The first thing Lila noticed…
Was the silence.
Not outside.
Inside.
Her thoughts felt… delayed.
Like they were arriving a second too late.
She opened her eyes slowly.
White ceiling.
Familiar.
Her room.
"…I'm home?"
Her voice sounded distant to her own ears.
She sat up.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Her fingers tightened around the bedsheet.
No injuries.
No blood.
No sign of what happened last night.
But she remembered.
Didn't she?
The Hunter.
The fight.
Alex—
Her breath caught.
"…Alex."
Something twisted in her chest.
Sharp.
Uncomfortable.
She stood up quickly.
Too quickly.
The room spun for a second.
"…No."
Her voice dropped.
Firm.
Something is missing.
She closed her eyes.
Forced herself to remember.
The Hunter said something.
Important.
Critical.
Something that changed everything.
But now—
It was gone.
Her eyes snapped open.
"…They erased it."
Not a guess.
A conclusion.
Her heart started beating faster.
Not from fear.
From anger.
"You don't get to decide what I forget."
She grabbed her notebook.
Flipped it open.
Fast.
Desperate.
Pages.
Notes.
Patterns.
Hunter behavior.
Everything still there.
But then—
She froze.
At the last page.
A sentence.
Written in her handwriting.
But she didn't remember writing it.
"Do not trust Alex."
Her fingers trembled slightly.
"…What?"
The air shifted.
Just slightly.
Lila turned slowly.
Nothing.
But the feeling remained.
Watched.
Again.
Her gaze sharpened.
"You're still here, aren't you?"
Silence.
Then—
[Observer Active]
The message appeared without warning.
Her breath slowed.
"Then answer me."
No response.
"Did you erase my memory?"
A pause.
Then—
[Correction Applied]
Lila's eyes darkened instantly.
"…So you did."
Her lips curved slightly.
Not amused.
Not scared.
Cold.
"Big mistake."
Meanwhile…
Alex stood alone.
Not in the school.
Not in the city.
Somewhere else.
A place without sound.
Without movement.
Without time.
White.
Endless.
His breathing was steady.
Controlled.
But his eyes—
Sharp.
Alert.
"You shouldn't have interfered."
The voice echoed.
Everywhere.
Nowhere.
Alex didn't turn.
"You shouldn't have sent Hunters after her."
A pause.
Then—
"You are malfunctioning, Unit A-17."
His jaw tightened.
"I told you already."
Silence.
"I'm not your unit anymore."
The space around him flickered.
"Correction: You never stopped being one."
For the first time—
Alex smiled.
Dark.
"That's where you're wrong."
The air distorted violently.
"Then explain this."
And suddenly—
Information flooded the space.
Images.
Memories.
Data.
Lila.
Dying.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Alex's expression changed.
"…What is this?"
"Recorded outcomes."
His heart skipped.
"…No."
"This is what happens when she exists."
Silence.
Cold.
Final.
"She breaks the system."
The words echoed.
And for the first time—
Alex hesitated.
Back to Lila
She stood by the window.
Still.
Thinking.
Something wasn't adding up.
If they erased her memory…
Why leave the warning?
"Do not trust Alex."
Her fingers tightened.
"…Or did I write this before they erased it?"
Her mind raced.
Two possibilities.
Alex is dangerous
Alex is being framed
Either way—
He's involved.
Her eyes darkened.
"…Then I'll test it."
FINAL SCENE
That night—
Lila returned to the place where everything happened.
Empty.
Silent.
But this time—
She didn't look for Hunters.
She waited.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Then—
Footsteps.
Behind her.
She didn't turn.
"…You came."
Silence.
Then—
"I always do."
Alex.
Her heartbeat stayed steady.
"Good," she said softly.
Then—
She turned.
And in one smooth motion—
She pulled a blade from her sleeve—
And pressed it directly against his throat.
No hesitation.
No warning.
No emotion.
"…Then let's see if you bleed like them."
Silence.
Alex didn't move.
Didn't react.
Didn't stop her.
Instead—
He smiled.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"…You really don't remember, do you?"
Lila's grip tightened.
"…Remember what?"
And then—
He leaned closer.
Close enough that she could feel his breath.
And whispered—
"You were the one who killed me first."