unable to believe she had just said it.
"…Love?" Noah whispered, finally realizing the last piece of the puzzle her emotions had created. Love was the missing piece.
"I love you… or rather, I loved you. Livia noticed it and even tried to help me flirt, but I pushed her away and ruined my relationship with her… all because of you! Why did you have to be here?! Why did you have to enter my heart?! Why… did you make me fall for you?!" Luo Yan cried again, curling up once more.
"Just go! Forever! I never want to see you again! I hate you to death! You're the reason I'm like this! You caused all this! It's your fault! Your fault alone!" she screamed, finally exploding. All the anger she'd suppressed toward herself, Livia, Derek, and everyone else—Noah was the one who took the full force of it.
Noah didn't care about sitting there and being blamed. He stood up and walked away from Luo Yan.
"Enjoy your life."