It had been getting dark throughout the entire dorm. All of the students remained in their rooms, and most of them had already fallen asleep. Joshua, as the watcher on duty, along with the other team members, kept an eye on the hallway.

A group of students arrived at 1 a.m. to take their shift. While others exchanged goodnight wishes and departed, Joshua turned his head and walked in a different direction. No one noticed, which was both fortunate and convenient for him.

Joshua walked step by step, bringing out his wand and casting charms along the wall to his left. As his fingers brushed the bricks, they softened, almost like cotton. He placed his foot against the wall and, after ensuring no one was nearby, stepped into it. He quickly vanished, and the wall returned to its normal state, undisturbed.

A massive new hallway appeared before him. Snow fell from above, yet there was no roof in sight—only dense, thundering smoke. Dust coated everything. The world seemed to have only black and white hues. His footsteps echoed down the dark passage as the temperature dropped sharply. At the far end, there were two doors, identical in color, material, and design. Hanging above them were signs reading "left" and "right." Without a moment's hesitation, Joshua moved toward the left.

The door led him into a room that resembled a library in some ways.

Joshua noticed a group of students seated near the fireplace. They were eerily quiet before he arrived. Minghao was the first to notice him and immediately stood to greet him. When their eyes met, Joshua could see the hint of desperation in Minghao's gaze.

As president of the secret society, Joshua had learned to read the expressions of those around him, understanding their unspoken emotions before they said a word. The advantage of this skill now was that, not only Minghao, but everyone in the room seemed downcast.

"This isn't good," he thought. Still, Joshua kept his tone even and asked, "Did something happen while I was on my shift?"

Jeonghan stepped forward, hands stuffed into his jeans pockets, speaking for everyone.

"Soo Ah has just left."

"Really? What exactly did she say?" Nothing positive. Joshua could already tell.

Jeonghan let out a sigh. "She's leaving. Dropping out of school to move to another realm with her family."

Joshua almost thought it was a joke. He wished it were, but judging by the looks on everyone's faces, he could see it wasn't. He realized he was the only one shocked. Everyone else had already come to terms with it—he was late for Soo Ah's farewell.

"Where can they go? I mean, there isn't much room for them in the world, especially for a foreign bloodline. Only Soo Ah in her family can use magic."

"We tried to convince her, but she was certain," Jihoon added.

Joshua sighed and looked around the room, noticing that some people were missing from the meeting. Jeonghan addressed him immediately, knowing what he was thinking.

"They said they wanted to quit."

Joshua felt a pang of discomfort. The thought of people abandoning everything to flee and hide troubled him deeply. What troubled him more was how the secret society seemed to be falling apart, its members abandoning ship out of fear of The Duke. Every week, they used to gather in this hidden room to practice magic and discuss new spells. Their bond had been unbreakable, or so he thought. Now, he had to face reality: it wasn't as solid as he had imagined.

"Did they tell you why I'm not the first to know? I mean, I keep my position as your president, right?"

"This is a sensitive time. They're all confused and anxious."

"So you assume I'm not???" Joshua raised his voice.

"Hey, hey, hey. Calm down," Jihoon quickly intervened.

Minghao, considering the emotions of the room, suggested a change of subject.

"Group classification will begin tomorrow morning. I think we should focus on that."

The older members silently agreed, letting the "stay or leave" dilemma rest for the moment. Minghao was right. They had to concentrate on the Group classification test if they were to prepare for the worst.

There had been no test for Group classification at the beginning. Everyone had taken the same path until graduation, at which point they had to choose a career. They could also leave Carat Land with an oath not to reveal anything about magic. Those were the days when everything had been flawless.

As The Duke and his followers cast their shadow over the land, The Queen issued a decree: every student at Serene High Tower must be classified into groups. Even Rose-Quartz Citadel, the distant academy by the ocean, was drawn into this mandatory test. Once completed, The Ministry of Education would determine where each student belonged, scattering them, leaving them with no certainty of what awaited them.

No one knew how the students would be divided, but there was a real possibility that friends would be separated and forced to change schools. The secret group might find itself in an even worse situation than the stay-or-leave choice. They might be able to stay in touch, but who knew if they could continue on the same path? This was yet another reality Joshua had to face.

After the tense meeting, Joshua felt uneasy about returning to his room. His roommate had left, and the space felt overwhelmingly empty. So, at 3 a.m., he called Seungcheol through the LINK, knowing that even if his boyfriend was asleep, he would eventually wake up.

When Seungcheol arrived, Joshua was standing by the shores of a small lake behind their school. He looked weary, his back bent in a way that made Seungcheol's heart ache. Seungcheol approached cautiously, not wanting to startle him.

"Hey," Seungcheol called softly.

Joshua lifted his head, and their eyes met. In an instant, Joshua threw himself into Seungcheol's arms, his legs trembling.

"Cheol... What if..."

His voice cracked, the words barely escaping him.

"What if you have to go? What if I'm the one who has to leave? What about us? What about our friends?"

Seungcheol gently ran his fingers through Joshua's silky brown hair, speaking to him tenderly.

"It's not that bad. I can choose to stay."

"You can?" Joshua asked, raising his head to look Seungcheol in the eyes.

"I would. And if you have to leave, I'll go with you."

Joshua considered himself a hard-to-please person, aware of his ego and his high expectations. But how sweet was it when Seungcheol loved him in spite of all that? How sweet it was that Seungcheol embraced Joshua's flaws.

But that sweetness was dangerous. It made Joshua fall in love with the idea of a perfect partnership, a love he never wanted to leave. Even when everything around them seemed to be falling apart.

As time passed, Joshua found the strength to pull himself out of Seungcheol's embrace. He had an epiphany while being held by the most precious person in his life.

It was all a lie.

"You're lying. You always say the nicest things to me. But this... this is a lie. You know we might never see each other again."

Seungcheol looked at Joshua, horror flickering in his eyes as if the whole world were collapsing. He had never seen Joshua like this before. Joshua was usually so steady, intelligent, almost fearless. But something had changed. Recently, Joshua seemed more vulnerable than ever.

"Shua, baby, talk to me. Did someone hurt you? Why are you acting like this?"

Joshua refused to explain. He had sworn never to speak about the secret organization. No exceptions. Not even for Seungcheol.

Deep down, Joshua knew Seungcheol had said those comforting words just to make him feel better. But if he listened to them too long, he might start believing the lie without questioning reality.

"Did your parents get back from their trip?" Joshua asked softly.

"Not yet," Seungcheol replied.

"Have they written to you?"

"They haven't." Seungcheol furrowed his brow, finally understanding what Joshua meant.

"Then you know what I meant."

"You mean they're dead?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you meant it."

Joshua exhaled a sigh, his hands gently caressing Seungcheol's cheek as he gazed at him with soft, adoring eyes. "I didn't want us to talk like this. It hurts."

"Which is why I need to know the truth, Shua."

Joshua shook his head. He turned to face the other side of the lake, closing his eyes as the sun began to rise.

"I've been thinking about the stay-or-leave dilemma lately and have come to a conclusion," Joshua said. "You need to stop telling me good things. Let's be honest: everything is getting worse. I don't want to live in a fantasy. Not in this case."

"But I would always be kind to you, adore you, and protect you. I'll go wherever you go."

If it was a stay-or-leave dilemma, that would be Seungcheol's motto for making any decision.