Author's POV___
Aria stood still inside Room Zero.
Her eyes were fixed on the iron door.
Silent.
Unmoving.
Like it was pulling her in.
The air around her felt heavy, thick with something she couldn't explain.
Answers.
Secrets.
Something important was hidden behind it-she could feel it.
And then-
A voice.
"Aria."
Her body stiffened.
She turned around instantly, panic flashing across her face.
Rizwan.
Standing a few steps behind her.
Watching.
His expression wasn't the same as before.
Not calm.
Not friendly.
Serious.
Tense.
Because this-
This wasn't something small.
This was Room Zero.
And she had opened it.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Aria just stared at him.
Rizwan took two slow steps back, as if trying to process what he was seeing.
"Aria..." he said again, his voice lower this time. "What are you doing here?"
His eyes flicked toward the entrance.
Then back to her.
"Did you open this door?"
The question hung in the air.
Heavy.
Sharp.
Aria opened her mouth-
But no words came out.
Instead, she started walking toward him.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As if getting closer would somehow fix this.
Rizwan moved back instinctively.
Step by step.
"Answer me," he said, more firmly now. "Did you open this door?"
Aria's gaze dropped.
"...Yes," she admitted quietly.
Then quickly-
"But I have-"
Before she could finish-
Rizwan turned.
And started walking away.
For a second, Aria didn't move.
Her mind went blank.
He's going to report.
The thought hit her like a blow.
Everything-
The challenge.
Her plan.
Everything would collapse.
"No-"
She snapped out of it and ran after him.
"Rizwan, wait!"
He didn't stop.
So she moved faster, stepping in front of him and blocking his path.
He stopped abruptly.
Aria's chest was rising and falling rapidly, her breath uneven.
Her eyes-
They were on the edge.
"I... I did this because I just wanted to know, okay?" she said, her voice shaking now. "I thought if I could understand this place... I could understand everything else too. I just-"
She cut herself off, struggling to explain.
Rizwan looked at her.
For a moment-
Something in his expression softened.
But it didn't last.
"I'm sorry, Aria," he said quietly.
"I have to."
Her heart sank.
"No... please..."
She stepped closer, her voice breaking slightly now.
"I'm not doing anything wrong. I just wanted to know the truth. That's all."
Rizwan shook his head.
"If I don't report this... it's only going to hurt me."
The words were firm.
But not cold.
That made it worse.
Aria stood there.
Frozen.
Her hands slowly dropping to her sides.
Everything she had tried-
Everything she hoped-
Felt like it was slipping away.
Rizwan walked past her.
One step.
Two steps.
Moving toward the exit.
And then-
He stopped.
Right there.
Mid-step.
A pause.
Heavy.
Uncertain.
Slowly-
He turned around.
Slowly.
Then he walked back toward Aria.
Step by step.
She didn't move.
Didn't even blink.
Her whole world was hanging on what he would say next.
He stopped right in front of her.
A pause.
Then-
"...Okay," he said quietly. "I won't report it."
For a second-
Everything went silent.
Aria just stared at him.
The sunlight from behind fell directly over him, forming a soft glow around his figure. It slipped through his slightly messy, curly hair, creating a faint halo-like effect.
In that moment-
He didn't look like just another student.
He didn't look like someone from Room Zero.
To Aria-
He looked like something else entirely.
Like someone sent to save her.
Her breath caught slightly.
Relief rushed through her so suddenly it almost made her weak.
Her eyes stayed fixed on him.
His dark skin glowed softly under the light, his features calm, and when a small, almost effortless smile touched his lips-
It only made it worse.
Or better.
She couldn't tell.
For a brief, strange second-
Aria felt like she was looking at something sacred.
Like a god had just stepped in...
Right when she was about to fall apart.
She didn't realize she was staring.
But she was.
Completely.
Rizwan, unaware-or maybe choosing to ignore it-turned away slightly.
"First, we clean this up," he said.
His tone was back to normal.
Grounded.
Real.
He walked into Room Zero again, switching off the lights one by one.
The glow disappeared.
The room returned to darkness.
He shut the door and carefully wrapped the chains back exactly the way they had been before-precise, practiced.
Like nothing had ever happened.
When he turned back-
Aria was still looking at him.
That same dazed, quiet stare.
Rizwan paused for a second, then raised an eyebrow slightly.
"If you're done staring at me like that," he said dryly, "we should leave."
"It's not safe here."
That finally pulled her back.
"...Right."
Her voice was softer now.
Calmer.
He started walking.
Aria followed.
Still quiet.
Still thinking.
But one thing was clear now-
In that moment...
Rizwan hadn't just helped her.
He had saved her.
And she wouldn't forget that.
By the time they reached the narrow bridge that connected the two blocks, the air felt lighter.
Safer.
At least for now.
Aria slowed her steps slightly, glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.
"... I owe you," she said quietly.
Rizwan didn't respond.
He just kept walking, hands in his pockets, gaze forward-like it wasn't a big deal.
But it was.
Aria hesitated, then asked, softer this time-
"But... if someone finds out... will you get into trouble?"
Rizwan let out a faint breath, almost like a quiet scoff.
"What do you think?"
She didn't answer.
Because she already knew.
Yes.
He would.
And not something small.
Something serious.
Her fingers tightened slightly.
A silent guilt settled inside her chest.
Because in the end-
She was the one who would leave.
Leave KHSS.
Leave all of them.
Even the ones who helped her.
Even him.
The thought didn't sit right.
"...Should I do something for you?" she asked after a moment. "In return?"
Rizwan stopped.
Just for a second.
Then glanced at her.
"Of course you should."
Aria blinked.
She had expected him to refuse.
To brush it off.
But he didn't.
Still-
She didn't back down.
"What?" she asked.
Rizwan's lips curved slightly-not a smile, not fully.
"Not now," he said. "I don't have anything to do with you... yet."
A pause.
"But I don't decline favors either."
His eyes met hers.
"I'll keep it for the future."
A beat.
"You're okay with that, right?"
Aria held his gaze for a second.
Then nodded.
"...Of course."
"Thanks. For today."
Rizwan gave a small nod.
"Yeah."
Then added casually-
"And I hope you won't tell anyone."
Aria let out a quiet breath.
"Why would I dig my own grave?"
Rizwan huffed softly.
"Exactly."
They walked a few more steps in silence.
Then he spoke again-
"How's your challenge going?"
Aria glanced ahead.
"That's why I went there."
He raised a brow slightly.
"So... did you get what you wanted?"
She shook her head.
"...No. I was about to."
Rizwan let out a short laugh.
"So I ruined it."
Aria actually smiled a little.
"Or maybe you came at the right time."
She looked at him briefly.
"If it wasn't you... I would've been caught red-handed by someone else."
Rizwan just chuckled under his breath.
And they kept walking.
Talking.
Light.
Easy.
Like none of the tension from before existed.
Like they had known each other longer than they actually had.
From the window of the opposite block-
Someone was watching.
Leo.
Leaning casually against the frame, his sharp wolf-cut hair shifting slightly with the breeze.
His eyes followed them.
Aria.
Rizwan.
Walking side by side.
Talking.
Smiling.
Too comfortable.
Too natural.
His expression didn't change much-
But something in his gaze sharpened.
Just a little.
Then-
Without a word-
he stepped back.
And disappeared from the window.