Rain fell like the sky itself had given up.
Each drop hit the pavement with a hollow sound, echoing the emptiness inside him. Neon lights flickered above the street, reflecting off puddles that distorted the world into something unreal—something broken.
He stood there, unmoving.
Phone still in his hand.
The message still on the screen.
"It's not what you think."
A slow breath left his lips, barely visible in the cold air.
Not what he thought?
Then what was it?
He had seen it.
Her hand in his.
Her laugh—soft, familiar, the same laugh that once made his chest feel warm.
Now it felt like poison.
He clenched his jaw.
"Liar…"
The word slipped out, barely louder than the rain.
Another message popped up.
"Please answer me."
He stared at it.
For a long moment… he said nothing.
Then slowly… he laughed.
A dry, hollow sound.
It didn't sound like him.
"Love…" he muttered, eyes dull. "What a joke."
The word felt meaningless now. Empty. Fake.
Everything was fake.
Her smile.
Her promises.
Her love.
All of it.
Gone.
Or maybe… it had never been real to begin with.
The rain grew heavier.
People rushed past him, umbrellas up, avoiding the storm—avoiding him.
But he didn't move.
Didn't care.
What was the point?
If love could disappear this easily… then what was it worth?
Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
A car passed, splashing water across the street.
He didn't react.
Didn't blink.
Didn't feel.
His fingers tightened around his phone… then loosened.
It slipped from his hand.
Fell.
Hit the ground with a dull crack.
The screen shattered instantly, the message disappearing into a web of broken glass.
He stared at it.
For a second… it felt symbolic.
Then he looked away.
That's when he saw it.
Lying just a few steps ahead.
Half-submerged in a puddle.
A notebook.
Black.
Plain.
Out of place.
His brows furrowed slightly.
He hadn't noticed it before.
Slowly, almost absentmindedly, he stepped forward.
Water rippled under his shoes as he approached it.
The rain hit its surface, but the notebook didn't move.
Didn't get soaked.
It was as if the water avoided it.
He crouched down.
For a moment… he hesitated.
Then picked it up.
Cold.
But not wet.
Strange.
He turned it over in his hands.
On the cover… written in faint, glowing red letters:
LOVE NOTE
His eyes narrowed.
"…What?"
The glow flickered slightly, like it was alive.
A strange feeling crept into his chest.
Not fear.
Not curiosity.
Something else.
Something… pulling him.
He opened it.
The pages were blank.
Except for one.
The first page.
Written in clean, precise handwriting:
Rules of the Love Note
The first name written is free.
After the first use, every name carries a price.
The user must know the face and true name of the target.
The depth of love can be controlled at the time of writing.
He stared at it.
Then… laughed again.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Some kind of joke?
A prank?
Who even writes something like this?
He flipped through the pages.
Blank.
All of them.
Waiting.
For names.
He scoffed and closed it.
"Love Note…"
The words felt ridiculous.
But then—
Her face appeared in his mind.
Smiling.
Laughing.
Lying.
Something inside him twisted.
His grip tightened.
"…If this were real…" he whispered.
Silence answered him.
The rain kept falling.
The world kept moving.
But for him—
Everything had already stopped.
Slowly… he opened the notebook again.
His eyes moved to the blank page.
Then to his hand.
Trembling.
"…Free, huh…"
His lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile.
More like… a crack.
A fracture.
The first break.
From everything he used to believe in.
He reached into his pocket.
Pulled out a pen.
Hovered it above the page.
One name.
Just one.
No cost.
No consequence.
That's what it said.
Right?
His mind went blank.
Then focused.
On one person.
Not her.
No.
That would be too easy.
Too direct.
Too… emotional.
Instead—
He thought of him.
The one who took her.
And then…
Someone connected to him.
A face he remembered.
Soft.
Innocent.
Unaware.
His eyes darkened.
"…Let's see if this world is really that broken."
The pen touched the paper.
And slowly…
He wrote a name.
The rain stopped.
Not outside.
But for him.
Everything went silent.
The moment the last letter was written—
A cold presence filled the air.
Behind him.
Close.
Too close.
A voice followed.
Soft.
Calm.
Almost gentle.
"...You used it."
His body froze.
The pen slipped from his fingers.
Hit the ground.
He didn't turn immediately.
Couldn't.
Something in that voice—
It wasn't human.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
He turned his head.
And saw…
Someone sitting on the edge of the streetlight.
Watching him.
Smiling.
Beautiful.
But wrong.
Eyes glowing faint red.
Cracks across pale skin like shattered glass.
Floating.
Unreal.
Waiting.
"…Who…" his voice shook. "…what are you?"
The figure tilted its head slightly.
Amused.
Curious.
Patient.
"…You already know," it said softly.
A pause.
Then—
"I am Velmora."
The name echoed.
Not in the air.
But inside his mind.
Deep.
Unavoidable.
Velmora smiled wider.
"Tell me…"
Its eyes locked onto his.
Piercing.
Reading.
"...how does it feel… to be loved without earning it?"
And for the first time since everything broke—
He felt something.
Not pain.
Not sadness.
But something far more dangerous.
Control.
The first name was free.
The rest… will cost everything.