Once he reached the top, Haruto stared out at the bustling city. He closed his eyes as he inhaled one last time. This was it. The moment of truth. He couldn't control what happened before, but he'd be damned if he couldn't control this moment. He noticed the air grew colder suddenly, as if the world wasn't berating him. He paid no mind to it. 'Fuck the world,' he thought, and just as he was about to step off the ledge, he heard a rustling noise behind him. He turned and saw his aunt. 'How did she know I was here?'
"Young man, what is it that you think you're doing? You'll catch a cold out here in this weather!" she called out.
Haruto looked perplexed. Since when was his aunt the caring type? She wasn't. Something felt off—sinister even.
"We've been looking for you everywhere. Your father's estate attorney has papers he needs you to sign. Please come down to the house," she urged.
Haruto narrowed his eyes. He wasn't a scholar, but he wasn't dumb either. He had already signed papers with the family attorney right after the funeral. What scheme was she up to? And who was "we"?
Suddenly, someone grabbed Haruto from behind. "What is the meaning of this?!" Haruto exclaimed as he saw who it was—his uncle.
"Akio, I told you to let me handle it! We would've gotten him back to the house," his aunt, Keiko, scolded.
"Keiko, he was becoming suspicious. Hurry and forge his signature so we can feed him the poison and be done with this brat!" Akio replied.
Haruto struggled, but his uncle was unbelievably strong. He regretted not learning martial arts like his mother had insisted. His aunt walked up and grabbed his finger, placing it on a tablet to record his signature. As Haruto struggled, he saw what the tablet said. It was a digital power of attorney, relinquishing all assets to his aunt and uncle should he die.
"Don't worry, the poison is painless, and when they do an autopsy, it'll show your lungs just stopped working," Keiko assured him.
They didn't just want his signature; they wanted him dead.
Haruto's eyes widened as he realized he couldn't let them win. He suddenly stomped on his uncle's foot, breaking free, and ran toward the cliff.
"Idiot!! Don't let him jump; he has to die of natural causes, or the power of attorney is void!" Keiko shouted. Realizing Haruto's intent, Akio rushed after him. Just as he was about to grab Haruto, his foot slipped on the rain-soaked ground. This gave Haruto just enough time to create space. As he jumped, he turned and flipped off his aunt and uncle, who stood in rage. He had won.
Haruto plummeted down, not once opening his eyes. He feared that if he did, he would regret his decision. He wanted to keep the thought that this was in his control. He fell for what seemed like an eternity and then nothing happened. Eventually, he slowly opened his eyes and saw what appeared to be a marble floor beneath him. Glancing around, the thought hit him—he was floating? Suddenly, he crashed into the ground as if awakened from a dream.
Haruto slowly got up, trying to take in his surroundings. It was bright at first, but once his eyes adjusted, he saw two people sitting in the room with him. One was a silver-haired teenage boy who looked both annoyed and bored at Haruto's appearance, while the other was possibly the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She looked similar to the boy, so Haruto assumed they were related.
He found it hard to speak, as if air was trapped in his lungs. Eventually, he got his words out. "Where am I? Is this the afterlife?"
The teenage boy looked at Haruto in disdain. "Priscilla, are you sure about this? He seems kind of... well, dumb," Dimitri said, suddenly appearing next to Haruto and startling him. Haruto bounced back, trying to analyze him.
Haruto immediately tried to crawl away. "H-How did you do that?" he stammered, pointing at Dimitri. He hadn't seen him move, yet somehow he was suddenly next to him.
Priscilla stood up and walked over to them. She bent down and extended a hand to Haruto. "Where are our manners? I'm Priscilla. I am the current Ruler of Space. That overly curious one there is my brother Dimitri, Ruler of Magic. Nice to meet you, Haruto," she said with a warm smile.
Haruto was even more afraid. "You know who I am? How?"
Priscilla kept her hand extended. "Yes, we know everything about you. Take my hand; let me help you up."