A cold night… Pouring rain… Freezing winds.
In a small graveyard, a girl laid like a sleeping angel on the damp earth. Her delicate, beautiful dress was soiled, and the biting cold stung her flushed face. She looked lifeless, tears still fresh and glistening in her eyes.
People stood around her, tossing roses until she was entirely buried beneath them.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open. "I am not dead yet!!" she screamed.
But something terrifying happened… she couldn't hear her own words. Frozen in place, she tried to scream again: "I am not dead yet!!!"
It was a silent scream.
Am I deaf, or has my voice vanished?! she panicked.
Paralyzed, unmoving… terrified, and entirely out of control. A suffocating sensation of absolute helplessness subdued her.
What is happening… Am I dead?!
And amidst this sheer terror, a deafening noise pierced her ears. Helpless, she waited as it grew louder. She gathered her strength, fought back against the unseen weight, and jolted up with sudden force!
Her eyes flew open. She was in her bed.
It was just a nightmare.
The alarm was still ringing. It was 4:30 AM. On the screen, a single label flashed: [The Promise].
Her throat was parched, her hair a tangled mess. She rubbed her exhausted eyes, only to realize… tears were truly streaming down her cheeks. She felt the warm dampness of her pillow and whispered in shock, "Tears I didn't even shed when my parents passed away."
She noticed her bedroom door left ajar. A little girl stood there, watching in fear, crying silently. She reached out, and the child ran straight into her warm embrace.
"Sister!" the little girl cried into her chest, her voice heavy. "You were screaming and crying the whole time… You scared me! Are you okay, Kyouko?"
Kyouko stroked her hair, replying softly, "I'm fine, Kyoury."
After a few quiet moments, the child fell asleep in her arms. Kyouko carried her back to her bed, kissed her forehead, and quietly shut the door.
...
Kyouko stepped out onto her balcony, gazing out at the dark graveyard.
"Mother…" she whispered to the wind. "My sister is fine… she is smart. Do you have any other will for me?"
She paused, the cold air playing with her hair cloaked by the dark night.
"I want to know why I cried beside you in my dream. I thought I had moved past that. Why does it grieve me now, when I didn't even shed a tear at your passing… How? But don't mind me, and don't worry. Despite the heavy responsibilities, the mounting sorrows, the bitter experiences, and my buried pain… he is right there before me. Like an illuminating candle."
She closed her eyes, praying for her parents as she continued her silent monologue.
He is the one who taught me how to love my sister, honor my mother, release my tears, hold hope for my soul, open my heart, and break my silence by scattering my poetry. And when my pen melted away, failing to carry my weight, you came along, Loken… you paved my path, until your soul found a home in my heart.
...
She went back inside and got ready. Dressed beautifully, she sat on her warm bed. The clock struck 4:55.
"It's almost time…" she whispered. "He will call soon."
She closed her eyes, staring at the phone screen displaying his name, and her memories pulled her back to that crowded university corridor. To their very first encounter.
...
Girls were whispering excitedly about the cold, handsome figure walking down the hall. The twins stood slightly apart from the crowd.
"Brother, please don't embarrass me in front of them," Lynen whispered fiercely. "Everyone is saying you're always glued to me!"
"Why should I care, as long as you're with me?" Loken replied smoothly.
"I want to get rid of you… I'm tired."
Loken smiled, opening his striking, silver eyes. Lynen looked at him, focusing intently as he spoke. "And where is the problem, sister? Are you truly tired of me? If you want, I can live on my own."
Lynen frowned, sighing heavily. She didn't like his words.
He placed his hand gently on her head. "You are the best sister in the world," he murmured. "I need no one else as long as I have you… No one else could tolerate me."
"Brother, I live to serve you," Lynen said softly. "You are the purpose of my life."
Loken chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Then let's go to the lecture."
...
Kyouko spotted the twins, their paths crossing on the way to the hall.
"Kyouko!! How are you?" Lynen called out.
"Hello, Lynen… I'm fine," Kyouko replied.
Loken kept walking, leaving them behind.
Lynen immediately called after him, anxiety lacing her tone, "Wait, don't walk alone… you might fall!"
He didn't turn back, merely raising his hand in a dismissive gesture that meant: Don't worry about it.
Kyouko frowned. "Why are you so afraid for him?"
Lynen went quiet for a moment before sighing. "I can't tell you."
"I don't mind, but you're exaggerating," Kyouko noted. "Would you kill someone for him, for instance?!"
Lynen laughed, but there was a sharp edge to it. "I hope I never have to, because I just might!"
Kyouko chuckled. "How caring of you."
"Loken deserves more than that… Anyway, let's go."
What a lovely pair of twins, Kyouko thought to herself as they walked.
...
The lecture ended. The hall emptied out, yet Loken sat alone in the front row. He was staring intently at his open book. Kyouko watched him in confusion; his eyes were entirely fixed, never tracking the lines. It was as if he was lost in his own imagination.
Lynen and Kyouko walked down the tiered seating toward him. He turned his head slightly the moment he heard the familiar sound of her footsteps. He knew it was his sister.
Lynen approached, touched his shoulder, and whispered, "Let's go!"
He stood up immediately, walking ahead of her with extreme, almost practiced composure.
"You forgot your book!!" Kyouko called out in astonishment.
Loken tensed visibly. Lynen quickly picked it up, and they continued on their way.
...
As they walked through the corridors, Lynen stopped to talk to some of her friends. Loken kept walking alone. Kyouko seized the moment, slipping away from the group to catch up with him.
"I want to talk to you," she said in a hushed voice. "Away from Lynen."
Loken looked surprised but quickly masked it with his usual high-level composure. From afar, Lynen watched Kyouko walk off alone with her brother as they headed outside.
Minutes later, they met in the campus park. She sat on a bench across from him.
He raised his eyes in her direction. "Is there a problem, Kyouko?"
She didn't hesitate. With a soft tone, she dropped the sudden question: "Can you see me?"
He looked away. He closed his eyes. No response.
Kyouko grabbed her pen and hurled it straight at his face!
It struck him directly—and he didn't even blink. He flinched afterward, his body going rigid.
"Why didn't you dodge it?!!" she demanded, her voice rising.
His face flushed scarlet with anxiety. Still, no response.
"Speak! Answer me honestly, Loken!" she yelled. "Have you been acting this whole time!!?"
Silence.
"This must be exhausting for you," she finally said, her voice dropping into a sad, pained whisper. "No one can bear this. Tell me what's wrong. I can't stand seeing you like this all the time. This isn't you… Don't feign strength until it destroys you."
In that exact moment, his masks shattered. He realized he was exposed. Something deep touched his heart. He raised his head and opened his eyes to her… letting her drown in their unique beauty. They gleamed, sparkled, welled up… and finally, they fell.
For the very first time, his tears flowed. And that was when his heart finally listened.
Someone understood me.
"I…" he hesitated, his voice choking in his throat. "I am blind!!!"
Kyouko broke down, instantly clamping her hand over her mouth so he wouldn't hear her gasp. Her mind raced in sheer wonder.
Loken… how? How did he master this act! Walking among people, talking to them, moving his eyes and showing expressions as if he were completely normal… No one ever noticed. And he did all this… using only an acute sense of hearing… He is an absolute genius… but in reality, he is exhausted and desperately needs Lynen.
He broke my heart… and shook my very core. You look at men and see solid rocks, but inside, their cores are soft… easily pierced by water.
"What is this flowing on my cheek?" Loken asked, sounding like a lost child. "It's warm…"
Kyouko noticed her own vision blurring as warm water flowed down her cheek too. With a tender voice, wiping her eyelids, she answered him.
"We are crying, Loken. These are tears… So this is what tears are. We are experiencing something new."
A soft laugh, beautifully mingled with sorrow, escaped them both.
...
Lying on her bed, gripping her phone, she brought herself back to the present, recounting the story of her life to herself.
How strange and beautiful fate is… Our first meeting was entirely made of tears. But it was the most beautiful… for the tears flowed, and washed away the sorrows. Our beautiful promise… How wonderful it is to share a secret between you and the most important person in your life… Will he fulfill it today?
Her thoughts were violently cut short. The phone rang.
It was him. Loken!
She tensed slightly, picking up the phone and answering in a hushed, breathless voice, "Hello…"
But it wasn't him. It was an unfamiliar voice. A strange man, his voice loud and panting, surrounded by the chaotic sounds of a commotion.
"The owner of this phone is your husband… right?!" the stranger demanded.
Terrified and confused, she stuttered, "Y-yes… but we haven't…"
"Get to the hospital, quickly!!" the man interrupted sharply. "The man named Loken is in the ICU… he suffered a critical stab wound!"
Her body began to tremble violently. The phone slipped from her fingers, clattering onto the bed. She grabbed her head as her breathing quickened, her gasps echoing loudly in the quiet room as if she were suffocating.
Her heart felt like it would explode from the violent beats shaking her entire body. Panic consumed her completely as she scrambled frantically.
"What do I do… what do I do… stabbed… what do I do… what do I do… Loken… What do I do!!?"
"WHAT!!!"
To be continued....