The sheets of paper danced in the air before scattering in all directions. Some fell helplessly onto the faculty courtyard, a few snagged in the bushes, while the rest were chased by the wind toward the path connecting the lecture hall to the campus garden. Students passing by merely glanced at them, indifferent, before returning to their own busy lives. Not one stopped to offer a hand.Ethan stared at his notebook, now left with only a few stray pages in its binding. He recognized every one of those flying sheets. Over the last semester, he had hand-written every single one. He had compiled every formula, analysis, and thought that the professors had failed to explain in class—the result of hours spent in the library. To Ethan, it wasn't just a summary; it was the roadmap to his future.Kevin patted his shoulder lightly, a gesture that felt more like an insult than an apology. "If you were quick enough, maybe you could still catch them."Laughter from Kevin and his two friends erupte

The alarm on the table rang at exactly six o’clock. Ethan turned it off before the sound could wake anyone else. His head felt heavy; he had barely slept all night. The words from the mysterious letter kept spinning in his mind, mixed with the image of the old man cornered in the narrow alley and the four men in black who had pursued him.He sat on the edge of the bed, rubbed his face, and glanced at his study desk. The iron box was still there.For a moment, he hesitated. He had a strange feeling that once he opened the box again, his life would never be the same. Yet, curiosity won out. He pulled the drawer open and opened the box.The old childhood photo was still there. The metal disc was there, too.But... the letter was gone.Ethan froze. He took out everything in the box, one by one. Nothing. He checked the entire contents of the drawer, even tearing through his college bag and the jacket hanging behind the door. Still, it was nowhere to be found."Impossible..." he muttered.H

Ethan stood his ground. The sentence hung in the air, brief but enough to make his entire body tense up. He tried to remember if he had ever met the man in the gray suit before, but the face was completely foreign. What unsettled him wasn't his appearance, but the conviction in his gaze. The man looked at Ethan like someone who had finally succeeded in finding an item long lost.The man in the fedora folded his hands on the table. His face remained calm, but his eyes grew significantly sharper."You shouldn't have come here," he said.The man in the gray suit smiled thinly. "And let you take him away?""I'm not taking anyone.""You know what I mean."Their conversation sounded like a riddle. No names were mentioned, no clear explanations given. Yet, every sentence made Ethan increasingly certain that he was the reason this meeting was taking place.Another waiter passed by, carrying a tray with three cups of hot coffee. He excused himself with a friendly smile toward the two men. Ther