Darkness.

Not the kind born from the absence of light.

This darkness had weight.

It stretched endlessly in every direction, an infinite void where black dissolved into shifting shades of gray. There was no sky. No ground. No wind. No scent. No warmth. No cold.

Nothing.

No presence.

No atmosphere.

Only silence.

And beneath that silence...

Thump.

His heartbeat.

Thump.

Each pulse echoed through the endless hollow like a stone dropped into an empty cathedral, returning again and again until the sound became impossible to escape.

The boy took a cautious step forward.

The instant his foot touched the unseen floor, the world lurched.

The corridor twisted.

Walls folded.

The floor became the ceiling.

Reality bent around him as though the labyrinth itself had come alive. Like a city folding into itself, every surface rotated and shifted with impossible precision. He lost his footing.

The world spun.

His body tumbled helplessly through the revolving corridor, crashing against walls that refused to stay where they were a heartbeat earlier.

He reached for anything to steady himself.

There was nothing.

His hands slipped against smooth, lifeless stone.

After what felt like an eternity, the violent motion slowed.

Shaking, he forced himself onto unsteady legs.

Before he could catch his breath, the corridor began to change again.

The walls rippled like molten steel.

Stone split apart.

Entire sections folded, rotated, and reassembled with mechanical precision, as though thousands of invisible gears were rebuilding reality piece by piece.

The hallway no longer existed.

In its place stood a labyrinth.

Endless.

Silent.

Watching.

His vision blurred around the edges.

The darkness pressed closer.

Then came the voices.

Not whispers.

Not words.

Raw screams trapped beneath his ribs, clawing upward as though desperate to escape.

He tried to scream with them.

Nothing came out.

His throat tightened.

His lungs refused to obey.

His fingers tingled.

The numbness spread through his arms, his chest, and finally his legs, swallowing every command his mind gave.

Move.

Run.

Scream.

His body ignored him.

Yet...

His feet moved.

One step.

Then another.

Then faster.

He wasn't controlling them anymore.

He had become a passenger inside his own body.

His thoughts raced faster than lightning while his body reacted on instinct, weaving through impossible turns before he even recognized them. Left. Right. Another left. A sharp turn. A narrow passage.

The maze seemed to rearrange itself just ahead of him, yet his body never hesitated.

It always knew where to go.

Or where not to.

Something was behind him.

He couldn't hear footsteps.

Couldn't see a shadow.

Yet every instinct screamed the same warning.

Don't look back.

The thought settled into his mind like poison.

What if something was there?

What if nothing was there?

The question became unbearable.

Against every instinct, he turned.

His foot caught the uneven ground.

He fell.

His face slammed into the cold floor.

The air burst from his lungs.

Everything went black.

—

He shot upright with a desperate gasp.

A furry weight landed on his chest.

His cat stared back at him, sitting proudly on his face, its paws planted across his nose as though it had personally declared war on his ability to breathe.

He pushed it aside, inhaling sharply.

His heartbeat still pounded against his ribs.

His hands trembled.

The room felt painfully real.

Morning sunlight slipped through the curtains.

On the wall beside his bed hung a framed portrait of his mother.

Her gentle smile hadn't changed.

It never did.

Somehow, that familiar expression quieted the storm inside him.

He exhaled.

Just a dream.

Or so he hoped.

—

By the time he finished getting ready, he was already running late.

His backpack hung from one shoulder as he hurried outside, nearly slamming the front door behind him.

He twisted the doorknob to lock it.

Click.

Another doorknob turned.

Not his.

From the other side of the door.

Someone...

had just unlocked it.

A voice, honeyed and impossibly gentle, drifted behind him.

"Eishin..."

It was barely above a whisper.

Yet it felt as though warm breath had brushed against his ear.

A chill shot down his spine.

He froze.

"...Ohayo."

He slowly turned around.

"Oh... Ohayo."

Standing a few steps away was Lysara.

A warm smile rested on her face—soft, innocent, almost comforting.

Almost.

"You're leaving without me?" she asked, tilting her head. "Won't you wait for me, Eishin?"

"I-I was just running late..."

Silence.

Then she laughed.

A delicate, melodic giggle.

"Just kidding."

She clasped her hands behind her back and stepped beside him.

"Let's walk together."

Lysara was his senior.

To everyone else, she was kind, cheerful, and endlessly caring.

She treated Eishin like her closest friend.

Maybe even more than that.

No one understood why he always seemed uneasy around her.

Not even Eishin himself.

...

"Eishiiinnn..."

Her voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

"Hm?"

"How have you been?"

"I'm... fine."

"No."

She smiled.

"I mean your health."

Her crimson eyes lingered on him.

"Your sleep."

A pause.

"Your dreams."

Eishin blinked.

"...They're fine."

"Really?"

Another pause.

"...Actually."

He rubbed the back of his neck.

"I've been having strange dreams again."

Lysara's smile widened ever so slightly.

"I knew it."

"Huh?"

She covered her mouth with one hand.

"Hehe..."

"It's nothing."

The rest of the walk passed in an uncomfortable silence.

Soon, the school gates came into view.

Students streamed across the courtyard as conversations echoed through the morning air.

Ding... Dong...

The first bell rang across campus.

"Looks like we'll have to part ways."

Lysara smiled at him.

"See you later, Eishin."

Before he could reply, she disappeared into the sea of students.

Eishin adjusted the strap of his backpack and headed toward his classroom as the bustling hallway swallowed him whole.

The moment Eishin stepped into the classroom, the weight on his shoulders eased.

Near the back window, three familiar faces waved him over.

"Oi! Over here!" Hikari called, half-standing on his chair before dropping back into it.

"We saved your seat," Sora said with a gentle smile, patting the empty desk beside her.

Eishin couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks."

The four of them had claimed the back corner of the classroom long ago. Somehow, it had become their place.

Hikari was the loudest of the group—a reckless troublemaker who somehow managed to make friends with anyone, whether they wanted to or not.

Sora was his complete opposite. Calm, organized, and always carrying snacks, tissues, or medicine as if she expected someone to need them.

Then there was Yuna.

If curiosity were a person, it would be her.

She was always trying something new, getting into ridiculous situations, and somehow walking away with another unbelievable story.

Before Eishin could settle into his chair, Yuna leaned across the desks with an excited grin.

"You guys are never going to believe what I did yesterday."

Hikari groaned.

"Last time you said that, we almost got arrested."

"Correction," Yuna replied proudly. "We almost got kicked out."

"That's not better."

She ignored him.

"So... I may have climbed onto the old water tower."

Sora blinked.

"...Why?"

"Because there was a sign that said 'Do Not Enter.'"

Hikari burst into laughter.

"I respect the dedication."

"You would."

"I got the best sunrise photos ever," Yuna continued, proudly holding up her phone.

"And then?" Eishin asked.

"...I couldn't figure out how to get back down."

The entire group fell silent.

"...Seriously?" Sora sighed.

"I had to call the fire department."

Hikari laughed so hard he nearly fell off his chair.

"I knew it! That's the most Yuna thing I've ever heard!"

Even Eishin laughed.

For the first time that morning, the nightmare and Lysara's lingering giggle drifted to the back of his mind.

Outside, the morning breeze slipped through the open windows.

Curtains swayed lazily.

Birds chirped somewhere beyond the schoolyard.

The classroom slowly filled with conversation until it became a familiar, comforting hum.

Then—

SCREEEECH.

The classroom door swung open with a long, metallic cry.

Every conversation died.

A cold silence settled over the room.

A man stepped inside.

Tall.

Impeccably dressed.

His expression unreadable.

His presence alone was enough to drain the warmth from the classroom.

Sora stiffened.

"...Masanori..."

No one responded.

Their eyes remained fixed on the front of the room.

She swallowed.

"Masanori Shiba..."

This time, panic flashed across Hikari's face.

The four of them straightened immediately, sitting as though they hadn't been talking moments earlier.

Masanori Shiba walked to the podium without sparing them a glance.

He placed a notebook on the desk.

His sharp eyes swept across the classroom.

"As today is your first day of the new academic year," he began calmly, "I won't be teaching today's lesson."

A wave of confused murmurs spread through the class.

He let them continue for a moment before speaking again.

"Tell me."

His voice wasn't loud.

It didn't need to be.

"Humans are meant to change."

A pause.

"To evolve."

Another pause.

"To become better versions of themselves."

His gaze slowly drifted across the room until it stopped on one student.

"Eishin."

The classroom turned to look at him.

"Do you agree?"

Eishin hesitated for a heartbeat.

Then...

He nodded.

When the final bell rang, the four of them packed their bags and left the classroom together.

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the school courtyard as students poured through the gates.

"I still don't get it," Hikari said, stretching his arms. "Since when does Masanori Shiba start the year with a philosophy lecture?"

"He was definitely staring at Eishin," Yuna added.

"I noticed that too," Sora said quietly.

Eishin scratched the back of his neck.

"...Maybe I was just imagining it."

Before anyone could reply, his phone vibrated.

Dad

My business trip's been extended. Looks like I'll be away for another week. Sorry, champ. Don't skip meals.

Eishin sighed before slipping the phone back into his pocket.

"Everything okay?" Sora asked.

"Yeah."

He forced a smile.

"My dad's staying overseas a little longer."

"Again?" Hikari frowned.

"You'll survive."

"I always do."

Just then—

"Eishin!"

Lysara jogged toward the group with her usual gentle smile.

"Oh, your shadow's here," Hikari whispered under his breath.

"I heard that," Lysara replied sweetly.

"...She actually heard me."

Yuna laughed.

After chatting for a while, the group eventually split at the neighborhood intersection.

"See you guys tomorrow!"

One by one, they headed home.

Only Eishin and Lysara continued walking together.

"So..."

She glanced sideways at him.

"What are you making for dinner?"

"Haven't decided yet."

"You could come over."

Her smile never wavered.

"My parents made plenty."

Eishin smiled awkwardly.

"Thanks... but I'll cook something myself."

"If you're sure."

"I am."

She nodded without insisting.

"Then don't forget to eat."

"I won't."

When Eishin finally reached home, he tossed his backpack onto the sofa and changed into more comfortable clothes.

He opened the kitchen cabinet.

Instant ramen.

"...Good enough."

A few minutes later, a pot of water began to boil.

Just as he reached for the seasoning packet...

Something soft brushed against his leg.

"Mrrp."

Eishin looked down.

"Mochi."

His tuxedo cat weaved between his legs, its black coat gleaming while the white fur on its chest and paws made it look as though it were dressed for a formal dinner.

"Oh no..."

He crouched down.

"I completely forgot about you today."

Mochi answered by climbing onto his lap.

"I'm sorry, buddy."

He scratched behind the cat's ears until loud purrs filled the kitchen.

One minute turned into five.

Five became ten.

A faint smell drifted through the room.

"...Wait."

His eyes widened.

"The ramen!"

He rushed back to the stove.

The water had completely evaporated.

The noodles had fused into a sad, burnt brick at the bottom of the pot.

"...Seriously?"

He stared at it for a moment before letting out a defeated sigh.

"I've lost my appetite."

Mochi simply meowed.

"Don't judge me."

Too tired to think about cooking again, Eishin collapsed onto his bed with Mochi curling up beside him.

The apartment grew quiet.

Then—

A delicious aroma drifted through the room.

Crispy.

Savory.

Freshly fried.

Knock.

Knock.

He blinked awake.

"Coming..."

Opening the door, he found Lysara standing outside with a small paper bag in her hands.

"I figured instant ramen wasn't exactly a proper dinner."

She smiled.

"So..."

"I brought karaage."

Eishin stared at her.

"...How did you know I was making ramen?"

Lysara blinked.

Then laughed softly.

"I guessed."

She held out the bag.

"Will you accept it?"

"...Thank you."

The words came out quieter than he intended.

A few minutes later...

Eishin sat cross-legged on the living room floor while Mochi eagerly waited beside him.

The aroma alone was enough to make his stomach growl.

"Ready?"

Mochi meowed enthusiastically.

They shared the meal together.

The karaage was still warm.

Perfectly seasoned.

Crispy on the outside.

Tender on the inside.

"...This is amazing."

Mochi seemed to agree.

Within minutes, not a single piece remained.

A comfortable silence settled over the apartment.

Eishin leaned back against the sofa.

Mochi curled up on his lap.

His eyelids grew heavier with every passing second.

"You know..."

He lazily scratched behind Mochi's ears.

"Maybe the reason I'm scared of Lysara..."

He yawned.

"...is because she's just... too kind."

"...She always knows when I need help."

His voice faded into a mumble.

"I don't even know how..."

Mochi purred.

Neither of them noticed when sleep finally claimed them.

...

A gentle breeze brushed across Eishin's face.

The scent of fresh flowers filled the air.

When he opened his eyes, the darkness was gone.

He stood within a vast medieval garden.

Stone pathways wound between vibrant flowerbeds.

Ancient trees stretched toward the sky, their trunks wrapped in thick ivy and emerald vines.

Golden sunlight filtered through the leaves, painting the garden in warm, dancing light.

For the first time in what felt like forever...

The world felt alive.

Then—

He realized he wasn't alone.

Someone else was there.

Waiting.

To be continued...