A realm rife with ghosts, monsters and unimaginable vile creatures; a nightmare coming to life where death and danger lurked in every corner. Betrayal, deceit, oppression; powers beyond what humans were capable of. Any of that was enough to scare someone witless, yet for some odd reason, Noir remained unfazed.

Even as a newbie, he had been able to control his reaction toward these horrifying occurrences that would have normally shattered one's three views.

He did not fear, did not panic even as death brushed across his shoulders.

And then there was Lucius— the black cat who had unexpectedly become his divine prop right after his first Cycle.

When Noir heard it introduce itself for the first time, the first thought that crossed his mind was, "How come it sounds way better than mine?"

An inexplicable displeasure and dissatisfaction arose, as if the black cat was to be blamed for this random unfairness.

Being with Lucius was easy; their tacit cooperation was high since day one, almost as if the connection had always been there, just waiting to be discovered once more.

And now that they could finally communicate, he asked the question he had once posed in the past,

"Have we known each other before?"

In response, Lucius merely flicked him a glance before continuing to lick its paw, its tail thumping on the floor. As if it couldn't even deign to answer such a foolish question. But Noir had gotten used to the black cat's inexplicable disdain toward him, so he didn't even take offense as he mused, not as much to the black cat as it was to himself,

"I've got this feeling… as if we've been together for a long, long time. How novel."

If someone asked whether Noir would like to rediscover his lost memories before he turned seven, he would answer that he couldn't care less about it. If he could, then good. If not, so be it. After all, he had lived twice as long as that time. A mere seven years of fuzzy childhood could not change the person he had become today.

One might even call him apathetic— not that it was wrong.

Noir adapted the same attitude toward the Nightmare Cycle. Had it been any other person, their lives would never be the same anymore. They could never again return to the person they had been before they entered the Nightmare Cycle. That malicious survival game was created to bring out the worst of human nature.

And yet, Noir remained unchanged.

Rather than a major turn of life, he simply took the Cycles as another task he had to complete, only putting in the bare minimum effort to survive, and after that he would return to the real world to continue his crafts. That was how little he cared.

It's almost like… rather than a player, his role was no more than a mere spectator. The world was drowning in filth, yet not even a single speck could stain him. He simply walked through it all without looking back, never partaking or involving himself.

Or at least that's what he thought.

But…

Since when?

Since when did it begin to change?

Since when did he start to care—care enough for another person that he could hardly recognize the person he had become?

He had known Gu Luoxin only for a couple of months, and yet that person had changed him—turned him upside down—in a way the Nightmare Cycle never could. It had all started from mere curiosity. The young man had carried with him the black mist thicker and darker than normal players, which meant that he was prone to getting himself in danger and finding himself hovering on the edges of death.

Simply put, he was most likely the first to die amongst his teammates.

Yet in spite of that, his presence remained so vivid, his smile so dazzling that it could never be shadowed by the aura of death around him.

This was the first time Noir had ever met someone like this.

He was like a creature of the night catching a glimpse of the sun for the first time, or a cold-blooded animal feeling the comfort of warmth. It was all instinct. Noir couldn't resist his instinct to seek out the young man, to follow after his presence, to bask in his brilliant smile. He simply couldn't.

Seeing Gu Luoxin survive against all odds with his help again and again filled Noir with a strange sense of delight and anticipation, that this time… this time for sure, he might be able to defy fate.

.

.

Oh, how naïve he was.

He should have seen this coming. He should have prepared for this day to come, just like he did with the Director. And yet Gu Luoxin's death still struck him— hard. Because he had hoped. Foolishly and recklessly, he had hoped that the outcome would be different this time around, that he would be able to do something other than watch.

Alas, even with his best effort, death still managed to take away the person closest to his heart.

Holding Gu Luoxin's mangled body close to him, he felt his mind fracture and the blood inside him frozen into glaciers. He could see nothing but red, a suffocating, unbearable red that devoured everything else.

The Director's last words rang in his ears:

"It will be okay, my child. You are not cursed. Maybe… maybe one day you will be able to save someone… with that gift of… yo..urs…"

You're wrong, he thought amidst the silent frenzy tearing through him. You're wrong, Director. In the end, I still couldn't save anyone.

I couldn't save him.

.

.

But what if… what if there's a way to salvage this?

If he could save Gu Luoxin, if he could snatch the young man back from the maw of death, hear that cheerful voice, and see that beautiful smile once more…

Then he would.

Even if it meant he had to plunge head-first into the filth and walk through the unending abyss, Noir was willing to gamble everything on the faintest sliver of possibility.

He would never give up. He would stop at nothing, until he got Gu Luoxin back to his side.

.

.

Part 2: Noir — The End