The rain returned after school.
It wasn't the violent storm from before, nor the endless downpour that seemed to follow Aria wherever she went. Instead, it was a quiet rain, falling steadily against the classroom windows as students packed their bags and prepared to leave.
Aria stood by the window, watching droplets race each other down the glass.
A strange feeling lingered in her chest.
Ever since her conversation with Cheonwoong on the stairwell, she couldn't stop thinking about what he had said.
"I don't trust him."
The words echoed in her mind.
She trusted Cheonwoong. More than anyone on this Earth.
But she had never seen any reason to distrust Shihoon.
At least... not until now.
"Aria?"
She turned.
Shihoon stood beside her desk, his backpack slung over one shoulder.
"Want to walk home together?"
His smile was as relaxed as ever.
For a moment, she hesitated.
Then she nodded.
"Sure."
Outside, the streets glistened beneath the rain.
Students hurried past with umbrellas while traffic lights reflected across puddles like scattered stars.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
Eventually, Shihoon broke the silence.
"You and Cheonwoong seem closer lately."
Aria looked at him.
"We're friends."
"Just friends?"
The question surprised her.
Shihoon laughed.
"Relax. I was joking."
But somehow, the laughter didn't sound genuine.
For the first time, Aria noticed something odd.
His eyes.
Not their color.
The way they moved.
As if he were constantly observing everything around him.
Calculating.
Measuring.
Watching.
The same way soldiers observed battlefields.
The same way hunters observed prey.
A chill ran down her spine.
"Shihoon."
"Hm?"
"Have we met before long time ago?"
He stopped walking.
Only for a second.
Then he smiled again.
"No."
The answer came too quickly.
Far too quickly.
Across the street, hidden beneath a bus stop roof, Cheonwoong watched.
He hadn't planned to follow them.
At least, that's what he told himself.
But when he saw Shihoon waiting outside Aria's classroom, his instincts refused to stay quiet.
Something was wrong.
And every day, that feeling grew stronger.
The rain concealed him well enough.
Neither Aria nor Shihoon noticed him.
As they disappeared around a corner, Cheonwoong quietly followed.
Meanwhile, hundreds of light-years away...
An alarm echoed throughout a massive military vessel.
Red warning lights illuminated the command bridge.
Officers rushed between terminals.
One soldier looked up from his monitor.
"Commander!"
The entire room fell silent.
"We found it."
The commander slowly raised his head.
His crimson eyes reflected the screen before him.
A set of coordinates glowed brightly.
One world.
One timeline.
One impossible location.
Earth.
For months, every search had failed.
Every trace had vanished.
But now...
A signal had appeared.
Weak.
Brief.
Yet unmistakable.
The commander's lips curved into a smile.
"Aria."
The room grew colder.
"Prepare the retrieval unit."
Several officers exchanged nervous glances.
"Sir... should we inform High Command?"
"No."
The commander's voice was calm.
Dangerously calm.
"I'll handle this personally."
Back on Earth, Aria suddenly stopped walking.
Shihoon looked back.
"What is it?"
She didn't answer.
Her hand instinctively moved toward the mana stone hidden beneath her jacket.
For the first time since arriving on this Earth...
She felt it.
A distant pulse.
Familiar.
Terrifying.
Military-grade mana.
Urban mana.
Someone from her universe had found her.
The color drained from her face.
"No..."
Shihoon studied her expression carefully.
"What happened?"
Aria took a step backward.
The pulse came again.
Stronger.
Closer.
Impossible.
How?
Nobody should have been able to track her.
Nobody.
Unless...
Her eyes widened.
The wounds.
The shadows.
The whispers.
The repeated attacks.
They had never stopped searching.
They had simply been getting closer.
And now they were here.
A thunderclap shook the sky.
For an instant, every streetlight flickered.
When the lights returned, a figure stood at the far end of the road.
Motionless.
Watching.
The rain distorted its silhouette.
Yet Aria recognized it immediately.
Even from hundreds of meters away.
Even through years of war.
Her blood ran cold.
"No way..."
Shihoon followed her gaze.
"What is it?"
Aria's voice trembled.
For the first time since arriving on Earth, genuine fear filled her eyes.
"Run."
"What?"
"Shihoon, RUN!"
At that exact moment, the figure lifted its head.
And smiled.
The hunt had finally begun.