When he opens his eyes, the sky feels strangely wider than before. There is no familiar smell like the one from Nothing.
In front of him stand two massive pillars, and between them, two heavy iron gates. He has never seen gates this large in his life.
He immediately understands—this is not Nothing.
"Do you plan to stand there all day, kid?"
"Come here."
Aarush can't tell whether this is a dream or something else entirely. Unaware of what's really happening, he hesitates and slowly steps forward.
The man who called out to him from a distance looks even bigger and heavier up close. He raises one eyebrow.
"Show me."
"Show… what?"
"Your invitation card."
"I don't have one."
The man standing in front of him begins to observe Aarush carefully, as if analyzing him. Suddenly, his eyes fall on Aarush's right pocket—
a piece of paper is sticking out slightly.
"Listen, kid.
I don't like to hear jokes about ZARTHOS."
"Take the card out of your pocket."
Aarush checks his pocket.
There really is a half-folded piece of paper inside.
[How...?]
He pulls it out and slowly unfolds it.
"Yes… this is exactly what I was talking about."
Aarush hands the card to the man. The man takes it with both hands. For a brief moment, a strange—almost innocent—smile appears on his face.
"You're the first one this time."
"But don't you think you arrived a bit too ear—"
Suddenly, the man's expression changes completely. As if he has seen something terrifying.
His fingers tighten around the card.
The smile freezes.
Then he shouts in anger—
"Seize him. Now."
At that moment, everything turns into slow motion.
Saliva dripping from the man's mouth, two men suddenly appearing from behind and grabbing him.
He can't understand—
why is all this happening to him?
In the middle of the chaos, he hears a sound.
*THUMP-THUMP-THUMP*
Like a drum.
Slowly, he realizes—
it's his heartbeat.
His breathing becomes faster on its own. He understands now—
This is fear. For the first time in a long while.
"Haa… haa… haaa…"
[Even if this is a dream, why does it feel so detailed?]
[If I just close my eyes…maybe everything will go back to normal].
His hands are tied behind his back.
He's being taken somewhere.
His eyes remain closed.
When he is finally seated, he starts hearing multiple voices—
"He's just a kid."
"This is beyond him."
"Who does he work for?"
"Too ashamed to even open his eyes."
"But the card was found with him."
"He's handsome."
For a moment, everything goes silent. Aarush senses that someone is standing right in front of him.
"Oi… open your eyes."
"Open your eyes."
He slowly opens them.
A man stands before him—tall, broad-built, with long hair. Aarush looks around. Silhouettes surround him on all sides,
standing in a circular formation.
The hall he's brought into is completely dark.
Light falls only on the two of them. The faces of the others remain hidden in the shadows.
In the man's eyes, Aarush can clearly see helplessness mixed with rage.
"Tell me, boy,"
"where did you get this card?"
The man grabs Aarush by the chin and lifts his face.
Understanding the situation, Aarush replies calmly—
"I… don't know."
"It was just in my pocket."
The man tightens his grip, so tight that Aarush starts to feel pain. Before he can say anything else, a voice speaks from behind—
"That's enough, Orpheus.
He's just a child."
Reluctantly, Orpheus lets go and steps back.
A door opens in the dark hall.
A man walks in.
The scene feels straight out of a fairytale.
He brings light with him. He's wearing a pure white three-piece suit. Even his shoes are white.
He looks slightly older.
As soon as he enters, the entire hall falls silent.
Only the sound of his footsteps echoes.
He stops near Aarush, observing him carefully.
"My name is Renjiro Tenshi."
He speaks in a gentle voice.
"Let's start again.
Where did you get this card?"
Aarush takes a deep breath and explains everything—
being late, the crystal ball, the blue smoke, and the card appearing in his pocket.
Renjiro raises an eyebrow.
"A crystal ball?"
Aarush nods.
Renjiro's eyes narrow slightly, as if piecing together a puzzle.
"Your name is Aarush, right?"
He nods again.
"Aarush… have you ever heard of a girl named Maya?"
Aarush slowly shakes his head.
"No… never."
Renjiro's face hardens.
"Maya was once a student at ZARTHOS.
Very talented."
"She later became a detective."
"She had been missing for a few days."
"Yesterday… her body was found."
Renjiro takes out the card and unfolds it.
"This was hers.
Yet somehow… it ended up with you."
Aarush's head starts spinning.
"I don't know anything…
I've never even been here before."
Renjiro exhales softly.
"I know.
You don't understand this place or what's happening."
He turns to the woman standing behind him.
"Lilith,
take him to the dining hall.
Let him eat and rest.
We'll talk later."
Lilith nods and leads Aarush away.
While walking, Aarush asks—
"So… what now?
Are you going to put me in jail?"
"Am I your prisoner now?"
Lilith stops and looks at him.
"Trust me.
If you were a prisoner,
you would never have left that hall."
"The Headmaster knows you're innocent."
In the dining hall, Lilith offers him food with a gentle smile.
"Eat as much as you want."
At first, Aarush just stares at the food.
"Don't worry," Lilith says.
"It's not poisoned."
"Today must have been strange for you."
"The headmaster wouldn't show kindness without a reason."
Aarush slowly begins to eat. After some time, Renjiro returns.
Lilith leaves.
Renjiro stands near the window.
"Aarush…
you're caught in something you don't yet understand."
"Maya's death is a mystery."
"And somehow, you're connected to it."
"For now, we'll set that aside."
"This will stay between you and ZARTHOS."
Renjiro places a hand on Aarush's shoulder.
"Do you want to stay at ZARTHOS?"
"I know people in Nothing
see those from the outside world as monsters."
Aarush pauses.
"The outer world…
so this is it?"
Renjiro smiles faintly.
"Yes.
For you, this is the outer world."
[This is nothing like what I imagined… they even eat food just like us.]
"We all live under the same sky," Renjiro says.
"We breathe the same air."
"There are certain abilities only people from the outer world possess."
"You can become like us too."
"You might just find a place here."
Aarush takes a deep breath.
"So… is this a school?"
Renjiro laughs.
"Yes.
It is a school."
Something stirs inside Aarush's heart. But he didn't answer in a hurry.
"I'll think about it."
Renjiro smiles.
"Good.
You have one week."
"Until then… you may go home."
In the blink of an eye, Aarush is back in his room.
My head feels heavy. That dream was strange…
"It's already 4 in the morning…"
He gets up—
and feels something in his pocket.
A folded card.
He takes it out and opens it with both hands.
This time, written on the card is—
AARUSH