---
`"I'm sorry," Kiara said.`
`"I'm not even angry," Rowan replied.`
`"But... I killed you," Kiara whispered.`
`"You also helped me when I needed it most," Rowan said.`
`"I've been with you a long time... but also, I haven't been with you at the same time," Kiara whispered.`
`"Thanks," Rowan said, looking at Kiara. "It really was an ironic memory... you helped me. Every time."`
`"We're just bound by fate," Kiara tried to sound rude, but she wasn't. "This is the first time we're fully seeing each other. We don't understand each other. Not even a bit."`
`"Lie," Rowan whispered. "No matter how far we are, we understand each other. Not everything. But something."`
Kiara's voice came out a little rude. `"You don't know what a Z-Spirit is. That's why you're asking. Where they stay. How they stay."`
`"I don't know much," Rowan replied. "At least, I know a Z-Spirit is stuck between reality and dream. They're trapped inside the Zrcqnima books. They can create a whole universe for themselves."`
`"But there's also a thing we can't do," Kiara whispered. "We can't create other souls or spirits from imagination."`
`"Why not?" Rowan asked. "And why are they stuck between reality and dream?"`
`"I don't know. All I remember is... after you opened the book, by contract with you, I borrowed your emotions and imagination. Not just borrowed. I learned from it. I created my own world. I fulfilled my own needs. Yet it felt empty. Because in the end, it was all just my illusion. And above it, I know I'm alone there. Not just for now. But forever... lonely." She explained, panicking.`
`"May I ask you a favor?" Rowan asked.`
She went calm and nodded. `"Yes."`
An intense silence.
Rowan just glanced at Kiara for a few seconds.
Kiara tried to speak, but Rowan interrupted her suddenly. `"Can I stay with you? In your dream. In your cage. In your Z-book."`
She was a little shocked and confused too. In her mind a question rose: _Why?_ But her voice asked a different question. `"Are you really wanting to stay with me? Stay in prison?"`
`"Yes. For eternity. In a prison with you. And I think even in an illusion with you... it would be fun for me," Rowan replied.`
The Zrcqnima book opened.
`"It's already here," she spoke. The Z-book was absorbing Kiara.`
For the first time, Rowan touched Kiara. He held Kiara's hand. She was crying. Not from sadness, but from something else.
Suddenly.
Aneouz sensed something. He looked at the same area where Rowan was standing. All he saw was, in the sky, a silver smile cut through the velvet dark.
Rowan saw Aneouz, but Aneouz couldn't see him.
Aneouz remembered Rowan's death. _Again, I lost everything,_ he thought. Guilt froze him — the guilt of killing Rowan.
Kiara was crying from happiness. Rowan had a sweet, little smile. And Aneouz? He was just staring at the moon. A weird feeling rose in his heart.
The Z-book was still absorbing them. In an instant, it passed away. The book consumed both and closed itself.
After all.
It fell. Fell with the purpose to touch the ground.
However, in the middle of the way, the Z-book completely vanished. Not invisible. Not teleportation. But gone, like it had never existed.
Suddenly, Aneouz saw a cave corner, where he had been staring.
Aneouz was shocked, because he remembered that he had been staring at the moon. At this point, his body was shaking with fear.
The first thing he did was come out of the cave.
He lay down on the ground. It was still dark, yet he felt better than in the cave. Closing his eyes, he stayed. No movement.
Gazing at the glowing embers, he drifted into a deep sleep.
**_
Aneouz opened his eyes. For a few seconds, he stayed still. Then, he raised his hand to rub his eyes, dragged his body back, and slowly forced himself into a sitting position.
And again, he took his time before making any sort of movement.
His body, his face, his every movement was screaming one thing: _he didn't want to see tomorrow._
A whole crystal clear picture rose in his mind, where Aneouz was assaulted by everyone.
So again, he let his body lay on the ground.
Out of nowhere, Aneouz mumbled to himself, fully frustrated, crying.
`"Only people can live a good life who are stronger... who have authority. Why not me?
Do I not deserve happiness? But I know I'll never be happy because – I don't have any luck, or anyone to call family."`
_*_
Yet, after a few hours, he stood. Aneouz's eyes carried anger and hopelessness.
His heartbeat rose faster. His breath was rapid. His hands shook a little.
He screamed at the sky with his strained voice,
`"I'm going to become the strongest."`
The instant rise in his heartbeat scared Aneouz himself. He took a deep breath. Slowly, the anger disappeared from his eyes. What remained was hopelessness.
He took his time to relax himself.
_*_
Aneouz finally decided to move forward, trying to forget everything that happened here.
He walked on the same path where he came from. Through the jungle...
His eyes jammed on the track, ignoring everything. He passed way big trees.
Time moved. He crossed the whole jungle, silently.
That one tree's shadow covered him from behind. A paved road was in front of Aneouz. His eyes followed only one or two vehicles passing by on this road.
Standing in the shadow, he thought: _Should I go home?...*
He decided to walk to the bus stop, going through the paved road. On the way, he saw only a few people walking.
He walked slowly, noticing meaningless things instinctively.
Aneouz's glance sometimes covered a big building, sometimes a small shop.
That is how he made it all the way to the bus stop.
Since he didn't care about time, yet, out of habit, he looked at his watch.
Even he didn't know when the bus was going to arrive.
He just waited.
It was already evening. Finally, his eyes captured the bus coming. The bus stopped.
The bus was almost empty.
Aneouz got on.
He walked to the very back, past row after row of empty seats.
One girl was sleeping, resting her head on the front seat. Aneouz didn't look at her.
He kept walking. Didn't stop until he reached the last row. By the window.
He sat down. The automatic bus doors hissed shut.
Aneouz looked outside the window. The sky was on fire. He didn't blink.
The bus engine started. A steady vibration traveled up through the soles of his feet, through his bones.
The bus started moving. Aneouz lay down on the seats.
His eyes were still on the window.
Everything moving faster. Leaving all behind. Moving forward...
Once again, slightly, the sky started turning dark.
It was almost night again.
Aneouz lay against the seat.
His eyes were heavy, yet Aneouz was watching outside the window.
He didn't even realize when he fell asleep.
The bus kept going, leaving memories in shadow...
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