Upon seeing him, Nina's eyes widened.Then she ran—straight into Yuri's arms, clinging to him like she was afraid he might vanish if she let go.She sobbed uncontrollably, her tears soaking his shirt.
He didn't mind. He held her just as tightly, his own eyes stinging as he tried to hold back the flood.
Yuri: "N–Nina…" he murmured, voice trembling. "It's okay… it's… it's okay."He gently stroked her messy, unkempt hair as she cried against his chest.
-
They walked together through the city—silent, hollow, and dead.The wind was gone. The air itself felt heavy, suffocating.
Nina stayed close, barely an inch between them. Her eyes wandered the ruined streets, haunted.Nina: "How could this have happened?" she whispered. "Everything… ended in just one night…"
Yuri: "I'm sorry, Nina," he said quietly. "I'm sorry I wasn't there."
Nina: paused mid-step, her body trembling. "I saw them…" she whispered.Her voice cracked. "They were—"
She couldn't finish. The words curdled in her throat as the memory struck like lightning.Then she dropped to her knees and vomited.
Yuri was beside her in an instant, kneeling, wiping her lips with his tie.
Yuri: "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to think about that anymore," he said softly. "I promise, I'll keep you safe. No matter what. Even if it costs me my life… I promise, Nina. I'll protect you."
Nina's eyes shimmered with tears again. She looked up at him—and saw only sincerity.Her heart clenched. She wiped her face, nodding silently, gripping his arm tighter.
They walked again—two shadows moving through a dead city, driven only by the faint ember of hope.
-
Nina: "By the way," said after a long silence, her voice trembling but curious, "how have you survived this long on your own, Yuri? You barely look scratched."
Yuri: he blinked, looking down at his hands. "Honestly… I don't know. There was someone—someone who took care of me, apparently. I've been out cold this whole time. Woke up just a few hours ago."
Nina: eyes widened in shock. "Wait—really? That's unbelievable! So there are more people out there! That's great news!"She grabbed his arm eagerly. "Come on! Let's go find them! Maybe they can help both of us. Where are they?"
Yuri hesitated, thinking.
Yuri: "Yeah… that's a great idea. Maybe we can plead with her. She stayed in—"
He froze.His words died in his throat.His eyes went wide, his body trembling.
"Yuri…?" Nina asked, her voice trembling.
He didn't respond. Sweat began to drip down his face. His breathing quickened."I… I don't know," he whispered.
Nina: "What?" she stepped closer. "Yuri, what are you saying? Come on, this isn't funny—try to remember."
Yuri: "I… I–I don't… I don't know…"
Nina: "COME ON, YURI!" she shouted. "Their name? Their face? Their voice? Anything! You said 'she,' right? So she's a woman—what did she look like?"
"I don't know! I don't know—I DON'T KNOW!" Yuri screamed, clutching his head as a sharp pain tore through his skull.It felt like knives digging into his brain. The more he tried to remember, the worse it became—like his memories were being erased in real time.
Yuri: "What's… happening to me…" he gasped.
Nina dropped to her knees beside him, pulling his head to her chest, stroking his hair gently.
Nina: "It's okay," she whispered. "It's fine… you don't have to remember. Don't hurt yourself, Yuri. I'm here."
Yuri: He hesitated. "…Nina…"
Nina: "It's fine," she said softly, placing her forehead against his. "As long as we have each other, we'll be okay."
Suddenly, Yuri pulled away.
His face was pale. His hands shook violently. His eyes—cold."N–Nina?" she stammered. "What's wrong…?"
He took a step back. Then another. His breathing turned uneven.He stared at her—no, through her—his mind spinning, something clawing at the back of his thoughts.
Finally, he spoke.
Yuri: "Who… who exactly are you?"
Dum—
Nina froze. Her expression twisted. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Yuri… what are you saying—?"
But it was too late.He knew.
No—he had always known.Something inside him had screamed it from the start.
This wasn't his friend.No.Not even close.
The eyes he once knew—warm, bright, full of life—were now hollow.Empty.
What stared back at him… was not human.
Without hesitation, Yuri ran.
He ran through the blackened streets, lungs burning, heart pounding.But no matter how fast he went—she was there. Always. Right beside him.Her presence pressed against him like a shadow that refused to be left behind.
Then—pain.
A white-hot explosion tore through his legs. He screamed, collapsing onto the cold ground.When he looked up, she was standing over him, smiling.
"Silly," she whispered. "Why would you ever try to leave me like that?"
Her lips didn't move.The words echoed directly in his mind.
She laughed—an echoing, hollow sound that wasn't laughter at all.
"Yuri," her voice whispered inside him, soft but venomous. "Didn't you say you'd protect me? No matter what it took? Even if it cost your life?"
Yuri stared up at the empty, starless sky.And for the first time, he realized—this wasn't a dream.
He was in hell.
Yuri: "…You killed her, didn't you?" he whispered. "Nina…"
The creature tilted its head, smiling sweetly. "Silly Yuri… I am your Nina. Remember?"
VUSH—
Yuri's eyes flew open. He gasped for air, chest heaving like he'd been drowning.He looked around wildly—and froze.
He was standing.On his feet.Alive.
Before him stood a masked man—long, tied-back hair, a dark cloak that seemed to bleed shadow itself.In his hand… was a severed head.Her head.
The man turned slightly, his voice calm and composed."Are you okay?"
Yuri stared, unable to speak.
"I apologize for not stepping in earlier," the man said. "But I needed you to unlock your first skill."A pause."Congratulations, Yuri."
They stood there, silent. The air felt heavier than ever.
The man's voice cut through it like a blade."You're now a player."