There's always a moment when everything tips—and when it happens, it's already too late to turn back.
Sophie sat on the couch, her thoughts looping nonstop.
I let her go… I didn't do anything… like Aria said.
That thought wouldn't leave her, like background noise. Impossible to mute, impossible to shake. Sophie clenched her teeth. The truth was… she was angry at her mom.
Grace had collapsed. She'd left Sophie like this. She wasn't there anymore—with her. No real home, no real anchors. NOTHING for a long time. Just emptiness everywhere.
And Sophie… she'd had to grow up too fast. Nobody asked her to. Nobody apologized. She'd had to handle everything by herself. Her throat tightened. What if it was over? What if this time… she didn't come back? Sophie's heart squeezed, because the truth was simple. Her mom… was still all she had left. The rest? Blurry faces. Half-memories of distant cousins that didn't hold. Nothing solid.
She dragged a hand over her face. Her fingers trembled. She couldn't even feel her tears anymore. Her phone buzzed.
Aria: "I'm getting out tomorrow morning. Hang on. We're gonna handle this. See you at your place at 10:00 a.m."
Sophie stared at the screen for a long time. Okay. She wasn't alone, not completely.
The next morning, dawn filtered through the hospital's cold white windows. Aria had barely slept. Her mind had been running in circles all night. Blade and his laughter in the dark. The cracks. The silhouettes. The memories kept resurfacing, over and over. She opened her eyes with a start.
Great. Even my dreams are spiraling now.
She tapped her finger against the armrest fast, but uneven. The clock read 8:37. Everything was moving too slow. 6 p.m. was coming way too fast. Every minute mattered.
The door finally opened.
"Good morning, Aria."
The doctor, still and calm.
"You should stay a few more days. You're not ready, even with your splints."
Aria held her gaze without blinking.
"I'm signing myself out."
Silence.
"You're making a big mistake."
"Maybe."
Aria lifted one shoulder slightly.
"But I don't have time to wait."
The doctor had a tired sigh.
"It's your decision."
"I know."
The walk back to her apartment building felt endless. Twice, she had to slow down just to catch her breath. Deep down, she knew no one was coming for her. No one would call to ask why she'd left the hospital. No one would complain about her checking herself out early.
Her parents had been gone for a long time. Her grandmother had stepped in after that. For years, she had been the closest thing Aria had left to a family. But age was slowly winning. Sometimes she forgot dates. Sometimes names. And over the past few months, she'd even started telling the same story two or three times without realizing it. Aria still visited whenever she could, but deep down, she knew what was happening. Her grandmother's memories were fading little by little, like a book whose pages were disappearing one by one. The thought crossed her mind, and she pushed it away immediately.
Not now.
She had learned long ago how to keep moving without waiting for someone to come and save her. When she finally pushed open the door to her apartment, a sigh escaped her lips.
No Evin, perfect. Thank God. No pause, no explanations.
She stepped inside, changed, grabbed a bag, and took the time to pack it so she could be at Sophie's on time, like she'd promised.
Meanwhile, Jazz was charging. He was quiet for once. Sophie… looked wrecked with dark circles and empty eyes. Aria approached gently after pulling the door shut behind her.
"Hey."
A small smile.
"I brought you a little light, showing a cup of coffee."
Sophie let out a bitter breath.
"I'd rather you brought my mom back…"
Silence except for a beep from Jazz.
"Statistically, bringing back a mother is more complicated than bringing back coffee. Beep."
"I recommend the coffee," Aria said.
The tiniest corner of a smile.
"Even Jazz gave up," Sophie muttered.
Aria shook her head.
"No. He didn't."
She sat beside her, shoulder to shoulder.
"He's just telling you, you're running on empty."
Their eyes locked.
"And that it's not going to fix itself."
"Beep. Sophie batteries: critical level," Jazz added.
A breath, almost a laugh brushed Sophie's lips.
Finally, they collapsed into the couch facing the screen. The Wall was still there, still cracked. Drones passed and filmed. Their lights slid across the breach.
Every time, Sophie's stomach tightened.
Then, she said softer:
"You know…"
She stared at the screen without really seeing it.
"Right before they took her… my mom said something."
Aria lifted her head slightly.
"She asked me to take her…"
"To the other side."
The drones kept circling, steady as a metronome.
"Like she knew," Sophie continued.
Her voice shook.
"Like… that's where she has to go to become herself again."
Aria looked down, fingers picking at the couch fabric.
"Maybe…"
She hesitated.
"Maybe she's not completely crazy."
Sophie turned to her.
"You really think that?"
Aria inhaled.
"My mom used to talk like that too sometimes. Like we had to cross to the other side…"
Her words hung in the air. Then she looked at Sophie.
"Maybe Grace… picks up something we don't. Like you do."
Silence and then a flash on-screen, the crack shimmered and suddenly, three shapes burst out. Blue, bright and so alive. Beautiful butterflies rising slowly into the air. A pale halo spread around them. Sophie sat up.
"Did you see that?!"
Aria leaned closer and pressed her hand to the screen.
"Yeah…" Sophie breathed.
"That came from there."
The word stayed suspended.
There. On the other side of the Wall.
Aria dropped her gaze. She knew that feeling, the one that says:
If you don't move now… it's over. Too late.
She inhaled, her chest protested. She ignored it again.
"We go."
Sophie turned her head.
"We go."
Firmer.
"We find a way to get close. And if it doesn't work… we force it."
Sophie stared at her.
"You realize what that means? If we fail, it's prison or death."
"Yeah," Aria admitted. "But I don't care. They destroyed my family. And now they want to destroy yours. We don't owe them anything."
Sophie shut her eyes once more, then opened them.
"Okay. We do it. We plan."
Aria's mouth twitched into a faint smile.
"I have an idea. I thought about it all night."
Sophie frowned.
"I don't like that smile."
"Detective Trials."
"…What?"
"They're filming there tonight, near the crack, and they need people."
Sophie understood instantly.
"You want to… go in with them."
"Exactly."
"You're serious?"
"More than ever."
Sophie let out a breath.
"That's insanely bold… which means it might work."
Aria smiled.
"Yep."
Their eyes met with adrenaline, fear and excitement. The kind of moment where everything tips. Sophie closed her eyes for a second, but it was already too late. Her mom, her hands, her cracked voice.
Take me to the other side…
She opened her eyes again, more controlled now, less raw.
"Okay."
Her voice didn't shake anymore.
"We're going."
She locked onto Aria.
"I'm crossing that Wall. No matter how. And I'm coming back for her."
Aria nodded slowly.
"And me… I'm finding the truth."
Their eyes held. No need for more.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
The silence that followed wasn't empty. It was a pact. Sophie straightened, running a hand through her hair.
"And Numa? Do we ask him?"
Aria lifted one shoulder slightly.
OK… that isn't just a crush. That is something that flips her inside out. But I didn't come here to watch Sophie get lost in someone. We get out, just the two of us.
"He's got his reasons to hate Kaissa… and he loves tinkering too much to say no."
Sophie with a small smile :
"So we call him."
Aria threw one last look at the screen. The crack and the butterflies were still there—like an invitation. Sophie hit call. A few seconds… then Numa's face appeared, lit by a cold light.
"Hello, girls… Aria? Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital?"
"I was."
"Right now, Sophie needs you."
Sophie leaned more in.
"It's urgent."
Numa's brow tightened.
"Okay… I'm listening."
Aria inhaled.
"We're crossing the Wall tonight."
The two girls smiled.
"…Detective Trials?"
Sophie nodded.
"We're slipping in with them."
"Not dumb…"
His eyes sparked.
"Very not dumb."
He sat up straighter.
"I worked there."
The girls exchanged a look.
"Wait… what? That's insane."
"Editing, access, badges."
A slight smirk.
"And I kept some passes."
Sophie's heart sped up.
"You can modify them for us?"
"Yeah. If you send me your photos. Otherwise, I could always ask the new intern. She's pretty nice to me."
He winked.
His fingers were already moving fast across his screen.
"QR code, check… the chip, we'll see."
He lifted his eyes.
"But you're playing BIG."
Aria smiled and Sophie added—
"We know. And you're coming with us?"
Numa hesitated—just barely.
"I'm not coming, no…"
Sophie froze.
"What?"
"Not now."
He looked away slightly.
"I've got… something else to deal with on the other side. Something heavier and personal."
"If I mess that up… I lose everything."
Aria stared at him. She understood.
"Okay. But we're still taking the passes."
A smile crossed Numa's lips.
"Obviously. Three hours. I'll come by and explain what you need to do. I'll get you listed with the PA team—production assistants. That works for you?"
He gave Sophie a softer look.
"And try not to die before then."
Sophie answered with her casual, pretending-it's-nothing face.
"Promise… we'll try."
Sophie replied with her usual innocent look. But Numa's comment about the new intern kept replaying in her mind. It was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. He had probably been joking. Then why did the idea of him giving that stupid grin to some other girl make her want to choke him?
The screen went dark, and silence returned. Sophie set the phone down slowly and turned to Aria.
"It's almost too easy, but… yeah."
She lifted her eyes.
"We're really doing this."
Aria stood. Pain pulled at her—she ignored it.
"YES. We're going."
They held each other, like that one gesture could contain the fear biting at their stomachs, the adrenaline burning in their veins, and the raw determination that had just been born between them.
Nothing was holding them back anymore…
Meanwhile, in the Skyward district… A silhouette leaned over a holographic map. Data streamed: blind spots, drones, trajectories. Her fingers, strangely delicate, adjusted every detail with relentless precision. No room for chance, she said.
Black hair fell on either side of her face, and in her eyes… cold light. Behind that control, something burned—an old, silent rage.
She too was preparing to cross. She too… had sworn she would make it through. But not for the same reasons.
And if anyone had known why… she would've done anything to stop her.
The Guardian Angel: Aria and Sophie thought they were making a choice—a step into the unknown, a leap toward truth. Without knowing it… they had just stepped onto a path others had walked long before them.
And on the other side, someone… might already be waiting.
To be continued… 🔥