"No! She can't die!" Asaga shouted, watching helplessly as a man held a knife above Yuta, his expression twisted with malice.
"No! I promised I'd protect her!"
Just as the knife was about to plunge into Yuta's chest, Asaga's voice erupted in a desperate scream. Suddenly, chaos erupted around them; wooden planks flew through the air as if summoned by his rage.
"Wait, how did I get here?" Asaga thought, memories flooding back.
**A Few Moments Earlier**
Asaga walks home from school, the bustling City of Tokyo, he reaches home as he takes off his shoes
"I'm home" he says as a girl named Yuta then pops out
"Where have you been? School ended an hour ago!" She exclaimed as she crossed her arms
"Just something I need to do after school" He explained as he just casually walks past Yuta
"You can't just go missing for an hour and not explain the full story!" She said
"Just mind your own business!" He goes into his room as the doors closed
"Man, that guy" She walks into the living room
As Asaga lies in his bed, he rethinks of the days during when he was with his grandfather, 6 years ago. They only had each other, but as far as Asaga can remember, they had many memories they cherish, as one day his grandfather died from an illness. All his grandfather left was a key and that was it. As Asaga lays in his bed, he looks upon the key in his hand
"What did you left me with?" He thinks as he got up and grabbed a box under his bed as dust followed, he blows the dust away as a cloud of dust arose
"There has to be some kind of hint" He thinks as he then opens the box to go through his grandfather's old things, it was very dusty as spiders living there scattered in terror. Soon he finds a very old flip phone, Asaga then begins charging it and goes through many old photos, with his grandfather and grandmother
"This thing barely works" He says as he mashes the button that sometimes works, until he sees a photo of his grandfather and grandmother, behind them was a Shack
"Where is this?" He thinks as he then went back to the box as he looks through the many old stuff in it, and finally grabs a phone, he charges it up aswell as he looks through the photos of his Mom, in his youthful years with his grandfather, and finds the exact same shack in the old fliphone, he sees the location on the phone that in a forest
Asaga thinks as he decides to go to the shack, when suddenly Yuta burst through his room
"Wake up! Wake up! You haven't had your dinner yet!" She sees Asaga hiding his phone behind his back as Asaga stands there looking shock
"H-hey! You know you need to knock you know?" He exclaims as Yuta looked at her suspiciously
"Hmm? Usually you would lay in your bed after going home, but come down and eat!" She exclaimed as Asaga nodded, as Yuta walks out, Asaga sighs in relief as he placed the phone and fliphone in the box and placed it back under the bed
Later, Asaga, Yuta and his parents were at the table eating, the first one to speak up was Yuta's Father
"So, how was school today?" He asked as Yuta looks at him while Asaga still looks down eating his food
"It was great!" She said but Asaga still looking pretty determined "It was fine" He said as Yuta's dad looked confused and said "Got something on your mind kiddo?" He asked
"No, nothing much" he goes back to eating, as he remembers how Yuta's parents took care of him after his grandfather died, he was really thankful so he tries his hardest not to be a burden
"I'm gonna go do my homework now, thanks for the food" He gets up as he settles his plates in the sink and walks out, as Yuta looks at him while walking away in suspicion
"But there was no homework given?" She thinks, as midnight arrived. Asaga prepares his things in his bag as he then jumps out of the window as he sneaks out, suddenly the front door opened
"Where are you going?" Yuta said, crossing her arms as he looks at Asaga as Asaga was shocked and tries to explain but his stuttering was hard to make clear
"I- I was trying to- I'm not going away! I'm just- trying to get to a shack that- my grandfather- belongs to!" He explains as Yuta looks at him in confusion
"Spill the beans, tell me everything" She closes the door as she walks towards Asaga
"Look, my grandfather left this key and I'm trying to find what he left behind! If this key is the only thing he gave it must mean something!" He explains as Yuta sighs in relief
"Thank goodness... I thought you were leaving us, well count me in! I've been with you since we were kids and I wanna be with you!" She said in a hint of pride as Asaga just nodded
"Thanks, come on" He said as him and Yuta walked out together as they rode on a bus and arrived in a forest
"So, are you sure you know where your going?" She asked as both of them walked into the forest while Asaga holds onto the phone
"I know the coordinates, we're fine" they walked deep into the forest, the creeking bugs and howling of wolves were heard
"This better be worth it, what did your Grandfather leave there anyways?" She asked, raising her eyebrows as she questions him
"I don't know, but it seemed important the way he looked when he gave me the key," Asaga replied, a hint of nostalgia in his voice.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go!" Yuta shouted, her excitement contagious.
They hiked up a mountain, weaving through dense woods until they finally stood before the old house.
"We're here, it looks... damaged" Asaga said, gazing up at the weathered structure. He inserted the key into the rusted lock, and with a creak, the door swung open.
"This place is so old!" she said as she looks around the old shack, bookshelves filled with books, some were in tables and some were on the ground, many other artifacys like swords were found
"Look at this huge armor!" Yuta exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder.
Asaga moved deeper into the house, the eerie creeking of the floor made it clear nothing has touched it in years, As Yuta explored more, he finds a massive cloth covering something on the wall. "What is it?" Yuta asked, her curiosity piqued.
He pulled down the cloth, revealing a faded map. "It's a map?" he questioned, confusion etching his features.
"It looks like something out of a video game!" Yuta giggled.
"No way. This looks ancient; there were no video games in my grandpa's time," Asaga argued.
The two friends continued to explore, discovering many fascinating artifacts.
"Look! A lectern. This looks really old," Yuta said, her excitement growing.
"Why are you so interested in it?" Asaga asked, teasing her.
"Because it's in the middle of the living room!" she replied, her voice laced with enthusiasm.
"Maybe it belonged to the old owners," Asaga mused. He rummaged through a pile of dusty bookshelves and unearthed a glowing book.
"What do you have there?" Yuta asked, her eyes sparkling with intrigue.
"I don't know," Asaga exclaimed, opening the book to reveal pages filled with strange symbols. There were illustrations of magic, swords, and monstrous creatures.
"Hey, I can't understand this! It looks like a foreign language," Yuta said, her brow furrowing.
Asaga began reading aloud, words spilling from his lips. "What? You can understand it?" Yuta asked, astonished.
"My grandpa taught me this language, I always thought I wasn't a full blooded Japanese cause of grandpa's culture" Asaga explained, a mix of pride and confusion filling him.
"Wow! That's so cool! What does it say?" she asked eagerly.
"Well, this page seems to be a manual for... magic?" Asaga replied, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Maybe your grandpa wanted to be a magician?" Yuta suggested, laughing.
"No, this doesn't seem like typical magic. Let me try something," Asaga said, feeling a surge of determination.
"Erif!" he shouted.
Silence fell, then crickets began chirping in the background.
"Yeah, it's fake," he muttered, disappointment creeping in.
He placed the book back on the lectern and continued exploring.
Meanwhile, Outside, in the woods, three men approached the house. Looking interested and greedy
"So this is the place?" one of them asked, scanning the surroundings.
"I heard this place has a lot of antiques that could sell for a fair price!" another exclaimed, rubbing his hands together with greed.
"This is gonna be worth it! Let's go, boys!" the third man shouted, and they broke down the door with a crash.
"what the hell?" Asaga stammered, fear gripping him as he stepped back.
"Look at all of these old stuff!" one thug sneered.
"Looks like we've hit the jackpot! Gather everything in the bag!" A thug said as they began robbing the place, meanwhile Asaga and Yuta are hiding
"What's happening?" Yuta asked looking quite scared
"Thieves, someone must've came across this place and recorded it somehow, it must've attracted some attention" He said looking worried of being found
"Let's try to get out of here without being seen" He says as both him and Yuta began to navigate their way stealthfully. While navigating, they suddenly knocked over a vial as it rolls on the floor and created a loud noise
"Crap!" Asaga shouted as the thugs heard them
"Huh? Kids?" One of the thugs said as all attention were on both of them
"Yuta! Get out of here! I'll distract them!" Asaga shouted, panic rising in his chest.
"Are you crazy? I'm not leaving you here! Don't underestimate me just because I'm a girl!" Yuta shouted back, her resolve firm.
"Fine, let's do this!" Asaga replied, grabbing a long piece of debris from the ground as the thugs advanced.
"Don't underestimate us either! You won't be leaving here today!" one of the thugs threatened. They all get prepared to fight as Yuta and Asaga stand their ground
With a burst of courage, Asaga lunged forward, swinging the debris.
"So fast!" one thug gasped, stumbling back.
Asaga landed a solid hit on him, and chaos ensued.
"You deal with him! I'll take the girl!" another thug shouted, rushing toward Yuta.
"Don't underestimate me, you jerk!" Yuta yelled, grabbing a book and hurling it at the thug.
"You think a measly book is gonna stop—"
Before he could finish, Yuta appeared beside him and landed a punch.
"Hey! These guys aren't your average weaklings!" Asaga called out, frustration boiling inside him.
"Gyah! You guys are weak!" the third thug exclaimed, charging at Yuta.
But he quickly found himself at a disadvantage as Yuta dodged and countered, determination lighting her eyes.
In the midst of the chaos, one thug grabbed Yuta by the hair. "Yuta!" Asaga shouted, panic rising.
"Hey! Don't lower your guard, boy!" the man sneered, tightening his grip on Yuta. "This is what you get for messing with us!"
He drew a knife, threatening Asaga.
"Stop! No! Don't hurt him! Just do what you want with me—leave him alone!" Yuta cried, desperation in her voice.
"Fine. I'll just rotate this then!" the thug laughed maniacally.
"Wait, wait, NO!" Asaga yelled, his heart racing as he witnessed the impending doom.
"I'm sorry, Asaga. It was nice knowing you!" Yuta said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"No! I promised I would protect you!" Asaga shouted, his voice echoing in the dim room.
"Didn't I tell you? Don't underestimate women, idiot!" Yuta closed her eyes, bracing herself for the worst.
"YUTA!" Asaga roared, his voice filled with anguish.
In that moment, the book he had picked up flew open and began flipping pages wildly, as if it had a life of its own.
"What the?" the thug gasped, fear creeping into his voice.
Suddenly, objects began to rise, swirling around them as the room transformed into a chaotic whirlwind.
"STOP! I have your girlfriend or whatever! You'll hurt her!" the thug screamed, backing away as a piece of wood shot toward him, stabbing him in the back.
Yuta dashed toward Asaga, fear and urgency in her eyes. "Asaga! Stop! You'll kill them!"
"They hurt you! They must pay!" Asaga exclaimed, anger fueling his actions.
"Asaga, NO!" Yuta shouted, but it was too late.
The planks struck the thugs, and they fell to the ground, defeated.
"Asaga, you killed them," Yuta said, her voice a mix of shock and sorrow.
"I'm sorry. Don't worry, they're not dead," he reassured her, glancing at the now motionless forms. The planks had reshaped themselves into flat edges, no longer lethal.
"Why is it still flipping?" Yuta wondered, watching the book. The book flipping pages like crazy as it began glowing and levitates off the lectern
Suddenly, a dark hole opened up beneath them, sucking in everything in its path.
"Guys! Quick! Let's get out of here!" one thug yelled in terror.
"Yuta! Hold on!" Asaga shouted, grasping her hand tightly as they were both pulled toward the abyss.
"Let go! You'll fall in too!" she cried, fear in her voice.
"No! I have to save you!" Asaga insisted, his grip tightening.
With a final surge of strength, Asaga leapt into the hole after her.
As they spun through the void, colors blurred around them. "Yuta! Quick, grab my hand!" Asaga shouted, reaching out through the chaos.
"Where are we?" Yuta asked as they were falling through what seems like a void. Suddenly, they found themselves suspended in space, surrounded by stars and shimmering galaxies.
"We're gonna die!" Asaga shouted, terror gripping him. As suddenly the surroundings soon turned into a similar sky of clouds and birds as they were falling
"Asaga! Quick! Do what you did last time!" Panic insues if nothing is done, both of them I'll die from falling
"I don't know how I did it!" He panics as the ground approaches faster
To be continued