What do you wish for the most when you are in the dark? A sliver of light or prolonged darkness?
If only my existence was not darker than a shadow and his existence was not brighter than a beam of light, maybe I wouldn't be silent in this dark and silent tunnel.
From behind the clumping clouds, a bluish-green light streamed through the hallway window. A man's figure stood far ahead, facing me.
He gave me that cold stare again. My chest felt tight at the sight. Those warm feelings, I remembered them. However, I realized that those remembrances would never came back.
As soon as he walked to the intersection that radiated even thicker darkness, I fell to my knees with pain stabbing my heart.
There was no use screaming for help. I was the only person there. And he, the only person who I hoped would walk in this darkness with me, has gone, choosing to step alone into that darkness.
Please don't go… come back… why won't we go through this darkness together?
Haunting voices in my mind pulled me closer to the floor, darkening my vision. I curled up and shivered like a baby without a blanket in winter.
What must I do to get him out of there?
That question was still ringing in my ears until I opened my eyes, found Harris's absence in front of me. Apparently, he left while I fell asleep in the chair with my arms propped up.
The empty white bed in front of me made me look up slowly, turning my head.
"Looking for me?"
I glanced back quickly. However, the glare of the sun's rays pierced my eyes, making my eyes narrow reflexively and my palm covers them.
I peek through the gaps of my fingers. A broad man's back shielded me from the glare of the sunlight that poured in through the window blinds. As I recognized the posture, I lowered my hand from my face. I stared in disbelief at him, who tilted his left side so he could see me.
"Harris, you're… awake?" I asked in disbelief.
He snorted and smiled a little, though the look in his eyes was somewhat dim. When the sunlight faded, the reason for his faint smile became clear, as revealed by the scars and bandages on his back.
"Ah, show off."
"Huh?! W-what do you mean?"
"You were acting like a shy kid the last time I saw you without a shirt."
A spontaneous laughter escaped his lips, making me smile a little. Well, it was quite surprising for me to see him like that, though.
Harris suddenly approached me, holding my chin, causing me to suddenly hear a beating heart. The longer I looked into his eyes, the more I was sure that his childlike and carefree traits had disappeared.
That incident had obliterated some parts in him…
"Aren't you afraid I might do something to you, Brissie?"
…And leaving a visible gap of his weakness for me.
"What do you want to do?"
It supposed to be 'what's with that ludicrous intonation?' when I thought of something that could stop him.
"Do you dare to kiss me after playing tricks on me?" I asked fearlessly, referring to when he and Debora teamed up in deceiving me that he lost his pulse.
Harris blinked, immediately backing away from me, making me blink in surprise. It worked! I laughed out loud seeing his stutter.
"B-Brissie…!" he exclaimed with a frustrated and embarrassed look.
I wiped my tears without suppressing the laughter. Gosh, I knew I shouldn't have laughed. There's nothing worse than laughing at someone's nervousness.
"Ahem!"
A voice behind me made me suddenly stop laughing and turn my head quickly. A doctor in the doorway, who looked older than us, stared at us for a moment with a deadpan look. Then he walked up to Harris and sat him down for an examination.
During that, I decided to get out before Harris got any weirder out of my presence. However, as I walked down the hallway, the feeling from my dream plagued my mind.
Even though the headquarters hallway appeared bright and the agents passing by seemed upbeat, I had the feeling that the darkness from my dream was still following me. It was until I saw Debora run up to me, making me stop and wait for her to speak.
"Hah… Brissia! Has Harris... woken up?" she asked breathlessly.
I nodded, which widened her eyes instantly. I held her shoulder as she was about to rush past me.
"What is it? The doctor is examining him."
Debora looked around her for a moment before approaching me and whispering, "You remember the hall incident that night? They found the culprit! Apparently, he's a SURVIVE agent, just like us!"
I flinched. Debora motioned for me to follow her in the direction I walked from the infirmary, but I refused.
"W-what's his name?" I asked in a low voice.
"You don't know yet? All the agents are talking about him since his execution was carried out today," said Debora, tilting her head for a moment.
"Everyone knows? Through an announcement… or—"
"Geez, of course, Brissia! They put up the announcement papers in the lobby wall, practice area, and near the dormitory. Shouldn't you have seen it the moment you left the dorm?"
I shook my head, causing Debora to sigh and look at me in despair. Then she turned to the practice area under the window as she said quietly, "What a shame. Before all of this, Tyler was the smartest among us."
Something hit me so hard in the chest that I felt as if my heart was about to explode. The fact that I knew there were two Tylers during my time at Archtier made me unable to trust my own instincts so I ran in the other direction, ignoring Debora's calls.
As soon as I reached the ground floor, I noticed a crowd of agents hustling at the edge of the south open practice area. An agent in a white t-shirt stood before them with a composed attitude. I froze as he gave me a small smile.
"What the hell is he doing, smiling after attempting to murder his own friend?"
No… That wasn't the Tyler who attacked me and Harris that night.
"How despicable. Drey, condemn him right away!"
I saw Drey standing behind Tyler with the senior agents who as far as I knew held executive positions at headquarters. They aimed their respective glowing neon blue crow emblems at Tyler's back. Until the five emblems beamed light down Tyler's back, he was still looking at me with the same serene gaze when I met him in the editorial office.
A bright neon blue light enveloped him then scattered swiftly in all directions. I had to turn my face away from the strong wind gusts that were surrounding it. Along with the small sharp particles slicing my cheek, I heard a voice.
"Please give my regards to Benjamin, Brissia."
My eyes opened wide. However, when the strong wind stopped and the super dazzling light disappeared, Tyler had turned into particles of glossy paper flying in the air.
Shouts of victory echoed around me. Satisfied expressions appeared on the faces of every agent. Meanwhile I? I could only mourn the particles of the glossy paper falling to the ground with shaking fists and heat that coursed through my body.
When I realized Drey and Davina's deadpan stares fell on me, I felt shivers. My instincts told me to run, but my limp legs could only slowly back away until I was behind the crowd.
The cheers faded as I turned my steps away. My grief and anger increased as the seconds passed.
Grab!
Harris intercepted me, looking at me as if to ask me what was going on.
"Tyler is… gone," I said wearily. The fact that he was the present Tyler trapped in this world made me feel even more helpless.
Harris looked shocked. He glared at the group of agents and senior executives there with clenched fists and a vile look in his eye.
"He… saved me," he spoke softly with a look that turned concerned.
"I know. They had it all wrong."
Silence engulfed us. Perhaps, it was the best for us. We should have a moment of silence for a hero and friend of ours from the present.
While everyone seemed to be rejoicing over the execution of the person they thought was a threat, when the threat was actually ignorance of the dangers that remained, I received a letter from the editorial office.
The letter Tyler wrote before his execution day.