Am I saved? Is that Rina?
Cold and warmth war against each other. Hard stones press into my face, the ground beneath me freezing, while my body burns with an intense, consuming heat. Blood pools around me. Is this all my blood? Am I dying? I must be…
Rina's voice slices through the haze—fierce, commanding. Her sword clashes against metal, a violent symphony of steel that erupts into screams, then sudden silence.
"You damn bitch!" A man's shout is abruptly cut short by another scream. Then, nothing.
The pain in my stomach twists viciously, paralyzing me. I want to scream, but my body refuses. My face contorts, skin tightening as every nerve ignites with searing fire.
I want to scream! I want to live! What did I do to deserve this? Why now? I had finally found something worth living for—friends, a second chance.
"Kaito! Hang in there—don't die, please!" Yumiko's voice breaks, trembling. Tears stream down her face. Even through my blurring vision, I can see her raw fear, her desperate anguish.
Her hands clutch my arm, her tears mixing with the blood on my skin. "You aren't allowed to die! Stay with me!"
Rina's voice softens, a sorrowful whisper. "Kaito… rest in peace."
"Don't say that!" Yumiko screams, striking Rina weakly. But her strength has abandoned her, her body trembling as violently as mine.
I can't hold on. Blood spreads beneath me as the world spins. Pain fades, replaced by an encompassing cold. My thoughts scatter like ash in a merciless wind. This is it… isn't it?
Darkness swallows me. No more pain. No more fear. Just… nothing. Is this the end? The afterlife? I never believed in such things. Perhaps I'm bound for hell.
Then—air. My chest burns as I draw a ragged breath. The ground feels solid beneath me, but different. Not the cold, unforgiving stone. Something else. My senses flicker: the rustle of trees, the soft touch of grass.
Am I hallucinating? Or am I… somewhere else?