Something isn’t right (5)

Cale momentarily paused before turning back to the door.

Then, he finally opened it.

In front of his eyes, there was a familiar couch, some shelves filled with books covering nearly all subjects and genres imaginable that she had bought with her pocket money, a desk, a bed, a cookie jar…

Her room was exactly the same as before he left.

Cale sighed in relief.

He didn't know if it was really a good sign, but Xin Jian wasn't in her room. There wasn't any dead corpse there either.

He stepped forward and approached a drawer.

Anyway, he couldn't only rely on his ancient powers in case it made him cough

blood. He needed a weapon, at least to hide his abilities if he wanted a slacker life.

Cale squatted down and opened the drawer.

"…"

At least, there was one good point about the man suddenly disappearing. If he had been there now, he would have thought that Cale was a pervert.

The teenager stoically looked at Xin Jian's underwear and removed it from the drawer.

Xin Jian was flabbergasted.

"Wow, he really dared."

The Oldest Dream turned his gaze away.

"Hmm, wasn't he in your room now?"

"Of course, he is."

Cale then took off the fake bottom and revealed the hidden compartment of the drawer before beginning to rummage through it.

His hand paused on a revolver.

"…?"

He had indeed been searching for a weapon, but he was still surprised to really find a gun there.

The teenager briefly searched through his memories and remembered that Xin Jian had followed him once to catch criminals and could have had the opportunity to take the weapon at that time.

In short, he realized that the presence of this revolver here was his fault.

"…"

There was a note stuck on it. It was written:

'Pervert.'

Being insulted, Cale turned it over to see if she had written something else.

'Cale, if you find this weapon but don't know how to shoot, you should know that it is still very useful to scare people away. By the way, you don't need to search, I didn't leave other notes for you behind.'

She had already guessed that nobody else but Cale would rummage through her belongings.

The crimson-haired man shook his head with a smile and took the revolver before putting everything back into place.

She should have read this in a book as well.

However, this time, Cale was wrong. This advice didn't come from a book but from real life experience of watching Klein threaten people when the latter didn't know how to shoot yet.

Cale checked his own room as well and investigated every corner of the orphanage until he was finally convinced that Xin Jian's dead body wasn't there.

'She should have moved underground.'

Cale was finally able to breathe.

Except if she had left the building while he wasn't there, Cale was now practically certain that Xin Jian was alive.

However, there was now another problem…

'Xin Jian, where are you?'

Cale pulled his hood over his eyes, making sure once again that his face wasn't visible before leaving the orphanage. He didn't know where the man called 'Kim Dokja' had disappeared to, but Yoo Jonghyuk should be waiting for him.

The hooded teenager put his hands in his pockets as he held the revolver, the cold touch of metal reassuring him.

If there was an emergency, he would only need to take out the weapon. The only problem may be the lack of bullets if he used all of them.

As Xin Jian had said, using it to scare away the enemy should be a better choice. It was also doubtful whether it had enough firepower to kill monsters.

Cale walked for a while until night fell.

Feeling sleepy, he searched for a place to sleep and settled down on the second floor of a deserted house, which for once wasn't destroyed and did not contain any blood or corpse.

As he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but recall one of Xin Jian's sentences…

["With great power comes great need to take a nap. Wake me up later."]

Cale made a slight smile.

Plunged in the records of past memories, Cale fell asleep.

However, he tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that came up when he looked at those memories.

He was afraid.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' wishes you 'Good night'.]

Cale was scared that these memories would only remain that—memories. He was scared that these moments of rare peace wouldn't happen again and that Xin Jian forever remain unreachable.

He hoped that these happy times could continue to be happy to him, and not become painful to remember if he ever became unable to see her again…

Cale already had too many of these painful memories recorded in his brain, far too many.

Soon, morning came and the first rays of light shone on his face.

Regaining consciousness, Cale blinked, making his long eyelashes flutter, then looked out the window.

In the sky, the colors of sunrise were still visible.

He got up, dusted off his clothes and left the empty house.

As he calculated the time remaining before arriving at a station near the bridge where he had left Yoo Jonghyuk, Cale yawned.

"So that's where you were."

Hearing the familiar voice, the teenager halted in his steps and turned back.

There, he saw 'Kim Dokja' who had disappeared the day before.

"Where were you?"

'Kim Dokja' tilted his head.

"Well, I was searching for you. You suddenly disappeared."

Cale shook his head and accepted the explanation. Meanwhile, 'Kim Dokja' followed behind him.

"Have you eaten yet? I have quite a few things left from the convenience store if you want."

Now, Cale knew who had emptied the convenience's storage room.

The teenager gladly accepted. After all, who wouldn't accept something free?

Free things were the best.

As he sat down and began to eat preserved food, Cale vaguely felt that something was wrong.

['Premonition' Lv. 2 is activated.]

Eventually, he stopped eating and stared at 'Kim Dokja'.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' reminds you that the man was right-handed yesterday.]

"Kim Dokja."

He called out to the man.

'Kim Dokja' raised his head.

As if it wasn't an important matter, Cale casually inquired:

"Weren't you right-handed?"

'Kim Dokja' blinked.

"Hmm? No, I've always been left-handed."

Feeling his heart sink, the teenager's expression darkened. In his pocket, he tightened his grip on the revolver and spoke in a low voice.

"But you used your right hand to drink tomato juice at the orphanage yesterday."

In his memories, many other details also indicated that he was right-handed.

Why did his dominant hand change?

Why did 'Kim Dokja' reappear after suddenly disappearing?

There were many suspicious points about this man.

The man frowned and raised his head confusedly, meeting Cale's gaze.

"The orphanage? I have never been to the orphanage, I was separated from you before that."

Cale had goosebumps.

If the man who had followed him into the orphanage yesterday wasn't 'Kim Dokja', then who was it?

He thought back to the previous day. The man had the same expression, movements, mannerisms, way of walking…

"Are you sure you're not joking?"

The man tilted his head.

"Why would I joke about this?"

He didn't seem to be lying… and that made it even worse.

The being who had followed him into the orphanage back then and drank tomato juice next to him before suddenly disappearing…

Who was it?

'…Is it even human?'

Cale shuddered at the thought as cold sweat trickled down his back.

And what proof did he have that the man he was seeing now wasn't the real abnormality?

'Why did he reappear?'

The teenager maintained his composure and kept a stoic expression, his gaze fixed on the other man in case he disappeared once again.

However, after they finished eating, the man got up and smiled.

"Let's part ways, I have to go now."

Unexpectedly, the man decided to leave first.

But why did the man even stay with him until now? Cale didn't voice out this question. He simply nodded, glad to get rid of the potential danger that was by his side.

While going away, 'Kim Dokja' waved at Cale.

"It was nice meeting you."

The teenager simply curled his lips politely while the man calmly walked away.

Tak, tak, tak.

'Kim Dokja''s gaze became cold and the smile hanging on his lips disappeared from his face.

Tak, tak, tak.

When he was out of Cale's sight, the expressionless 'Kim Dokja' stared ahead, immersed in his thoughts.

"Xin Jian…" He murmured.

He repeated the name, as if he wanted to engrave it into his brain.

"Xin Jian, Xin Jian…"

He had to find this person.

Meanwhile, Cale felt relieved that he got rid of the man and headed to the nearest underground entrance to the bridge where he had left Yoo Jonghyuk.

Xin Jian watched Cale thoughtfully.

The latter was trying hard to find her and it pricked her conscience.

Shouldn't she tell him that she is fine now?

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' says that she is Xin Jian.]

However, the message was censored.

This time, it couldn't even be sent.

Suddenly, she felt dizzy.

[Personal attribute…]

She felt that the world had stopped for a moment, and something became distorted somewhere.

Her head hurt.

She tried to send a different message this time.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' asks what the name of your childhood friend is.]

She stared at her own message, awaiting Cale's answer.

The crimson-haired man was confused and opened his mouth to reply.

"It's…"

Then, he paused.

"It's…"

It was on the tip of his tongue…

Cale frowned, feeling that something was wrong.

"…"

He had told this name to the man only the day before, and he possessed an extraordinary memory, so how could he possibly forget it?

No matter how hard he tried, Cale was unable to find what 'her' name was.

"…I don't remember."

In the flying train, Xin Jian made a knowing smile.

She leaned back against the wall, staring at the system window that had appeared.

Xin Jian wasn't unable to see her Attributes Window; however, for the second time since the Star Stream had been opened on this planet…

Xin Jian saw one of her personal attributes.

The Oldest Dream observed her. As he stared at her smiling face, the system window reflected into her eyes, somehow…

It looked sad.

Xin Jian seemed lonely.

The woman extended her hand and typed another indirect message.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' says that there is a way to meet your childhood friend.]

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' says that you can see your friend if you complete all the scenarios.]

But the Oldest Dream knew, it was impossible to finish the scenarios in this world line, and Xin Jian knew that too.

「Because the 1865th regression didn't not possess the Fourth Wall. There was no Kim Dokja in this world line.」

"Really?" Cale asked.

[The constellation 'Believer in Mysteries' says that it's a promise.]