We all have a destination in mind — a place we hope to reach by the end of our lives. A desire to get there is often what keeps us moving.

But...

What confuses me isn't the destination.

It's everything in between.

Struggle.

Anticipation.

Effort.

Joy.

Failure.

Even success.

Everyone begins from a different starting line. No matter how often we praise meritocracy, some people remain ahead simply because of where they happened to be born.

So...

What exactly am I supposed to do?

Do my job...

Then complain about it?

Even now,

I'm just talking to myself.

What am I trying to find?

Why do I keep doing this to myself?

Maybe one day I'll too reach a place where questions are answered instead of quietly buried.

Because this world has a habit of suppressing them.

It simply replaces them with lies.

Yet...

We accept the lie.

After all...

What is truth...

if not the most convenient lie?

Lost in thought, I almost forget the time.

When I finally check my phone, it’s already past 11:11 am.

Damn.

“If I don’t move now, trouble’s going to catch me before the heat does.”

My phone rings.

The sweet ringtone cleanses my soul yet I have to stop it and pick up the call.

“Hello—”

“Sir!” Harrington’s voice comes through, strained. “I’m sorry, but there’s been an accident on Tamen Street. It’s bad.”

Voices shout in the background.

Panic.

Confusion.

“Please come as soon as you can.”

“I’m on my way,” I say, already moving.

“Sure, sir”, she replies as she hangs up the phone.

I pick up my pace instantly.

Accidents like this are rare—ever since the RDD took over.

The Royal Disaster Division doesn’t let anything slip.

Or at least, it’s not supposed to.

I push harder.

I’m not built like an athlete, but when it matters, my body keeps up.

People start moving out of the way.

Not out of courtesy.

More like—who’s the idiot running in this heat wearing a mask?

…Either way, it helps.

The heat presses down on me, heavy and relentless—but I ignore it.

Tamen Street comes into view.

A crowd has already gathered.

I slow down as I reach the edge of it, catching my breath.

A man nearby notices me panting.

“Hey… easy,” he says. “Running like that—with a mask too…”

He pats my back lightly.

“Don’t go all out like that. It’s just some stupid dog that got run over."

"Nothing serious.”

“A dog?” I frown. “Then why the crowd?”

“The crowd?” he says, glancing over. “They’re not here for the dog.

"They’re here for her.”

“Her?”

“Lady Tinaka. She was out walking it.” He shrugs.

“Bold, I’ll give her that.”

The name clicks.

A sub-branch of the royal family—the Tamen. The ones this street is named after.

What is someone like her doing here?

“Anyway,” he adds, already losing interest, “you’re wearing a mask. No way they’ll let you get anywhere near her, The RDD of course.”

Before I can respond—

“Mister Roberts! Over here!”

Harrington’s voice cuts through the noise.

I spot her in the crowd, waving frantically.

“Please, hurry!”

Ignoring the man’s warning, I push toward Harrington.

The crowd doesn’t make it easy. People shove past, pulling and bumping into me—but I force my way through.

Just as I reach her—

Two RDD officers step in.

Before I can react, they grab me and slam me to the ground.

“Reveal yourself at once,” one of them shouts.

“Imposter.”

His grip is iron-tight. I can barely move.

“Wait!” Harrington’s voice cuts in instantly.

“Not him, sir! He’s the one I called for help.”

She steps closer, urgency in her voice.

“The mask—it’s because of an injury. That’s all.”

A brief pause.

Then—

“Let him go.”

A voice wavers, strained—like it might break—but it still carries enough weight to stop everyone around her. The officers release me immediately.

The officer looks toward Lady Tinaka. She gives the slightest nod.

I push myself up, catching my breath.

…They listened to her?

The woman at the center of it all—

Lady Tinaka.

She’s on her knees, shoulders trembling, her dog lying motionless beside her, wrapped in cloth.

Harrington is right there with her, trying to steady her.

Harrington… with her?

Since when?

“Do you know her—”

“Step aside.”

An RDD officer cuts me off, pushing me back.

The crowd shifts immediately. Some step away. Others scatter.

A black car pulls up beside the truck.

Two men step out.

Black suits.

Sharp.

Immaculate.

A faint trace of perfume lingers in the air. The hats alone say it.

Tamen brothers.

They walk past me.

One of them glances in my direction—

just for a moment.

“Step aside.”

His voice is low, but it cuts through everything.

Harrington hesitates, reluctant to leave Lady Tinaka alone.

He turns his gaze on her.

"That’s enough."

She stiffens, a flicker of fear crossing her face. She glances toward me.

I give a small nod.

Slowly, she steps back.

A faint smirk appears on his face as he moves forward and pulls his sister to hug her.

She doesn’t resist.

I watch closely.

There’s nothing real in that expression—just something practiced. Forced.

“We’re leaving,” he says.

“Bring Trickey’s body home."

"Now.”

Tinaka gives Harrington a small wave. Harrington returns it, unsure.

The car pulls away.

Behind them, the RDD team moves in—collecting the body, restraining the driver.

Does authority strip away emotion?

They could at least pretend.

But they don’t even bother.

Harrington steps closer to me.

“These people…” she says under her breath. “Why are they so scary?"

"Even horror movies don’t feel this unsettling.”

“Agreed.”

Around us, the crowd begins to disperse. With Lady Tinaka gone, people return to their routines as if nothing happened.

Only the RDD remains.

The truck driver is on his knees, begging.

A tall officer looks down at him.

“You’re lucky,” he says coldly. “The dog wasn’t from the family. If it were…”

He pauses.

“I wouldn’t be able to tell you what they’d do to you.”

They drag him away as he shouts for help, forcing him into the car.

One of the officers glances back.

“Move along, civilians.”

The car door slams shut.

I turn to Harrington.

She’s still trembling.

“Let’s go,” I say.

She blinks, snapping back to herself. “Y-yes… of course.”

We start walking.

For a while, she says nothing.

But I can feel it—her eyes drifting toward me every few steps.

“What is it?” I ask.

“Nothing,” she replies quickly.

A pause.

Then again, quieter— “It’s nothing.”

I let out a small sigh.

“Just tell me what happened.”

She takes a breath, trying to steady herself.

“I was on my way to the clinic,” she begins, almost automatically.

“Routine route. Nothing unusual.”

A small pause.

“I noticed a girl… with a dog. They were crossing.”

Her voice tightens.

“A truck approached from the left. Speed was—”

she stops, correcting herself.

“Too fast.”

She exhales.

“I intervened. Pushed the girl out of the way.”

Another pause.

“The dog…” She bites her lip. “I couldn’t save it.”

Her composure slips for a moment.

“I was… scared.”

She stops and stares at me.

I recognize that look immediately.

“I don’t have anything to say about it,” I reply.

“And you shouldn’t dwell on it either.”

She pouts.

“Come on… it’s written all over your face. You noticed something.”

“Noticed?” I let out a short breath.

“I was running the whole time. By the time I got there, it was already over.”

A small pause.

“No time to think.”

“Just so you know,” she says, trying to keep a straight face.

“Catherine’s already at the clinic. I’m the only one who can be your alibi.”

She’s terrible at being a blackmailer but the threat is real.

A dove from hell…

I sigh.

Alright. I’ll play along.

“So?” she presses.

“What is it?”

“Alright, you got me,” I say.

A small pause.

“I’d call it… a failed assassination.”

Her eyes widen.

“It wasn’t an accident,” I say.

"Think"

"Why was a princess walking a dog this far from the castle?"

"And why today?"

She blinks, still trying to catch up.

Her confusion deepens. “What—?

"She was the target?”, she asks.

“Not her.”

I pause.

“She was the bait.”

"The Tamen brothers... people who rarely show themselves in public... suddenly appear within minutes."

"Too convenient."

I say calmly. 

“This doesn’t make sense,” she says.

“No one was hit except the dog."

If anything, the attempt was on her.”

“Exactly,” I reply. 

"That's the basis of my hypothesis."

"Though... take it with a grain of salt."

She frowns.

A brief pause.

“The real question is—why didn’t they follow through?”

"How do you know all of that?" she asks.

"It came to me in a dream," I reply without much thought.

"Don't pull my leg—"

We reach the clinic.

She opens her mouth to argue again.

“Stop,” I say, pushing the door open. “We’re here.”

The bells ring as we step inside.

“We’re here—”

A dart slams into the wall, just millimetres away from my face.

I freeze.

I feel it, a presence is staring at my very soul. She doesn’t even need to look my way to throw that dart. Another dart rests between her fingers as she stares at the board across the room.

“If I were you,” she says calmly.

“I’d start talking instead of staring.”

Just when I opened my mouth, another no look head shot …
Yeah, I felt that one. Harrington quickly steps in beside me. She picks up one of the darts—

and snaps it in half.

“STOOOPPP ITTTT!”

The cry echoes across the room. Catherine sprints toward us, tears in her eyes, just in time to watch Harrington break another dart.

“Nooo—!”

Harrington calmly hands her the broken pieces.

“Apologize,” she says firmly. Still sniffling, Catherine lowers her head.

“I’m sorry…”

A small pause.

“But I’d still do it again.”

Harrington lands a clean chop on Catherine’s head.

“Ow! That actually hurt!”

“Say that again,” Harrington replies, her voice somehow even scarier now.

…Yeah.

They really are a classic sister duo.

“Carry on with your little play,” I say, walking over to the television and grabbing the remote.

“She’ll apologize properly this time, sir. I promise,” Harrington says behind me.

“That’s never happening,” Catherine fires back instantly.

“Careful, ma’am,” I say while flipping through the channels.

“Too much daydreaming isn’t healthy.”

My heart sinks the moment I see the black car on the screen—

flipped upside down.

“Breaking news!” the reporter shouts.

“The Tamen brothers have been executed in broad daylight!”

The room falls silent, Catherine stops arguing and Harrington turns towards the television.

“The suspect is believed to be an absconding sniper. Three lives lost in a matter of seconds.”

“A direct attack on the throne.”

“What about the girl?” Her voice trembles. Then suddenly—

“WHAT ABOUT THE GIRL?!”

She gets closer to the television, eyes wide, tears spilling continuously.

“What… about… her…?”

I glance at Catherine who is already staring at me, she points towards the television while fixing her darts. She doesn’t know the situation, so it’s doesn’t bother her but Harrington is heartbroken. The reporter then continues, “A sister’s boredom claimed the lives of two great men.”

“They will be remembered, and we offer our sincerest tribute.”
I switch the television off before the broadcast can continue.

“Stay tuned for a special analysis by Joe after the break—”

The screen goes black, so does Harrington’s emotions. She tries to stand, stumbles—and nearly falls before Catherine catches her. After wiping her tears, she looks at me with an expression I’ve never seen before.
“You know…” Her voice trembles. “Every minute, hundreds of people die. They just… disappear from everyday life.”

“Back when I worked as a nurse, I’ve seen plenty of death.”

I look into her eyes.

There’s something different in them now.

“But I can’t bear seeing people I know die.” Tears continue spilling down her face.

“And when I realized…” Her voice cracks. “When I realized I might’ve had a chance to save them… I felt paralyzed.”

She clenches her fists as she looks at Catherine.

“Today was one of those days.”

Then back to me.

“You could’ve stopped it!”

She grabs my collar. “You could’ve prevented all of this!”

“No.” I said without hesitation.

She let goes of my collar and her expressions turn blank; confusion fills her up in a second.

“Why?”, a natural question.

“Listen,” I say bluntly, “we cannot go saving everyone we come across.”

She looks at Catherine again as I continue, “Even if we’d shared our little hypothesis with the RDD, this still would’ve happened.” I sigh.

“They pay no mind to people like us.”

She bites her lip, listening in silence.

“If we’d opened our mouths…” I pause.

“Guess who’d be knocking on our door right now?”

The room falls even quieter.

Catherine, as usual, pays no attention whatsoever, still busy fixing her darts.

I ignore her and continue.

“That’s just how this world works.”

A brief pause.

“I’m sorry.”

A dart smacks against my head the moment the serious talk ends.

“Ow.”

“Let it rest already,” Catherine says casually.

“I don’t know what you sensitive guys were up to…. and honestly, I don’t want to know either.” She continues as she aims a dart at Harrington.

 “Whatever happened is history now.”

…Coming from someone like her, the weight behind those words feels strangely real.

She suddenly covers her face with one hand.

“Just curious… who exactly died?”

I stare at her in genuine confusion.

She keeps hiding her face while demanding answers at the same time.

Meanwhile, Harrington lets out a sigh.

“Alright,” she says weakly.

“Back to work."

"Time for normal people to do the normal people stuff.”