Unraveling the Unknown [NOEL]

Noel awoke with a sharp breath.

Same Bed. Same Room.

But today, something was different.

She would return to the dream and uncover the truth.

Yet, beneath that eagerness, a sliver of doubt remained.

The CCTV footage had shaken her.

What she had seen, what she had lived through, had been completely erased.

There was no red-eyed shadow.

If the CCTV had failed to capture the truth, then…

Would the phone fail as well?

Would she once again be met with nothingness?

Or would this time be different?

She clenched her fists.

This time, she wasn't lost in the crowd.

This time, the camera had been focused on her.

What had happened to the Noel of that world?

The thought followed her throughout the day like a shadow, lurking in the back of her mind.

And before she knew it, night had come once more.

Return to the Dream

Noel's eyes fluttered open, and she was met with that same sky.

And, as always..

Leon.

He stood before her, waiting as if he had always been there.

But before he could even greet her, she spoke first..

"I'm back again, Leon."

A smile tugged at her lips, despite the storm brewing inside her.

Leon smiled back. "Yeah, You look… surprisingly excited today."

Noel wasted no time.

"The phone. Give me the phone. I need to see yesterday’s recording."

Leon’s expression stiffened.

A hesitation.

A flicker of something uncertain.

Leon let out a small sigh. "Actually, the phone couldn’t record all night. The battery ran out and it switched off on its own."

Noel felt the weight of disappointment crash onto her shoulders.

Of course.

One thing after another.

Something, or someone, was always there to hinder her investigation.

But before she could completely drown in frustration..

"But don’t worry."

Noel blinked.

"Huh?"

Leon smiled, "It recorded halfway. You can still see part of it. And I charged the phone, too."

Relief rushed through her like a crashing wave.

"Oh, come on!" she huffed, "Don’t scare me like that!"

Her mind reeled.

Finally.

Finally, something tangible.

Leon handed over the phone.

"Here’s the footage."

Noel exhaled, bracing herself as she clicked play.

For a moment, she held onto a fragile hope.

But then…

"Noel," Leon spoke, "I watched the footage this morning. And I hate to say this, but…"

Noel’s smile faded.

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

Then, her expression changed.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the screen.

Leon continued, voice careful. "There was nothing like what you described."

Nothing.

Just like before.

But there was one thing that was clear.

Noel was there.

In the footage, she could see herself, sitting exactly where she had been.

And then, after a while…

She began to fade.

Noel’s breath hitched.

Her image in the footage,

Her entire existence,

Slowly dissolved into nothing.

The room that had once held her became empty.

As if she had never been there at all.

A chill crawled up her spine.

She had expected something strange.

But this…

This was something else entirely.

Leon, watching her reaction, frowned. "Noel…?"

She inhaled deeply, forcing herself to stay composed.

"I’m fine, Leon." Her voice was steady, but her fingers trembled slightly around the phone. "Sorry for making such a big deal out of this. But I… I’m really fine now."

Leon studied her for a moment longer before sighing. "If you say so."

Unveiling a Greater Mystery

Determined to piece together the impossible, they sought another one of Leon’s acquaintances, someone who could provide footage of the moment she arrived in this world.

And, as expected…

There it was.

She appeared out of nowhere.

One moment, there was nothing.

The next, Noel stood amidst the bustling crowd.

Noel stared at the footage, stunned into silence.

Her mind reeled, putting together the pieces of the puzzle:

She traveled to this world in her dreams. She was visible to cameras, meaning she physically existed here. The red-eyed shadow was invisible to everything but her. Its actions left no trace. Every night, it killed her. And when that happened, she vanished.

Noel clenched her fists.

So that’s how it worked.

This was the cycle.

And yet..

Something was still missing.

She could feel it.

The truth was still out there.

And she would not rest until she found it.

A Love That Transcends Worlds

Time passed.

The days of Noel and Leon continued, woven into a routine both familiar and surreal.

Each night, the cycle repeated.

The red-eyed killer would appear and no matter how many times she stood her ground, she was met with the same fate.

Death.

And then...awakening.

She would open her eyes to her own world

Days turned into weeks.

Weeks bled into months.

The two worlds she straddled felt more and more like a dream within a dream.

Yet…the pull of the dream only grew stronger.

Noel had adapted to the modern lifestyle.

At first, she had been clumsy, lost amidst the towering buildings, the strange devices, the unfamiliar customs. But with Leon by her side, guiding her, teaching her, it had become second nature.

She had learned to laugh freely. To explore without hesitation. To be herself.

Every day, Leon would take her somewhere new and every time, her heart would race. Not only from the thrill of discovery, but also from the one who stood beside her.

Leon.

The reason she waited for the dream every single night.

At first, she told herself it was about the mystery.

About finding answers.

About confronting the thing that killed her night after night.

But now…

She knew.

It wasn’t just about the truth anymore.

It was about him.

A Maiden in Love

The realization came subtly, like a slow-burning flame.

She found herself thinking of him even when she was awake.

She found herself tracing the moments they shared together, the warmth of his hand brushing against hers, the way he always looked at her with quiet concern, the way his voice softened when he spoke her name.

She found herself longing for the moment she could return.

Even though she would fade from existence every night.

She still wanted to go back.

Because Leon would be there, waiting.

Noel had fallen for him completely.

She had never known love like this before.

The noble courtships back in her world were nothing but empty formalities.

But with Leon, this was real.

This was her heart beating wildly, her face growing warm at the mere thought of him, her fingers curling into her chest as she whispered his name under her breath.

And yet, she never said a word.

She never confessed.

Because…

Would he even believe her?

Would he accept a love that was bound by a dream?

Would he even feel the same?

A Truth Unveiled

But one evening, amidst their usual banter and wandering through the streets, she could no longer hold it in.

She turned to him, stopping in her tracks.

"Leon."

He glanced at her, a hint of curiosity in his gaze. "Hm? What is it?"

Noel took a deep breath.

"I want to tell you the truth. Now that it’s been quite some time since I started traveling to this world…"

Leon frowned slightly, sensing the weight in her voice.

"What truth?"

She hesitated.

She knew that once she said these words, there would be no going back.

But she had kept it inside for too long.

She had to tell him.

"Every night, I am killed."

Leon froze.

The breath he had just taken hitched in his throat.

"What?"

Noel forced herself to continue.

"What you saw in the footage is different from what I actually experience. I don’t just… disappear. I don’t just fade."

She swallowed, gripping her arms.

"I clash with something. An entity. A red-eyed shadow that no one else can see. And no matter how much I fight, no matter how much I struggle, it always…"

Her voice faltered.

The weight of her own words pressed against her, suffocating.

"It always kills me."

Leon’s expression; shock, disbelief, something deeper.

"I..." He started, but the words failed him.

She knew how it sounded.

She knew it was too much.

That this world had its own logic, its own rules, and what she was saying defied them all.

And yet..

Warmth.

Noel felt something wrap around her.

Strong. Firm. Comforting.

Leon.

He had pulled her into his embrace, his arms around her, holding her close.

Her breath caught.

"Huh?"

Her entire face burned.

She could feel the rapid beat of his heart against her own, could feel the heat of his skin through the fabric of his clothes.

"Leon?"

And then..

Words that shook her entire world.

"Noel, I love you."

Noel froze.

For a moment, her mind went blank.

Then..

"H-Huh???"

Her voice broke with shock, her face an explosion of red.

"W-W-W-What are you saying out of nowhere?!"

Leon pulled back just enough to look at her, his lips curling into a small, amused smile.

"I had to say something to calm you down."

Noel’s eyes widened.

"You!"

But before she could even begin to recover, he continued.

"I believe every word you speak, Noel. Even if I can’t fully grasp what’s happening to you, even if I don’t understand everything."

His fingers gently tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.

"My feelings for you are real. And even if you’re suffering through something I can’t see, I want to help."

Noel’s breath shuddered.

She was too flustered.

Too overwhelmed.

She wanted to say something, wanted to argue, wanted to push him away, wanted to tell him he was being foolish..

But instead..

She closed her eyes.

And let herself sink into his warmth.

Her hands trembled slightly as she clutched at his shirt, burying her face against his chest.

She could hear the steady rhythm of his heart, a sound she wanted to memorize.

"You’re unfair, Leon," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

His chest rumbled with a soft chuckle. "Maybe."

And just like that..

Time continued to move forward.

Their days became sweeter, their nights filled with unspoken longing.

Their relationship deepened, each stolen moment between them tinged with something neither could fully put into words.

And then,

One night…