Aliya jolted awake.
She had been dreaming—but the moment consciousness returned, the dream slipped away from her memory like mist.
Her head felt heavy, as if her thoughts were tangled and blocked by something she couldn't understand.
She slowly looked down at herself.
Her hands.
Her body.
She was wearing a white dress.
Barefoot.
The room around her was bright—too bright—its walls painted in flawless white.
"You're awake."
Aliya turned toward the voice.
A young man stood nearby. He looked around her age, holding a long staff. He wore a white robe and simple, worn sandals.
"Where am I?" Aliya asked.
"You're dead," he replied calmly, as if stating an ordinary fact.
He walked past her without waiting for another question.
Dead.
The word echoed inside her mind.
Aliya stared at her hands.
They looked faint… almost transparent.
She was no longer in her body.
She was a soul.
Her steps trembled as she followed the young man.
He placed his hand against the wall.
A door suddenly formed where there had been nothing before.
He stepped through it and glanced back at her, silently telling her to follow.
Aliya hurried after him.
The moment she stepped outside, the room behind her vanished.
They walked across an endless expanse—empty, stretching into infinity.
The young man carried a small light while she followed quietly behind.
"Don't you remember who you are?" he asked without turning.
His tone was serious.
Aliya slowly shook her head.
"You don't remember your name either?"
Voices began whispering around her.
At first they were faint.
Then louder.
Echoing inside her skull.
Aliya covered her ears.
"A—"
She swallowed.
"Aliya…"
"My name is Aliya."
Fragments of images flashed inside her mind—colors, shadows, pain.
Her breathing grew uneven and she stopped walking.
The young man turned and watched her silently.
Aliya forced herself to breathe slowly until the visions faded.
"S-Sorry," she whispered.
He simply resumed walking.
Aliya didn't know how long they traveled.
There was no exhaustion.
No sense of direction.
Only endless emptiness beneath their feet.
Eventually, a faint glow appeared ahead.
They moved toward it.
The light grew brighter—so bright Aliya had to shield her eyes with her arm.
When the glare softened, she slowly looked up.
Dozens of figures stood before them.
Men and women.
All dressed in white.
Then something radiant approached.
Several of the figures knelt immediately.
Aliya couldn't look directly at the source of the light.
Yet the presence felt warm… comforting… powerful.
"Our Lord King," they said together.
Aliya flinched.
She didn't know whether she should kneel or remain standing.
Her heart pounded nervously.
"State the circumstances, Isaac," the warm voice commanded.
The young man beside her stepped forward.
Isaac.
He held an old parchment.
Aliya stared at it in quiet awe.
Am I here… to be judged for my life?
The thought echoed inside her mind.
She still couldn't understand what was happening.
XXX
Two weeks had passed since the tragedy.
For Aya, every day felt like a waking nightmare.
The clinic remained closed.
Several complaints had been filed against her by clients whose animals had died during the attack. Whether she was responsible or not, she felt the weight of their anger.
And still—there was no news about Aliya.
Aya lay on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Cloud rested in her arms.
Aliya's beloved cat.
The only survivor.
Aya held him tightly, as if he were the last piece of her sister left in the world.
Aliya's severed arm remained under police custody.
It was their only physical evidence.
But how was she supposed to grieve?
There was no body.
Only an arm.
Only blood.
Investigators confirmed that the blood found near the exit was human.
DNA tests proved it belonged to Aliya.
Aya looked down at Cloud.
Not a single night passed without tears.
If I had come home earlier…
Would I have saved them?
The thought stabbed her again and again.
Aya, stop sitting here.
You need to do something.
Her mind urged her forward.
But where could she begin?
Who could she suspect?
Who would commit such a cruel act?
Her thoughts drifted somewhere darker.
Mom and Dad…?
The idea chilled her.
But she had no evidence.
Her phone suddenly rang.
One of the officers assigned to Aliya's case.
She answered immediately.
"Hello?"
"Miss Aya Grace Castro, we'd like you to come to the station. We have something to discuss regarding your sister."
Her brows furrowed.
She couldn't refuse.
Not when this might finally be a lead.
"Okay," she replied.
She dressed quickly and brought Cloud with her.
She refused to leave him alone.
As she drove toward the station, she passed the clinic.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Her lawyer was already handling legal complaints from clients whose pets had died.
Rumors had begun spreading.
Some people even discovered that her parents had once been scientists who abused animals.
They assumed she was the same.
But Aya didn't care about the rumors.
She would face everything.
For Aliya.
She would find the truth.
She would find the one responsible.
Aliya… I'll fix this.
I promise.
When she arrived at the station, the officer led her into a small room.
A laptop sat on the table.
"Are pets allowed here?" Aya asked.
"That's fine," the officer replied.
Aya placed Cloud beside her.
"Did you find something?" she asked quietly.
The officer placed a phone on the table.
Aya's breath caught.
Aliya's phone.
"Do you recognize this?"
"Yes… it's Aliya's."
"We found it near the exit—the location where your sister was attacked."
Aya swallowed hard.
"What evidence did you recover from it?"
The officer signaled to his colleague.
A projector turned on.
A video appeared.
A masked man filled the screen.
"You're going to die! You're going to die!" he screamed repeatedly.
Aya's eyes widened.
Cloud suddenly hissed violently, his fur standing on end as his claws dug into the table.
Aya had never seen him like that.
Cloud…?
On the video, Aliya's trembling voice could be heard.
"W-Why are you doing this…?"
Aya clenched her fists.
She could hear her sister's final breaths.
The killer's mask slipped slightly.
Just enough to reveal his skin.
Scratches.
Bite marks.
Wounds from animals.
"We believe the suspect was injured during the attack," the officer explained.
"The marks appear consistent with animal bites and scratches—possibly from the pets or your sister."
"We also recovered DNA that doesn't match Aliya or any of the animals present."
Aya stared at the screen.
"If you look closely," the officer continued, "there appears to be a tattoo near the suspect's ear."
Aya froze.
"Your sister likely recognized the attacker," the officer added.
"Do you know anyone—someone close to you or your sister—who might hold a grudge?"
Aya's mind went completely blank.
Cloud suddenly lunged toward the screen, clawing at the image until Aya quickly grabbed him.
She couldn't answer.
"May I have a copy of the video?" Aya asked quietly.
"If I find anything, I'll report it immediately."
The officer nodded.
"But be careful. If the suspect is still out there… you could be the next target."
Aya nodded slowly.
She held Cloud close as she left the station.
Now she had a lead.
But no certainty.
And her thoughts were a storm as she drove back toward the apartment.