Destruction loomed on the horizon like a painting crushed by the hands of an angry child.
The walls leaned, the pillars were bent, and everywhere the scent of death and dust lingered.
On the ground, among the ruins, SOLIMON leaned on a trembling arm, his blood drawing a map of the battle across his body.
"What… does this mean, MOHITO?" — words forced out of a torn throat.
MOHITO stood revealed at the center of the devastation, his red eyes glowing like embers in a starless night.
In his hand, MORASAMI gleamed like the eye of a demon.
"Sorry, SOLIMON… but I don't belong to this place anymore."
His voice was like metal grinding against stone.
From within the smoke, a swaying shadow emerged —
a demonic monkey mask covering a face that had forgotten mercy. He seed quietly
"It's time to leave."
And amid the rising dust, three shadows stood waiting.
A final look was exchanged between the two friends…
a look carrying years of memories shattering within seconds.
Then MOHITO turned away, his steps heavy, as though dragging the burdens of the past behind him.
He vanished into the smoke, leaving SOLIMON alone in a field of ruins.
**************
One Month Earlier
The first morning in the mansion felt different from any morning we had ever known.
The sunlight blended with the shadows of the metal bars on the tall windows,
casting golden lines that intersected on the marble floors.
Yet even this luxurious beauty couldn't hide the truth:
We were prisoners in a golden cage.
SOLIMON stood beside me at the window, gazing at the wide garden.
"It seems dreams do come true sometimes, even when we no longer know how to dream."
I didn't reply.
The weight of MORASAMI on my back reminded me that some cages are carried within us,
regardless of the luxury around us.
In the dining hall, TAHARA held a glass of orange juice with a fake professional demeanor.
"I feel like I'm in a five-star hotel! Who knew the end of the world could be this comfortable?"
AYOUB sat on a spinning chair.
"The real question: can we swim in the fountain at night without ZAKI yelling at us?"
ZARIOUH entered yawning.
"My room is bigger than our old apartment. I slept on the floor to feel the difference!"
SAMA touched the porcelain plates with hesitation,
as if afraid she might break them.
SOLIMON approached her and picked up a plate.
"Don't worry, even if something breaks, we've got enough stock to last for years."
MIZIANI had found the mansion's library and spent hours browsing its old books.
"There are books here dating back a hundred years.
Maybe they found the answers here, and we missed reading them."
ADEL and OBASO transformed one of the rooms into a miniature operations center.
"The security cameras here are more advanced than the ones in the factory."
ADEL said while adjusting the screens.
GHAZLANE and MAYNO wandered around like tourists.
"I've never been in a place with this many rooms!" GHAZLANE said as she opened a random door.
SHOUTONA gathered us in the main hall.
"Normal life is the best disguise.
Everyone will return to the institute as if nothing has changed."
ZARIOUH protested,
"You want me to study math while the world is on the brink of collapse?"
"Exactly," SHOUTONA replied.
"Because the real shadows are the ones who can play their part in the grand play."
We all prepared to head to the institute
and continue our normal lives —
even if it was only a temporary lie.
**************
At the Institute
The hallways were the same, yet I felt like a stranger among them.
The laughs, the whispers, the shouts of the trainers —
Everything felt shallow after what we had lived.
Then I saw her…
LOUVNA…
She stood at her locker, neatly placing her books.
My heart raced for a moment,
then returned to its slow rhythm.
She belonged to this bright world,
and I had returned from it like a ghost visiting the past.
Our eyes met.
She didn't smile.
She didn't raise her eyebrows.
She only looked —
the way someone looks at an old painting they've long tried to understand but never could.
She took a step forward.
My breath stopped unintentionally.
She spoke in a few words, carrying all the unasked questions:
"You're back?"
I stayed silent.
Because the answer was:
Yes, but the part that returned didn't belong to her clean world…
The part that returned was the shadow
that had learned to breathe in the luxurious mansion
and carried secrets that could never be shared.
I looked at her, knowing that some returns are impossible,
even when we physically return.
Our heavy silence was cut by MONA,
who hadn't missed our tense moment.
"Where have you been all this time?"
Her straightforward voice sliced through the quiet like a blade.
I turned to her slowly.
"I had family obligations."
Words as restrained as my own shadow.
From behind, ODEL intervened with his calm, sharp voice:
"Is this an emergency meeting?"
MONA grabbed LOUVNA's hand,
as if trying to pull her away from a sea of silence.
"We were just saying hello to MOHITO!
Shall we head to class? The lessons are about to start."
I looked at ODEL, then followed them silently.
There was something different in LOUVNA's eyes —
She no longer looked at me the way she used to.
At lunch break, LOUVNA didn't come as usual.
The only person waiting for me in the hallway was SOLIMON —
standing patiently.
I walked toward him, trying to suppress the whispers battling inside my head.
The hallway was loud on the surface,
filled with students scattered like ants chasing sugar.
But to my ears, it felt silent —
I could only hear old whispers fading inside me:
"Come back to us…
return to what you once were…"
"Are you okay?" SOLIMON cut through the noise with his clear voice.
"Yes… I'm fine," I replied distantly,
like someone answering from the bottom of a well.
"Shall we go eat with the others?"
A look in his eyes carried unmistakable doubt.
"Go ahead… I don't feel like eating."
My words pushed something away — or tried to.
"Alright," SOLIMON agreed,
But his eyes said:
"I know you're lying."
I watched him disappear into the crowd,
his figure melting like a shadow under the sun.
The whispers in my head didn't fade.
They grew stronger —
provoking me to do something…
or return to something…
And deep inside,
I knew there was only one way to silence these whispers consuming me —
One way I knew all too well.
*****************
The group was gathered in their usual corner in the back courtyard,
sitting in a heavy silence that wrapped around them like thick fog.
Fallen leaves lay scattered at their feet,
announcing the end of autumn.
Worry was drawn on their faces
like a painting left unfinished by the artist.
SOLIMON approached with slow, burdened steps,
his eyes carrying the same question haunting all of them.
"MOHITO didn't come with you…"
MESNAS was the first to break the silence.
"No."
One short word —
Yet it carried all the unspoken answers.
SOLIMON sat without a sound,
and silence reclaimed its throne like an unwelcome guest.
"There's something wrong!" AYOUB burst angrily,
his frustration louder than his voice.
He had always been the most sensitive among them —
After all, he saw MOHITO as the older brother he could depend on.
"He's right… he doesn't share anything with us anymore.
He's completely shut himself off," TAHARA added with a defeated tone.
"And what's the deal with that new sword he keeps carrying?" ZAKI asked,
his brows furrowed.
"It's called MORASAMI…
or as the organization used to name it: 'The Red Moon Curse.'"
MESNAS whispered, barely audible.
Everyone turned toward him in shock,
their eyes demanding an explanation.
"You all know my story is different…
I worked for the organization, and my mission… was to kill SHOUTONA."
MESNAS's features shifted,
as if he was reliving painful memories.
"While I was with them, I kept hearing one legend:
The MIRACLEBOY and the sword of the Red Moon's Curse.
His brutality, his power…
and that the organization's ultimate goal was to retrieve him
to begin their grand plan.
At the factory, I heard SHOUTONA and the others talking…
and that the sword MOHITO carries now is MORASAMI."
Their eyes widened as silence deepened —
The weight of the revelation freezes their words.
"So are you seeing that MOHITO is the MIRACLEBOY that the organisation is looking for?" AYOUB cut the silence
"I only told what I heard," MESNAS answered
"If we want answers,
We'll find them with SHOUTONA," OBASO said,
His gaze shifted between his companions.
The group silently gathered their resolve —
That was always who they were.
They might seem scattered, each in his own world,
But the moment one of them needed help,
They united like fingers forming a single, powerful fist.
A cold breeze passed between the trees,
carrying the fallen autumn leaves —
as if applauding them in silence
before the storm began.