Feeling challenged by Luke's intervention, Haku shot back with a spiteful remark that the school had forbidden students from uttering to Luke. "What are you going to do about it? Kill me too?"

Hearing those words was Luke's worst nightmare. Whenever someone uttered them, he would be haunted by distressing memories from his past, causing him overwhelming anxiety. He instinctively took a small step back and clenched his fists in frustration. Sensing the escalating tension, some of Haku's friends intervened, pulling him away and warning him that the coach might arrive at any moment, and he could get into trouble. Haku resentfully backed down.

The atmosphere in the locker room remained heavy and awkward after the confrontation, so the other teammates quickly gathered their belongings and left. Luke turned to Sawamura and asked with concern, "Are you okay?"

Sawamura was deliberately avoiding eye contact with Luke as he hastily collected his things. Just before leaving, and without meeting Luke's gaze, he muttered, "I'm sorry, but my parents told me to stay away from you." With that, he slipped out of the locker room, leaving Luke alone and disheartened.

Luke sat in solitude, his thoughts drifting to the day's events. He often found solace in imagining a normal life, one free from the burdens and challenges he faced. This fleeting sense of comfort gave him hope that a brighter future might someday be within reach.

As he lost himself in this reverie, a soft, persistent voice echoed in his mind, calling his name over and over again. It was a voice he'd come to recognize, one that seemed to surface only when he was alone. The source of the voice remained an enigma, yet its presence gnawed at the edges of his sanity. Had he finally succumbed to the pressures that weighed on him? Could this be the breaking point he'd been dreading? Doubts and questions swirled in Luke's thoughts, as he struggled to make sense of it all.

Determined, he grabbed his bag and exited the room. As he passed by the coach's office, he noticed its emptiness. Taking advantage of the moment, he slid a letter under the door - his resignation from the team. This decision marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, as he sought to find his way in the world.

The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a reddish glow across the sky as it succumbed to the encroaching darkness. As Luke meandered home, the mysterious voice continued to plague his thoughts. He knew he'd never forget the first time he'd heard it, for it was inextricably linked to the day he lost his best friend, Shimizu Kei. That fateful moment, forever etched into his memory, continued to shape his path as he strode into the uncertain future.

During his first year at the school, Luke formed a close bond with Shimizu Kei. The two were inseparable, their friendship a beacon of camaraderie in their daily lives. It was Kei who had persuaded Luke to join the football team, and for a time, life seemed to be progressing smoothly. Luke felt a sense of belonging and acceptance within his social circle, and everything appeared to be going well... until that fateful day.

As the year drew to a close, tensions rose between the two friends, culminating in a heated argument on the football field. The fallout was immediate, and they found themselves estranged for days. It seemed as though their once-strong friendship had been irreparably damaged.

But on an otherwise ordinary school day, the unthinkable happened. Kei was discovered on the football field, his life brutally snuffed out by a vicious knife wound to his throat. Not far from the grisly scene, Luke lay unconscious, his proximity to the crime painting him as the prime suspect. The entire school reeled in shock and disbelief.

The surveillance footage only served to deepen the mystery, as it depicted Luke ruthlessly stabbing his friend after a physical altercation the night before. But Luke vehemently denied the allegations, insisting that he had never attacked Kei, and that they had, in fact, been working to resolve their recent disagreement. The truth remained elusive, shrouded in layers of suspicion and doubt.

During the trial, the evidence against Luke was damning, and it seemed inevitable that he would be sent to a juvenile detention center to continue his education. However, in an unexpected turn of events, an inspector named Jonathan Willow took an unusual interest in the case. He uncovered fresh evidence that exonerated Luke, and as a result, the young boy was released.

Despite his newfound freedom, the surveillance footage and the dark rumors surrounding the case led the students and their parents to brand Luke a murderer. From that day on, he found himself ostracized, completely cut off from any semblance of companionship.

The burden of these experiences weighed heavily on the 13-year-old boy. At times, he wondered if the mysterious voice he heard was Kei reaching out from beyond the grave, while at other times, he feared it was merely a manifestation of his own fractured psyche.

Exhausted, Luke returned home, slipping off his shoes before retreating to his room. His parents, recognizing the telltale signs of a difficult day, worried for their child but gave him space.

Luke quickly changed into more comfortable clothes and collapsed onto his bed. As he lay there, he tried to banish the memories of the day, just as he had done countless times before, eventually succumbing to the solace of sleep.

At 8:30 a.m., Luke was jolted awake by the mysterious voice, now more vibrant and intense than ever before. The clarity of the voice shocked him to the core. He couldn't believe it; the voice was no longer confined to the recesses of his mind, but resounding loud and clear through his ears, unmistakably coming from outside. He muttered to himself, unbelieving, "Am I really hearing this? Is it possible?"

Since he had quit the team, he didn't have any obligations that day and hadn't planned on waking up so early. But the voice was so insistent, practically shouting his name: "Luke! Luke!" Feeling a mix of curiosity and apprehension, he hastily threw on some clothes and bolted out the door to investigate. His family was already gone for the day, leaving the house eerily quiet.

The sky was overcast, hinting at the possibility of rain. The streets were deserted and silent, the voice abruptly ceasing its calls too. Undeterred, Luke continued to search for the source, certain that he had heard someone calling his name. He couldn't shake off the shock of the voice's intensity and clarity. Eventually, though, he grew tired of his fruitless pursuit and finally, just for a moment, he paused to admire the moody clouds overhead.

Suddenly, a tremendous figure landed just a few feet behind him. Luke heard the heavy impact and spun around to see what had caused it. The sight that greeted him was so terrifying, so unbelievable, that he was frozen in place, paralyzed by fear.

It had been millennia since anyone had encountered one of these creatures, but there it was, right in front of him... a shimmering, blue silhouette of death!