IT WAS PITCH BLACK. Thoma and I narrowed our eyes as we walked through the corridor, and Ray turned on the flashlight, but it did nothing to tell us what's out there.

"It's like a long, endless tunnel," I breathed. "I can't believe Subaru walked out there alone."

All of a sudden, I felt a breath against the back of my neck. Reminded of the fangs of that monster, my body broke out into goosebumps. What was that?! I covered the nape of my neck anxiously and turned around, only to see Thoma's blinding smile.

"Are you scared?" he asked, and I stumbled back with a yelp.

Of course I was scared - the question was: wasn't he? I felt silly for being so jumpy, but could one really blame me? Trying to hide my embarrassment, I gave Thoma a good strong poke.

"Ow, ow!" He recoiled. "Okay, sorry."

Thoma laughed, and I suddenly wasn't sure he was sorry enough. I was about to poke him again when I noticed Ray looking at us to figure out what was going on. For some reason, my first thought was that I hoped he hadn't seen that I had been about to cry.

"No need to be afraid," said Thoma calmly. "I'll let you come with me."

I blushed under both of their gazes. "Oh, i-it's fine." I can't be looked after all the time; I need to play my part, too. "I'll go the other way."

"Alright, then," Thoma frowned, a hint of worry on his face. "See you later." Reluctantly, Thoma waved goodbye as he walked in the opposite direction.

That look on his face just then, was that fear? Perhaps he had hoped I would go along with him, keep him company, so that neither of us had to be scared. I was about to reconsider his offer, but I could no longer make him out.

"Okay, I have to get going, too," I told myself, staring into the blackness. But as soon as I took a step, I felt my legs freeze up. I've never been anywhere this dark. I shook my head, and then found myself turning in the direction Thoma had headed off. "So much for not being afraid," I whispered, when I sensed something moving behind me. I clutched the baseball bat tighter to my chest.

"You should have said so earlier then."

It was Ray. Feeling him step beside me, I let out a sigh of relief.

"I-I'm not scared. I just..."

Ray let out a quiet laugh - it seemed like he would be harder to fool than Thoma had been. This was embarrassing.

"Don't push yourself too hard," he said, and patted my head softly. This again? "Given the circumstances, it's perfectly normal for a human to be afraid. However, I question the mental health of those two fearless fools."

Normal for a human..? His words lingered. I didn't really understand what he meant by that, but maybe this was his way of trying to make me feel better. Did that mean that he was scared, too? Ray walked ahead of me, but then he stopped, turned, and smiled. It was a comforting smile, warmer than any I'd seen from him so far, and I got the urge to rush over to his side.

"What's the matter?" he asked. "Are you not coming with me?"

Without further hesitation, I ran up and walked with him. It was all far less scary with Ray by my side. Still, my heart was throbbing wildly within my chest.

"You know, I find you a bit bossy," I uttered into the quiet.

"Bossy?" he gasped.

"And stuck-up, too. But deep down, you're a nice -" Before I finished my sentence, Ray shined his flashlight in my face, making me squint and turn my head away. "Hey, that wasn't nice at all!"

"Might as well make the most of your impression of me," he scoffed, directing the light back onto the path ahead.

I blinked until my eyes had recovered. "I was being honest! And for the record, you're only kind of nice, okay?" He didn't exactly seem to be offended by it. I breathed out a sigh of relief. "But anyway, thanks."

"What for?"

"For being so nice to me," I said plainly. "I don't know what I would've done otherwise." I gripped my flashlight tighter. "After what happened to Monica, we're getting answers bit by bit. We aren't sure of anything yet, but somehow -"

"Scared to find the truth?" Ray asked sympathetically. "About the monster?"

I nodded. "Do you feel the same?"

"No." Ray answered in a snap, his voice clear and without hesitation.

I'm pretty sure he's just that kind of person. I pondered about him a moment longer before we reached a staircase, and Ray suggested that we check out the first floor. He passed me and descended the steps, while I stared at his back, letting him walk a few paces ahead. The kind of person who's always sure about what they need to do.

I took a step, but my flashlight suddenly switched off, making it too dark for me to see where I was putting my foot. With a cry, I tripped, and as I began to fall, I closed my eyes, bracing for impact. But instead, I felt my face being cradled by something soft - soft and warm and comforting.

"Are you alright?!"

I heard Ray's voice over my head. Slowly, I opened my eyes and felt a hand wrapped around my back. I immediately looked up to find Ray staring at me, and I pressed my lips together, my heart racing.

Ack! He's so close!

"Sheesh. I really can't take my eyes off of you for a second, can I?"

"D-Did you just save me?" I asked, in case he'd caught me by total accident - I would've been less surprised if that was the case.

Ray's expressed hardened. "You're such a klutz, you know that?"

"What?" I prepared to tell him that what had occurred was nothing more than a freak coincidence when he finally let go of me and took a step down.

He hissed, "If you keep spacing out like that, you'll be dead in no time."

I couldn't believe this guy. "I was going to thank you, but I've changed my mind!" I said as I gave him a teasing shove. Surprisingly, Ray scoffed, a playful smile forming on his lips. He had to have known that my flashlight had gone out, resulting in my fall. Was he acting like this on purpose to make things feel less scary?

"Come on," he smiled. "As long as I'm around you, I won't let anything horrible happen."

"Maybe you're not so bad after all."

I shrugged, smiling back at him as I took his hand without thinking too hard about it. The touch of his hand felt warm in mine, and I felt that warmth rushing to my chest. Ray seemed so rude at first, but deep down, I could tell he was a good person.

Eventually, we reached the entrance. We stepped outside into a courtyard of wilting flowers and rusted furniture. Then, I looked straight ahead to find a towering gate.

"Somehow, this place looks familiar," I murmured, but I couldn't figure out why - I had no memory of ever seeing this place. Could it have something to do with my missing childhood memories?

"Coincidentally, I feel the exact same way," sighed Ray.

Him, too? Right as I opened my mouth to ask him about it, our stopwatches started beeping. We had to head back to the others. When we got to the room, Subaru and Thoma were there waiting.

"Okay, so is everyone here?" asked Ray, I supposed for the formality of it.

"Yeah," we answered, head counting each other.

"Okay, report."

I raised my hand and Ray nodded for me to proceed. I mentioned to the others how we had gone to the first floor and found the entrance, and the dying courtyard playground with the huge gate. But...

"But?" asked Subaru.

"It's strange," I said. "But I feel like I've seen it before."

"I feel the same way," said Thoma, and Ray narrowed his eyes at him inquisitively. "Not the courtyard, but I found a study hall in the east wing. I feel like I've taken a class here or something." Thoma tilted his head.

Thoma, too? I tried to search my memories for any other clues. "Oh!" I recalled in pseudo triumph. "I found a name on the gate. It was backwards, though, so I couldn't read it properly. But this place... it seems like somewhere kids have stayed."

"An orphanage?" suggested Subaru.

Thoma gasped, "Why would we be at an orphanage?"

"We can't be sure yet," said Ray. He was working this through one step at a time. "What about you, Subaru?"

"I -" Subaru started and suddenly stopped talking.

I asked him what was wrong, but he said nothing. Worried, Thoma shook him. I followed Subaru's line of sight and held my breath.

"What's wrong? Where are you -?" Thoma turned to the doorway and froze as well.

"That's..." breathed Ray.

Outside the door, a little boy was standing quietly. When I thought about the events of the previous night, I realised that they had to have been someone's childhood memories of this place - Monica's memories? But who was this boy? I felt like I'd seen him before, too. For some reason, sorrow gripped tightly at my heart. The boy stared at us for a few seconds, nothing else, and then turned to walk away.

Without thinking, I called out to him, "Wait!" I immediately covered my mouth as the boy casually looked over his shoulder before he kept walking. Why did I do that?

"He wants us to follow him, it seems," Subaru observed.

"Follow him? You can't be serious!" Thoma panicked, but Ray had already stood up, stepping ahead. "What if he's the monster?"

"Only one way to find out," said Subaru as he stood, too. He followed Ray's lead and headed to the door.

Thoma blinked in disbelief. "Ziya, tell me you're staying, please?"

I chewed my lip. I didn't know why, but I didn't feel scared or threatened by the boy. Wanting to know the reason behind the sorrow I felt, I pulled myself together and stood up as well. In the end, all of us followed the young boy. He led us down hallways and stairwells until we reached the basement. The pale red of blood moonlight managed to creep through the small grates where the wall met the ceiling. It was cold down here, and daunting, provoking the idea of being locked in a prison. The boy arrived at a steel door at the end of the icy passage.

"Now what?" Thoma asked what we were all thinking.

That was when the young boy walked through the door without having opened it. We all exchanged glances, our jaws agape in horrific awe.

"What was that?" hissed Thoma dramatically. "That was a ghost! A ghost!"

"We have no choice but to follow him," said Ray seriously, and he clutched the door knob. "Maybe we can find some answers behind this door."

We were taken into a dusty records room filled with countless books, and then through to a stark room in the back. We had no idea what we would find there, but we knew that the ghost boy had to have been there, for there was nowhere else to go. As we wandered in, we all gasped at what we saw before us: first, a remote single bed, and then, a gorgeous young man lying there upon it.

"Is he alive?" asked Thoma fearfully.

I bit my lip, observing the raven-haired young man on the white bedsheets. I was scared, but my feet seemed to be sure of every step I took towards him. I didn't know if he was living or not, but despite my dread, it was as if my feet were moving of their own accord, until I got close enough to see his face. His eyelashes were dark, his skin fair, and he was dressed in a loose-fitting white top and charcoal trousers, rolled up at the ankles. He looked like an angel. I could not help but feel like I'd met him before. But where? I lifted my hand to touch him, but as I did, his eyelids fluttered slowly. I gasped as the young man groaned, finally opening his eyes.

"Ziya..." Smiling sweetly at me, he said my name with gravity and care.

He knows my name? My eyes widened. "Have we met before?" I asked, still in shock, when I felt his cold touch on my face and was suddenly overcome with a longing that put me on the verge of tears.

His eyes, a beautiful shade of violet, stared into me. For a while, I couldn't seem to take my eyes off of him either, but I eventually forced myself to break away. I brushed away the feeling of nostalgia and gently removed his hand.

"I'm sorry I startled you," he young man said weakly as he tried to get up. Only then did he notice that we were not alone.

"Who are you?" asked Ray, sharing in his surprise.

"My name..." he groaned as he finally sat up on the edge of the bed, and he closed his eyes in thought, "is Licht."

We all looked at each other, confused. Ray asked me if I knew this guy, but I had no answer to that question. I didn't think I'd ever seen Licht before, but somehow, there was something familiar about him. Ray turned to Licht, his expression serious.

"Do you know Ziya?"

Licht looked up at me. "Ziya... Is that your name?" he asked me tenderly, and I nodded. "I see. I'm not sure how I know your name. I don't think we've met before."

Despite my curiosity as to what this could all mean, I decided to avoid digging any deeper. One thing at a time, I convinced myself I was taking a page out of Ray's book. But maybe I was just afraid to know more yet.

"That's okay," I told him. "Don't think about it too hard."

"More importantly, do you know where you are?" asked Subaru. There was a hint of sympathy in his eyes, or was it pity?

Licht brought a hand to his head. "I don't know. I don't remember anything besides my name," he said and looked at me. "And hers apparently."

Is he suffering from amnesia, too? I thought as Subaru continued questioning Licht.

"What were you doing before you came here?"

He shook his head. "I know it sounds difficult to believe, but my mind is pretty hollow. Nothing comes to mind."

He doesn't have any memories, huh? I looked at Licht, my heart aching with sympathy. I know how that feels. "You're not alone, Licht. I can't recall most of my childhood." I heard the others gasping behind me, Thoma asking whether I had amnesia. "That's right. I've never talked about it, though."

Ray and Thoma fell silent, seemingly thoughtful.

"This is going to sound pretty weird, but..." murmured Subaru. "I don't have any memories of my childhood either."

Thoma gasped, "You, too? All three of you?"

"Actually, four," Ray interjected. "I don't remember anything from before I was eight years old." We all looked at him.

No way. We're all missing part of our memories? "What about you, Thoma?" I asked, but he sighed, refusing to answer.

"I'll take that as a yes," uttered Ray.

"It's personal," Thoma replied with a serious look that seemed misplaced on him. "There was no need to bring it up." He must have felt really strongly about it. "It's n-not like I'm hiding something, or anything. I just don't believe in dwelling on the past, that's all."

Maybe he's scared of recovering his memories. I understand how he feels. When I really think about it, Thoma seems to be enjoying this the least, even if he tries to hide his fear with laughs and jokes.

"Ah," Licht smiled sadly. "We're all quite unfortunate then."

"Still, that's another clue," said Ray, somewhat reassuringly. "We all have chunks of our memories missing."

"There's something else, too." We all looked at Subaru. "I didn't have a chance to say it earlier, but I found a room full of beds. There's also a bunch of toys lying around."

Thoma put the pieces together. "Children's beds? Toys? A study room and a courtyard with a playground?"

"So, it is an orphanage," I added.

"What do you guys mean?" asked Licht, visibly confused.

Ray muttered, "All the memories we can't recall, and all the memories that feel familiar... are they from our missing childhood? Is that what's going on? That explains why this place feels so nostalgic." He clenched his fists.

Lost memories, an orphanage - what possible connection could my past have with this place? A static noise hit my ears, corrupting my train of thought. All of a sudden, the sound turned to the clear ringing of bells.

"Shoot, we were finally getting somewhere!" Ray groaned. "Everyone, tomorrow, 10a.m. Meet at the fountain at Stadtbelle Plaza!"

My mind was ablur.

"Stad-" Before I could make sense of it, my world turned dark.