The decision was made.
Without ceremony, without announcement—Jiwoon vanished.
No goodbye. No note.
Only Vera and Kaelya knew where he went.
And only they would go with him.
Somewhere far from the academy
A quiet train cabin.
Empty. Remote. Bound for a distant coastal region few remembered.
Jiwoon sat by the window, watching shadows ripple across passing fields.
Vera sat opposite, her legs crossed, arms folded.
Kaelya leaned against the window near him, one foot on the seat.
"You sure about this?" Kaelya finally asked.
"If we vanish, they'll say you're fleeing."
Jiwoon didn't answer at first.
Then:
"They already think I'm something to fear. Let them."
"So why bring us?" Vera asked.
He turned to her, eyes calm.
"Because if I stayed… they'd target you both."
Kaelya clicked her tongue. "Tch. So dramatic."
But she didn't argue.
Later – at a private harbor
A sleek, black boat waited—gifted long ago by someone Jiwoon didn't name.
No records. No trail.
The sea ahead stretched into silence.
Kaelya looked up. "Where exactly are we going?"
Jiwoon replied, "Somewhere without eyes.
Somewhere even memories hesitate to reach."
Nightfall – on the deck
Vera stood beside Jiwoon as the moon reflected over the waves.
She broke the silence softly.
"I've been having dreams… or maybe fragments."
Jiwoon turned. "What kind?"
She didn't look at him.
"Of you. Not this you. Another you.
Drenched in black flame. Wings like ruin. But… still you."
"I don't remember everything."
"But my eye does."
Jiwoon didn't flinch.
He placed a hand on the edge of the rail.
"Maybe we didn't just meet in this world."
Vera finally turned to him. "No. We didn't."
Behind them, Kaelya stepped out, arms stretched high. "Oiii! Stop brooding. We're almost there."
The dark silhouette of an island appeared on the horizon.
Soft waves. Palm trees swaying.
No buildings. No rules.
Just them.