Chapter 76: Welcome Home
Morning arrived.
For Dillan...
It didn’t feel like morning.
It felt like he had survived something.
His body was awake.
His mind wasn’t.
The events of the previous night replayed endlessly inside his head.
No heartbeat.
Forty-seven seconds.
A woman beside his bed.
A dream that refused to let him wake.
He sat alone in the infirmary staring blankly at the ceiling.
Sleep.
He feared it now.
A gentle knock came at the open door.
"...Come in."
Dana stepped inside carrying a paper bag.
"I figured you’d forget breakfast."
"...Probably."
She handed him a sandwich.
"You scared everyone."
"I scared myself."
Dana sat beside him.
Neither spoke for a while.
"...You know..."
She finally broke the silence.
"...When we were kids..."
"You always remembered everyone."
Dillan chuckled weakly.
"I’ve gotten old."
"Twenty-two isn’t old."
"It feels like it."
She smiled.
Only for a second.
Then her expression became serious again.
"...Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"...Do you remember everyone from your childhood?"
He frowned.
"Not everyone."
"Anyone who moved away?"
Dillan searched his memory.
Faces surfaced.
Teachers.
Neighbors.
Old classmates.
Then...
Nothing.
"...No."
Dana nodded slowly.
"...Just asking."
She stood.
"...Get some rest."
Dillan laughed.
"I don’t think that’s happening."
Elsewhere...
Inside the Guardian Network conference room...
Every member of the Compass had gathered.
Commander Yuna stood before the large digital display.
"We have a problem."
Nobody disagreed.
Dr. Yeon projected Dillan’s medical scans onto the screen.
"Physically..."
"He’s completely healthy."
She changed slides.
Brainwave activity filled the monitor.
"Mentally..."
"...I’ve never seen anything like this."
She enlarged the image.
Two distinct wave patterns overlapped each other.
One belonged to Dillan.
The other...
Nobody could identify.
"...There are two neural signatures."
Silence.
Commander Yuna folded her arms.
"...Meaning?"
Yeon inhaled slowly.
"...Something else is dreaming with him."
Nobody spoke.
Lyra quietly looked toward the window.
"...Not dreaming."
Everyone turned toward her.
She continued softly.
"...Remembering."
The room fell silent.
Mira suddenly entered carrying a tablet.
"I found something."
She connected it to the display.
An old personnel database appeared.
Ironspire Guild.
Archived employee records.
"...I searched everyone who worked with Dillan."
Rows of names scrolled past.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
Then...
One employee profile stopped her finger.
Gamilo, Sasha
Former Administrative Assistant
Employment Period:
Two Years Before the Gates
Status:
Transferred
Commander Yuna frowned.
"...Who is she?"
Mira shook her head.
"I don’t know."
"I asked Ironspire."
"And?"
"They barely remember her."
Dana looked confused.
"...That’s strange."
Mira nodded.
"...Very."
She opened another file.
Employee interaction logs.
One name appeared repeatedly.
Dillan Ruren
Administrative Processing Records
Approved Requests:
43
"...Forty-three?"
Dana whispered.
"He processed forty-three of her requests."
Commander Yuna looked toward the screen.
"So they knew each other."
"...Apparently."
Lyra quietly stared at the name.
"...Sasha..."
Something about it...
Felt familiar.
At the same moment...
Across Seoul...
A luxury black sedan rolled silently through the morning traffic.
Inside...
A young woman sat beside the window.
Long crimson hair flowed neatly over her shoulders.
A tailored black coat rested elegantly over a white blouse.
Everything about her appearance was immaculate.
Graceful.
Refined.
Beautiful.
Her crimson eyes quietly watched the passing streets.
She wasn’t smiling.
Not yet.
Resting on her lap...
Was an old photograph.
Two children.
A young boy laughing.
A little girl holding his hand.
The edges of the photograph had become worn from years of careful handling.
She gently brushed her thumb across the boy’s face.
"...I’m home."
The driver glanced into the rearview mirror.
"Miss Gamilo."
"...Yes?"
"We’ll arrive in five minutes."
She nodded politely.
"...Thank you."
Her phone vibrated.
A message from her father.
The apartment has been prepared. Call if you need anything.
She typed a short reply.
Thank you, Father.
Then locked the screen.
Her eyes returned to the photograph.
"...I kept my promise."
Outside...
The Guardian Network headquarters slowly appeared in the distance.
She looked at it for several seconds.
Then quietly laughed.
"...You’re closer than I imagined."
Meanwhile...
Dillan wandered through headquarters trying to clear his mind.
Coffee in one hand.
Notebook in the other.
He hadn’t written anything today.
He was afraid to.
Every page reminded him of the message that wasn’t his.
He stopped beside a large window overlooking the entrance courtyard.
People came and went.
Researchers.
Hunters.
Delivery trucks.
Ordinary movement.
Then...
A black sedan slowly entered through the main security gate.
He watched absentmindedly.
The rear passenger door opened.
A young woman stepped out.
Long crimson hair.
Elegant black coat.
Calm posture.
She looked up.
Their eyes met.
Time stopped.
His coffee slipped from his hand.
The paper cup struck the floor.
Brown liquid spread across the tiles.
A violent pain exploded inside his head.
Images flashed.
Children laughing.
A swing.
Summer sunlight.
A little girl crying.
A promise.
A red ribbon.
Then...
A voice.
"You promised..."
Dillan staggered backward.
"...What..."
Far below...
The young woman looked directly at him.
Her expression softened.
For the first time since arriving...
She smiled.
Not triumphantly.
Not cruelly.
Like someone who had finally found a missing piece of her own heart.
Very softly...
Too softly for anyone to hear...
She whispered,
"...I found you."
Inside the headquarters...
Every monitor suddenly flickered.
Blue windows erupted before Dillan’s eyes.
[WARNING.]
[ONEIRIC MALFORMATION RESPONSE DETECTED.]
[SOURCE... IDENTIFIED.]
The notification froze.
Then glitched.
As though the System itself couldn’t believe what it had found.
Dillan stared through the window.
The woman never looked away.
For reasons he couldn’t explain...
He felt like he’d known her once.
A very long time ago.
But no matter how hard he searched...
He couldn’t remember her name.
The notification remained suspended before Dillan’s eyes.
[WARNING.]
[ONEIRIC MALFORMATION RESPONSE DETECTED.]
[SOURCE... IDENTIFIED.]
The final line glitched.
Repeated.
Then vanished.
No explanation.
No name.
Nothing.
"...Source...?"
Dillan whispered.
His headache intensified.
Fragments crashed through his mind.
A park.
Summer.
A little girl’s laughter.
A promise...
Just beyond his reach.
He instinctively looked back toward the courtyard.
The young woman was still standing there.
Watching him.
Not moving.
Not speaking.
Just...
Watching.
Their eyes remained locked together.
Then someone stepped between them.
The connection broke.
When Dillan looked again...
She was gone.
"...What?"
He hurried toward the window.
Nothing.
Only Hunters crossing the courtyard.
Researchers carrying files.
The black sedan remained parked.
But the woman...
Had disappeared.
"...Dillan?"
Dana’s voice pulled him back.
She hurried over after noticing the spilled coffee.
"...What happened?"
"There was..."
He looked toward the courtyard again.
"...Someone."
Dana followed his gaze.
"I don’t see anyone."
"I..."
He hesitated.
"...Neither do I."
Meanwhile...
On the first floor...
The reception desk received a visitor.
The receptionist smiled politely.
"Good afternoon."
The young woman returned the smile.
"Good afternoon."
"May I help you?"
"I have an appointment."
"Your name?"
"...Sasha."
She paused.
"...Sasha Gamilo."
The receptionist typed quickly.
A visitor request immediately appeared.
VISITOR APPROVED
Requested By: Commander Yuna Vale
"Everything seems to be in order."
"Thank you."
"Please wait in the reception lounge."
Sasha nodded gracefully.
"...Of course."
She walked toward the waiting area.
Every movement calm.
Elegant.
Measured.
Not a single unnecessary gesture.
Several Hunters glanced toward her.
Mostly because she was beautiful.
One whispered quietly.
"...Is she a Hunter?"
Another shrugged.
"No idea."
Neither noticed...
That Sasha’s attention had never once left the upper floors.
She knew exactly where Dillan had been standing.
Even now...
She smiled to herself.
"...You’re taller."
Several floors above...
Commander Yuna read the visitor notification.
Her eyebrows lifted slightly.
"...Gamilo..."
The surname sounded familiar.
She immediately contacted Mira.
"Come to my office."
Minutes later...
Mira entered carrying her tablet.
"You called?"
Yuna rotated the monitor toward her.
Mira’s expression changed instantly.
"...Sasha."
"The same one?"
"The employee records."
Silence.
Yuna leaned back.
"...Interesting timing."
"Too interesting."
Commander Yuna nodded once.
"...Let’s meet her."
Outside the office...
Lyra suddenly stopped walking.
She looked toward the elevator.
The doors slowly opened.
Inside...
A young woman stood quietly with both hands folded before her.
Long crimson hair.
Black coat.
Gentle smile.
Their eyes met.
For several long seconds...
Neither moved.
The elevator chimed.
Sasha stepped out first.
"...Hello."
Her voice was warm.
Almost comforting.
Lyra answered just as softly.
"...Hello."
Silence.
Anyone passing by would’ve believed two strangers had simply greeted each other.
Only Lyra noticed it.
The invisible Resonance Field...
Moved.
Not violently.
Almost...
Like it had recognized someone.
Sasha’s smile widened ever so slightly.
"...Beautiful."
Lyra tilted her head.
"...What is?"
"...The Field."
The hallway became strangely quiet.
"...You can feel it?"
Sasha looked around innocently.
"...Feel what?"
Before Lyra could answer...
The elevator doors closed.
Sasha continued walking toward the reception hall.
Never looking back.
Lyra remained standing there.
Her normally calm expression carried the smallest trace of concern.
"...She heard it..."
Elsewhere...
Dillan couldn’t concentrate.
He had attempted to finish three reports.
Every page remained blank.
His thoughts kept returning to the woman in the courtyard.
"...Who are you..."
The words escaped unconsciously.
"...Trying to remember someone?"
Mira stood beside his desk.
He looked up.
"...Maybe."
She watched him carefully.
"...Come with me."
"Why?"
"Commander wants everyone in the conference room."
"...Did something happen?"
Mira hesitated.
"...Someone came to see us."
Dillan frowned.
"...Who?"
"I think..."
She looked toward the hallway.
"...You’re about to find out."
Inside the reception lounge...
Sasha quietly sipped a cup of tea.
Untouched cookies rested neatly beside it.
She hadn’t eaten a single one.
Instead...
She observed the room.
The photographs on the wall.
The Guardian Network emblem.
The footsteps passing outside.
Everything.
Patiently.
Calmly.
As though she had all the time in the world.
A staff member approached.
"Miss Gamilo?"
She looked up.
"Commander Yuna will see you now."
Sasha stood.
Smoothed the sleeve of her coat.
Then smiled.
"...Thank you."
As she walked toward the conference room...
Her heartbeat remained perfectly steady.
After all...
She had rehearsed this meeting...
Hundreds of times.
Outside the conference room...
Dillan reached for the door.
For reasons he couldn’t explain...
His hand stopped halfway.
A strange feeling settled in his chest.
Not fear.
Not danger.
Recognition.
Faint.
Broken.
Almost forgotten.
He frowned.
"...Why..."
The door slowly opened.
Inside...
A young woman rose from her chair.
Long crimson hair shimmered beneath the room’s lights.
Her gentle crimson eyes met his.
Neither spoke.
The room fell completely silent.
Sasha’s lips slowly curved into the same smile that had haunted his dreams for days.
Then...
With tears quietly gathering in the corners of her eyes...
She whispered.
"...It’s been a long time..."
Dillan stared at her.
His head throbbed.
Fragments of childhood laughter echoed somewhere deep inside his mind.
But no matter how desperately he searched...
He couldn’t remember her.
"...I’m..."
He spoke carefully.
"...Sorry..."
"...Have we met?"
Sasha’s smile remained.
Perfect.
Gentle.
Beautiful.
Only her eyes betrayed the truth.
For the briefest moment...
Something inside them...
Broke.