chapter 3. The first death: chapter 4: echoes

Chapter 3 – The First Death

Kael barely slept.

The text message haunted him.

"Don't go to school tomorrow."

It had to be a prank...

...right?

Still, his feet stopped outside the school gate.

His heart pounded.

What if it's real?

"You're actually listening to the message."

Kael turned.

Noah stood a few steps away, hands in his pockets.

"...You knew."

"I sent it."

"You have exactly five seconds to explain."

Noah's expression turned serious.

"If I explain everything now... you'll die sooner."

Kael frowned.

"That doesn't even make sense."

"It will."

During lunch, the atmosphere felt strangely tense.

A teacher announced that the chemistry lab would be closed because of a gas leak.

Students groaned and headed back to class.

Kael noticed Noah staring at the old science building.

His face had gone pale.

"...It's different."

"What?"

"It wasn't supposed to happen this early."

Before Kael could ask—

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the campus.

Windows shattered.

Students screamed.

Smoke billowed into the sky.

The old science building was engulfed in flames.

Noah's eyes widened.

"No..."

He sprinted toward the fire.

Kael followed without thinking.

Inside the burning corridor, a frightened first-year student was trapped beneath a fallen beam.

Noah lifted it just enough for the student to crawl free.

"Go!" he shouted.

The student ran.

The ceiling cracked.

Kael grabbed Noah's arm.

"We have to leave!"

Noah didn't move.

Instead, he looked at Kael with heartbreaking calm.

"I know this look..." Kael whispered.

Noah smiled sadly.

"You remembered."

The ceiling gave way.

Kael lunged toward Noah—

A blinding flash swallowed everything.

Kael woke up gasping.

He was sitting at his classroom desk.

Morning sunlight streamed through the windows.

Students chatted as if nothing had happened.

The teacher walked in.

"Class, we have a new transfer student today."

The door opened.

Noah stepped inside.

He smiled exactly as he had before.

"I finally found you."

Kael's blood ran cold.

"...No."

Noah blinked.

"...You remember?"

Kael stood so suddenly his chair crashed to the floor.

"You died."

The entire class stared.

Noah's smile disappeared.

Very quietly, he whispered—

"So... this time, the loop remembered too."

End of Chapter 3

Chapter 4 – Echoes

The classroom was silent.

Kael stared at Noah as if he had seen a ghost.

"...You died."

The words slipped out before he could stop them.

The class burst into laughter.

"What is he talking about?"

"Did Kael finally lose it?"

Only Noah remained silent.

For the first time...

His eyes widened.

He slowly walked toward Kael.

"So..." he whispered.

"You remember."

Kael grabbed Noah's collar.

"I watched the building collapse on you!"

Noah looked around at the curious students.

"...Not here."

The two skipped class and climbed to the rooftop.

The wind carried the scent of rain.

Neither of them spoke for a while.

Finally, Noah sighed.

"I wasn't supposed to let you remember."

Kael frowned.

"What do you mean?"

Noah looked at the sky.

"Every time the world resets..."

"You forget."

"Forget what?"

"...Me."

Kael laughed bitterly.

"That's impossible."

Noah reached into his pocket.

He pulled out a small silver key.

"I've carried this through every loop."

He placed it in Kael's hand.

The moment Kael touched it—

Another memory flashed.

A younger Noah and Kael, around ten years old, sat beneath a huge cherry blossom tree.

Noah held out the same silver key.

"If we ever get separated, this key will help you find me."

Young Kael smiled.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

The vision ended.

Kael dropped the key.

His hands trembled.

"...Who are you?"

Noah's eyes glistened.

"I've been waiting for you to ask the right question."

Kael frowned.

"Then what's the right question?"

Noah smiled sadly.

"It's not who am I?"

"It's..."

'Who were we?'

That evening, Kael couldn't stop thinking about the memory.

He searched every old box in his room.

Photo albums.

Birthday cards.

Old report cards.

Nothing.

No Noah.

No silver key.

No cherry blossom tree.

It was as if someone had erased him from Kael's life.

Then...

At the bottom of a dusty drawer, Kael found an old sketchbook from elementary school.

The first few pages were filled with childish drawings.

Then he stopped.

One page showed two boys sitting under a giant tree.

One had "K" written above his head.

The other...

Had no face.

Only one sentence was written beneath the drawing:

"Even if I forget, don't give up on me."

Kael stared at the page, his heart pounding.

He didn't remember drawing it.

But the handwriting...

was unmistakably his.

End of Chapter 4

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***