He wasn't waiting for her…
And he wasn't thinking about her.
In fact…
He was no longer thinking about anything beyond the boundaries of what he could see.
He was walking through the same corridor.
The same walls.
The same faint noise.
The same faces that had lost their meaning.
But this time…
He didn't stop because the words had disappeared.
Rather…
Because of a feeling.
Something dim.
Weak.
Almost forgotten.
He stopped.
Slowly.
Then…
He raised his gaze.
She was there.
Standing just as he had seen her the first time.
Near the window.
The light touching her features calmly.
But this time…
She wasn't looking away.
Instead…
At him.
She smiled.
A simple smile.
Calm.
But it was…
Not ordinary.
"Did you find it?"
Her voice came out soft.
Clear.
As if she didn't fear the answer.
He remained silent.
"What?"
He asked her.
She looked directly into his eyes.
"The light…"
She paused for a moment.
"…amidst your eternal darkness."
Silence.
He didn't feel provoked.
Nor angry.
In fact…
He felt nothing.
"There is no light."
He said it simply.
As a fact beyond debate.
"What exists…"
He continued.
"…are just different interpretations of the same ugliness."
She took a step forward.
"And does ugliness negate the existence of beauty?"
He looked at her.
"Beauty…"
He smiled a faint smile.
"…is just a pretty lie to beautify reality."
She shook her head calmly.
"Or perhaps…"
She said.
"…it is the only honest thing in a world full of lies."
Stillness.
He looked at her for a long time.
"You don't understand."
His voice wasn't sharp.
Nor angry.
Instead…
Empty.
"I don't see emotions…"
He raised his hand slightly.
"I see what is behind them."
He took a step closer.
"Love? Fear."
"Caring? Self-interest."
"Kindness? Weakness."
Then he fell silent.
"Everything… has an ugly reason."
She looked at him.
She didn't tremble.
She didn't retreat.
Instead, she said calmly:
"And every reason… has a beginning."
Silence.
"And sometimes…"
She continued.
"…the beginning is pure."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Purity does not last."
"But its existence is enough."
The words froze for a moment.
Then he said:
"No."
A cold voice.
Decisive.
"What does not last…"
He looked deeply at her.
"…is not worth believing in."
A heavy silence fell.
The air itself…
Seemed to be watching.
Then…
She stepped closer to him.
Until she was near.
Closer than she should be.
She looked into his eyes…
For a long time.
"Then why do you still remember my words?"
Stillness.
Something inside him…
Moved.
Uncomfortably.
"I don't remember."
He replied quickly.
But she…
Smiled.
"Then why did you stop just now?"
He didn't answer.
For the first time…
He didn't have a ready explanation.
"Why… did I stop?"
A simple question.
But…
He found no analysis for it.
And that…
Irritated him.
Slowly…
He took another step forward.
"You are just an exception."
He said it as a final judgment.
"And an exception…"
He continued.
"…does not change the rule."
She looked at him.
But this time…
There wasn't just calmness in her eyes.
Instead…
Pain.
"And you…"
She said in a faint voice.
"…have become the rule you are afraid of."
He froze.
For a moment.
Short.
But…
Painful.
"I am not afraid."
He said it coldly.
She shook her head.
"Rather, you stopped feeling fear…"
She looked at his chest.
"…because you stopped feeling anything at all."
Silence.
Her words…
Were not an attack.
Instead…
A diagnosis.
And that…
Was more dangerous.
"The void…"
She said quietly.
"…is not strength."
Then she raised her eyes to him.
"…it is a loss."
Something inside him…
Shook.
Not an emotion.
But…
A glitch.
The System suddenly moved.
> **[Warning]**
> **[Unknown influence on psychological state]**
> **[Temporary drop in conviction stability]**
>
He clenched his fist.
"Enough."
He said it in a low voice.
But sharp.
"All of this…"
He looked at her.
"…is just an illusion."
She smiled.
But this time…
Her smile wasn't light.
Instead…
Sad.
"Even if it is an illusion…"
She stopped.
"…it is more beautiful than a truth that kills you from the inside."
Stillness.
Then…
She took a step back.
"I'm not here to change you…"
She looked at him one last time.
"…I just don't want to see you disappear any more than this."
Silence.
Then…
She left.
Just as she had come.
Without a sound.
Without a clear trace.
But he…
Remained.
Standing.
For the first time in a long while…
He didn't move immediately.
"Disappear…"
He repeated the word internally.
Slowly…
He raised his hand to his chest.
Nothing.
No pain.
No pulse to speak of.
Only…
A void.
But…
In a very deep place…
Distant…
Weak…
Something small…
Trembled.
For a moment.
Then…
It vanished.
He closed his eyes.
"Illusion…"
He repeated it.
As if he were trying to solidify it.
He opened his eyes.
The cold returned.
The void returned.
But…
Not as it was.
Because this time…
There was…
A crack.
Very small.
Invisible.
But…
Present.