Chapter 29 – Why Do You Think I Followed You?

Beneath the lone tree on the eighth floor, under a sky shimmering with countless stars, we made camp. Luna, exhausted, was already asleep, curled up in her sleeping bag, her small body barely making a dent in its downy confines. Her soft, rhythmic breathing was a comforting counterpoint to the quiet hum of the Abyss. Occasionally, she’d murmur in her sleep, a small smile touching her lips.

I leaned back against my own sleeping bag, staring up at the sky, a strange sense of peace settling over me. I’d never imagined finding such tranquility in the Abyss. Is it real? This sky, these stars… or just another illusion, a cruel trick of the Abyss?

A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying with it a faint, sweet fragrance, and a memory surfaced, unbidden. Elise, her youthful face tilted towards the sky, her eyes shining with wonder.

“Oppa,” she’d asked, her voice filled with a childlike curiosity, “do you think… the sky is real?”

“Of course it’s real,” I’d said, confused by the question. “We see it every day.”

She’d smiled, shaking her head. “Maybe not. Maybe… it’s just a movie. A film reel, playing over and over. And the real sky… is hidden. Behind it all.”

Her words had puzzled me then, but now… looking at the starlit sky, the gently pulsing light of the pattern beneath our feet… I wondered if she’d been right. It was all so… perfect. Too perfect. Like a carefully crafted illusion.

What if the real sky… is hidden? What if… this is just another layer of the Abyss’s deception?

But it didn’t matter. Real or not, the beauty of the moment, the tranquility, the peace… it was a welcome respite from the horrors we’d endured. I wanted to hold onto it, to savor it, to lose myself in its ephemeral embrace.

“How long will this hope last…?” I whispered, the words escaping my lips unbidden.

“Noah…”

A soft voice, close to my ear, made me jump. I turned, but there was no one there.

“Elise…?”

It was her voice. So clear. So real. Was she here? A phantom, a memory, a figment of my guilt? She hadn’t appeared since our senses had returned. Was it the Resonance, amplifying my grief, my regret?

I sat up, looking around, but Yuri and Luna were still asleep, their breathing slow and steady.

“Noah…” The voice again, closer now, then fading, disappearing into the wind.

…how long will this hope last…?

Her words, a question, an accusation, echoed in my mind, a chilling reminder of the fragility of our situation, the ever-present threat of the Abyss. I wanted to believe in this peace, this tranquility, but a part of me… a part of me knew it wouldn’t last.

I lay back down, closing my eyes, my heart pounding, the silence of the Abyss amplifying its frantic rhythm. I tried to push away the thoughts, the doubts, the fears, focusing instead on the gentle breeze rustling through the leaves, the soft glow of the pattern beneath us, the steady breathing of my companions. Just… this moment. Hold onto this moment.

The wind picked up, carrying with it the scent of damp earth, of something… sweet, something… familiar. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath, the cool night air a welcome sensation, grounding me, reminding me that I was… alive.

“How far we’ve come…” I murmured, the memories of our journey flooding back, the trials, the tribulations, the losses… the sacrifices. This peace… it was fleeting, a temporary respite before the next descent, the next challenge. But I wanted to savor it, to hold onto it, to pretend, just for a little while, that it could last.

The starlight shimmered on the ground, intertwining with the soft glow of the pattern, blurring the lines between earth and sky, creating a sense of… wonder, of… magic. Even if it’s an illusion… let it last…

“Noah…”

A soft voice startled me. I turned to see Yuri, half-sitting up in her sleeping bag, her eyes still heavy with sleep, but her gaze… focused on me.

“Yuri? I thought you were asleep.”

She shook her head, her expression troubled. “Bad dream… woke me.” Her voice was quiet, laced with a subtle anxiety.

I sat up. “Are you okay? What did you dream about?”

She didn’t answer, her gaze drifting towards the sky, then back to me, her expression hesitant, uncertain. Was it the past? The trauma? Resurfacing in her dreams?

“Noah…” she whispered, her voice soft, almost… shy. “…walk with me? Please?”

“Sure,” I said, pushing myself to my feet. “Some fresh air will do us good.”

We walked away from the camp, careful not to wake Luna, our footsteps silent on the smooth, shimmering ground. The air was cool, the starlight bright, the patterns on the ground pulsing gently, the whole scene bathed in an ethereal glow.

“It’s… beautiful, isn’t it?” Yuri said, stopping, her gaze sweeping across the landscape. “So peaceful… it’s hard to believe… we’re still in the Abyss.”

“I know,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s unlike anything we’ve seen before.”

She walked closer, her shoulder brushing against mine, her head bowed, her voice low. “I had a dream… that we were… trapped here. Forever.”

Her voice was steady, but I heard the tremor of fear beneath the surface.

“It was just a dream, Yuri. We’ll find a way out.”

“I hope so,” she whispered.

She stopped, her feet resting on the glowing pattern, the light pulsing around her, illuminating her face, her profile, highlighting the curve of her cheek, the length of her eyelashes, the softness of her lips.

“Noah,” she said, her voice quiet, almost… hesitant. “Why do you think… I followed you… into the Abyss?”

Her question surprised me. It was a question I’d wanted to ask her. She hadn’t lost anything to the Abyss, not like me. She had no reason…

“I… honestly, I’ve been wondering the same thing,” I admitted, my cheeks flushing slightly. It was the truth, but it felt… inadequate.

She nodded slowly, then sighed, turning to face me, a small smile playing on her lips.

“Dummy.” Her voice was soft, but there was a hint of… something else… in her tone. Playfulness? Affection?

I chuckled nervously. “What? I’m a dummy?”

“Yes. A clueless dummy.” She smiled, stepping closer, her gaze meeting mine, her eyes sparkling in the starlight.

She stopped inches from me, her head tilted slightly, her smile widening.

“That’s why I like you.”

And then, before I could react, she reached out, her arms circling my neck, pulling me into a warm embrace.

“Yuri… what…?”

Her warmth enveloped me, a comforting, familiar sensation, her hair brushing against my cheek, her soft breath on my neck. It was more than just… warmth. It was… something else. Something that made my heart beat faster, a strange mix of excitement and… something akin to… fear.

She pulled away, her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling. “Think about it, Noah,” she whispered, her voice low, husky. “Why I followed you.”

And then, with a mischievous grin, she stepped back, leaving me standing there, speechless, my heart pounding, my mind reeling.

“I’ll ask you again,” she said, her voice light, teasing, “when we reach the ninth floor. And then… you have to answer.”

“Yuri… I…”

“No answer yet,” she said, interrupting me, shrugging, her gaze returning to the starlit sky. “It’s… homework. Think about it.” Her tone was light, playful, but her eyes… her eyes held a depth of emotion that I couldn’t quite decipher.

I stood there, watching her, my mind racing, my heart still pounding, a strange mix of confusion and… something else… something… hopeful… blossoming within me.

This moment… this was… more than just a moment. This was… something real. Something… important.

And I knew… I needed time… to understand it.