Everything in that moment seemed to carry a hidden melody... a melody concealing a story only told to those who listen in silence.
That quiet evening, the house buzzed with family warmth, their scattered laughter like soft musical notes. Sira sat among her family in the living room, where the scent of tea mingled with the aroma of homemade baked goods. Her mother's vibrant voice filled the room as she recounted her recent adventures in the heart of the city, gesturing wildly as if reliving the moment.
Around them, Becky hopped like a rabbit from corner to corner, chasing his shadow and leaping over cushions, while Emma and Itachi engaged in their daily catfight. Emma would playfully hit Itachi, then dart away, hiding behind Sira or between the couches as if innocent, only to repeat the game—a silent understanding between them.
Eileen chuckled mischievously, looking at Sira, and said in a playful voice, "Mom, you should give Sira a prize today."
Her mother raised an eyebrow in surprise, scrutinizing her eldest daughter with a teasing look, "And why? Did you find a job, dear?"
Eileen replied with biting sarcasm, hands on her hips as if uncovering a scandal, "Yes, and she found a specific kind of job... the very handsome kind!"
Her mother looked even more astonished, her eyebrows rising in a mix of shock and curiosity, "Handsome?!"
Rina quickly intervened, her face flushed with embarrassment as if she were the one caught red-handed, "Eileen means Sira was... praying day and night for the owner of the pharmacy where she'll work to be single... and handsome... and to love her... and marry her!"
Her mother burst into laughter, shaking her head, "Oh, Sira... those things only happen in movies, my child!"
Sira laughed softly, escaping the complicit glances that surrounded her. She grabbed her phone, her gaze darting to the screen where a new notification glowed.
She opened the message, and Aiden's name shone at the top. Her heart pounded for a moment without her realizing, then she read:
"Regarding what happened, I'm sorry... that I broke down... that you saw that dark part of me.
And thank you, because you...
were my hope at the end of this long, dark tunnel."
Her eyes froze on the screen, her breath caught for a moment. They weren't just words, but a rare... fragile... confession from a man who seemed like an unyielding storm to everyone else.
Moments later, Aiden arrived at the police station, his steps firm and confident, each one carrying the weight of his past and pain. He entered the interrogation room to find Luna sitting there, her insane smile embracing her lips, her yellow eyes gleaming with a deadly glow, as if hunting her prey. Her predatory gaze fixed on him, as if waiting for the right moment to pounce.
She whispered in a low but frightening voice, hesitant as if embracing madness, "Aiden... Aiden... Aiden... I'm happy... truly happy."
Aiden approached slowly, pulled a chair in front of him, and sat down, raising an eyebrow sardonically, a side smile mixing mystery with mockery, "Even though you're... crazy."
Luna laughed with a cackle full of madness and tenderness, saying, "Yes... because I loved seeing your face, and I always loved repeating your name."
Aiden smiled, his laughter suppressed and mixed with the bitterness of the past, "Strange, just a moment ago you wanted to kill me, tear my body apart, drain my blood, and take my eyes..."
She looked at him directly with mad eyes, her smile both terrifying and calm at once, "No doubt... I would have... because I love you."
Aiden sighed, leaning back slightly, his eyes suddenly changing... their darkness like the deepest night, their blue like a raging sea in a storm. His voice was calm and heavy, "Luna... why do you kill those you love?"
Luna smiled slowly, her foot moving lightly as if recalling painful memories, then she answered as if telling a long-burdened secret, "Because they told me that... since my childhood... when my parents would hit me and lock me in the basement, they said they loved me and were protecting me... So, everyone I killed, I truly loved them... I just wanted to protect them. I can face life, but I'm afraid you'll get hurt... Don't worry, I'll keep your eyes with me... so you'll always be in my heart."
The lamp's light reflected on the edge of Aiden's face, dark shadows enveloping him, making him appear as a silhouette between reality and madness. Aiden murmured in a sincere and painful tone, "No one is born mad, madness is made by the mistakes of others... and that's the only thing you controlled yourself."
Luna looked at Aiden with a playful, challenging smile, then slowly raised her hand towards his face, as if playing a dangerous game, "Open up for me... Do you want to start killing you now? Don't worry, life is very painful."
Aiden responded with soft calmness, as if trying to defuse the upcoming explosion, "Mmm... Luna... I see our friends waiting outside... there, where the bodies lie. Then we'll continue, you and I."
A crazy smile appeared on Luna's face as if she had heard a tempting offer, "So, will you come back to me?"
Aiden smiled confidently, calling the officer at the door, "Trust me."
Then he turned to Luna with a calm but clear look, "Listen, our friend... Luna will tell you where the bodies are, don't touch them, don't hurt them."
Luna looked at him with burning eyes, then took a deep breath and said, "Are you waiting for me?"
Aiden replied with a calm smile, like a sincere promise, "Of course... I'll wait for you. But... Luna, why do you love me?"
Luna sat upright, her eyes gleaming with a flicker of nostalgia and pain, and said with rare calmness, "Because you were there... when we were children. Do you remember that girl whose ice cream fell? The kids were bullying her... Even though you didn't say anything, you hit them... and you gave me your ice cream. From that day, I've been following you... Maybe you didn't notice, but I truly loved you."
In the cold interrogation room...
Silence fell.
After Luna withdrew, Aiden remained sitting alone, unmoving. The air was suffocatingly still, the yellow overhead light casting sharp shadows on his weary face.
He turned his gaze towards the reflective mirror. He didn't see his reflection as a face, but as an abstract nightmare. His features were rigid, his eyes slowly losing their sparkle, like candles sinking into darkness.
He slowly raised his hands, clasped his fingers behind his head, then leaned forward until his forehead touched his forearms. His dark, bluish strands of hair fell on either side of his face, like a heavy curtain obscuring what remained of his features.
He whispered, barely audible, like someone confessing a secret to his shadow:
"If I hadn't held onto what little sanity I had left, I would be... wilder than Luna."
At home...
Sira was lying on her bed, the blue light of her phone reflecting in her tired eyes. She was aimlessly scrolling through her phone when the air suddenly trembled with a faint sound.
"Meow..."
She quickly raised her head, freezing for a few seconds.
She jumped out of bed and headed towards the balcony. She looked from behind the sheer curtain, her eyes scanning the garden... nothing.
But the sound wasn't an illusion.
She pulled out a small canvas bag and filled it with cheese pieces, a bottle of water, and wound antiseptic. And before she reached the door...
Her mother, her voice stern with worry, "Sira! Where are you going? It's past one in the morning!"
Sira, with shy hesitation, holding the bag behind her back, "Mom... a cat. Small. Maybe it was sick or hungry... I won't bring it home, I promise, Emma, Becky, and Itachi are enough. But... I just want to make sure it's okay."
Her mother placed her hand on her forehead, a long sigh escaping her, "Just... be careful, don't be late."
In Arcadia Vaulte Garden...
Sira crept among the trees, her steps quick, her eyes searching the grass, the benches, the corners. Her heart pounded with curiosity and hope.
Suddenly, the sound of a motorcycle reached her. She quickly raised her head. White light hit her eyes.
Aiden stopped. He got off. He took off his helmet, and his disheveled hair fell around his face.
Aiden, surprised, "Sira? What are you doing out at this hour? And what are those things?"
Sira smiled, raising the small bag, "I heard a cat meowing. I just wanted to help it. Mom wouldn't let me take it, but I brought food and water... just in case it was hurt."
The moon reflected on her face, making her gleaming eyes look like two drops of luminous ink.
Something changed in Aiden's features.
His eyes, accustomed to rigidity, began to widen with something resembling warmth... admiration.
Sira, with spontaneous shyness, tilted her head, "Will you... help me?"
Aiden, with a calm smile, his black earrings gleaming as his night-colored eyes opened wide on his face, "Mmm... let's do it. Let's look for her."
They searched among the trees, listening to every movement, every shadow.
Until they saw her...
A small cat, black as a starless night, with golden eyes gleaming with fear. It was trembling, hiding behind a short tree.
Sira, in a soft voice as she knelt before it, "How did you get here, little one?"
Aiden, his voice breaking, carrying something hidden of himself, "Abandoned... because she's different. Because she's strange."
They sat on the grass. They offered it food and water. The cat began to eat hesitantly, as if it couldn't believe someone cared.
Aiden, looking at her, "Sira, what should we name her?"
Sira, with a slight smile, tilting her head, "Black... because she's like a piece of the night. What do you think?"
Aiden laughed, shaking his head, "It suits her. So... Black, from today, you'll be my friend."
Sira, truly surprised, "Really?"
Aiden, in a calm, sincere tone, "Why not?"
Then, without thinking, she rushed towards him.
She hugged him tightly, as if something inside her had exploded all at once.
Sira, whispering against his chest, "You're the best... You lifted a heavy burden from my heart."
Aiden paused.
As if time had frozen for a moment.
His heartbeats...
Quickened.
Pounded.
Struck his chest violently, as if calling him back to life.
The night was still.
A gentle breeze caressed the leaves of the trees in Arin's backyard as he sat on the stone bench, arms outstretched, head tilted back, his eyes fixed on the luminous moon.
The silver light reflected in his eyes, gleaming like two unshed tears.
And suddenly... the doorbell rang.
He blinked twice.
Then slowly turned towards the sound, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"Who could be visiting now?" he whispered to himself.
He rose heavily, his footsteps on the stone floor slow and hesitant, as if time weighed down his ankles.
He opened the door slowly...
And there stood his father.
His gaze was glassy, and a small, sad smile shyly formed on his mouth.
Arin said, stunned, "Father?! What are you doing here? It's late... Did you travel all this way to Izura?"
His father nodded slightly, looking at the ground as if it were more merciful than his son's eyes.
"Yes... my son, you know... I wanted to ask you about..."
He stopped.
His fingers trembled, and he clenched his hands tightly. The words seemed to betray him, as if the name was too heavy on his lips.
Arin slowly raised his head, then said steadily, his voice charged with unforgivable blame, "Aiden."
His father looked up at him in confusion.
He sat on a nearby chair, his leg shaking with obvious nervousness, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a carefully folded piece of paper, slightly worn at the corners.
He handed it to Arin, his voice hoarse, "This... this is Aiden's psychological report... from when he was in that orphanage."
Arin froze.
His pupils widened, as if a spark had ignited within him.
Then, with terrifying slowness, he raised his head, looked directly at his father, his voice calm but sharp as a sword:
"You?
You mean you knew?
Knew where my brother was all this time... before he was moved from the orphanage to Izura?
And you... didn't say anything?!
Mother would stand for hours, by the rotating wheels in the squares, holding his picture... asking everyone who passed about him... And you... didn't say anything?!"
His father stood up from the chair, his hand trembling, his voice rising in broken tension, "I thought... I thought he was... the one who did that to you in the past!
But I wasn't sure...
And when I went to the orphanage... I saw him.
He saw me, but he didn't know me... didn't recognize my features."
He continued, whispering as if confessing a buried sin, "His eyes... those black eyes that contained the blue of the sky... were empty... lifeless.
The supervisor there told me... he didn't remember anything... not his name, nothing about his past.
He was undergoing intensive psychotherapy sessions...
I was told he suffered from PTSD...
severe phobia... and complete amnesia."
Silence fell again, but this time it was heavy, harsh, like a lead slab on their chests.
Arin stood still, the paper still in his hand, his eyes gleaming... not just with anger, but with something deeper... the pain of a brother slaughtered by the betrayal of silence.
Tears streamed from Arin's eyes without permission.
His green eyes no longer shone only from the moonlight, but from a silent agony held captive for years.
The tears slipped gently, burning, as if punishing him for every moment of silence, every moment of abandonment.
His cheeks reddened from crying, their redness mixing with a faint sheen caused by a sense of shame, of sin.
The night breeze caressed his tangled brown hair, and made his single earring gleam softly under the moonlight, as if it were the only witness to that cursed night that changed everything.
He clutched his chest with his trembling hand, as if trying to contain an unseen internal tearing...
His breathing became ragged, as if thousands of knives were mercilessly tearing at his heart from within.
He finally spoke, his voice broken, as if his heart itself were speaking:
"I...
I'm the reason..."