Then the café door opened again, and two police officers stepped inside. One of them looked around and asked, "Have you two seen a little girl around here? She's five years old and wearing a black dress." Koharu shook her head and replied, "No, we haven't seen her here. What happened? Is she missing?" The officer nodded and said, "Yes. She went missing earlier today. Here is her photo. If you see her, contact us immediately." They placed the picture on the counter for a moment and then left. Rei frowned and muttered, "Who would kidnap a five-year-old girl?" Koharu replied quietly, "A weak person would."
A moment later, the television in the café switched to a breaking news broadcast. The anchor spoke urgently, "The Morphyx virus is spreading in the country of Taured. Scientists are trying to nullify it but—" Before the report could continue, Koharu turned the TV off and laughed, "Ah, Noctyra First again. These anchors always try to scare people, but they can't fool us. We should also watch out for pranks," she added with a sigh. Rei asked, "But what is Morphyx?" Koharu replied, "Morphyx is a fictional disease from the famous story Whispers Beneath the Ashen Sky. It's an infectious sickness that changes people instead of killing them, turning them into quiet, pale-eyed beings called the Altered." Rei nodded and said, "Oh, I see. Sounds interesting. I never had time to read it." Koharu giggled and replied, "Neither did I. I saw it in a video."
Soon it was closing time. Koharu waved and said, "Goodbye, Rei. See you tomorrow." Rei replied, "Yeah, see you. Take care," and they both left.
By the time Rei reached home, his mother was already asleep. He opened his phone to study, but his eyes froze when he saw the headlines: The Morphyx virus is real. The news read, "We are trying to locate the writer of Whispers Beneath the Ashen Sky. The fictional Morphyx virus is extremely similar to the real virus." Rei's hands trembled as he whispered, "If this infection spreads here… we're all dead."
A CivAlert notification suddenly lit up his screen: "The Morphyx virus has entered the country. All citizens are advised to remain inside their homes. Food and medicine will be delivered through StateMart. Avoid traveling and public gatherings." Rei muttered, "The thing I feared the most has finally happened… and I don't even have supplies." A message popped up from Koma: "Rei, you and your mother should come stay with me. You'll be safer here. I'll send a cab." Rei replied, "Oh… thanks, but I don't want to be a burden. We should be fine." Koma immediately answered, "Shut up and get over here." Rei could almost feel her anger through the screen.
Moments later, Rei stepped outside. The street was dark and silent. Near the park, a man sat hidden in the shadows and called softly, "Hey, boy. Come here. It's important." Rei asked cautiously, "Who are you?" The man replied, "Just come here. What I'm about to tell you… you must tell no one." Rei slowly stepped closer.
And what he heard next made his blood run cold.