Chapter 77: The Meeting
"...Have we met?"
The question lingered in the room.
Silence followed.
Not the comfortable kind.
The suffocating kind.
Sasha stood perfectly still.
Her smile never disappeared.
Yet something deep inside her crimson eyes quietly cracked.
Not anger.
Not hatred.
Disappointment.
Small.
Painfully small.
"...You really don’t remember."
Her voice was barely louder than a whisper.
Dillan lowered his eyes.
"I’m sorry..."
"I’ve been trying."
Another silence.
Commander Yuna watched both of them carefully.
"You two know each other?"
Sasha looked away from Dillan for the first time.
"We grew up together."
Dana blinked.
"...Childhood friends?"
Sasha nodded.
"For several years."
Everyone instinctively looked toward Dillan.
He frowned.
"I..."
Nothing.
His memories remained frustratingly blank.
"I can’t remember."
"...I know."
Sasha answered gently.
There wasn’t a trace of blame in her voice.
Only sadness.
"I figured."
Commander Yuna gestured toward the empty chair.
"Please."
"Sit."
Sasha thanked her politely before sitting down.
Every movement remained elegant.
Controlled.
Not once did she glance away from Dillan for very long.
Not because she was staring.
Because every few seconds...
Her eyes naturally drifted back toward him.
As though reassuring herself...
He was really there.
Yuna folded her hands.
"You requested this meeting."
"I did."
"Why?"
Sasha smiled softly.
"I wanted to see an old friend."
Simple.
Honest.
Nothing threatening.
Commander Yuna didn’t relax.
"You traveled across the country just to say hello?"
"My family relocated overseas years ago."
"I recently returned."
"And the first thing you did..."
Yuna paused.
"...Was search for Dillan."
"...Yes."
She answered without hesitation.
No embarrassment.
No attempt to hide it.
"Why?"
Sasha’s smile became almost nostalgic.
"Because..."
"He promised we’d meet again."
The room became quiet once more.
Dillan slowly rubbed his temple.
"...A promise..."
Something stirred.
Children laughing.
Tiny hands intertwined.
A swing moving beneath a summer sky.
The memory appeared...
Then dissolved.
His head throbbed violently.
"...Damn..."
Dana immediately noticed.
"Dillan?"
"I’m..."
He squeezed his eyes shut.
"...Fine."
Nobody believed him.
Mira quietly observed Sasha.
Every answer had been calm.
Measured.
Nothing suspicious.
Yet...
Something felt...
Wrong.
Not what Sasha said.
How she said it.
She never stumbled.
Never searched for words.
It was as though she had rehearsed this conversation countless times.
Lyra remained silent.
Watching.
Listening.
Feeling.
The Resonance Field surrounding headquarters rippled gently.
Whenever Sasha spoke...
The ripples became stronger.
Almost...
As though the Field itself recognized her voice.
"...Interesting..."
Lyra whispered.
Sasha’s eyes briefly shifted toward her.
The smile returned.
"...What is?"
Lyra met her gaze.
"...Nothing."
Neither woman looked away.
The room suddenly felt colder.
Commander Yuna finally stood.
"I appreciate you coming."
Sasha rose as well.
"Thank you for seeing me."
Yuna nodded once.
"If you remember anything..."
She looked toward Dillan.
"...Contact her."
"I will."
Dillan answered automatically.
Sasha smiled warmly.
"I’d like that."
The meeting ended.
Everyone slowly left the conference room.
Everyone...
Except Sasha.
She remained standing near the window.
Watching the afternoon sunlight spill across the floor.
Behind her...
Dillan hesitated.
"...Sasha."
She turned immediately.
"...Yes?"
"I’m..."
He struggled to find the words.
"...Sorry."
"I wish I remembered."
For several seconds...
She simply looked at him.
Then...
She laughed quietly.
Not mockingly.
Almost affectionately.
"You always apologized."
"...Did I?"
"You still do."
A faint smile appeared on Dillan’s face.
"...Guess some things don’t change."
"No."
Sasha whispered.
"They don’t."
Outside the room...
Dana waited beside the doorway.
She watched the conversation through the narrow gap before quietly walking away.
Something about Sasha unsettled her.
She couldn’t explain why.
The woman had been perfectly polite.
Perfectly reasonable.
Yet...
Dana’s instincts refused to settle.
That evening...
Sasha arrived at her apartment.
It overlooked the city skyline.
Elegant.
Quiet.
Expensive.
Exactly what her family had arranged.
She placed her suitcase beside the sofa.
Walked toward the large bookshelf.
Opened a hidden compartment.
Inside...
Neatly organized.
Twenty-three notebooks.
Every cover carried the same label.
Dillan
Year 1.
Year 2.
Year 3.
...
Year 14.
She gently removed the oldest notebook.
Sat beside the window.
Opened the first page.
Childish handwriting filled the paper.
Today Dillan shared half his lunch with me.
He smiled when I thanked him.
I think he’s nice.
She turned another page.
He promised we’ll stay friends forever.
Another.
Dad says we’re moving away.
I don’t want to leave him.
Another.
Tiny water stains had dried into the paper years ago.
I cried today.
He said we’ll definitely meet again someday.
It’s a promise.
Sasha gently closed the notebook.
She pressed it against her chest.
"...See?"
She whispered into the empty apartment.
"...You remembered."
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
"...Even if you forgot..."
She smiled.
"...I remembered enough for both of us."
Late that night...
Dillan stood alone on the balcony outside headquarters.
The city lights shimmered beneath the darkness.
For the first time in days...
There were no dreams.
No whispers.
No knocking.
Only silence.
"...Maybe..."
He sighed quietly.
"...Now they’ll stop."
Behind him...
The System activated.
[NOTICE.]
[ONEIRIC MALFORMATION STATUS... STABLE.]
Dillan frowned.
"...Stable?"
He had barely enough time to read the next line.
[NEW PHASE INITIATED.]
The notification disappeared.
Somewhere across the city...
Sasha slowly opened her bedroom window.
The cool night breeze carried the scent of lilies.
She looked toward the distant lights of Guardian Network Headquarters.
Then smiled.
"...Goodnight..."
"...Dillan."
The dreams stopped.
That was the first thing Dillan noticed.
Three nights.
No whispers.
No crimson eyes.
No knocking.
No waking at 3:17 A.M.
For the first time in over a week...
He slept.
Eight uninterrupted hours.
When he woke...
He almost laughed.
"...Finally."
The nightmare was over.
Or so he believed.
The Guardian Network headquarters felt lighter that morning.
Dana noticed it immediately.
"You’re smiling."
"...Am I?"
"You are."
"I guess I actually slept."
She smiled back.
"...Good."
"You look less like a zombie."
"...That’s oddly comforting."
Before Dana could answer...
Sera appeared carrying breakfast.
"Here."
She placed a plate in front of Dillan.
"Eat properly."
"...Yes, Mom."
"I’m not your mother."
"I know."
"...Then finish everything."
He laughed quietly.
"...Fine."
Across the room...
Even Mira seemed more relaxed.
She closed another security report.
"No abnormalities."
Commander Yuna folded her arms.
"So whatever happened..."
"...Appears to have stopped."
Only Lyra remained silent.
She looked out the window.
Her expression hadn’t changed.
Not even slightly.
"...Lyra?"
Dillan looked toward her.
"You okay?"
She slowly turned.
"...Are you?"
"...Much better."
"...Good."
She smiled gently.
Yet...
Something behind that smile felt distant.
As though she wanted to say something.
But couldn’t.
Around noon...
A receptionist entered the dining hall.
"Commander?"
Yuna looked up.
"Yes?"
"...Miss Sasha Gamilo is here."
Silence.
Dillan paused halfway through his meal.
"...Sasha?"
The receptionist nodded.
"She brought lunch."
Several moments later...
Sasha entered carrying two neatly wrapped lunch boxes.
She wore a cream-colored sweater beneath a long black coat.
Simple.
Elegant.
Her crimson hair rested neatly over one shoulder.
She smiled the moment she saw Dillan.
"...Good afternoon."
"...Hi."
His reply came awkwardly.
"I thought..."
"You might not have eaten."
She gently placed one lunch box before him.
"...So I made this."
Dillan blinked.
"You... cooked?"
She nodded.
"You used to like it."
Silence.
"...Used to?"
"When we were children."
Another sharp pain flickered through Dillan’s head.
Very brief.
Gone before he could grasp it.
"...Sorry..."
He rubbed his temple.
"I still can’t remember."
"...That’s alright."
Her answer came immediately.
"I wasn’t expecting you to."
The room quietly observed them.
Nobody interrupted.
Dana watched Sasha carefully.
Every movement.
Every word.
Everything.
Nothing appeared suspicious.
Yet...
Something bothered her.
Whenever Dillan looked away...
Sasha kept looking.
Not intensely.
Not unnaturally.
Simply...
Watching him.
Like she was making sure he hadn’t disappeared.
"...It’s delicious."
Dillan smiled after taking another bite.
"...Really?"
Her face brightened.
"...Yeah."
"I don’t know why..."
He laughed softly.
"...It tastes familiar."
Sasha’s fingers tightened slightly around her chopsticks.
"...I’m glad."
For just a moment...
Her eyes shimmered.
Not with obsession.
With relief.
Across the table...
Lyra quietly noticed something.
The Resonance Field.
Normally invisible.
Normally calm.
Every time Sasha smiled...
The Field answered.
Tiny ripples spread outward.
Almost...
Like recognition.
Lyra lowered her eyes.
"...So it’s true..."
That afternoon...
Mira requested another meeting.
Inside the surveillance room...
Every member of the Compass gathered.
She projected several photographs onto the screen.
"...These were taken today."
The first showed Sasha arriving.
The second...
Sasha talking with Dillan.
The third...
Sasha smiling.
"...What’s wrong with them?"
Dana asked.
Mira enlarged the final photograph.
"...Look behind her."
Everyone leaned closer.
Behind Sasha...
The hallway windows reflected everyone present.
Dillan.
Dana.
Sera.
Yuna.
Mira.
Even Lyra.
Except...
One reflection remained missing.
"...Where’s Sasha?"
Silence.
Her reflection...
Didn’t exist.
"...Camera error?"
Commander Yuna asked.
"I thought so too."
Mira switched to another photograph.
Another angle.
Same result.
Every reflection...
Except Sasha’s.
Nobody spoke.
Dr. Yeon frowned.
"That’s impossible."
"I know."
"...Digital corruption?"
"I checked."
"Lens distortion?"
"I checked."
"...Nothing explains it."
The room became uncomfortably quiet.
Later that evening...
Dillan stood outside headquarters watching the sunset.
Footsteps approached.
He didn’t need to turn around.
"...Sasha."
She stopped beside him.
"...Beautiful evening."
"...Yeah."
Neither spoke for a while.
The wind quietly moved through the trees.
"...I’m sorry."
Dillan suddenly said.
She looked toward him.
"...For what?"
"...For forgetting."
Sasha smiled.
"...You apologized earlier."
"...I know."
"I mean it."
She looked back toward the horizon.
"...I know."
Silence returned.
Then...
Very quietly...
"...Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"When you look at me..."
"...Do you feel anything?"
Dillan thought.
Longer than he expected.
"...Familiar."
She closed her eyes.
"...Anything else?"
"...Sad."
Her breathing stopped for just a moment.
"...Why sad?"
"I don’t know."
He laughed awkwardly.
"It’s strange."
"...Looking at you..."
"...Feels like I lost something."
Sasha slowly lowered her head.
A single tear escaped despite her smile.
"...You did."
The words were almost too soft to hear.
That night...
Dillan slept peacefully.
No dreams.
No whispers.
No fear.
The System quietly appeared beside his bed.
[Oneiric Malformation Status: Stable.]
[Host Sleeping Normally.]
Then...
Without warning...
The notification changed.
[Warning.]
[External Consciousness No Longer Requires Dream Synchronization.]
The blue window flickered.
Then vanished.
Far across the city...
Sasha stood on the balcony of her apartment.
Her crimson eyes looked toward the stars.
She gently touched her own chest.
Smiling peacefully.
"...I don’t need your dreams anymore..."
"...Because I finally found you."