The Last Alphas of 2000

𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐕 Nightmare of Reality

As the evening settled, they finished dinner with the councils, retiring to their room.

"Jeno," Yangyang called out.

"What?" Jeno responded.

"The bottle containing the poison is still on your table. Put it in the trash or keep it in a safe place," Yangyang advised.

"Don't throw it away. Someone might accidentally find it," Renjun cautioned.

Jeno rose from his seat, strolling to his table. He opened a drawer and carefully placed the small bottle inside a box alongside other empty bottles.

"Did anyone get an empty bottle here?" Jeno inquired, noticing one missing from the box.

"No," Jaemin replied.

"I did," Renjun said, presenting a bottle. "I put some paint in here."

"Ah, got it," Jeno acknowledged.

"Let's rest now," Haechan suggested, his demeanor noticeably quiet and somewhat forced.

"Haechan, is everything alright?" Jaemin asked, sensing Haechan's unusual demeanor.

Throughout the evening, Haechan had been mostly silent, occasionally forcing a smile. Renjun attempted to read his thoughts but could only discern Haechan humming a tune in his mind, its title remaining elusive as it seemed like a freestyle melody.

"I'm fine, maybe I'm just tired," Haechan responded.

"Alright, let's rest," Yangyang agreed.

They settled into their beds, the weariness finally catching up to Jeno as he surrendered to sleep's embrace.

The clock struck 3 AM, and Haechan found himself still wide awake, patiently waiting for his companions to fall into a deep slumber. Hours earlier, he had sensed Renjun still awake, prompting Haechan to clear his mind and hum his own melody to tire Renjun's attempts at reading his thoughts.

Finally, after rechecking their state multiple times, Haechan was convinced they were all sound asleep. He retrieved the paper Serim had given him earlier.

Sitting by his bed, he turned on the lamp, taking a deep breath before slowly unfolding the paper, preparing himself mentally before he began to read it.

────────────────

Observe everything around you.
I'm not with everyone for that long.
But I observed some odd things as I opened my eyes.
I know you already smell the smoke.
I know your vision has already caused confusion.

____________

Look at those small golden stars.
Because not all stars are gold.

────────────────

Haechan's mind whirled with questions and uncertainty after reading Serim's cryptic message. He crumpled the paper and turned off the lamp, trying to clear his thoughts.

Lying in bed, he couldn't shake off Serim's words: "It's not just a dream."

"Why does it have to involve her?" Haechan pondered, his mind racing with worry and confusion.

Her whispered words echoed in his mind: "You're screaming a name, and you will know who it is if you understand my letter, but I know you will understand it."