Hesa walked toward the back garden area Joan had mentioned earlier. But minutes passed, and he still couldn't find any trace of Arkha. Feeling tired, he decided to sit at the edge of the dry pond, lowering his gaze to the murky basin below, filled with fallen leaves and scraps of trash.
Among all that, something red caught his eye — a piece of fabric.
He frowned, staring at it for a moment, until a voice suddenly called out from behind him.
"Hesa?"
Hesa turned. Someone was already sitting beside him.
"Khan, where did you come from?" he asked.
"I was walking around. Were you guys looking for me?" Arkha replied casually.
"Yeah, everyone's about to eat." Hesa said.
"Oh, really? You go ahead. I'll stay here for a while." Arkha said.
"Aren't you hungry?" Hesa asked.
"Not really, I had too many snacks earlier." Arkha said.
"So you're not going back inside?" Hesa said.
"Later. Don't worry, I won't wander off again, so you don't have to look for me." Arkha said.
"Alright, then I'll wait here with you."Hesa said.
"Why?"
"So you won't be alone."
Arkha glanced at him briefly before lowering his head again. Hesa did the same—only to realize, in shock, that the red fabric he'd seen before had disappeared.
Had it been blown away by the wind?
Only the soft sound of the night breeze filled the silence between them. Still, Hesa couldn't stop thinking about that fabric. It had looked too clean, too deliberate, lying there among the dirt and leaves. He had planned to pick it up — but somehow, it had vanished.
He idly swung his feet over the edge of the empty pond until Arkha finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"Do you believe in reincarnation?"
Hesa blinked. "Out of nowhere—what's going through your head right now?"
"I dreamed that we all used to live in an orphanage together," Arkha said slowly.
"We were bullied by the other kids there. Then we uncovered some kind of mystery… and ended up dying in a fire."
Hesa shook his head, unable to believe what he was hearing.
"I was walking around the villa earlier, and I feel like… maybe this used to be that orphanage," Arkha continued.
Hesa laughed softly. "Wow, never thought someone like Arkhanael Vintara—the top student in his class—could have hallucinations too."
Arkha clicked his tongue. "You sound just like my brother. You all think I'm crazy. Why did I even bother talking to you?"
"Sorry, Khan. I didn't mean to offend you, but it's just… hard to believe. Maybe it's just déjà vu?"
"Something like that, but it felt so real," Arkha replied quietly.
Hesa looked at him, curious. "You don't happen to have a sixth sense, do you? Yesterday you said you felt something strange, and not long after that, the elevator actually fell."
"That was just coincidence. But… you, on the other hand, seem like you're not seeing yourself clearly," Arkha said.
"Me?" Hesa pointed at himself, confused.
"When the elevator fell, it didn't seem like coincidence that you ran into Satya right in front of it. Joan said you were going to the bathroom, but it felt like you wanted to find Satya."
"N-no, it was just a coincidence," Hesa stammered.
"And besides, there were several elevators in that mall. If the one you wanted to use was full, you could've just waited for another—but instead, you suddenly told Satya to take the escalator."
"R-really, it's true—" Hesa stopped mid-sentence, struggling to think of a believable excuse. Arkha was smart; any weak reason would only make him more suspicious.
"Hey! You two!"
Both of them turned their heads. Not far away, Jio stood holding a pot in his hands.
"Come eat, the food's ready!" he called.
"Okay!"
Hesa stood up first, secretly relieved that Jio had rescued him from the awkwardness.
~~~~~~~
At the count of ten, Hesa stepped away from the door in front of him. He glanced around carefully, holding his phone in one hand. He had brought it so he could take photos of his friends when he found them—something fun to remember later.
Ting!
A notification sounded. A new message. Hesa opened it immediately.
A photo.
Of himself.
Taken from a dark corner of the room.
His chest tightened. Without thinking, he hurried to that room and switched on the light.
"Empty," he muttered.
The air around him shifted slightly. Instinctively, Hesa turned his head toward the sound.
"I'm sorry if I disturbed you," he whispered, bowing a little. "I didn't mean any harm. I just wanted to play in this villa."
He muttered a short prayer, then continued searching for his friends.
Not long after, a faint rustling reached his ears. He turned toward the sound and noticed a small movement beneath a rolled-up carpet.
Just as he lifted the edge—
"Niki!" Hesa called out, relieved. He quickly snapped a picture before he could react.
"Damn it, found so fast," Niki muttered as he crawled out.
"Come help me look for the others," Hesa said.
"Nope," he replied flatly and walked away, leaving him alone again.
As he continued down the hall, Hesa spotted Joan in an empty room. There was only a single old TV in the corner.
"Too slow, Jo," Hesa teased.
Joan turned toward him. "I was hiding behind the door, but the TV suddenly turned on."
Hesa stepped inside, noticing that the TV's plug wasn't even connected to the outlet. He lifted the loose cable.
"Mind explaining how this turned on without power? Even if it did, it'd just show static."
"No, it really turned on," Joan said, eyes wide. "It showed us—standing in front of the villa when we first arrived."
"You mean this place has CCTV?"
"How should I know? I'm gonna check," Joan replied and quickly left.
Hesa continued on, thinking someone might be hiding in the bathroom.
The villa's bathroom surprised him—it had several stalls, mirrors, and sinks, looking more like a public restroom. The lights were off, making the space eerily quiet. He turned on his phone's flashlight and pressed the light switch.
Click.
The fluorescent light flickered to life.
Satya was standing by the sink.
"Ah, you found me," Satya sighed in disappointment.
"S-Satya..." Hesa stammered, trembling. He raised his phone to take a picture—but froze.
The mirror behind Satya didn't show him back.
It showed him face.
"Wh—what..."
"What's wrong, bro?" Satya asked, stepping closer.
Hesa couldn't answer. Him eyes stayed fixed on the reflection. Satya's image in the mirror was smiling—calmly, eerily—while the real Satya stood there frowning in confusion.
"What is it? Did you see something?"
"N-no... we should just go back now," Hesa said quickly.
He didn't tell him the truth. He knew Satya would never believe him.