When I opened my eyes, he was trying to gently sit me down by the edge of the fountain.
He was really trying to be soft and careful about it—and honestly, I thought that was the cutest thing ever.
I tried to help him a little, to take control of my body again so he wouldn't have such a hard time.
I sat down at the base of the fountain and leaned back against the stone.
That cold feeling again…
Strangely, I'd gotten used to it. It didn't bother me anymore.
But the way the water moved inside the fountain made the stone feel… alive, somehow.
The water flowing through it gave the illusion that the stone itself was moving.
Living.
Interesting… It was a lot like life—and people.
Sometimes, there's no real hope left.
We just pretend to be alive…
But deep down, our heart still beats.
Still pushes forward.
And that… is life.
I was listening to the sound of the water, staring off at some undefined point in space,
when he came and sat beside me.
At first, he didn't say anything.
Just looked at me.
And I was full of questions—
Questions I was too scared to ask.
What if he left like that little girl did?
What if he couldn't help me?
What if he hurt me?
My mind was spinning with negative thoughts, paralyzing my voice.
But thankfully… he wasn't like that.
"So?" he said. "You're not gonna say anything? You've been quiet for a while now."
"I won't bite if you talk, y'know."
"What, are you scared of me?"
"Do you know how to talk?"
The way he spoke—kind of playful, kind of curious, but still worried—
it made me smile. I couldn't help it.
I turned my face away and let out a small laugh.
He noticed.
"Well, well! Look who's laughing. Having a good time, missy?"
"Oh no, back to silence again… Ugh, you're making me even more worried."
"I was about to throw you into this fountain, you know. Lucky for you, you seem better now—otherwise you'd be in there."
Throwing someone this cold into water? That would've just killed me.
I couldn't believe it…
I actually spoke.
"Cold water hitting the body suddenly works like a shock—it increases blood circulation. So, technically, I would've gotten better, not worse."
I didn't want to admit it, but… what he said kind of made sense.
So I gave a slow little nod.
"Okay… maybe you're right."
"Where'd you come from…?"
"Me? Where'd you come from? We all thought that unit was empty."
…
Shock.
That's the only word that could describe what I felt in that moment.
"The apartment was empty?"
…
"How long has it been empty? What's the story of this building… do you know what's going on here?"
"Honestly? Not really. Maybe just a bit more than you…"
"But yeah, this building's been abandoned for a long time. No one really lives here. I just come by sometimes… I get a weirdly good feeling from this place."
"How long have you been coming here? Don't you have somewhere else to go?"
…
Abandoned?
How is that even possible?
A place where I've seen people every day… where everything feels so alive and beautiful…
None of this adds up. His words just don't match what I've seen.
"I… I don't know how long I've been here. When I opened my eyes, I was in that room. I don't remember anything—just some random things like my name, or age… I don't know. I'm so confused…"
"Well, we can look around for clues. Y'know, try to figure out the stuff you can't remember. Lucky for you, I'm curious—and unemployed. Sounds like a plan, right?"
"But don't you have a family, or school, or a job? Isn't anyone worried about you? Don't you have better things to do? Who even are you?"
"I'm Tommy. Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier.
I don't know why, but… it doesn't feel like this is the first time we're talking.
It's weird—like maybe we knew each other. I didn't feel like a stranger to you.
I'm sorry… maybe you didn't feel the same way."
He scratched the back of his neck, smiled awkwardly, and closed his eyes for a moment.
How could someone like him possibly be bad?
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't even imagine it.
"I'm Ive.
And… honestly, I kind of felt the same way.
Strange, huh?
Do you know this place well?"
"Not really. I haven't been here long either. I've only explored a few parts.
But we can look around together, if you want?"
If I want?
That's way better than wandering around alone in this creepy place they call abandoned.
At least someone's with me, right?
"Yeah… we can go.
Oh! By the way—what's it like outside? Is it a city? Or more like a village?
Where exactly are we?"
"To be honest… outside this building is kinda like a ruined city.
There's… not much left. Pretty much empty, no one lives there anymore.
And the name… it's got a weird name.
They call it—"
<"Ive, you have to come back.
How long are you gonna stay there??">
<"We're all waiting for you—Ive, come back to us.">
<"Luke's losing it, Ive… Ive… IIIIIIVVVVEEEE—">
The voices exploded inside my head.
It felt like they were all screaming at me.
I couldn't hear anything but them.
Only shouting. Only panic.
I dropped to my knees and clutched my head, pressing my hands over my ears, curling up into myself, eyes shut tight—
just trying to make it stop.
Just stop the ringing.
Just… stop.
But even after the voices disappeared,
my ears were still ringing—a sharp, piercing sound, buzzing endlessly.
I pressed my hands tighter and tighter against my ears, until I felt something… wet.
I slowly pulled one hand away and brought it in front of my face.
Blood.
From my ear.
Blood was coming out.
Terrified, I looked up—
and finally noticed Tommy's worried eyes staring back at me.
He was holding my shoulders, like he'd been trying to get through to me for a while now.
I didn't even notice. I had no idea how long I'd been like that.
With trembling fingers, I reached toward him, showing him my hand—
and when he saw it, he froze.
He was stunned.
Like he couldn't believe it.
What the hell is happening to me…?
Who's Luke?
Where do I have to go back to?
Why is he losing it…?
Where… am I?