Arrivederci || Dan Heng [✓ ]

⋆ ✦ ˚｡ Part twenty-two ˚｡⋆

"Well...there is someone we could ask for this kind of information."

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The library felt like a haven of silence, a place where thoughts could unfurl and emotions could be confronted. Dan Heng was engrossed in a stack of books, his fingers flipping through pages in search of something—anything—that could guide him to the answers he so desperately sought.

March stood nearby, her gaze fixed on him, a concern etched onto her features. She cleared her throat, drawing his attention away from the mountain of books.

"Dan Heng, I know you don't want to hear this, but I really think it's the only option," she began, her voice gentle yet resolute.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"March, I've told you before, we are not going to her. It's... complicated."

"Complicated or not, she's the only person I can think of who might be able to help," The young girl insisted, her eyes never leaving his. "She knows things, connections that might lead us to answers."

Dan Heng's jaw tightened, his expression conflicted. He knew that March was right, but he couldn't shake off the unease he felt at the thought of seeking help from that particular woman.

"No, March," he replied, his voice edged with a mixture of frustration and reluctance. "There has to be another way."

March let out a frustrated sigh, her patience starting to wear thin. "Dan Heng, stop being stubborn. We can't keep searching aimlessly while the answers might be right in front of us."

He opened his mouth to respond, but his words were cut off by a commotion at the entrance of the library. Dan Heng turned to see a young woman standing there, her presence unexpected and unwelcome.

Serval.

The two of them had clashed from the moment they met, their interactions always sparked tension. Dan Heng's heart raced, his mind imagining the worst.

He braced himself for more trouble, ready to defend himself against whatever verbal assault she had prepared.

But to his surprise, Serval's expression was uncharacteristically contrite. Her gaze met his, and for the first time, he saw something vulnerable in her eyes. She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

"Dan Heng, I... I need to talk to you."

March watched the exchange curiously—unsure of what was unfolding before her. The male was equally baffled, unable to process the change in Serval's demeanor.

"Talk?"

Serval took a deep breath, her gaze steady.

"I want to apologize. For everything."

Dan Heng's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. He had imagined  confrontation, hostility even, but an apology was the last thing he had predicted. He shot a puzzled glance with March, who looked equally taken aback.

"I mean it," Serval continued, her words sincere. "I was wrong about you, about everything. I made fun of your books, I tried to interfere with your relationships... and for what? My own selfish reasons."

Dan Heng's guard slowly began to lower, his confusion giving way to a hesitant intrigue. He hadn't expected this from Serval—that she would ever admit fault.

"Why are you apologizing now?" he asked with skepticism.

Her gaze remained steady, and resolve unshaken.

"Because I realized I was wrong, and when I'm wrong I have to make it right. And also because... I want to help you now. I know about your search, I want to find her too. Don't forget she was our friend first."

March's gaze shifted between him and Serval. The library seemed to hold its breath, as if waiting for Dan Heng's response to this unexpected turn of events.

In that moment, he found himself standing at a crossroads, torn between his distrust of Serval and the possibility that she might be able to help. The walls seemed to close in around them, the weight of his choices pressing down on his shoulders.

And as he looked back into Serval's eyes, he saw a glimmer of something genuine, a flicker of remorse that he had never witnessed before.

Finally, the reserved young male sighed.

"Go call the others, there's someone we need to talk to."

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╰┈➤ EDITED ✦

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Dan Heng's current playlist

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Samudrartha by The Vidyadhara

1:21 ───ㅇ───── 3:08
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ : ▮▮▮▮▯▯▯▯▯

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