One year passed.

  In the end… only eight of us remained.

  Shahin. Alok. Rihan. Sifan. Ishan. Jishan. Jihan.And me.

  The once-joyful Arvona Children's Heaven—the place that used to echo with laughter and running footsteps—had become something else entirely.

  Quiet.

  Heavy.

  Suffocating.

  The wind that used to carry children's laughter now brushed past empty hallways like a ghost.

  On the staircase of the orphanage—

  CREAK…

  Jihan sat alone, elbows on his knees, eyes fixed blankly on the ceiling above him.

  He didn't speak.

  He didn't move.

  He just sat there, as if holding the weight of the entire orphanage on his shoulders.

  He changed the most… He was hurting more than any of us.

  Then—

  "Brother! Brother! I want to play cricket!"

  A small, bright voice cut through the still air.

  Jishan.

  The youngest among us.The only spark left in this darkened place.

  Jihan slowly turned his head toward him.And somehow, even in this misery, he managed a faint smile.

  "You can play with the others, Jishan."

  Jishan's lips trembled immediately.

  "No! Everyone said they don't want to play!"

  He stomped his foot lightly, eyes glossy.

  "You're not… you're not gonna say no too… right…?"

  His voice cracked.

  Jihan loved Jishan more than anything. He could never bear to see him cry.

  Jihan exhaled softly and pushed himself up to his feet.

  "Is that so…?"

  He reached out and gently patted Jishan's head.

  His smile didn't brighten—but it became warmer.

  "Don't worry. I'll play with you."

  Jishan's eyes lit up instantly.

  "Really!? YEAH!!"

  He ran toward the field, little footsteps tapping rapidly against the floor—

  PAT-PAT-PAT-PAT—

  And behind him…

  Jihan followed slowly, watching the boy's playful back with a quiet, aching smile.

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  He kept smiling… even when he was breaking inside.

  ***

  Two days passed.

  Two days of fear.Two days of silence.Two days of pretending everything was normal… even while all of us felt the inevitable approaching.

  And then—

  It happened.

  Jishan's Room.

  The air was thick, claustrophobic.

  Even the walls seemed to tremble from the sound of agony inside.

  On the small bed—

  "AAAA—AH—!!"

  Jishan writhed, clutching his stomach with both hands, tears streaming down his cheeks.

  His scream bounced off the wooden walls—

  AAAH… AHH—!

  Each cry stabbed through us.

  All seven of us stood around his bed.

  Shahin frozen.Rihan's fists trembling.Alok biting his lip so hard it drew blood.Ishan and Sifan unable to lift their heads.

  And me… standing numb, fingers digging into the hem of my dress—

  But the one who suffered the most—

  was Jihan.

  He stood closest to the bed, unmoving.His eyes were fixed on Jishan… wide… empty… terrified.

  He looked like a person watching his entire world crumble in front of him.

  "B-Brother…" Jishan's voice broke between sobs, "A-Am I gonna disappear… like everyone? I-I don't wanna leave you guys… brother…"

  His tiny hand reached out weakly.

  And that was the moment all of us almost cried.

  Almost.

  Because if we cried—

  Jishan would lose hope completely.

  Jihan slowly sat down beside him, placing one trembling hand over Jishan's head.

  "…No, Jishan."His voice cracked, but he forced a smile—fragile, painful, desperate.

  "You won't disappear. Not while we're here."

  He stroked Jishan's hair gently.

  "We'll be with you the whole time… every second."

  Jishan blinked through his tears."H…Here…? With me?"

  "Yes."Jihan whispered.

  Behind him, the rest of us nodded immediately.

  "Yeah," I said, forcing my lips into a smile that hurt to hold."We won't leave you even for a moment."

  "Not a single second," Rihan added softly.

  "We're all here," Shahin said, voice trembling despite his best effort to sound calm.

  "We're your family," Alok whispered.

  Jishan's breathing slowed a little.

  His tiny fingers loosened their grip.

  "…o-okay…" he whispered faintly, as if clinging to our words like the last thread of hope.

  But the fear in his eyes never disappeared.

  This is it… the moment everything changed…The day our childhood ended.

  ***

  Night arrived like a silent predator.

  The hallway outside Jishan's room was dim, only lit by a single weak bulb—BUZZZ…flickering every few seconds as if it, too, was afraid.

  We gathered in front of the door.

  All seven of us.

  Standing shoulder to shoulder.

  None of us wanted to sleep.None of us wanted to blink.None of us wanted to risk losing him like the others.

  "We'll guard the room," Shahin murmured.

  "One by one," Rihan added.

  Jihan didn't say anything.He just stood there, hand resting on the doorknob, his face hollow but determined.

  We were scared. All of us. But Jihan… he looked like he was holding back tears every second.

  We stood there, discussing the order of the night watch, whispering softly, trying not to wake Jishan inside.

  And then—

  Something shifted.

  The air… changed.

  A strange, metallic scent slipped in through the hallway—sharp… cold… wrong.

  SORA'S THOUGHT — "What is… that smell…?"

  Before anyone could react—

  Our legs weakened.

  Our breaths staggered.

  Rihan's eyes widened.Shahin grabbed the wall.Alok collapsed almost instantly.

  I felt the world spin—

  thumpthumpthump—

  Our bodies hit the floor, one after another.

  My vision dimmed.

  My thoughts blurred.

  And the last thing I saw—

  was Jihan trying desperately to reach the door…

  before he too collapsed.

  Everything faded to black.

  ***

  Morning came brutally.

  SUNLIGHT poured across our faces through the hallway windows—

  WARM… BRIGHT… MERCILESS.

  One by one, we stirred.

  Ishan—groaned weakly.

  Sifan—blinking rapidly.

  Alok—holding his head in confusion.

  I opened my eyes slowly, feeling the cold floor beneath me.

  And then—

  "—Jishan!"

  Jihan shot upright like lightning.

  He didn't hesitate.He didn't breathe.He didn't look at any of us.

  He sprinted toward the door.

  SLAM—!

  He threw it open so hard the hinges rattled.

  We all scrambled after him.

  He stood frozen inside the room.

  We reached the doorway.

  Looked inside.

  And then—

  Everything stopped.

  The bed was empty.

  Completely empty.

  Sheets tossed aside.

  Pillow fallen to the ground.

  And Jishan…

  Jishan was gone.

  Just like the others.

  But this time…

  It broke something inside us.

  Jihan fell to his knees—hard.

  THUD—

  His fingers dug into the floor.

  His breath shattered.

  His entire body trembled violently.

  "...No… no… no…" he whispered, voice barely human.

  Behind him, none of us moved.

  None of us breathed.

  We couldn't.

  At that moment… our world didn't crack.

  It shattered. Like glass dropped from the highest floor.

  Everything was over.

  Our last hope…

  our youngest brother…

  our brightest light…

  was gone.

  And all that remained—

  was silence.

  A silence so deep it felt like death itself had taken the room.

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