Darkness.
Not empty.
Not silent.
Heavy.
It pressed against Kai from all sides, suffocating, endless, like something was trying to swallow him whole.
Then—
Pain.
It hit all at once.
His chest tightened violently as if something inside him was being crushed. His breath came out in broken gasps, uneven and sharp.
"…Kai…"
The voice was distant.
Faint.
Like it was reaching him from another world.
"…Lina…?"
His eyes snapped open.
Everything had stopped.
Rain hung in the air like frozen glass. Pieces of debris hovered mid-fall. The world itself had been paused—cut off from time.
But he could still move.
Still breathe.
Still feel.
And in front of him—
Lina knelt beside him.
Unharmed.
Untouched.
Alive.
"…you're okay…" Kai breathed, his voice trembling with relief.
But she didn't smile.
Didn't laugh.
Didn't tease him like she always did.
Instead—
She shook her head slowly.
"…no…"
The word hit him harder than anything else.
"…what do you mean?" he asked, fear creeping into his voice.
She looked at him.
And for the first time—
Her eyes weren't confused.
They were sad.
"…you weren't supposed to do that…"
"…do what?"
"…save me."
Kai froze.
The words didn't make sense.
"…of course I was," he said quickly. "That's the whole point—I've been trying to save you this entire time—"
"…no," she interrupted softly.
Her hand reached up and touched his face.
Cold.
Not warm like before.
Not real.
"…this isn't how it works…"
Kai's breathing grew unstable.
"…what are you talking about…?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
She looked past him.
At something behind him.
Something he couldn't see.
"…it's coming…"
The air trembled.
Even in frozen time, something was moving.
Kai forced himself to sit up, pain tearing through his body the moment he moved.
"…what's coming?" he asked.
No response.
Lina's body flickered.
Just for a second.
Like a glitch.
Kai's heart skipped.
"…Lina…?"
She smiled faintly.
"…you're starting to see it now…"
"…see what?!"
Her form flickered again.
More unstable this time.
Like she wasn't fully there.
"…this world…" she whispered.
"…is breaking…"
A deep crack echoed through the frozen air.
Not loud—
But heavy.
Like reality itself was splitting apart.
Kai slowly turned.
And saw it.
The distortion.
Closer than ever.
Larger than before.
Its form twisted unnaturally, like it didn't belong in reality. It pulsed slowly, like it was alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
"…what is that…?" Kai whispered.
Lina's voice came softly behind him.
"…that's what's left…"
"…of everything."
His chest tightened.
"…that doesn't make sense…"
"…it doesn't have to," she replied quietly.
The distortion moved.
Even though time was frozen—
It moved.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Closing the distance between them.
Kai tried to stand.
His legs trembled violently.
Barely responding.
"…we need to go…"
"…you can't," Lina said.
"…why not?!"
She looked at him again.
Her expression softer now.
But sadder.
"…because this is where it ends."
Silence.
"…no…" Kai shook his head. "No, that's not possible. I changed it. I saved you. This is different. This has to be different—"
"…there's always a price…"
The distortion loomed closer.
Its presence felt suffocating now.
Heavy.
Like the air itself was being crushed.
Kai's voice trembled.
"…what price…?"
Lina's gaze didn't leave his.
Not even for a second.
"…you."
His heart stopped.
"…what…?"
Before he could react—
The distortion reached them.
Its form stretched unnaturally, a dark mass twisting toward him.
This time—
It didn't go for Lina.
It didn't touch her.
It ignored her completely.
Instead—
It reached for him.
Kai's eyes widened.
"…no—"
The moment it made contact—
Something inside him snapped.
Pain exploded through his body, far beyond anything he had felt before.
Not physical.
Not something he could understand.
It felt like his existence itself was being pulled apart.
"…AAAHHH—!"
His scream echoed through the frozen world.
Memories flooded in.
Not his.
Hers.
Laughter.
Arguments.
Moments they had shared—
Moments they hadn't.
Feelings that didn't belong to him—
Now tearing through him like they did.
"…STOP—!"
His vision blurred.
The world twisted violently.
And through it all—
Lina's voice echoed again.
Soft.
Fading.
"…Kai…"
His body shook uncontrollably.
"…don't… forget me…"
Everything went silent.
Then—
The distortion pulsed.
Stronger.
Deeper.
Like it was trying to take everything from him.
And for the first time—
Kai realized something terrifying.
This wasn't just a loop.
This wasn't just death.
Something was changing.
Something was taking pieces of him.
And if this continued—
There might be nothing left.
The darkness surged.
Swallowing everything.
And just before his vision faded completely—
He saw it.
Inside the distortion.
A shape.
A figure.
Watching him.
Smiling.