Kathleen's breath quickened the moment she crossed the threshold. The grand hall, usually bustling with life, stood eerily silent. She moved with such urgency that the maids, preoccupied with their duties, failed to notice her abrupt entrance.
Christian's stride followed closely behind, though not quick enough to evade Haneul, who caught up effortlessly.
"Sir, they've already left that room," Haneul's voice rang out, almost frantic, breaking the silence. Her words startled Kathleen, prompting her to spin on her heel toward the source of the revelation.
"Where are they?!" Kathleen's voice trembled as she darted back to Christian, who now stood poised beside Haneul, his expression tense.
"Dr. Andersen is at the pavilion with Tomoya-ssi," Haneul informed them, her hand gesturing toward the hallway leading to the distant structure.
"She's woken up again?" Christian voiced the very question swirling in Kathleen's mind, his tone laced with hope and urgency.
Kathleen didn’t hesitate. Without waiting for further confirmation, she took off toward the pavilion, her footsteps echoing.
A whirlwind of questions swirled in Kathleen's mind, each one more fragmented than the last. None offered clarity, so she pushed them aside, her focus narrowing solely on the path to the pavilion.
As she rounded the corner, her momentum faltered. Her steps stilled abruptly, her body betraying her resolve. There, in the distance, stood a silhouette she knew all too well—etched into her memory like an indelible mark.
Her breath hitched, each exhale escaping her lungs with a quiet intensity as she moved forward, drawn to the figure like a moth to a flame. Every step carried her closer, anticipation building with each silent beat of her heart.
As Kathleen drew nearer, the silhouette sharpened, becoming unmistakable. Now clear as crystal, she saw Samantha standing amidst the roses that adorned the edges of the pavilion.
Samantha moved with an almost childlike wonder, leaning in to inhale the scent of each bloom as if encountering such a flower for the first time. The delicate gestures seemed foreign, almost theatrical, casting a strange dissonance in the quiet scene.
A new question pierced Kathleen's thoughts, more unsettling than the rest.
Samantha despised the smell of roses. She always had.
"Kath, you're here."
Kathleen's breath caught, startled by the familiar voice. She turned to find Tomoya standing beside Samantha. How had she not noticed him before? He lingered there with an air of vigilance, his hand subtly poised as though prepared to steady Samantha at any moment.
Kathleen's lips parted, but no words came. Her gaze shifted to Samantha, who had turned toward her, their eyes locking in a way that sent a chill down her spine. The unspoken weight between them was palpable.
For a moment, Kathleen stood frozen. Then Samantha began moving toward her, each step hesitant and unsteady. Tomoya shadowed her movements, ready to intervene if necessary.
When Samantha's knees buckled, Kathleen bolted forward instinctively. Yet Tomoya was just as swift, his arms reaching out to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Careful," Tomoya murmured softly, his grip steadying Samantha.
Kathleen stepped closer, her movements hesitant, as though unsure whether to reach out or keep her distance. The air between them felt fragile, like a thread stretched too thin.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Samantha asked, her tone light and playful, though her voice carried a faint tremor. She extended a hand toward Kathleen, her smile both familiar and unsettling.
Kathleen's gaze flicked to the offered hand, pausing for a brief second before gently taking it. The chill of Samantha's skin startled her—it was almost freezing.
"She looks... a little better," Kathleen mused inwardly, her eyes tracing the subtle changes in Samantha's appearance. The fine lines and wrinkles that had etched her hands seemed to have faded slightly since their last encounter.
The fine lines on Samantha's face and the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes seemed to have softened, almost as though time itself had reversed. Kathleen's eyes lingered, noting how Samantha’s hair looked noticeably fuller, its luster restored. She scanned for the gray strands she had seen earlier but found none; they had vanished entirely, leaving her locks looking rich and vibrant.
These visible, rapid changes—so stark and undeniable—sent a ripple of unease through Kathleen. The transformation was too swift, too unnatural, as though Samantha were slipping between realities, shedding fragments of the woman Kathleen had known mere hours ago.
Kathleen’s gaze drifted to Tomoya, silently searching for some explanation in his expression, but he seemed entirely oblivious to the growing tension. He wore a look of relief, his smile wide and genuine, as though the return of Samantha had dissolved all doubts or fears. To him, it was a moment to celebrate—Kathleen should feel the same, shouldn’t she?
But something was wrong.
Kathleen’s heart pulled in a way she couldn’t explain, her emotions tangled in a knot she couldn’t untie. This was the moment she had longed for—the moment she had prayed for since Samantha’s disappearance. And yet, as she stood there, watching her best friend, she realized she couldn’t find that same warmth, that familiar comfort she had once felt when Samantha was near.
Instead, a quiet unease settled within her. The person standing before her, though physically the same, felt distant—strangely altered. She had asked for Samantha to return, but now that she was here, it was as if the connection they once shared had been broken, replaced by something unfamiliar.
Kathleen’s breath caught in her throat as Samantha suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace. For a moment, her body froze—her mind scrambling to comprehend the rush of emotions flooding her all at once.
The scent of Samantha’s familiar perfume—although she's sure she's not wearing one—the soft warmth of her skin, it all felt right again, and yet, the weight of the past weeks came crashing down on her.
Tears welled in her eyes before she could even stop them, the floodgates opening as a sob escaped her chest. She clung to Samantha with desperate intensity, as if afraid she might disappear again.
The ache—the loneliness that had consumed her since Samantha’s sudden disappearance—had built up for so long, and now it was pouring out all at once.
The relief that Samantha was truly here, in her arms, overwhelmed her, but so did the deep, aching pain of all the time they had lost. Weeks, months of agonizing uncertainty, wondering if she would ever see her friend again—if she would ever be able to hold her close like this.
The years of friendship, of shared moments, suddenly felt so far away, the distance between them more than physical.
Her body shook as the tears flowed freely, her face buried in Samantha's shoulder. "I-I thought I'd lost you f-forever," she whispered through her tears, her voice trembling with the weight of everything she had endured. "I thought... I thought I’d never see you a-again."
"Hush now," Samantha murmured softly, her fingers gently tapping Kathleen's back in a rhythm that seemed to soothe and steady her. "I'm here now," she continued, her voice lowering in a deliberate pause. The tapping ceased, and a silence hung in the air, thick with unspoken weight. After a beat, she spoke again, her words deliberate, almost measured. "I'll never leave you again."
There was something in Samantha’s tone that made Kathleen’s breath catch in her chest—an edge to the reassurance that felt more like a veiled promise, an unsettling finality. It was as though the words carried a weight far heavier than comfort, almost as though they were meant to bind her to something unknown, something irrevocable.
Kathleen quickly pushed the thought aside, willing her heart to settle. What mattered now, above all, was that Samantha was back.
Tomoya gently assisted Samantha back into her wheelchair after their emotional reunion, his hands steady as he guided her with a tenderness that matched the delicate moment. She had recovered somewhat, but the signs of her frailty remained, the exhaustion in her eyes a silent testament to how little strength she had regained. She could not stand for long—not yet, anyway.
Christian stood at the entrance leading to the pavilion, his gaze lingering on the scene before him. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be near Samantha, but something—some invisible force—seemed to hold him back, an unspoken barrier he couldn’t quite name. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to interrupt the moment, especially when he saw the happiness radiating from Kathleen. She was finally smiling, finally at peace.
"You look tense."
The voice cut through Christian’s thoughts, sharp and unexpected. He turned to find Takumi standing beside him, his presence so subtle that Christian hadn’t even noticed him approach. Takumi's gaze, however, remained fixed on Samantha and Kathleen, who were engaged in a deeply emotional conversation. Kathleen sat beside Tomoya, facing Samantha, her face alight with emotion. They looked at each other as though sharing a secret only they understood.
"You sense it, too, don't you?"
Takumi’s words landed like a cold, heavy weight. Christian’s jaw tightened involuntarily as Takumi turned his piercing gaze toward him, a knowing look in his eyes.
"And you’ve started seeing dead people again, haven’t you?" Takumi's words sent a ripple of dread through Christian’s spine, his body suddenly going cold. "Junel and some of my household staff passed out around her earlier, the moment she woke up. She even walked right through the cops while they were conducting a search in my house without being seen—" Takumi let out a soft, derisive puff of air. "How much of a coincidence would that be?"
Christian’s brows furrowed deeply, a mix of confusion and concern bubbling inside him. "What are you trying to say?"
Takumi glanced briefly at Samantha, then back to Christian. His expression was unreadable, but there was an edge to his voice as he spoke again.
"You mentioned that Samantha’s light had disappeared when you encountered her... in some sort of astral projection, if I were to theorize." He paused, as if weighing the gravity of his next words. "But now, she's here, alive—but something just doesn't sit right, does it?"
Christian couldn’t find the words, and Takumi remained silent as well.
Now that Takumi had raised the possibility, the unease in Christian’s chest grew, spreading like a cold chill. His thoughts began to spiral.
What if—what if the person before them now wasn’t really Samantha?