"I can’t wait to see Javien today" she said quietly while walking down the stairs. Javien’s voice saying [don’t be late ] made a small smile appear on her lips.

But before she could set foot on the last step, Olivia’s pace stopped. For some reason, her chest suddenly felt very heavy out of nowhere.

A feeling of unease that didn’t sit right started gripping her heart, as if something precious was being forcefully pulled away from her.

"Hey, Olivia! What are you daydreaming about now? Hurry up! We gonna be late!! " Celine who was beside her called out, breaking Olivia out of her thoughts. Olivia stopped for a moment.

Beside her, Celine. A friend who accompanied her to meet Madam Irene. There was something urgent they wanted to ask to her . As usual, they wouldn’t go without chatting the whole way there. Then,

"Celine, don’t you think Delia feels like something’s off?"

Olivia said after they finished talking about other things. Celine tapped her chin slowly.

Then shook her head.

"No, why?" Celine asked while tilting her head slowly. Olivia smiled while shrugging her shoulders.

"Just asking..." she answered. Then far outside the corridor a group of soldiers could be seen marching neatly.

Even though they were only wearing plain clothes like training clothes, it was enough to tell Olivia that these weren’t ordinary people. Olivia stopped completely. Celine’s steps beside her also slowed.

"...Celine," Olivia’s voice dropped a little.

"Why do I feel like... this doesn’t seem normal?" Both of them stopped for a moment. Busy looking at what was happening.

"What’s that, Celine" asked Olivia while nudging Celine’s shoulder who was equally frozen watching.

"I’m not sure, but if I had to guess... they’re taking out something dangerous, or someone dangerous, from this estate," she whispered. Olivia nodded in understanding and then asked again.

"What dangerous thing is it" Olivia was burning with curiosity. Celine went quiet. Then looked at Olivia seriously.

"Better we walk now,... we will be late to meet Madam Irene.." Celine replied while smiling bitterly. Tired of dealing with Olivia’s behavior.

She knew, if she told her now she would keep asking for explanations nonstop. Celine tried to pull Olivia’s hand, her voice sounding slightly urgent as if she wanted to pull Olivia away from that sight.

"Argh, wait a second! Not fair! It’s rare to see something like this," Olivia complained. She tried to stay there, but Celine’s strength was surprisingly more than expected.

Olivia pouted. She didn’t move from that spot at all, but...

Hey, is she serious!!

Celine whispered. The corners of her lips kept lifting. As if wanting to get angry then, without any hesitation she pulled Olivia’s hand to force her to walk.

Before she was pulled away completely, Olivia’s eyes caught a figure in the middle of that group of soldiers. A small child wearing a black hoodie that looked very new. His face was completely hidden in the darkness of that fabric.

That child’s steps were stiff, as if every step of their feet was being forced. Suddenly, the hooded child turned slightly. Even though their eyes couldn’t be seen, Olivia could feel a very sharp gaze piercing toward her. Cold, empty, yet full of something unspoken.

One of the thread lines that had become a part of her life trembled slowly. Olivia was confused watching that thread’s reaction. The other threads glimmered as usual.

But this time, one of this thread trembled faintly. Olivia was stunned. That thread line made her remember the events of last night with Javien. But she wasn’t certain. She tried to make out the face behind that hood but failed.

Slowly, Olivia’s heart beat faster.

That black hood... why do I feel like I’ve seen it before?

But she was forced to turn away following Celine who was pulling her hard. Until they finally arrived right in front of Madam Irene’s room.

Olivia stopped in front of that door. For some reason... she felt like she was already late for something.

"This... is her room?" her voice was quiet.

Olivia drew in a slow breath before knocking on the door.

TOK TOK.

"Come in."

Madam Irene’s voice was heard from behind that door. Then the door opened, Madam Irene was sitting as usual at her work desk, surrounded by files and documents. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"A little late," her voice was calm without emotion.

"Sorry, Madam," Celine answered quickly.

Olivia just stayed quiet. Her eyes still slightly empty.

Madam Irene closed one file.

"Your purpose for coming?"

Olivia asked directly and quickly.

"Regarding My Lady Ophlia’s personal belongings... has the storage location changed?"

Madam Irene paused for a moment.

"...there are several items that are no longer kept in their original place."

Olivia lifted her head slightly. Then slowly opened her mouth.

"If not in the original place, where else were they moved to?.." asked Olivia.

"Moved to the lower storage room," Madam Irene continued briefly. A small silence came over that room. Celine nodded slowly.

"Alright, Madam.." Celine uttered. But Olivia didn’t move at all.

"...lower storage room?.." she repeated quietly. Her feeling of doubt started to come. Madam Irene nodded slowly while closing the file she had been looking at just a moment ago.

"The old storage section that hasn’t been used by the Aethelgard estate for a long time..." in a tone that was too normal. Too quick. Because of that, Olivia didn’t ask anymore, but her eyes changed slightly.

"If there’s nothing else, you may go" Madam Irene said clearly while one of her hands reached for the pile of files beside her. Then quickly, Celine pulled Olivia out of that room.

As soon as the door closed, Celine whispered toward Olivia.

"That lower area.... a bit creepy right?" Celine said while her crossed arms rubbed both her own arms. As if she was in a cold place. But Olivia didn’t answer Celine’s question.

Her mouth spoke again.

"....lower storage room..." she whispered quietly. Celine who was busy talking beside her seemed to grow further and further away. That voice became muffled. And for a moment... a dark image of the old basement crossed her mind.

"Arh... it can’t be" Olivia said in her mind then walked away together with Celine.

She tried to go through the day as usual, but that uneasy feeling never went away. But without her realising it, night started to fall.

Olivia quickly slipped out of her room then walked toward the path she always used, as soon as she was right in front of that basement door. Many old pieces of furniture could be seen arranged around it.

As if waiting to be put inside. Olivia was stunned. Her hands gripped the edge of her skirt. Her heartbeat was racing. Without hesitation, she pulled that basement door and slowly stepped on those worn stairs.

That day, the atmosphere of that room was no longer like the room she always knew. The surroundings were full of old and broken furniture. Her steps quickened. Her hand was already holding the door handle of that room.

Her mind had already filled with all kinds of thoughts. Slowly, that basement door was opened. After that door was opened wide, her whole body went weak.

Tup.

Her body sat down stiffly, looking around. Her eyes darted searching for the figure she had been waiting for the whole day.

No no no.

She said quietly. Her chest became heavy as if something heavy had been placed on it.

Ja...vien.....

Every word felt painful to push out from her throat. Tears began to wet her cheeks. She reached out feeling around her surroundings but her feelings were empty.

Too disappointed, her body refused to stand up. She stared at every corner of that room. She could no longer hear the sound of the soft breathing she always heard.

The warmth of that night felt like it was slowly disappearing. For the first time she felt that room was colder than the day before.

The room that was supposed to be one of the purposes of her life had been turned into a furniture storage room.

Her eyes searched in panic maybe there was something she had missed, maybe there was another way, maybe she could still catch up but there was nothing. No sound. No shadow. No clue.

Only her.

And a room that was too quiet.

Slowly, something inside her began to crack.

"Why...?"

she whispered, her voice almost completely gone.

"Why didn’t I notice sooner...?

Her mind started spinning, going back over every moment, the hooded child, the soldiers, the uneasy feeling in her chest... everything seemed to have been trying to tell her something. But she ignored it..... she knew because of that, she was already too late. Her hands gripped tight, her nails digging into her own palm without her realising.

"...you must have known right..." her voice trembled as if rejecting that any of it was real.

"You knew... something was going to happen..." her tears fell again, this time more slowly... but somehow it felt heavier than before. Then she remembered the words Javien had said that night.

"Don’t be long..." Olivia laughed a little.

"....was that why he said that..." she said again.

"...but you didn’t want to tell me fully..."

Her chest felt more and more painful. She stared toward her wrist.

"Why at a time like this.... you don’t help me!!!" said Olivia while looking at the thread tied softly on her hand.

But this time, it wasn’t only because of loss.

But because another feeling was starting to appear.

Slow. Heavy. Piercing.

"Why didn’t he wait for me?....Why did he leave without me?..." her chest ached. A sharp feeling spread slowly in her chest. Not anger but not entirely sadness either. But something more painful... the feeling of being left behind and a little betrayed.

Olivia lowered her head, her shoulders trembling faintly. But she was no longer sobbing. Her tears fell in silence. Slowly. As if she was already too exhausted to fight that feeling.

"No, maybe if I had been faster."

Until at one point, Olivia finally stopped crying. Not because she had calmed down....

but because there was nothing left to let out.

Slowly, she lifted her head. Her eyes were still wet, but empty... as if something inside her had been switched off. Without saying anything, she forced her body to stand. Her feet were still weak, but she kept walking.

One step.

Two steps.

Every movement felt heavy, as if that body no longer belonged to her. The sound of the door closing behind her sounded far away, as if it was no longer hers to care about.

She stood for a moment in the corridor of the Aethelgard estate, but her feet didn’t really know where to go. Every step taken felt like it was only following habit, not will. She walked. Without direction or purpose.

Inside her head, there were no more plans, no more strategies, no more "what do I need to do next". All of that had collapsed along with the empty space in that basement just now.

Javien... that name flashed for a moment, but this time it no longer brought strength or panic. Only a flat feeling like something that was already too late to chase.

"...what do I need to do now..." she whispered quietly, but that question had no answer.

Her steps kept moving along that long corridor, but she herself wasn’t sure whether she was going home, or simply walking without a destination.

The world around her was still the same, the lamp light, the sounds of life, but none of it reached her anymore. As if there was an invisible distance separating her from everything.

Olivia no longer tried to find a way to fix what had happened.

Because she no longer knew what could still be fixed. She had tried but it was already too late.

And now... what was left was only steps that moved on their own, carrying her body without direction, without purpose, without a clear future in her mind.

Without realising it her feet had already brought her to the front of her own room. Her hand reached for that door knob then went inside... she climbed onto her bed and slowly closed her eyes.

That room was quiet.

No tears. No sound. Nothing left to hold on to.

"...I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore..."

she whispered quietly, almost swallowed by the night air.

And for the first time , since everything began,

she didn’t get up to look for answers.

That silence swallowed her whole.

And Time continued, even when she didn’t.