Kala braced both hands on his knees, his breathing ragged—until a second later he panicked, realizing something. He reflexively patted his own body.
"Ck. Damn it, I left the sweater."
He blamed himself. Too panicked by what happened, he had left behind that blue sweater.
"Asta…"
Kala turned around, intending to return to where he had been, but his steps halted when Sunoo appeared—already wearing the blue sweater.
"Bastard! Where the hell are you hiding my friend?" Kala snapped, grabbing Sunoo by the collar and slamming him into the wall.
Sunoo only laughed at the rough treatment.
"Why are you looking from only one angle? You think I locked your friend up here? What if the truth is different?" Sunoo said.
"I know my friend better than you. Don't try to manipulate me," Kala hissed.
"Who said I'm manipulating you? I'm just talking from another angle. No matter how long you've been friends with someone, it doesn't mean they can't change," Sunoo replied.
"Shut up!"
"Just think again. I only kidnapped you. If there was another—"
Sunoo stopped when Kala's left arm suddenly swung across his neck, pinning him and making it difficult to move or breathe.
"I won't listen to anything you say," Kala growled.
"I don't care, Kala. What matters is that I still have you here," Sunoo said, grinning ear to ear.
Kala, whose gaze had been sharp with anger, suddenly loosened his hold. Something was wrong—his head was starting to spin.
Sunoo's smile widened as Kala's head drooped against his shoulder. Sunoo raised a hand to gently stroke the victim's hair.
"Looks like even a little bit of that drug works just fine."
Kala turned with what strength he had left—only to see Sunoo pulling out another syringe. Startled, Kala shoved him with all the force he had and ran.
In the vast storage room with only a few boxes around, Kala could do nothing but stay still. His legs refused to move.
He heard footsteps approaching—slowly, closer and closer. He could only surrender; his body wouldn't respond.
"Kala…"
A sudden warmth, a wave of relief washed over him. He turned, smiling softly.
~~~~~~~
Kaze walked together along a road—the last place Kala had reportedly been seen.
"This is the right road, right?" Dion asked.
"There's literally nothing here. No buildings, no trees, nothing you can hide behind," Melvin said.
"Kyungmin clearly said Kala disappeared behind the fog," Yoan added.
"So the kid was probably dragged off by some demon or something. How the hell do we find him?" Yoga muttered.
"Just search the area first," Hasta said.
They continued walking. But only a few steps forward, Gantha felt something move inside his uniform pocket. He took it out—the compass watch that belonged to Kala. He had taken it intentionally, thinking they might need it again, since it helped them return from another dimension.
Click.
The needle spun once, then stopped, pointing in one direction. Gantha immediately sprinted toward it.
"Agantha?" Dion called out, startled.
"Go after him!" Melvin shouted.
They chased him, catching up only because Gantha stopped—standing before a forest.
"Since when is there a forest here?" Yoga whispered, equally confused and scared.
The road had been empty before. No buildings. No forest. And they hadn't run far. The sudden appearance made no sense.
Gantha looked at the compass watch again—the needle told him to walk straight into the trees.
"Gan—" Dion grabbed his arm.
"There's something beyond this forest," Gantha said.
"Don't be stupid. What if you get lost?" Melvin warned.
"You guys can go home. I'll look for him alone," Gantha said.
"No way we're leaving you," Hasta replied.
Gantha didn't argue. He stepped forward, and the others followed him into the forest.
They didn't know how long they had been walking until finally a building appeared between the trees.
Confused and unsettled, they approached—yet without hesitation entered it.
Their steps echoed through what looked like a storage facility or warehouse. Gantha checked the compass again—it pointed left. He followed without stopping.
"Kala—"
A few meters ahead stood the lavender-haired boy, weak and barely conscious. Yet he managed to smile at his friends before collapsing, his body hitting the cold concrete.
~~~~~~~
Kaze remained inside the strange building. They were trapped—thunder roared outside, rain pouring heavily.
They sat in a circle around a crude stone structure that resembled a fireplace. Beside them lay Kala, eyes still gently closed.
Dion checked his phone for the time.
"It's already seven p.m., and we still can't leave," he sighed.
"What can we do? It's raining hard and lightning everywhere. Better stay here and wait for Kala to wake up," Hasta said.
"That's really Kala, right?" Yoga asked.
"Kala from another world would've been suffering like crazy. This is too normal," Yoan replied.
"Fine, fine," Yoga murmured.
"By the way, Gan—I saw you carrying something earlier," Melvin said.
"At first, I didn't think my hunch was right…" Gantha began, showing them the compass watch.
"This watch brought me and Kala back from that other dimension. So I thought… maybe it could help again," he explained.
Yoga leaned closer. "Wait—that's from my dad's shop!"
"Oh, right—the one Kala's double was searching for," Melvin added.
"Yeah. It's special, that's why they want it," Gantha said. He then glanced toward Hasta.
"This was your gift to him, right?"
Hasta nodded.
"After knowing there's something weird about it… you sure you don't want it back?" Gantha asked.
"Of course not. Why would I take back something I already gave? And honestly, the watch suits Kala more. He's an esper—he'll need it more than I ever will," Hasta answered.
A sudden crack of lightning startled them. Melvin walked toward a nearby window, peering at the dark outside lit only by flashes.
Silence fell over them.
"Ehm—"
Everyone immediately turned. Kala was stirring, his fingers twitching. Slowly, his eyes opened, meeting theirs.
"Y-you guys…" he whispered weakly.
"Thank God you're okay," Hasta said in relief.
But Kala felt a tightness in his chest. Seeing his friends here—trapped with him—hurt him more than the pain in his body. He wanted to warn them, explain everything, but he couldn't. Not yet.
"I… I want to go home…" was all he could manage.