Shinova returned to the room and walked inside. Devis followed close behind.
Shinova removed her hood, mask, and gloves. That's when he truly paid attention to her; Shinova had changed completely. Looking into her eyes evoked a poisonous intensity, like staring at a venomous snake.
She took the box again and started looking at the contents. Devis joined her.
"Is the killer sending all this to you?"
"I don't know. Every time I have these dreams, the killer might be carrying out the act at the same moment. I doubt if he is the one who sent this."
"I still can't quite believe all this, Shinova. No matter what, I only ever see this kind of thing in fiction."
"Many things that happen in stories are reflections of real lives, Devis. When you look at it that way, perhaps the stories about people like me might also be true."
He looked towards the room's window; the rain was only increasing, not lessening.
"This rain... there might be some problem with it too, falling with such anger."
She also looked outside.
"Perhaps it's crying after witnessing these events. While we, who have mouths and voices to react, remain silent, those who only have sound to react with express themselves like this."
She went to examine the items in the box again.
"You are very different, Shinova, and not because of your ability, but because of your heart."
She smiled at his words.
The Broken Locket
Suddenly, Devis seemed to remember something. He took out half of a necklace from his pocket.
"Hey, take a look at this?" He extended it towards her.
"This... Where is this from?" She examined it closely. It was the pendant part of a necklace, something very unusual looking.
"Where did you get this from?" she asked.
"I found this when I went to examine that building the other day. Do you know what this is?" he asked.
"No, but I've seen this somewhere, many times. It's just not coming to my memory right now."
She was sure she had seen it somewhere, so she tried to recall the memory. Holding the necklace tightly in her palm, she began to think.
Suddenly, without warning, lightning struck outside.
"Ohst!"**
The locket in Shinova's hand broke open, and some kind of liquid came out of it. Within moments, it absorbed into her palm.
Shinova shook her hand many times, but nothing happened.
"This... This..." She looked at Devis.
He took her hand and examined it, but there was no cut or wound there. He picked up the broken locket.
They felt like someone was standing in front of their door. Shinova felt the presence of an individual. Devis slowly went toward the door. Someone was on the other side. As he reached to open the door, Shinova grabbed his hand.
"Stop."
She slowly touched the door. Immediately, she felt an intense heat. The blue color in her hair strands began to glow faintly.
"Don't. Don't open it."
She pulled Devis away from the door.
"Why?" he asked softly.
"The person standing outside is not human. If you open this door now, it will endanger your life, Devis."
She slowly pulled Devis backward.
"Devis... It's me, Darren..." the person said from behind the door.
"Darren."
Devis started to get up, but Shinova suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Devis, the one standing outside is not your brother."
Devis looked at her suspiciously. "What, it's not him?"
"Yes, it is not Doctor Darren."
He couldn't understand anything.
"Devis... Open the door. I've been standing here so long, I'm completely soaked." The voice said again.
This time, Devis ignored her words and moved forward to open the door.
Shinova suddenly grabbed him and pulled him back. The force of the pull was too strong for him, and Devis was thrown onto the bed.
"Shinova, are you insane? That is Darren standing outside! I know his voice!"
As he tried to get up again, Shinova suddenly threw her phone at him.
"Call Darren right now and see for yourself."
Devis picked up the phone and quickly dialed his brother's number.
Someone on the other end answered the call.
"Hello...!"
It was Darren.
"Darren," Devis said softly.
"Yes, this is Doctor Darren. And you are?"
Devis was startled and looked at Shino.
The sound outside had now stopped. She didn't feel anyone's presence.
Shino slowly opened the door. No one was outside.
She quietly stepped out of the room. There was no one outside. Devis also came out. It wasn't his older brother who had come. They looked everywhere but couldn't see anyone.
That's when Devis again saw a box someone had placed in front of Shino's room.
"What is that??"
Devis took the box in his hand. Again, someone had left another red box.
"What box is this?"
He picked up the box and began to examine it.
Seeing the box, something flashed through Shino's mind.
First, she had received a similar box, and inside it was about the first murder she had witnessed that day. Everything she had seen in her dream was in it. Now, the same person had sent her another box.
As if sensing something, Shino suddenly ran into the room.
"Hey, Shino, wait!"
Devis followed her.
She went straight to the window that overlooked the road of the room, opened it, and peered outside as if searching for something. Devis placed the box on the bed and walked towards the window.
"What's wrong?"
He went closer to her.
"Hey..." Shino pushed Devis back.
"Shino... what is it???"
Devis asked, unable to understand anything.
"Devis!!!"
Shino turned towards him. Her eyes glowed in a deep, venom-laced blue color in the darkness. Her gaze plunged him into fear; Devis sat on the bed, frightened and unable to utter a word.
The change in Shino's eyes, which until now had only held innocence and fear, completely unnerved Devis. There was no fear now, no innocence; he saw the rage of an animal looking at its prey, ready to hunt.
Suddenly, the blue color faded from her eyes.
"Devis, shhh, don't make a sound!" she whispered slowly.
The sudden change in Shino's expression again weakened Devis.
He slowly rose from the bed and approached her.
He, too, slowly looked to see what she was looking at.
That person. The same individual who had placed the suspicious box in front of Shino's room was now standing under the street lamp directly opposite her.
He was soaking wet in the heavy rain, staring at Shino's window. She saw him, but she wasn't sure if he saw her.
This was the first time Devis was seeing him too; his eyes couldn't believe it.
Even soaking wet in the rain, the person took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. The surprising thing was that the cigarette was not going out, despite the raindrops hitting it.
An amazement appeared in Devis's eyes: was this man a sorcerer, or a ghost?
Shino slowly moved to the side of the window, pulling Devis with her. Then, she gestured something to him.
"What is it??" Devis didn't understand.
She gestured to him repeatedly, but he still didn't understand.
Immediately, Shino moved close to him. Although it was dark, the light from the street lamp that partially entered the room fell on Shino's eyes.
Devis was initially scared, but now, seeing her venom-like blue eyes up close, fear did not rise within him. It was as if those eyes were saying something to him, as if some magnetism from those eyes was attracting him.
She nudged Devis, who was staring at her eyes.
"Devis!"
Startled back to consciousness, Devis realized only now that she was trying to tell him something.
"Devis, I'm sure the person standing there is the one who put this box here."
"Huh,"
"Devis, you quietly go downstairs and check who he is. You must look at his face without him knowing."
Hearing that, Devis became quite afraid.
"Me??! No... that could even be dangerous to my life."
Shino understood that Devis was scared.
"Devis, even if you don't go and check, one day he will destroy me, you, and even our Nancy. Isn't it a little easier if you die now?"
"What... then is my life only worth that much, Miss Shino??? I'm the one who comes to rescue you no matter where you fall,"
She held both his hands together.
"Devis, you came into this trouble for me; I will never let you die. Don't be afraid, go now."
With a sudden sense of trust in her words, Devis got up and went out. Before leaving, he looked back at her once before crossing the threshold of the door.
After Devis went outside, Shino slowly stood by the window and started watching the person.
Devis, who had reached outside, quietly hid behind the waste bin outside the building and watched him.
The man stood right there, puffing on the cigarette that remained unextinguished even in the rain.
His face was not clearly visible. Just as Devis slowly got up and started to walk forward, the man stopped puffing the cigarette.
The man saw Devis, and Devis understood that. Shino didn't know what to do next; Devis had gone to check on the man based on her words.
As soon as Devis realized the man had seen him, he slowly turned towards him and walked forward.
"Hey you!!!!"
Without showing any fear on his face, he walked towards the man. The person stood there, watching him without moving.
"Hi sir... You've been standing in this rain for a long time. Are you waiting for someone?"
He approached the man, speaking softly.
Only upon getting closer did the man's physique astonish him. His height was twice that of Devis. A powerful man.
Not only was his cigarette unextinguished in the rain, but the man's body was not even wet. Seeing this, Devis was shocked.
"How are you standing without getting wet in such heavy rain?"
He touched the man's body in amazement, and the man instantly turned into a dark smoke.
Devis immediately looked towards the window where Shino was watching, not knowing whether what happened before his eyes was real or a dream.
By then, Shino had moved into the light.
He looked at her with fear, unable to understand anything.
Devis looked at her, not knowing what had just happened. Then, suddenly...
"DEVISSSSS!!!!!!!"
Shino screamed, pointing behind him. As Devis tried to turn around in shock, the person who had vanished into smoke in the air came close to attack him again. He tightly grabbed Devis by the neck with his powerful hands. Devis began to struggle, unable to even react.
The man's hands were intensely cold, and he began to channel that coldness into Devis's body.
As the coldness seeped in, Devis started to writhe. The veins on his neck and face started to stand out, as if poison was entering them.
Realizing that Devis would surely die if the man continued to hold him, Shino immediately ran downstairs.
Caught in the grasp of the superhuman man, Devis was fighting for his life. In his struggle, Devis pulled off something like a chain from the man's neck. Distracted by this, the man threw Devis to the ground.
Devis, who fell to the ground, could breathe now; the poison that was entering his veins was receding.
However, Devis couldn't get up. Fear had severely weakened him this time. He was certain that he would fall dead on this road in the rain today.
The man turned towards him again.
Seeing the man turn towards him again, Devis tried to drag himself backward on the road.
The man slowly came closer and closer to him. Devis's mind started telling him that he was going to die. His heart ached at the thought that his heartbeat would stop on this road, in this rain, within moments.
The man stretched out his hand again to grab his neck, but this time, he couldn't grasp him. Realizing this, he didn't panic and looked towards the far end on his other side.
SHINOVA....
In the rain, Shinova stood there, glaring at him.
The man saw Shino, soaking wet in the ceaseless rain.
Yet, determined to kill Devis, he reached out his hand to grip his neck.
But...
He couldn't do it. Shinova had begun to control his movements and the power within him. This time, she didn't feel the need to exert much power over anyone.
She was normal. Yet, her mere presence prevented him from even touching Devis.
However, since he was determined to kill Devis this time, he used great force and lunged forward to squeeze his neck.
"No!"
Devis took his last breath inwards.
But...
It was as if some force had stopped the man's hand; he couldn't move his arm now.
That's when he noticed it...
Shinova, standing far from him...
Her hair had grown long, and the color of her body had changed. She had transformed, as if some poison had entered her.
Seeing Shino standing in the street light in the heavy rain, the person faltered.
His immobile hand dropped halfway down. As the hand touched the ground, it turned to ash.
Faltering at the sight, he raised his face to look at her, and the Shino who was standing far away was now standing right in front of him.
Face to face. She slowly raised her face towards his.
Seeing her eyes, which had turned that venom-laced blue color, he slowly tried to back away. Suddenly, Shino pressed both her hands onto his face.
As that young girl touched the superhuman man, who was many times bigger than her, with her bare hands, he seemed to become something else.
It was as if his power was draining into her... The color of her body started to darken.
For some unknown reason, a lightning bolt suddenly struck the street light, and the light went off.
Darkness everywhere.
The light immediately turned back on, just as before. But...
By then, the person who was in front of Shino was no longer there.
He had escaped again. She looked everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found.
Shino ran over to Devis, who was lying on the road. Devis was still lying there in the same state, thinking he was dead.
"Devis... Devis..." She shook him and woke him up.
Slowly opening his eyes, Devis realized he was not dead.
There were no marks or wounds on his body from when the man tried to kill him.
"I... I... I'm not dead..." he said, checking his own body.
"I'm not dead, Shino... How..." He looked at her with doubt.
"Didn't I promise you that I wouldn't let you die, since you came into this trouble for me?"
Hearing that, Devis's eyes filled with tears.
"But... him... where is he... Did you kill him??" Devis asked nervously.
"No, he escaped. But I will destroy him very soon," she said firmly.
Helping Devis to walk slowly, she went inside the building.
From a distance, in the darkness, that person was watching them with anger.
"We will meet soon, Zerin."
As soon as they entered the room, Shino focused on the box Devis had placed on the bed. This was the second time this box had come looking for her. She took the box in her hand.
When she opened it and looked inside, her heart stopped for a moment. Fear spread across her eyes.
Noticing her fear, Devis became suspicious, took the box, and looked inside.
He dropped the box onto the floor in terror. His heart also felt like it had stopped.
"Shino..." he called her fearfully.
She slowly picked up the box and looked at it one more time. Inside were the body parts and organs that the police reported missing from the bodies of the deceased girls. The strong stench made Devis start to vomit.
These were the organs and body parts that were reported missing from each corpse when they were found.
Coming out of the bathroom, Devis immediately took the box from her hand, closed it, and set it aside.
"Shino... all of this..." he said, trembling.
"He has killed someone new and sent us their organs and body parts in the box. Why?" he asked, looking at her.
"You are right, all of this belongs to someone. But it's not all from one person, Devis,"
"Then?" Devis looked at her in shock.
"These are the things that went missing from the bodies of the girls found earlier."
"How did he get his hands on them... Does that mean he killed them too?"
"I don't know, but he has some connection to those murders." she said, looking outside.
"Why is he giving all this to me? Why is he connecting me to these cases? Am I his target? Or someone else? I need to find out," Shino decided in her mind.
The life of that simple girl, haunted by a dream, was changing from this moment on.
Why was she different from others, and for what reason? Who was this person trying to destroy her, not just in her dreams but now in her real life, and why?
Like the unceasing downpour outside, a storm of suspicion and a restless urge to find the answers to her questions raged in Shino's mind. Sowing the seeds of doubt everywhere, that wind had begun to blow fiercely within her...