I slowly approached the table, trying to put aside the awkwardness that still lingered in my mind from last night's embarrassing incident. My eyes were fixed on the tense atmosphere between them, trying to find an opening to simply say hello or at least find out the reason behind the gloomy expressions they were all showing.Claire immediately noticed my presence. Although she still looked a little surprised, she tried to make her face more friendly towards me. She stopped daydreaming for a moment and turned to me, giving me a warm greeting that slightly melted the frozen atmosphere that had been enveloping the small wooden table."Ah, Eve! You're awake, I see. It's unusual for you to be up at this hour; you usually need more time to recover your energy," said Miss Claire.I forced a slight smile in response to her greeting, feeling a little stung by the subtle jab at my sleeping habits, which had indeed been rather poor lately. I stood right next to their table

I slowly opened my eyes, and the first thing that greeted me was a suffocating silence. I was back here, in this pitch-black room, the only place where I could contact Miss Gia.As far as the eye could see, this place was filled with absolute darkness. However, in the midst of that thick blackness, I saw a faint green light appearing little by little. The light flowed like thin vapor dancing in the air, adding a little color to the emptiness around me. I always felt strange whenever I saw this green glow; I didn't know where it came from or why this light was always present in my subconscious. To me, it was just a strange phenomenon that I couldn't explain.I stood up and looked around. There were no doors, no windows, only an endless space filled with the mysterious green glow. This is where I often pondered my unfortunate fate. I never understood why my body never aged, or why the wounds in my world always healed as if time didn't dare touch me. This immortality is a puzzle I have ne

I stared at Raya with a furrowed brow, trying to process the strangeness of what he had just told me. Confusion began to creep into my mind because their conflicting memories felt unnatural."Wait a minute, Raya. Isn't Oz—"Before I could ask about Oz, who should have been with them at the time, my sentence was cut off. Leo returned from the counter with two cups of drinks he had just ordered."Here are your drinks, Miss Claire," Leo said politely as he placed a cup of hot tea in front of me and coffee next to himself.He placed the order quickly, making sure it was neat before finally sitting back down next to me. Leo's sudden presence made the words that were on the tip of my tongue stop. I was silent for a moment, staring at the steam rising from the tea while thinking back on the strangeness of Raya's party memories that he had just told me.I sighed deeply as I sipped the hot tea Leo had just placed in front of me. The steam slightly obstructed my view, but my mind was even more c

"Why are you just silent, Oz?" Claire asked in a calm but emphatic voice. She didn't yell, but gave him a look that demanded honesty. Oz's prolonged silence began to feel unnatural to her, as if an invisible wall had suddenly separated them.Claire folded her arms on the table, maintaining her dignity even though the atmosphere in the inn was getting tense. She realized that every second that passed without an answer would only deepen the doubt between them. To her, Oz's current calmness seemed more like avoidance than just a thought process.(His attitude is very strange. What is he really thinking behind that mask? Did my question touch on something that should have remained hidden?) Claire thought to herself.Meanwhile, Leo, who had been explosive, now showed a drastic change in behavior. He no longer interrupted with curses or anger. Now he just sat stiffly with a blank stare, as if all his energy and emotions had been drained in an instant for no apparent reason.Claire glanced at

My footsteps echoed on the long, cold marble floor of the Vatican corridor. The heavy outer robe now enveloped my body, making my every movement feel stiff and formal. Fred walked one step behind me, his red cardinal's robe sweeping the floor with a rhythmic swish. As soon as we left the private residence wing, the relaxed atmosphere of the egg tea vanished, replaced by the sharp scent of incense and the tension hanging in the air.The two nuns trailed far behind, while along the corridor, the Guardians stood at attention with their spears, saluting as we passed. I took a deep breath, adjusting my expression. Slowly, the teasing, lazy Gia disappeared, replaced by the majestic, cold, and secretive Saint."Remember, Gia," Fred whispered very low, almost inaudible to anyone but me. "Hold your energy until the last hymn. Don't let them see you tremble."I didn't answer, only gave a small nod that was almost invisible.We entered the inner balcony area that fa