10:12 AM – The Next Day
Akondo was asleep in his room at home. The place was a mess—clothes strewn around, books and papers scattered on the floor. The doorbell rang, its sharp sound cutting through the quiet. He didn't stir.
A moment later, the door creaked open, and someone quietly entered. The figure's shadow stretched across the messy room, reaching Akondo's bed. He lay there, oblivious, as the shadow moved closer until a gentle hand brushed against his hair.
"Just ten more minutes, Mom," Akondo murmured, half-asleep.
The hand hesitated for a moment, then a soft kiss landed on his cheek. "Sleep as much as you want. I won't wake you up," came the familiar voice of Seren.
Startled, Akondo's eyes fluttered open. He saw Seren standing beside his bed, dressed in her school uniform, her face half-lit by the morning sunlight. "Oh… sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she said, giving him a small smile.
"Seren?" Akondo's voice was groggy, and a brief sadness crossed his face as he realized she wasn't his mother.
"You thought I was your mom, didn't you?" Seren said softly, noticing his expression.
Akondo shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "What are you doing here? Didn't you go home?" he asked, his tone puzzled.
"Yeah, I did. I managed to sneak back before my mom woke up, so nobody noticed," Seren replied with a grin.
"Oh…" was all Akondo could manage in response.
"Well, I came back here because you need proper nutrition, and I'll be cooking for you from now on," she declared firmly.
"What?" Akondo asked, a little taken aback.
"Look," Seren continued, undeterred, "you need to eat something homemade. And since there's no one here to cook for you, I'll do it."
"Don't you have school?" Akondo asked, trying to wrap his head around her sudden declaration.
"I do. I told them I was heading there, and then I came straight here," she said, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
"Wait, so you're not going to school?" Akondo pressed, starting to sit up.
"Nope," Seren replied matter-of-factly. "I'm going to take care of you until you're well enough to handle things on your own. Maybe even after that."
"Seren, seriously, I don't need anyone to take care of me. I'm fine," Akondo insisted, his voice firmer now.
Seren didn't even look up from tidying the room as she retorted, "Did I ask your opinion? I said what I'm going to do, and I'll do it. Right now, taking care of you is more important, so that's what I'm going to do."
"Why can't you just listen to me?" Akondo sighed, watching her move around his messy room.
As she picked up a discarded piece of clothing, Seren suddenly changed the topic. "Anyway, remember yesterday when that woman tried to blame you for her husband's death in front of the room's hallway? Did you notice the guard outside the door?"
Akondo furrowed his brows, trying to recall. "I… I don't know. I didn't notice."
"There was a beautiful woman inside the room," Seren continued, "and she looked so familiar. Well, it turns out she's the Queen of Valloria. I confirmed it while watching the news this morning."
"Oh… I see," Akondo muttered, still processing.
"And remember that guy who gave me back my phone and helped us get away from that problematic woman?" Seren pressed on.
Akondo thought for a moment, his expression becoming cautious. "That guy… that strange guy…"
"What do you mean, 'strange'?" Seren shot back, raising an eyebrow. "He was actually a good guy. And guess what? He's the Prince of Valloria. I wonder what they're doing here."
Akondo's mind raced as he tried to piece together this new information. "The Prince of Valloria?" he echoed quietly, more to himself than to Seren.
Seren continued as she picked up a book from the floor, her tone growing more thoughtful. "By the way, why do I feel like the Queen of Valloria was staring at you when we walked by? I'm serious, her eyes were pinned on you for no apparent reason."
"What do you mean?" Akondo asked, his voice laced with unease.
"Nothing… it's probably just my imagination," Seren said, brushing it off. She stood up and adjusted her uniform, glancing at the clock. "Anyway, since you're awake now, I'm going downstairs to cook. Take a bath quickly before you come down."
Without waiting for a response, Seren left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Akondo lay there for a moment longer, trying to make sense of everything she'd said.
Soon after, Akondo was taking a bath. His left hand rested against the wall, and a memory surfaced in his mind.
He was five years old, still living in the orphanage. He remembered being alone in a small room, feeling the weight of solitude. Then, the door creaked open, and he cautiously stepped out. As he walked down the hallway, he spotted a car parked outside where a child sat with a man and a woman. Akondo paused, watching them from a distance before continuing down the hall.
As he walked, he overheard two women talking nearby. One of them, a shorter woman with a hesitant voice, asked, "Ma'am, sorry to ask, but why do you always hide Risen whenever someone comes for adoption? Is there a reason?"
"Shh… don't speak like that," the taller woman replied quickly. "I'm under strict orders not to let anyone adopt Risen, or else…"
"Who gives these orders?" the shorter woman pressed, curiosity overcoming her caution.
"The Queen of Valloria," the taller woman said, her voice lowering as if the very name demanded secrecy.
Akondo, lost in his thoughts, murmured inwardly, "My name was Risen back then, and no one ever came to adopt me. I know it wasn't my fault. I was being hidden so no one could take me away. And that day, I realized that my fate was being controlled by someone called the Queen of Valloria. I really wanted to know who she was, but after my mom adopted me, I forgot all about it…"
He snapped back to the present, sighing as he rubbed soap over his skin. "Valloria… the neighboring country to ours, still ruled by a king. Even so, it's remarkably peaceful and ranked as the 10th happiest country in the world. And the 4th most beautiful."
"Why am I even thinking about this?" he muttered to himself, rinsing off the soap and finishing up his bath.
Later, Akondo sat at the dining table, eating a plate of fried rice. Seren sat across from him, watching intently.
"How does it taste?" Seren asked eagerly, her eyes bright with expectation.
"Umm… really good," Akondo replied, still chewing.
Seren leaned back, satisfied. "Great! So, make me your permanent cook as soon as possible," she said with a teasing grin.
"Huh?" Akondo looked up, confused by her sudden remark.
"I mean, I'll turn 18 next month," Seren explained, her tone turning half-serious, half-playful. "Then we could get married or stay together, you know?"
"Hmm…" Akondo responded noncommittally, focused on finishing his meal.
Seren stood up, stretching her arms. "Alright, I need to get some sleep. I'm going to your room. Don't wake me up unless it's important—I didn't get any sleep last night," she said before heading upstairs.
Akondo watched her leave, then quietly continued eating his meal.
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.
.
Ren was running along the snow-covered road that cut through the dense winter forest. His breath was steady, his feet crunching softly on the icy path. He wore a heavy winter coat, gloves, and a woolen cap to fend off the biting cold.
After some time, Ren stopped in front of an old, sturdy tree. He pulled out his phone to check his progress and saw that he had covered 5 kilometers.
"Whoa, my stamina's really improved. I'm not even tired, and I ran this in just about half an hour," Ren thought, feeling a surge of pride. He placed a hand on the tree to catch his breath, unintentionally causing a clump of snow to fall from its branches.
As he admired the serene scenery, his eyes fell on a large, oddly shaped stone by the base of the tree. "This stone… it looks so familiar…" he murmured, the sight sparking an uneasy sense of déjà vu.
Just then, his phone rang, cutting through his thoughts. The screen flashed the name Mother. He hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Ren, where are you?" his mother's worried voice came through. "Why are you out after what happened to you yesterday?"
"Mom, I'm just out for a jog. I'll be back in half an hour, don't worry," Ren replied, trying to sound reassuring before ending the call.
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.
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Akondo entered his room and found Seren lying on his bed, peacefully asleep. He quietly charged his phone on the desk and picked up a book titled 'Quick Decisions are the Key to Success.'
Suddenly, Seren stirred, grabbing Akondo and pulling him onto the bed.
"Whoa, what the—?" Akondo exclaimed, taken by surprise.
With a playful grin, Seren sat on his legs. "Gotcha!"
"Didn't you sleep?" Akondo asked, slightly bemused.
"No, I was waiting for you," Seren replied, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Huh?" Akondo raised an eyebrow, uncertain of her intentions.
"What should we do now?" Seren asked, her tone teasing.
"What?" Akondo replied, confusion creeping into his voice.
Seren started to unbutton her uniform, revealing her collarbone and part of her cleavage . "You're not that dumb; I know you get it."
Akondo quickly grabbed her shirt, stopping her. "No."
"Why not? What's wrong? Everyone does that nowadays. It's normal in 2024! Like, everyone loses their virginity as teenagers, you know?" Seren argued.
"Everyone does that because, for some, it's a priority in relationships. But I love you for how you treat me, not for following trends. In many conservative countries, people wait until marriage," Akondo explained earnestly.
"But in our country, it's normal! Everyone in my class…" Seren began.
"Please, I don't want to think of it that way," Akondo interjected.
Seren slid off his legs and lay beside him, a teasing smile still on her lips. "Honestly, I was just teasing. But if you agreed, then we could…"
Akondo hugged her tightly. "This is enough for me."
"Want to watch an anime?" Seren suggested, shifting the mood.
"Anime?" Akondo replied, tilting his head. "Yeah, I guess."
Seren released him and asked, "Have you seen Death Note?"
"No, it's a classic and old, but I haven't watched it," Akondo admitted.
"Okay, I only watched one episode, but it was fire! Let's watch it until it ends," Seren said enthusiastically.
A few moments later, Akondo and Seren were settled on the mattress, engrossed in Death Note. Akondo focused intently on the screen, where the plot unfolded.
"That's cool! He started killing criminals. If I were him, I would do the same," Seren remarked, eyes wide with excitement.
But Akondo was lost in thought, analyzing the show. Everything around him felt meaningless as he pondered the implications of vigilante justice.
"Killing criminals, huh…" he mused silently.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was 9:00 PM.
"No way! No way! Light killed L!" Seren exclaimed, her eyes glued to the TV as she watched L's body fall to the ground on screen.
Akondo's eyes widened in shock, sharing at tv .
"Now... now I hate Kira! He's trying so hard to survive, and now—no! He killed my favorite character! I can't believe it!" Seren exclaimed dramatically.
She continued, "Kira has turned into a monster, a psychopath. He's not even human anymore! He'll do anything, anything to survive."
Her words hit Akondo like a freight train, and he turned to look at her, his mind racing.
"What?" Seren asked, noticing his expression.
"I need to go to the bathroom," Akondo replied, urgency creeping into his voice.
"Oh, right! I'll pause it," Seren said, reaching for the remote.
As Akondo walked slowly toward the bathroom, the words "psychopath" and "monster" echoed in his mind. He reached the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"Killing people to save yourself, turning into a monster and a psychopath just to survive... If the power I have is real, will I become like Kira?" he thought, searching his own eyes for answers.
He glanced at his hands and muttered, "If my assumptions are correct, then I'm already responsible for two deaths."
His gaze shifted to his watch, and he saw it was 9:05 PM.
"It's already 9?" he murmured, his eyes widening as a realization struck him. "Wait, 9…"
Suddenly, he recalled that his body had swapped at around nine o'clock the last two days. "My body changed around 9 with the nearest person. And now my nearest person is Seren. That means she's at risk... I can't let anything happen to her!"
Panic surged through him as he ran toward Seren, thinking, "I still have time. My chest pain hasn't started yet."
Bursting into the living room, Akondo shouted, "Get out of my house!"
"What?" Seren said, shock evident on her face.
"I said get the hell out!" Akondo yelled, throwing Seren's bag at her.
"What's wrong with you all of a sudden?" Seren asked, bewildered.
Akondo seized Seren's hand, pulling her toward the door thinking "I'm sorry, but this is for your safety!"
"Why are you acting like this?" Seren screamed, struggling against his grip.
He didn't respond. Instead, he opened the door and forcefully pushed Seren outside, tossing her shoes after her. "It's over between us! Never show your face to me again!" he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
"If you stay close to me, you'll be in danger. I'm so sorry, Seren," Akondo thought as he slammed the door shut.
Outside, Seren began to cry. "Why are you doing this to me all of a sudden? What have I done?"
Akondo sank to the floor, breathing heavily. He glanced at his phone, the time now reading 9:15 PM, and his eyes widened in horror.
[To be contained]