Twelve years have passed since Arion Varent's first encounter with the mysterious creature. Now seventeen years old, Arion has transformed into a successful and popular young man. Every morning, he smiles at his reflection in the mirror, thinking about how far he has come. Everyone knows him as a brilliant, intelligent, and talented student. Every time there is a competition, Arion always comes home with a trophy or award. He is the pride of the city's most prestigious school, an elite educational institution where talented children gather.
Among his friends, there is a special girl named Livia. Beautiful, intelligent, and popular, Livia is the school's idol, and Arion is very close to her. Every day, they talk in the classroom or at the cafe near the school, sharing stories and dreams. To Livia, Arion is the perfect figure, someone she admires not only for his intelligence, but also for his calm and charismatic attitude. However, behind Arion's friendly smile and brilliant achievements, there is a secret that he hides from everyone—including Livia.
One day, as they sat in a cafe, Livia rested her head on her hand, looking at Arion curiously. "You know, Arion, I've always been curious about your childhood. You rarely talk about it. Is there anything interesting?"
Arion smiled, trying to avoid the question. "Oh, nothing interesting, Liv. Just the usual stuff. You know, every kid has a childhood full of funny memories."
"Really?" Livia frowned. "But, I feel like you're hiding something. Are you really okay?"
Arion's smile faded. Deep down, he was struggling to keep the secret. "I'm fine. Just a little stress from school," he answered, though his heart felt heavy.
"Then, don't be too hard on yourself, okay? We can go on a vacation to the beach this weekend. I want to see your bright smile again," Livia offered sincerely.
"A vacation? That sounds fun. But, what about exams?" Arion tried to distract himself, though his heart wanted so badly to go with her.
"We need some time to relax, Arion. Sometimes, getting away for a while can clear our minds," Livia assured.
"Yes, I agree. But if I leave, I'm afraid I'll lose focus on studying," Arion complained, trying to organize his messy thoughts.
"You can study at the beach too! We can bring books and study while enjoying the scenery. I'm sure it'll make you feel better," Livia smiled brightly.
Hearing those words, Arion felt a little hope. He wanted to feel that happiness, but his fear of the past always haunted his every step. "Maybe, I'll consider it," he said with a thin smile.
No one knew about Arion's horrific past, about how when he was five years old, he witnessed a large figure with six wings covering the sky and felt his body burning alive. Every time his friends or teachers asked about his childhood, Arion cleverly lied, saying that he had forgotten all about it. However, the truth was not like that.
The past two weeks, those dreams had come back to haunt Arion. Every night, he woke up in a cold sweat, thinking about the mysterious figure that appeared in his sleep. In the dream, a mysterious figure Arion had once met spoke to him, warning him of an impending doom. A catastrophe caused by a powerful and evil entity that was so terrifying, the entity was a symbol of destruction itself. In each dream, the terrifying entity appeared as a black shadow with burning red eyes, burning every inch of the earth with indescribable hatred and evil. A great disaster would befall humanity—earthquakes, violent storms, devastating floods, and fires that would consume great cities. Every time Arion woke up, he felt horrified, but he tried hard to convince himself that it was just a bad dream.
One night, after waking up from his nightmare, Arion looked up at the night sky from his bedroom window. He was relieved to see the twinkling stars, but guilt filled his heart. "What would you do if all this was real, Liv?" he whispered softly to the shadows of the night, hoping to share this burden.
However, as the days went by, the natural disasters that often occurred in various parts of the world began to feel strange. At first, Arion dismissed the earthquakes and storms as normal natural phenomena, but over time their intensity increased in an unreasonable way. Earthquakes struck without warning, tropical storms appeared where they should not have been, and volcanoes that were supposed to be dormant suddenly erupted. Governments around the world began to be vigilant, building various sophisticated devices to protect large cities from natural destruction. However, for Arion, each incident only reminded him of what he had seen in his dream—this was no ordinary natural disaster. This was the beginning of something worse.
Even so, Arion chose to keep all of this to himself. He did not want to worry the people around him, especially Livia. In his heart, there was a deep fear—fear that what he saw in the dream was real. However, he continued to pretend that everything was fine, even though at night, his sleep was always restless.
One afternoon, when he and Livia were sitting under a large tree in the schoolyard, Livia saw the fatigue in Arion's eyes.
"Arion, you look very tired lately. Is there something bothering you?" Livia asked, her voice soft, full of concern.
Arion smiled thinly, trying to cover up his anxiety. "I just study too much, Liv. There's nothing to worry about."
However, in his heart, Arion knew that her answer was just another lie. Something was happening—something big. And somehow, he was connected to it all. Arion could feel that the warning from the creature in his dream was no mere figment of his imagination. A much larger and more terrifying entity was approaching, and the world was not prepared for the coming destruction.
"Arion, if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here for you," Livia encouraged, her hand gently touching his arm. "You can trust me."
Arion felt the warmth of Livia's touch, but his anxiety continued to loom over him. "I know, Liv. But I don't want to burden you with all of this."
"You're not a burden, Arion. In fact, I feel better if you share. We're friends, right?" Livia looked at him seriously, and Arion had to bow his head, trying to hold back his emotions.
"Friends…" Arion repeated slowly, taking in the word. "But I'm afraid that if I tell you everything, I'll change the way you see me."
"Arion, whatever you're going through, I'm sure we can get through it together. We've been through a lot, haven't we?" Livia smiled, but there was doubt behind her smile.
"Yes, I know. But this is different. It's not just about us," Arion explained, his voice starting to shake. "There's something bigger going on, and I feel caught up in it."
"Is that so? Maybe, if you could tell me a little bit about what's bothering you, I could help you find a solution," Livia suggested, her eyes full of hope.
"Maybe someday, Liv. I just need some time to think things through," Arion replied, his heart heavy.
That night, when Arion returned home, he felt empty. Even though he wanted to tell Livia, his fear kept getting in the way. He walked to his room, trying to ignore the emptiness that enveloped him. In his mind, evil entities and impending disasters continued to haunt him.
After lying down on his bed, Arion looked out the window at the night sky. The stars shone brightly, but the darkness in his heart felt thicker. He closed his eyes, hoping to forget everything that was bothering him. However, the peace he sought never came.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears as his mind drifted back to the conversation with Livia. "You're not a burden, Arion," her voice rang in his mind.
"In fact, I feel better if you share." The warmth of Livia's hand on his arm seemed to remind him of the feeling of security he often missed. But he knew that if he let Livia into the dark world he lived in, everything could fall apart.
With his thoughts spinning, Arion tried hard to calm himself down. "I can't do this," he whispered to himself. "I have to take care of this myself."
Meanwhile, at Livia's house, he sat on his bed, staring at the night sky from the window. He felt restless thinking about Arion. Disappointment crept into his heart, because he couldn't fully understand what had happened to his best friend. He hoped Arion would open up, but he didn't want to force him.
Back in his room, Arion rolled over on his side, hoping to fall asleep quickly. However, when his eyes closed, the nightmare came back to haunt him. A black shadowy figure with glowing red eyes appeared before him, and Arion felt a deep sense of dread. In his dreams, the voice of the mysterious figure warning Arion grew clearer, warning him of the danger that lurked.
When Arion woke up, gasping for breath, he felt cold sweat. He couldn't take his mind off the entity that had appeared in the form of a shadow with glowing red eyes and what might happen.
Filled with dread, he decided to stay awake and try to face this darkness alone. "I have to protect Livia," he muttered, determined not to burden her with his worries.
The next day, when they met at school, Arion tried to pretend that he was fine. He smiled at Livia, trying to hide the burden on his shoulders. But deep down, he knew that in order to protect the people he loved, he had to stay strong, no matter how hard it was.
"Hey, Arion! You look better today," Livia said cheerfully when they met at the cafe.
"Yeah, I feel better," Arion replied with a smile, even though his heart was heavy. He didn't want to disappoint Livia with the disappointment or anxiety he felt.
"How about you? Are you ready for the exam next week?"
"Ah, exams are always scary. But we can study together later, right?" Livia replied, her face brightening.
"Yeah, sure. We can do it," Arion replied, trying to distract himself from his restless thoughts.
Inside himself, Arion hoped that Livia's presence would help him fight the fear and darkness that haunted him. However, as time went on, he became more aware that his secret could not be kept forever. He had to find a way to face the truth, both for himself and for Livia.
As they walked away from the cafe, Arion felt the burden on his heart and mind grow heavier. Every step towards a new day brought both hope and fear. He knew that when the time came, all these secrets would be revealed. And when that time came, he hoped he would be strong enough to face all the consequences that might arise.