The night wind carried a strange coldness, the kind that slipped quietly into the bones and stayed there. The courtyard lanterns flickered as if something unseen had passed by. Len stood alone beneath the old cherry tree, his hand gently resting against the trunk, replaying the last words he and Arin had exchanged.
It was the first time he felt a distance that had no clear shape, no clear reason — only a silent heaviness.
Earlier that evening, the two of them had trained together as always. But Arin's voice… her eyes… her entire presence felt strange. As if she wanted to say something but swallowed it each time. Len had noticed — of course he did. He always noticed everything about her.
But tonight, he didn't dare ask.
Something told him the answer might hurt.
He exhaled slowly and turned toward the training hall. Inside, he expected to find Arin organizing her scrolls or polishing her blade — she was always the last to leave. But the hall was empty. The silence there was deeper, heavier than outside. Even the candles had burned shorter than usual, their wax pooled unevenly as if disturbed by restless hands.
Len walked further inside, footsteps echoing.
Something on the floor caught his eye — a folded slip of parchment.
His heartbeat stumbled.
It was Arin's handwriting.
He didn't open it.
Not yet.
He wasn't ready to see what she had written.
Instead, he held it tightly, fingers trembling slightly. Why was he scared? Why did his chest feel tight? Nothing had happened… and yet everything suddenly felt wrong.
He whispered to himself,
"It's nothing… it has to be nothing."
But the night didn't agree. The wind blew harder, momentarily extinguishing one of the lanterns. Darkness pooled in the room like a quiet omen.
Len stepped out again, looking toward the east dormitory where Arin stayed. He wanted to go. He wanted to check on her. But something inside him held him back — a soft, painful instinct warning him that he might not like the answers anymore.
Still, he walked. Slowly. Carefully.
Each step heavier than the last.
When he reached the dorm hallway, he saw a shadow move inside Arin's room. A quiet movement, like someone pacing. He hesitated at the door, raising his hand to knock, but stopped mid-air.
Then he heard her voice.
Quiet. Shaken.
Talking to someone.
No — not someone.
Talking to herself.
"Why does it hurt…? Why can't I just forget?" she whispered.
Len froze.
Forget what? Forget who?
Him?
He stepped back, unintentionally brushing against a lantern stand. The metal clink echoed down the hallway. Inside the room, Arin fell silent.
A slow breath.
Then footsteps approaching the door.
Len didn't run.
He just stood there, unsure whether he wanted her to open the door or not.
The door slid open.
Arin looked at him — her eyes red, but not from anger. More like exhaustion mixed with confusion. She tried to smile, but it was weak, trembling at the edges.
"Len… why are you here?"
He didn't know what to answer.
The parchment in his hand suddenly felt like a burning coal.
"I… I found this," he said softly.
Her face changed.
Not panic.
Not surprise.
Just a quiet acceptance — like she already knew things were falling apart no matter how tightly she tried to hold them.
"You weren't supposed to see it yet," she whispered.
"Then when?" Len asked gently. "When everything was already over?"
Arin blinked, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
"Nothing is over," she said.
But even she didn't sound convinced.
The silence between them stretched.
Long.
Painful.
Like a thin string pulled tight, threatening to snap at any moment.
Len stepped closer.
"Arin… did I do something?"
She shook her head.
"Did something happen?"
Another shake.
"Then why does everything feel like—"
"Len, please…" Arin cut him off. Her voice cracked slightly. "Not tonight."
He opened his mouth, but she lifted her hand, stopping him.
"Please," she repeated. "Just… not tonight."
She stepped back and slowly slid the door closed.
But before it shut completely, Len heard something.
A tiny whisper.
Barely audible.
"I don't want to lose you…"
The door clicked shut.
Len stood there, breathing unevenly.
If she didn't want to lose him… why did she feel so distant?
Why did everything feel like it was slipping away?
And then —
A sudden rumble filled the ground beneath them.
The dormitory floor vibrated. Lanterns rattled.
A thin crack ran along the hallway wall, glowing faintly with a strange bluish light.
Len's instincts sharpened instantly.
Something unnatural was happening.
The wall crack widened. The light grew brighter. A low humming sound echoed like something was whispering from inside the stone.
Len stepped backward.
The air grew cold — colder than any natural breeze.
Then—
A symbol appeared through the crack.
The same symbol that had followed Len his whole life.
The same mark that appeared the night he transmigrated to Nerathion.
His eyes widened.
Why was it here?
Why now?
And why… in Arin's dormitory wall?
Before he could react, the crack sealed itself instantly, as if nothing had happened.
Only silence remained.
But Len felt something had shifted — something big. And whatever it was, it was connected to Arin… and to him… and maybe to the reason fate kept pulling them apart.
He looked at her closed door again.
His hand reached up to touch it gently.
"Arin… what are you hiding from me?"
Inside the room, Arin leaned against the door, tears slipping silently down her cheeks.
Her palm pressed against her heart.
"What am I supposed to do… when the truth will hurt him more than losing me?"
She closed her eyes, hiding her face in her hands.
In the hallway, Len turned away and walked slowly back toward the courtyard — unaware that someone was watching him from the corner where shadows pooled unnaturally.
A figure.
Tall.
Faceless.
Watching silently.
A whisper echoed through the night — low, unknown, and chilling:
"Separation is necessary… for what comes next."
The lanterns flickered violently.
And the night swallowed the courtyard in darkness.
Chapter Sixteen ends here — a storm is coming between Len and Arin.
Their hearts are shaking.
Their paths are splitting.
Mystery is rising.
Chapter Seventeen coming soon.
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Chapter 17 coming soon.