Caleb was your childhood friend. After the explosion at your house, he went missing for too long. Now, he was standing in front of you, dressed in a colonel’s uniform, after catching your disguise while you gathered information. “Caleb? It’s really you.” You got up and hugged him. “I am here now. I’ll always be by your side,” he said, hugging you tighter.

But you sensed that he was a bit different from the Caleb you once knew. After the banquet, an ambush occurred. He told you to go home with his partner while he needed to settle things.

His partner sent you to Caleb’s house, but as you walked under the rain, you wondered why Caleb had changed. Soft footsteps approached. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Why didn’t you return home?”

He extended his hand to you. You hesitated. He leaned down to your level, sensing your hesitation. “You can’t convince yourself to hate me with every fiber of your being. Would you agree? I’ll eventually find a way to make things right as long as you’re by my side.”

As he said that, he suddenly collapsed into your chest. “Caleb!”

The next morning, you woke up to find he wasn’t beside you. You walked to the living room and saw him holding a picture of the two of you. “You… when I woke up this morning, you were lying next to me.”

“Is it?” you asked. He leaned closer, brushing your hair behind your ear. “So, who are you?” he said, making your breath hitch.