Mayo's eyes slowly opened.
For several seconds, no one in the hospital room moved. The steady rhythm of the heart monitor echoed softly through the quiet while pale morning light slipped through the window.
Then Mina noticed.
"Mayo…?" Her voice trembled.
A moment later she rushed forward, the chair scraping across the floor as she grabbed his hand tightly. Tears filled her eyes the moment she saw him looking back at her.
"My son… thank goodness you woke up."
Her voice broke as she spoke. A tear slipped down her cheek while she stared at him, as if she needed to confirm that he was truly there.
Haruto stood beside the bed, his shoulders finally relaxing after hours of tension. A relieved smile slowly appeared on his face. Even Toviro, who had been standing quietly near the foot of the bed the entire time, felt something ease inside him.
Mayo was awake.
For a brief moment, the heavy atmosphere in the room began to lift.
Mina squeezed his hand gently and leaned closer.
"Mayo, are you feeling okay? Does anything hurt?"
Her voice was warm and careful, filled with concern.
Mayo looked at her.
But he did not answer.
His gaze drifted across the faces around him—calm, silent, almost distant.
The relief in the room slowly faded.
"Mayo?" Mina asked again, confusion creeping into her voice.
Still nothing.
He simply stared at them without a word.
Toviro noticed it immediately. Something felt wrong. It was difficult to explain, but the moment Mayo opened his eyes, something about him felt different—not just physically, but deeper. Something that could not be measured or calculated by his systems.
Then Toviro noticed the color of his eyes.
Red.
Not glowing. Not burning. Simply red. Deep, unnatural, and completely out of place.
Toviro's systems processed the visual data repeatedly, confirming the same result every time. Yet what unsettled him more was the feeling that followed afterward.
Machines were not supposed to experience emotions like fear or discomfort. They were designed to analyze situations logically.
But as Toviro looked into those eyes, something strange formed inside his system.
It felt almost like fear.
The silence in the room grew heavier until Mina finally turned toward the doctor, who had been watching the monitors.
"Doctor… why isn't he speaking?" she asked nervously. "Is he alright?"
The doctor stepped forward and glanced at the machines beside the bed.
"It is most likely the shock," he said in a steady voice. "After severe trauma, patients sometimes take time to respond normally."
He walked closer and checked the sensors attached to Mayo's body before reading the monitor carefully.
"His body temperature is normal," the doctor continued. "Heart rate is stable, and blood pressure is within a safe range."
He stepped back and looked at Mina and Haruto.
"Physically, there is nothing wrong with him anymore. His body has recovered well. If his condition remains stable, there is no need for him to stay here."
Mina blinked. "You mean…?"
"You can take him home by this afternoon."
Relief crossed her face, though concern still lingered in her eyes. The doctor gave a final glance at the monitor before leaving the room.
For a while, Mina and Haruto sat beside the bed, speaking quietly to each other and occasionally checking on Mayo. But Mayo stayed silent the entire time, staring ahead with a calm, unreadable expression, responding to nothing.
From across the room, Toviro continued watching him. The strange feeling had not gone away. If anything, the longer he looked into those red eyes, the stronger it became.
Slowly, he stepped closer.
"Mr. Haruto," Toviro said quietly.
Haruto looked up. "What is it, Toviro?"
Toviro hesitated. "Do you notice something… different about Mayo's eyes?"
Haruto leaned forward and examined his son carefully for several seconds before shaking his head.
"No. They look normal to me."
Toviro turned to Mina.
"Mrs. Mina, could you also look?"
Mina leaned closer. "They look the same as always," she said. "Why?"
Toviro did not answer.
Because what he saw was impossible to ignore.
Those eyes were clearly red, yet somehow, no one else could see it.
A quiet thought formed inside him.
Why can't they see it?
He looked at Mayo again. Those red eyes felt deep, far deeper than they should have been. As if they were trying to say something. Trying to hide something. Or perhaps reveal it.
The rest of the day passed quietly. By the afternoon, Mayo was discharged after the doctor confirmed once more that his body was stable. Mina still looked worried, but she eventually agreed to bring him home.
Mayo remained silent the entire time.
Haruto pushed the wheelchair through the hospital corridors while Toviro walked beside them. The wheels rolled softly across the polished floor, echoing faintly through the hallway.
When they arrived home, Haruto and Toviro helped Mayo upstairs together.
"Let's get you to your room," Haruto said gently.
They carefully settled him onto the bed before Haruto adjusted the blanket.
"You should rest. Your body still needs time."
Mayo gave no reply. His gaze drifted toward the ceiling, his expression calm and distant.
After a moment, Haruto sighed quietly.
"I'll be downstairs."
The door closed behind him.
Toviro remained near the wall, watching Mayo carefully. Eventually Mayo closed his eyes, but the strange feeling inside Toviro did not disappear.
Even in sleep, something about Mayo felt different.
Morning arrived quietly. Sunlight slipped through the curtains and spread across the room.
Mayo opened his eyes.
After a moment, he sat up and began removing the bandages wrapped around his arms.
Toviro stepped forward immediately.
"Mayo, you should not remove those yet. Your injuries have not fully healed."
Mayo paused, then slowly turned his head.
It was a look Toviro had never seen on him before.
Calm. Cold. Distant.
"I am fine," Mayo said.
His voice was deeper than before.
Toviro stood still as Mayo finished unwrapping the bandages and placed his feet on the floor.
Then he stood, naturally, without hesitation, as if nothing had ever happened.
That level of recovery should not have been possible.
As Mayo walked toward the door, Toviro spoke again.
"Your glasses."
They were resting on the small table beside the bed.
But Mayo did not even glance at them.
He simply opened the door and walked out.
Toviro remained standing there for a moment.
Does he not need them anymore?
Can he see without them now?
How is that possible overnight?
Downstairs, Mina was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when she heard footsteps on the stairs.
She turned around. "Mayo?"
Her eyes widened when she saw him walking calmly across the room as if nothing had happened.
"Mayo, wait," she said quickly, stepping closer. "Where are your bandages? You shouldn't be moving like this yet."
Her voice was tight with worry.
"You should go back to bed. Your body still needs rest."
Just then the front door opened.
Haruto stepped inside carrying a small bag of groceries. He stopped the moment he saw Mayo standing in the living room.
"Mayo? You're already up?"
Surprise was clear on his face.
Mayo nodded slightly.
They sat down for breakfast.
Mina kept glancing at him while Haruto tried to act normally, though the confusion in his expression was hard to hide. Mayo barely spoke. The silence at the table grew slowly uncomfortable.
After finishing his meal, Mayo quietly stood up.
Haruto looked up immediately. "Where are you going?"
"I'm going outside," Mayo said.
Haruto frowned slightly.
"You should still be resting. The doctor said your body needs time."
Mina quickly agreed.
"Yes, your father is right. You shouldn't go anywhere yet."
But Mayo simply slipped his hands into his pockets.
"I just want to go for a walk."
Haruto hesitated.
Something about his son felt different, but the calm confidence in his voice made it difficult to argue.
Still, Mina pressed again.
"Mayo, please. At least wait a little longer."
Mayo shook his head slightly.
"I'm fine."
A moment of silence.
Then Haruto slowly nodded.
"Alright," he said. "But don't go too far."
Mina looked at him in disbelief.
"Haruto—"
But before she could finish, Mayo had already walked to the door.
He stepped outside and closed it behind him.
Mina stood there for a moment, staring at the closed door.
Then she turned sharply toward Haruto.
"Why did you let him go?" she asked. "He's still injured. He hasn't even recovered yet."
Haruto smiled faintly.
"Maybe he forgot something," he said. "Something he needs to do."
Mina stared at him.
"Are you serious right now?" she said sharply.
Then she turned toward Toviro.
"Toviro, could you please go with him and make sure he—"
"There's no need."
Haruto cut her off gently.
"He'll come back," he said. "Don't worry."
Mina looked between the two of them, clearly unconvinced.
Outside, Mayo was already walking down the street.
His hands rested in his pockets as he moved calmly through the quiet morning.
When he crossed the road, he passed the same spot where he had been attacked days earlier.
The broken shop windows were still there, shattered glass scattered along the ground.
Mayo walked past without slowing down.
At that moment, two familiar faces appeared from one of the nearby shops.
Ozair and Aryan.
Ozair noticed him first.
"Hey… wait," he said, grabbing Aryan's arm. "Isn't that Mayo?"
Aryan looked up and stared before his expression shifted.
"It's him."
Ozair frowned. "Where do you think he's going?"
Aryan shook his head.
"Are you serious? He shouldn't even be able to move right now. How is he walking like that?"
Ozair blinked.
"Oh… yeah."
They both watched as Mayo continued down the street and turned onto another road.
Ozair narrowed his eyes. "We should see where he's going."
Aryan nodded, and the two of them quietly fell into step behind him.
They followed him for nearly twenty minutes.
During that entire time, Mayo never once looked back.
Ozair eventually leaned closer to Aryan.
"Is that even Mayo?" he whispered. "If that's him, what could he be doing out here?"
Aryan frowned. "If I knew, I would've already told you."
Then Mayo suddenly stopped.
Aryan and Ozair stopped as well.
Mayo slowly turned his head toward the right side of the street. He stood still for a brief moment, his eyes closing and opening again.
Then, without a word, he walked down a narrow path beside an old building.
Aryan and Ozair exchanged a glance before following.
At the end of the path stood a large ruined building, nearly five floors tall. Its walls were cracked and worn, most of the windows shattered or hollow.
The place looked completely abandoned, forgotten by the city around it.
Mayo stopped in front of it.
Slowly, his eyes lifted toward the top of the building.
He did not move. He did not speak.
But something in the stillness of that moment felt heavy, as if the building itself had been waiting.
As if it had been waiting for him.