The rain had been falling for hours.
Not heavy.
Not violent.
Just… endless.
Thin lines of water fell from a hollow sky. For a moment, Kael envied it—because it could cry.
Thin lines of water slipped through the dim neon lights of the city, turning the empty streets into something distant, almost unreal. The kind of rain that didn't demand attention—only slowly seeped into everything it touched.
It was 1:25 in the morning.
The kind of hour where even the city felt too tired to exist.
Kael Vanpil's shift had ended late.
Again.
The grocery bag in his hand felt heavier than it should have, the plastic stretched thin from cheap supplies and careless packing. His clothes clung slightly to his skin, damp from the rain he hadn't bothered to avoid.
A dark uniform—simple, but sharp.
Black fabric with faint golden stripes running along the sides of his sleeves and down his legs. The buttons glinted dimly under the neon light, each one a dull gold. Two chest pockets rested neatly over his torso, giving the outfit a structured, almost controlled feel.
Yet the way Kael wore it—
Loose. Careless.
Like none of it mattered.
His walk was slow. Mechanical.
Same routine.
Same exhaustion.
Same empty end to every day.
That's why he noticed it.
A narrow opening to his right.
He had never seen it before.
Or maybe… he just never cared enough to look.
Between two towering structures glowing faintly with neon light, a quiet entrance stretched inward—wide enough to walk through, but hidden enough to be ignored.
A shortcut… maybe.
Kael's eyes lingered on it for a moment.
Then—
"…whatever."
Kael turned.
The sound of the city faded the moment he stepped inside.
The path twisted almost immediately.
Sharp turns.
Uneven ground.
Walls closing in just enough to feel uncomfortable.
A zigzag path.
Like a maze no one bothered to finish properly.
His footsteps echoed faintly as he moved through it, the rain still finding its way down through gaps above, dripping softly against metal and stone.
Three minutes.
That's all it took.
Three minutes of walking through something that didn't feel like it belonged in the same world as the city outside.
And then—
He stepped out.
The space opened suddenly.
Wide.
Quiet.
Breathing.
A river stretched out before him.
Calm.
Endless.
Its surface shimmered under the faint reflection of distant lights, barely disturbed by the falling rain.
A long, narrow bridge extended across it—straight and precise, perfectly aligned with the ground, reaching partway across the river as if it had a purpose… yet stopping before completing it.
Beyond it—
Light.
Blinding.
A second city stood across the river.
Brighter.
Cleaner.
Untouched.
Towering structures glowed in cold perfection, their lights cutting through the darkness so sharply it almost hurt to look at.
The city of the rich.
Of those who never had to take shortcuts.
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…tch."
Even from here, it felt distant.
Unreachable.
Like it existed just to remind people like him where they didn't belong.
He looked away.
And that's when—
He saw her.
A figure lay about twenty feet ahead of him, sprawled across the cold, lifeless ground.
Small.
Too small.
The kind of presence that could disappear if you didn't look carefully enough.
Kael's steps slowed.
Her hair—
Pale blue.
Soft. Almost unreal.
At the very edges, faint traces of darker blue shimmered—barely visible, only revealing themselves in the darkness like a hidden glow.
She wore a white school uniform.
A very short skirt, seamlessly connected as part of the outfit itself. A clean white shirt, marked with a red ribbon at the collar. Blue wrist covers clung to her arms, slightly torn… dirtied.
Not completely ruined.
Just enough to tell a story.
Kael's gaze sharpened.
Her skin—
Pale.
Cold.
Almost lifeless.
Then—
He noticed them.
Wounds.
Cuts.
Bruises.
Slight swelling across her body.
Not life-threatening.
But not something light either.
She moved.
Or—
He thought she did.
Kael's body tensed—
But no.
It wasn't movement.
She was shivering.
A faint tremor ran through her body, barely visible… but real.
Kael stopped walking.
Midway.
And in that moment—
It became clear.
"…An AI."
Of course.
Too clean.
Too precise.
Even broken, there was something unnaturally perfect about her.
A lie made flesh.
Kael stared for a moment longer.
Then—
He looked away.
"…Not my problem."
His voice was low. Flat.
Almost convincing.
Kael turned.
One step.
Then another.
The distance between them slowly grew.
The rain didn't change.
It kept falling, just as quietly as before.
She didn't call out.
Didn't beg.
Didn't move.
Good.
That made it easier.
Kael's grip tightened slightly around the grocery bag.
Why was he even hesitating?
It was just an AI.
One of those things that walked around pretending to be human.
Going to school.
Smiling.
Living.
As if they belonged.
His jaw clenched.
A memory surfaced—
Cold.
Unwanted.
Rain.
A hand reaching out.
A voice he couldn't fully remember anymore.
Kael stopped.
"…Tch."
This time, louder.
Sharper.
"Damn it…"
His breathing grew heavier.
Not from walking.
From something else.
Something he didn't want to feel.
"…Why now…"
The rain gave no answer.
For a few seconds—
Kael stood there.
Back turned.
Caught between walking away…
And something far worse.
Then—
A sound.
Faint.
Broken.
"…mm…"
Kael's eyes widened slightly.
That wasn't mechanical.
That wasn't artificial.
That… sounded like pain.
His chest tightened.
Hard.
Unfairly.
"…Tch."
Before he could stop himself—
Kael turned.