The exhaustion from last night had left its mark on my eyes, making them look no less tired than Suleiman's.
I had tried all night to sense the presence of Aetherion, but… every attempt had failed.
I also couldn't overcome my anxiety and fear of today's meeting.
"Take this."
Lina placed a small Bluetooth earpiece in my palm, then pointed to her own ear.
"We'll stay in contact. Don't worry—I'll be close to you at all times if anything happens."
I couldn't hide the tremble in my hand.
It was almost one in the afternoon…
The time we had agreed to meet.
"Here's the phone."
As I put the earpiece on, Suleiman handed me a phone with a red cover.
"Remember—don't move from your spot. Not under any circumstances."
Even if he hadn't warned me, I didn't think I'd be able to move anyway.
I stood alone in front of the blue building.
Lina and Suleiman had already hidden themselves. He carried a bag that strangely matched his suit and disappeared somewhere.
I could see Lina from a distance, but no matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find him anywhere.
Did he use his ability?
That had to be it.
I looked at the watch on my wrist. Every tick of the second hand brought the moment closer.
My heart pounded violently in my chest, and I could still feel the lingering heat brushing against the side of my face from before.
Pull yourself together… everything will be fine.
Can I even trust them?
Either way, this wasn't the time to doubt.
One o'clock arrived.
And with it, my tension peaked.
My hand kept drifting toward my bag, tempted to pull out the spinner and spin it wildly to match my anxiety—
but I stopped myself.
Time passed slowly.
One o'clock passed.
Then it was one thirty.
I kept standing.
Then it was two.
Lina's voice came through the earpiece:
"Why hasn't he come yet? Did he forget?"
"Maybe…" I muttered.
Suleiman, meanwhile, remained completely silent.
To be honest, the delay had a slight calming effect.
Then it was three.
I had been standing for so long that my legs were starting to go numb.
The only comfort was the cloudy weather, unlike yesterday.
Did something happen to him?
I started imagining scenarios that could've prevented him from coming. Considering how desperate he had been to retrieve his phone the other day, one possibility stood out—
That the entity had burned him.
It was four now.
I seriously started thinking about leaving.
My legs could barely support me anymore, and my back ached so badly I could even hear faint cracks.
Passersby had also begun to look at me suspiciously.
"Should I just leave? It doesn't seem like he's coming today… Should I give the phone to the building guard and let him pass it on?"
Honestly, I was exhausted.
So I decided to leave.
I took a few steps away from the building and let out a deep breath.
Deep down, I was relieved he hadn't come.
"Don't move. He's in the street right behind you!"
"!!"
My legs froze as if struck by lightning. I couldn't think.
Who's coming? Now? From where?
My tension surged again, and my memory began playing tricks on me, recalling the burning smell from that night—
No.
The smell was real.
It wasn't my imagination.
It was stronger than before.
And it was… getting closer.
"S-sorry… I'm… late!"
I heard the young man's voice between ragged breaths.
His voice alone made sweat run down my back.
I turned my head stiffly—like a broken machine.
---
Sara's day passed in the same dull routine she had grown used to:
Wake up, eat, sleep… then eat again.
Yet despite this monotony, she couldn't suppress the journalist within her.
She had to finish the last case she had been working on before resigning—
The Blue Building case.
She sat in front of her open laptop, her lower lip practically devouring her upper one.
She was so focused on the screen that she forgot to blink.
No matter how many times I look at it… there's something strange.
But… I don't know what it is.
"Sara!"
Someone crept up behind her and whispered her name into her ear.
She jumped, nearly falling off her chair—if not for him catching her.
"Haha, hello. Miss me?"
She pushed his face away with a disgusted expression and turned back to her screen without answering.
"What are you so focused on?" he asked, leaning closer.
"The Blue Building?"
He glanced at her again, then said teasingly,
"You're interested in that building too?"
"Why are you here?"
She shot him an annoyed look.
"Because I missed my dear sister. How have you been?"
"I'm not fine. Leave."
She reopened her notebook and reviewed the notes she had written before being detained.
Her brother—who shared her sharp features—looked at the same page.
"Fifth floor, second apartment.
Second floor, first apartment.
Ninth floor, first apartment…
Hmm… looks like a pattern."
He read the lines from her notebook.
"Doesn't it?" she finally turned to him.
"It feels like some kind of sequence… I can smell something suspicious in this case."
"A sequence… a sequence…
A date!"
She snapped her notebook shut and quickly typed something into the search engine.
Within seconds, results appeared:
[Blue Building: Suicide Incident – 25/12/1992]
She clicked the first result and immediately began reading.
"This is strange! But what's the connection between this date and the apartments where the suicides occurred? This doesn't feel normal at all!"
She muttered out loud without realizing it.
But beside her, her brother's bright smile faded, replaced by a tense, hardened expression.
"All the numbers match… except one. 92?"
"Sara, I'm heading out with my friends. Want me to bring you anything?"
He didn't wait for her answer before rushing out.
"Don't come back agai —!"
*Bam.
The door slammed shut loudly.
"What's wrong with him?"
---
*Riiing… riiing…
On the rooftop of one of the buildings surrounding the Blue Building, a man in a black suit lay prone with a sniper rifle unlike any ordinary one.
He was completely focused on the young man approaching Maryam from behind—
when his phone suddenly rang.
He didn't pick up.
He couldn't afford to.
The phone stopped on its own.
A second later—
*Riiing… riiing…
He ignored it again.
Even the slightest distraction could mean disaster.
It stopped again.
*Riiing… riiing…
This time, Suleiman felt the caller's urgency.
Something told him that if he didn't answer, he would pay a greater price than missing his shot.
Without taking his eyes off his target, he lifted the phone to his ear.
"Hello."
[Boss, where are you?] came the urgent voice.
"Basil? I'm busy right now, I—"
[If you're at the Blue Building—it's 92! No, the second floor, apartment nine! Boss… it's a vengeful spirit—]
"…!"
Suleiman's already cold face froze.
Then he suddenly moved the sniper rifle…