Part 8: conversation over the roof -part 1-

First half..

"Agh—what happened to me? I was talking to Naitkor and then...!"

Koja's eyes flew open.

He jolted upright in bed, his head foggy, like he'd just crawled out of a long, dark dream. That strange comfort in his body—no pain, no stress—told him something had changed. He felt... better. And that alone raised questions.

He scanned the room, slowly piecing things together.

"Naitkor? Where is she?"

…

…?

"What? What is this? Who... who did this to me? Was it... her?!"

His eyes dropped to his leg, wrapped carefully in thick medical bandages. Someone had tended to his wounds—thoroughly.

And then he noticed her.

A familiar figure, slumped over the side of his bed, fast asleep.

Maya.

Koja froze. All he could do was stare at her and try to process it.

"This girl... what is she doing? Is she an idiot or something? I'm her enemy. Why would she help me? Are all criminal hunters like this? Or maybe... is this some kind of trap?"

He shook his head slightly.

"No... I didn't feel any killing intent from her. Not even the first time we met. What am I saying? She could've killed me while I was unconscious—without a fight. But she didn't. She... helped me. Why?"

His thoughts were spiraling.

He prided himself on reading people, predicting motives—but this? This made no sense. All his analysis had led him nowhere.

"If she's my enemy, why is she helping me?"

Koja was so lost in thought, he didn't notice Maya shifting beside him.

Suddenly, she sprang up with a stretch.

"Hey! You awake, fish-obsessed weirdo? Feeling better yet?"

Koja blinked, startled to find her eyes on him.

"A-Ah... Yeah. AND STOP CALLING ME THAT! What's wrong with you?! Why did you help me? Heal me? I don't know what you're planning, but I swear if this is some kind of—"

She cut him off with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. Just say thank you or keep quiet forever."

Koja slumped back onto his pillow with a sigh.

"Tch... whatever. How long was I out?"

She tilted her head dramatically. "Hmm... maybe two weeks? Or two and a half. Give or take."

"TWO AND A HALF WEEKS?! Are you serious?! Why didn't you wake me up? My vacation's almost over! I didn't even get to enjoy it!"

Maya shrugged lazily. "Not like I had a choice. You were half-dead. And by the way, your whole 'cold, serious agent' thing? Not convincing. You're kind of a mess."

"What did you just say?! This is all your fault! You're the one invading my house, stressing me out, making me—ow—MY LEG!"

As the pain flared again, Maya spun on her heel and headed for the door, still grinning.

"Well, I'm off to make soup. You just lie there and try not to break anything. Be back soon!"

Step... step... click.

The door shut gently behind her.

Koja turned his face to the side, muttering under his breath:

"I told you... I don't want pity."

****

That same evening, while Koja lay deep in sleep, the rain began to fall again.

The skies grew darker.

The house grew still.

Outside, the night whispered secrets only the silence could hear.

And in that silence, the dreams returned.

When you're lost... darkness begins to surround you. And sometimes, what lies beyond that darkness is far more terrifying than the shadows themselves. The kind of fear you can't name. The kind that claws at your soul.

Koja was trapped in one of those dreams.

A memory.

A nightmare.

A boy, no older than five or six, with long hair and sharp, angry eyes, sat up in a medical bed.

Yes—it was Koja.

He was seeing himself as a child.

Alone in a cold, sterile room that felt like part of some military facility. The bed beneath him had metal bars. The walls were lined with blinking equipment.

And then... there was someone else.

A teenage figure, maybe eighteen, leaned silently against the wall.

Watching him.

Cold eyes.

Expressionless.

Koja couldn't remember his face, no matter how many times he had this dream. But he always remembered what he said:

"You finally woke up... monster."

Koja gasped awake.

Sweat dripped down his forehead.

He was shaking. The look on his face was one of raw, unfamiliar fear.

Not anger.

Not frustration.

But fear.

The kind of fear that stripped even the strongest of their strength.

He buried his face in his hand.

He stayed that way for a few long seconds, slowly catching his breath.

Until he noticed something beside him.

A bowl of soup. Still warm.

But that wasn't what really caught his eye.

It was Maya.

She had collapsed on the floor beside the bed, likely from exhaustion. She looked peaceful in her sleep, despite the chaotic whirlwind of events they'd endured.

Koja stared for a moment.

Then he picked up the soup and sipped it silently, finishing it without a word.

Afterward, he rose from the bed, limping slightly as he walked past her.

Step... step...

He stopped.

His hand clenched into a fist.

"Damn it."

No matter how much he tried to act like he didn't care, the truth was undeniable.

She had saved him.

She had tended to his wounds. Stayed by his side. Kept him alive.

A bullet from Moon Blood should have killed him. And yet...

She was still here.

Koja turned around, gently scooped Maya up, and laid her down on the bed.

"It's not like I pity you or anything... idiot."

Then he quietly made his way to the bathroom.

He turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face, again and again, trying to wash away the memories.

But they kept coming back.

You finally woke up... monster.

The tap kept running.

He stared at his reflection.

The face in the mirror looked empty.

Drained.

And for the first time in a long while...

Concern was written all over it.

And Koja had no idea why.

Suddenly…

……!!!

"A presence…? That feeling—could it be?"

Koja's eyes snapped toward the distance. A strange energy brushed past his instincts, sharp and familiar. His expression shifted completely, like someone who had been waiting for this exact moment.

"Yes… it has to be!"

He rushed up to the roof, urgency in every step. Despite the storm above, there was a flicker of anticipation written across his face.

SCREECH… SCREECH…

A large eagle descended through the rain—an elite messenger used by special forces and high-ranking agents. Its body was unusually large, its feathers dark and slick with water. Most striking of all were its glowing red eyes, pulsing with a silent threat.

This wasn't just a carrier bird. It was a trained weapon—programmed to radiate killing intent the moment it found its target.

Koja stood still as the rain poured over him, watching the eagle glide toward him with perfect precision.

It landed hard.

And without a word, it offered up a sealed envelope.

Koja snatched it, and the bird immediately launched back into the stormy sky, its mission complete.

"Finally," he whispered.

He tore the envelope open, eyes narrowing as he began to read....

****

At that exact moment—just as Koja read the contents of the letter—

Maya stirred awake.

Her eyes fluttered open, her voice groggy and barely audible."A-Ah… did I fall asleep again? Huh? Why am I lying in his bed…? That idiot... His wounds probably haven't even healed yet. He's going to undo everything I've done for him…"

She sat up with a stretch and slipped out of bed, moving with a kind of clumsy grace.

Then, raising her voice, she called out:"Hey! Agent! Where'd you go? Don't tell me you're hiding again!"

She checked the bathroom.

Then the other rooms.

Nothing.

Her voice escalated into a dramatic shout."Ugh! Where did you disappear to all of a sudden?! YOU'RE STILL SICK! GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

She paused, furrowing her brow.

"…Could he be on the roof?"

Worried, Maya climbed the stairs to the upper level. She could already hear the heavy rain pounding against the rooftop.

"Of course it's raining. Great. If that idiot really is up there, he's going to make himself even sicker…"

Before stepping outside, she grabbed an umbrella from the shelf near the stairwell. Then she made her way up.

Climb… climb...

And then—

"There you are!" she called out. "I thought you ran away for good—wait, huh?"

Koja didn't respond.

He hadn't even noticed her voice.

It wasn't just the rain.Even if the world were silent, he wouldn't have heard her.

He was completely consumed by thought—sitting motionless in the storm, face dark, eyes unfocused, his entire body slumped under invisible weight.

Maya took a few slow steps toward him, walking in her usual odd, animated way.

But even she could tell something was different now.

Koja looked... hollow.

His skin pale.

His muscles weak.

His expression—full of quiet desperation.

This was the place he went to when he needed to feel alone. When the world became too much. When silence was easier than words.

(If a person disappears when their name is forgotten…Then what happens to someone who was never given a name at all?)

Suddenly...

Koja felt something change.The rain had stopped falling on his head.

He looked up slowly… and saw Maya standing over him, holding an umbrella to shield him from the downpour. Her usual childish smile lit up her face.

"Hi~!"

Koja said nothing. He just lowered his head again, eyes still fixed on the empty fields stretching out before them.

Maya sat down beside him, still smiling. She was close—probably just enough to keep him under the umbrella—but Koja didn't seem to care. Or rather, he was too lost in his thoughts to even notice.

After a long silence, she spoke.

"It's so quiet up here. I don't know how you live away from everyone… I can't go a whole day without talking to someone."

Still, Koja didn't respond.

So Maya leaned in, trying harder.

"Anyway! How do you feel? Are you okay? You look pale! Still sick? Hello~? Talk to me! Say some—"

"Shut up," Koja interrupted sharply. "Your voice is annoying. Seriously, just shut up."

Maya blinked, then puffed her cheeks out dramatically.

"What?! My voice is annoying? That's rich coming from someone who sounds like a grumpy old man with a sore throat!"

Koja shot back without missing a beat.

"Oh please. I'd rather sound like that than some hyper little gremlin whose voice could shatter glass."

…

Maya sighed with mock exhaustion.

"You know, I think all agents from your organization are rude. Just cold and hard to talk to. But you—you're next-level rude. Honestly, I don't even know how I've put up with you this long."

"No one asked you to stay," Koja mumbled, but stopped mid-sentence.

Because Maya was looking at him with that same cheerful smile again—as if she hadn't heard a word of what he said. As if she was just… enjoying the moment.

"Heh."

She tilted her head back.

"Oh! Look—the rain's stopped! And the sky's finally clear… wow. Isn't it beautiful?"

Koja slowly raised his eyes to the sky.The moonlight broke through the clouds, casting a faint glow over everything. The air felt lighter, but his heart still weighed him down. He looked up, but he didn't see beauty—only questions that had no answers.

Until Maya broke the silence again.

"Agent… to be honest, I don't think you're a bad person. You're not like the others. Right?"

Koja's eyes widened slightly.

"What… what do you mean?"

With a soft, honest smile, she said:

"I know you work for that organization—the one that's done awful things. I've seen the damage. But when you attacked me at the hotel… it didn't feel like you wanted to kill me. Not really. At first, I thought you were just toying with me, like I wasn't even worth your time. It made me mad. You gave me plenty of openings—more than ten! You could've finished me off at any moment… but you didn't."

Her voice quieted a little.

"You hesitated. You were full of doubt. Like something inside you didn't agree with what you were doing…"

Then she suddenly grinned and added, "And besides, you didn't even kill me after I ate your super expensive, rare—"

"Stop," Koja cut in, his voice low. "Please… that's enough."

Maya blinked. Her smile slowly faded as she looked down and noticed something—Koja's hands were shaking.

She didn't say anything. She just turned her eyes back to the sky and sat in silence beside him.

Then finally, she asked softly:

"…What's your name?"

"Huh? You think I'm just going to tell you?"

"That's not fair!" she protested. "I told you my name the first time we met, didn't I?"

Koja groaned and rubbed his hair. "Ugh… so annoying. Fine. It's Koja."

"What? Koja? Is that even your real name?"

"I mean… that's what they called me when I was a kid in the military camp. The instructors, the other agents. 'Koja, do this. Koja, are you okay?' They always said it like it mattered… but I don't even know who gave me the name in the first place."

His voice turned quiet.

"I don't know anything about my past. Nothing before I was dropped into the military as a kid. No family. No memory. Just... orders. Missions. People shouting my name like it was something I should feel grateful for."

Koja sighed heavily.

"The only thing I do know… is that my origins trace back to the destroyed continent."

Maya's expression changed.

"The destroyed continent…? Wait, you don't mean—"

"Yes. The Northern Zone of the Forgotten Continent. The One Republic. The place where that mysterious explosion happened. My master told me that's where I came from. I didn't believe it at first, but I've been researching it for years now."

His voice grew colder.

"For four years I've been trying to uncover what happened. Who brought me here. Why my memories are gone. Who gave me this cursed name. But I've found nothing. I asked contacts in the army, in the organization… but everything's sealed. All records closed for over twenty years. I serve the organization… and in my spare time, I chase ghosts."

He then pulled out the envelope he'd hidden earlier and held it out in the rain.

"That letter was from one of my oldest allies in the army. She confirmed it—nothing. Not even a lead. This whole thing sucks."

Koja clenched his fist.

"Whoever caused that explosion… whoever ruined my life… I'll find them. And when I do, I'll make sure they pay. They stole my future. My identity. Everything. They'll pay for that. No matter what it takes."