I OPENED MY EYES against the dim light of the underground basement, in the same dusty room we'd been in when we'd fallen asleep. Then, I heard his voice.

"Finally, you're back!"

A figure appeared in my hazy vision, and I blinked several times to distinguish the face of the boy I'd been wondering about. "L-Licht?"

Licht's solemn expression became one of relief.

"You remembered," he smiled at me sweetly as I sat up. I stared into his eyes without a word—I just couldn't shake the feeling that I'd met him somewhere before. "You guys disappeared all of a sudden."

I looked around to find Ray, Thoma, and Subaru scattered about on the floor. Soon, the room echoed with their groaning as they regained their bearings. Thoma spoke first.

"Well, Adderall sure didn't work."

"Are you alright?" Licht asked all of us. "I've been waiting for you."

He was waiting here all alone? But why? That could mean... "Didn't you wake up in the real world?"

"Real world?" His face didn't show it, but Licht was confused.

"Yeah," breathed Thoma. "We waited for you to come meet up with us this morning. You remembered what Ray said, didn't you? We were all supposed to meet at the fountain."

"Yes, I heard that. That's why I went to the plaza, but you weren't there."

Licht's words sent shivers through me. "Huh? Wait, what do you mean?"

"I hardly ever go out, so I don't actually know the names of the places around here..." he admitted. "But I went to the fountain down the street and found nothing."

"Maybe you showed up late?" thought Thoma, and he took a sideways glance at Ray. "See? I told you we should've waited for him."

Ray folded his arms. "Something's not right."

I was thinking the same thing before Licht gave me a pleading look. "Hey, Licht, what time did you come to the plaza? You probably came pretty late, right?"

"What time..?" Licht tilted his head, looking even more puzzled.

"Or maybe you went to the wrong plaza?"

"Hey, Licht," Ray called out to get his attention, and Licht shifted his gaze from me to him.

"What is it?"

"What does the real world look like to you?"

"I still don't understand what you're getting at. What do you mean by 'the real world'? Isn't this the real world?"

Why is he saying that like he isn't from our world... is that even possible? Licht looked down in thought for a moment, then lifted his head halfway like he didn't want to look at us or find us staring at him.

Thoma stepped up to him. "Hey, kid, do you mean that?"

"Why would you think I'm joking?"

"Didn't you fall asleep along with us?" I inquired. "Didn't you wake up in a different room? In a different place, under a blue morning sky?"

"You say some funny things, Ziya," Licht chuckled, but I didn't see what was so hilarious. I was starting to panic. "Now, isn't this a dream? Isn't the sky always dark?"

I croaked, "Licht, you—"

"I don't understand what you want me to say, but, the only world I know..." he paused, "is this place, where the moon shines crimson."

What? I swallowed the breath I was holding. It can't be... Licht has been here since the beginning?

"So... are you saying that this place is your home?" Subaru jumped in, his eyes wide and red-and-blue.

Licht nodded.

"Well, I'll be damned," breathed Thoma. He staggered back, letting himself drop to the bed behind him.

"If that's true, then does that mean he's from this world?" asked Subaru.

"Maybe he knows about the monster," suggested Ray, and all eyes immediately turned toward Licht.

"What monster?" Licht smiled excitedly, like a kid listening to a bedtime story.

The eerie reality contrasting Licht's innocent, childlike smile sent daggers into my heart. I was suddenly struck with a painfully nostalgic feeling as if I really had known him... a long time ago. The feeling overwhelmed me like a tidal wave, enough that I wanted to burst into tears.

"Does this have to do with this 'real world' you guys were talking about?"

"Oh, well—" I tried delicately, but Ray interrupted me.

"A monster attacked one of us. She ended up dead."

"Ray!"

A sorrowful expression overtook Licht's smile, his already pale face seemed to grow even paler. "Oh dear, that's quite tragic," he murmured. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Ray clenched his fists to the point where his knuckles turned white. I asked him to calm down, told him that Licht obviously had nothing to do with Monica's death. The room became dead silent as I mentioned her name. No one said anything, but even I knew I had no proof for what I had just claimed. I felt like Licht wasn't a danger to us. But how could I get the others to believe me?

Licht looked at my bewildered face and sighed quietly, "It kinda feels like I'm bothering you. Sorry, Ziya, I didn't mean to."

Licht lightly patted my head and headed out of the room. He wore a smile as he left, but I could see the dismay on his face. It cut me to my core and I battled with what to do next. I was letting him go, but should I have gone after him instead? We needed to stick together.

The silence in the room continued to linger. Everyone seemed unsure of their next move. Maybe I could convince them to go after Licht with me; we couldn't leave him all on his own like this.

"Hey, umm... you guys might not believe this, but I feel like I've met Licht somewhere before." I glanced at Subaru, then Thoma and Ray, still finding the courage to confess my beliefs. "It might have something to do with my lost memories. We still don't know the relation between our memories and this world, but I wonder if Licht could be a key part of it."

They quietly listened to my words.

"I don't have any proof, granted... but Licht doesn't seem like a bad guy to me either."

Ray said, "We just met him, so I can't judge whether he's good or bad. But Ziya does have a point. Right now, we should be trying to get whatever clues we can. That includes Licht."

Thoma gave me a swift nod, and I released a breath, relieved that they agreed with me. We moved out to the courtyard—thankfully, Licht hadn't gone too far. The blood moon reached its summit in the sky as we joined him around a marble table. I was glad Licht hadn't run away completely, but finding him didn't dissolve the ache I felt in my chest like a waiting stone, unable to go up or down.

"Licht, it's not that we totally trust you," led Ray, "however, you have some sort of connection to this world. You might be the key to getting us out of here. So, come along with us."

Ray smiled, and then so did I.

"Hear that, Licht? You're one of us now," I told him.

Licht beamed warmly, "I'm delighted. I'd like to help you in any way I can."

"You said you live here, right?" asked Thoma.

"Correct."

Subaru folded his arms as he joined in. "Is there anyone else living here besides you?"

"There are some people in the city, but they never talk to me."

"How long have you been here?" Ray probed gently.

"I..." Licht looked down at his hands. "I don't know."

In the hopes of soothing him, I put a hand on his back. "That's okay, don't force yourself to remember."

Ray sighed.

"Hey," Licht looked up at him, curious. "I'm terribly sorry about what happened to your friend."

"You don't have to apologise," I reminded everyone. "It's not your fault."

"But..."

"Well, Monica was just really unfortunate," croaked Thoma. "If that monster is running loose around here, that could mean danger for all of us."

"This monster you speak of, what does it look like?"

"It's—" Ray started, but was unable to continue.

"Ray?" I prompted, and he looked at me.

"Did you hear that?"

We all looked around, suddenly alert.

"Hear what?" I asked, and then the leaves on the nearby bushes started rustling in response.

In an instant, my skin was covered in goosebumps. Subaru approached the suspicious plants and I stepped forward to warn him that it could be dangerous, but he pressed on. He walked slowly while we waited in speechless suspense. A knot tightened in my stomach, my body made rigid by fear when Subaru parted the bushes.

"No, don't!" called Thoma. "It's a... It's a—"

"KIKIKIKIKI!"

"It's a squirrel! It's a squirrel!" Thoma bolted out of his chair.

Oh, thank goodness. I could have sunk into the floor, but then I noticed Licht gently holding me up. A strong familiar scent emanated from his clothes and once again I felt like crying. How could I not remember him?

"Ah, you scared it," Subaru frowned at Thoma once the squirrel had walked along the plant bed and skittered away.

"I scared it?" he gasped in disbelief. "Don't you know how scary those so-called harmless creatures are?! I almost got in trouble because of one of them!"

Subaru retorted, "Maybe you deserved it."

"Listen here you—"

I didn't know why there was so much friction between those two all of a sudden. They were breaking out into a full-on argument... over a squirrel. I laughed aloud to diffuse the tension, but Thoma continued to lecture Subaru on the terrifying nature of squirrels, so I stopped to take in the almost light-hearted moment. I was glad it was just a squirrel.

"So, there are animals around here," I noted. "What do you think, Ray?" I turned my head towards Ray, but he seemed distracted. "Ray?"

"It's back..." he breathed.

"What do you..?"

Already trembling, I followed Ray's line of sight. There, in place of the squirrel, stood a brown-skinned young girl. I immediately let out a small screech.

"Who is that?" asked Licht. "Is she one of your friends?"

"Oh hell no..." Thoma answered.

The little girl twirled for a second and then faced us with a bright smile, a gap between her two front teeth. I know that girl.

"We're going to the park! Hee hee!"

An inexplicable fear rushed over me, my entire body convulsed in bone-chilling horror. No...

"Ziya?" Thoma nudged me.

"Papa's taking me to the park!"

No! I pinched my eyes shut.

"What's wrong, Ziya?" asked Subaru.

"That girl..." I gasped as a picture flashed across my mind: a young girl holding her parents' hands and smiling a bright, toothy smile. No doubt about it—it was the same smile as the girl in front of us. "It's me."

"What?" I heard Ray gasp.

"To the park! To the park!"

The little girl ran away and I felt the urge to follow, but my fear froze me to the ground. What if I end up like Monica? Does this mean I'm going to die, too? I felt cold sweat breaking through my pores. Should I really go after her? If I go, there's no turning back. What's waiting up ahead might make me wish I was never born. That's what I told myself—it wasn't just death I was afraid of, there was something else.

It was knowing the truth that scared me.

I don't want to see it. I don't want to hear it...

When I was about to close my eyes again and hope for her to disappear, I found Ray at my side.

"Let's follow her quietly."

Then, Thoma was next to me, too. "Stay between us, Ziya. We won't let anything happen to you," he reassured me.

I shook my head to regain my senses and suppressed my fears as best I could.

I can do this; I'm not alone.