(Darkness. Nothing is visible.)
A voice echoes through the void: "Sit down. Listen."
...
"Did you hear that?" Another voice speaks, calm and steady.
A pause. Then, the first voice responds, carrying a note of finality, "This changes everything. This is your new life. It was my choice."
...
...
Yukiko jolts awake, his breath unsteady as he adjusts to the morning light streaming through the room.
From another room, a shout rings out.
"Hey! You idiot! Still not awake?"
Yukiko barely has time to process before a figure bursts through his door. He reacts instantly, tackling his younger brother to the floor and laughing as he sits on top of him.
"What are you doing, Yato? Picking a fight with your older brother?"
Yato's face flushes as he squirms under Yukiko. "We're only a year apart!"
"Doesn't matter; you can't just call me an idiot."
"To hell with you!"
"Oh?"
Yukiko playfully presses Yato's face into the futon, laughing, when a familiar voice interrupts them.
"Yukiko! Hurry up, or you'll be late for school!"
"Oh, right!" Yukiko springs to his feet and dashes toward the door, pulling on his shoes in a flurry of motion.
"Wait, Yukiko! You forgot your lunch!" Yuki, his mother, calls from the doorway, holding out a neatly wrapped bento.
He pauses, backtracking to retrieve it. Yuki's eyes soften with a gentle smile. "Take care."
"Got it, Mom."
"Oh, and Yukiko..." She suddenly grins. "Happy Birthday."
"Thanks!" he replies, a smile spreading across his face as he waves goodbye.
Yukiko strides through the village, exchanging greetings with familiar faces on his way to school. The morning air is crisp, and the chatter of the villagers hums around him, grounding him in a feeling of safety and warmth.
...
...
He arrives late, sprinting into the classroom just as the teacher notices him.
"Stop right there!" The teacher's voice halts him mid-step. "Why are you so late?"
Yukiko stammers, trying to steady his breath. "Well... I was, um, helping my brother... You know..."
The teacher sighs, waving him toward his seat. "Just take your place. We have an important guest visiting today, so we'll review last week's lesson instead of starting anything new."
Yukiko sighs, barely hiding his frustration. "Again? This is the tenth time!"
A deep voice from the other side of the room cuts in. "You should probably keep quiet and let the teacher speak," Nindo mutters, raising an eyebrow.
Yukiko scoffs, rolling his eyes. "Mind your own business, or I'll shut you up myself."
Daiki leans over, his tone half-mocking, half-amused. "Ooh, bold words. If I were you, I wouldn't let him talk to me like that."
A scowl hardens on Nindo's face. "I'll show you after school, just wait."
"Enough!" the teacher snaps, silencing them all with a single glare. "Let's begin."
...
...
(Time passes as the review goes on.)
...
...
A knock resounds at the door, breaking the monotony of the lesson.
"Come in," the teacher says.
The door opens, and a figure steps in, exuding an air of quiet authority. Dressed in a charcoal-black suit, he commands attention without uttering a word, his presence felt across the room.
"Hello," he greets, his voice as composed as his demeanor.
The teacher gestures respectfully. "It's an honor to have you here, Mr. Kaien."
The man nods in acknowledgment. "The honor is mine."
The teacher addresses the class. "Please welcome Mr. Kaien. He's visiting us from abroad."
Kaien holds up a hand, stopping him. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Orochi Kaien. I've come from outside Japan, and I'm here to observe how things are done."
The teacher nods. "Well then, who'd like to start us off with a recap of our last lesson?"
Several hands shoot up, and the teacher points to Daiki. "All right, Daiki, stand up."
Daiki blinks, momentarily lost. "Huh? What's going on?"
"The lesson, Daiki," the teacher prompts, raising an eyebrow. "Tell us what you learned."
"Oh... right!" Daiki stumbles, glancing at his notes. "We learned... about the great Morata, the one who first documented the existence of the jann. His historic contributions paved the way for our current progress."
The teacher gives a nod of approval. "Good. Next student."
...
...
(Time passes as the class continues.)
...
...
"Well, I'm afraid that's all the time I have for today," Kaien announces, his voice carrying a finality that hushes the classroom. "It's been a pleasure being with you. I hope we meet again someday."
He offers the class a faint smile, then lets his gaze linger on Yukiko for a moment, his eyes holding a glimmer of something unreadable. With that, he turns and leaves.
...
...
(We cut to Yukiko, rushing to escape the classroom.)
"I need to leave quickly before he catches up."
A familiar voice calls out. "Hey, where do you think you're going?"
Yukiko spins around, faking a smile. "Oh... Hey, Nindo. Bye?"
Nindo sneers, folding his arms. "Why are you acting so soft? I guess that name of yours explains it."
Yukiko raises an eyebrow. "If my name doesn't sound manly, well, your look isn't helping you either."
Daiki lets out a chuckle, egging him on. "Oh, burn! If I were you, I wouldn't let him get away with that."
Nindo's eyes darken as he turns to Daiki. "Wrong choice, jerk."
Daiki shrugs, pushing him lightly, causing Nindo to stumble—right over Yukiko, who's crouched behind him, grinning.
"Let's go, quick!" Yukiko yells, grabbing Daiki's arm as they bolt out of the room, Nindo's furious shouts echoing behind them.
...
...
(Running together under the setting sun, they finally stop to catch their breath, beads of sweat lining their faces.)
"We lost him," Yukiko pants, a grin breaking across his face.
"Finally," Daiki sighs, bending over as he laughs.
...
...
(Suddenly, the village alarm blares, filling the air with dread as a panicked voice shouts, "Emergency! Evacuate the village immediately! This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a dri—" The voice is cut off by static, followed by a disturbing silence.)
The static clears, replaced by an unsettling, cheerful voice. "Ahem. Hello? Is this thing on?"
(Yukiko and Daiki glance at each other in horror.)
The scene shifts to a gruesome sight—a headless body sprawled against a blood-streaked wall.
The voice continues, smooth and eerily calm. "I advise everyone to surrender. You have no choice. If you run, we'll start burning down houses, purging anyone who resists."
A chilling image flashes—severed heads lying on the ground, blood pooling beneath them.
Heart pounding, Yukiko bolts toward his house, but freezes when he sees Daiki standing in stunned silence.
"Daiki!" he shouts. "What are you doing? Move!"
Daiki, eyes wide with shock, points a trembling finger ahead. Yukiko follows his gaze to a horrifying sight—a body missing its eyes, lying lifeless in the corridor.
Grabbing Daiki's arm, Yukiko tries to pull him away, but a masked figure seizes Daiki from behind.
"Let go of me!" Daiki struggles, voice desperate.
"Daiki!" Yukiko cries, frozen as his limbs tremble, helpless to move.
"Help me... please!" Daiki's voice cracks with terror.
In an agonizing instant, the attacker drives a blade into Daiki's throat, his life extinguished before Yukiko's eyes. Paralyzed by fear and grief, Yukiko turns and flees, tears streaming down his face as he heads for home.
The village is overrun with masked figures, their faceless white masks glinting in the fading light as they strike down anyone in their path. Yet, curiously, they do not enter any homes.
"Yukiko!" his mother calls, her voice shaking as she embraces him.
"Mom... I…"
"Thank heavens you're safe," she whispers, clutching him tightly. "Everything will be all right... somehow."
(The scene cuts to Yukiko and his family locked in the village prison, moonlight streaming through the bars.)
"Mom... what's happening?" Yato's voice trembles as he clings to her side.
Yukiko sits beside him, his face pale and haunted, staring blankly.
From a nearby cell, a woman's voice sobs. "Please... spare my son. Take me instead…"
A guard silences her coldly. "Quiet. You'll all die in due time."
Yuki exhales slowly, placing her hand on the wall. It disintegrates, her touch reducing it to ash under the moon's light.
"Stay quiet," she whispers, gathering Yukiko and Yato close as she slips through the gap in the wall, leading them out into the cover of darkness. They move quickly, silently, but the night is alive with danger.
They haven't gone far when they're spotted. The masked figures give chase, their silent presence even more terrifying as they appear like shadows slipping through the trees. Yuki, desperate, leads them toward the forest, away from the main paths, hoping the dense trees and the cover of night will hide them.
But their luck doesn't hold.
Yuki stumbles, catching her foot on an exposed root, and they all go tumbling. Yukiko strikes his chin against a rock, pain shooting up his jaw, while Yato falls and grazes his brow.
Yukiko's vision blurs, wavering in and out, catching fragments of what's happening. He sees his mother lift him, feels her arms cradling him, hears the rapid thud of her heartbeat. Shadows flicker in his vision—figures with ghostly white masks, emerging from every side. They're closing in.
Suddenly, Yuki spins, placing Yukiko down as she stretches out her arms. The masked assailants hesitate, their steps faltering as she raises her hand, and two of them are caught in an invisible grip, gasping as she chokes them without touching.
A sharp whistle cuts through the air. Yukiko barely registers the motion before he sees it—a slender arrow, slicing through the darkness, embedding itself in his mother's chest.
"...Mom…"
Her grip slackens, and he feels her fall away from him, her breath hitching. He sees her eyes, full of desperate love, even as they begin to dim. Her hands push him toward the river, one last, urgent act.
He stumbles forward, his body numb, but he hears her whisper echoing in his mind. With the last bit of strength, he lets himself fall into the water, the coolness enveloping him, carrying him away.
Just as his consciousness fades, something strange appears—an ominous black mist swirling above him, shimmering with fragments of bones that drift toward him. The mist touches his chest, leaving a dark, unfamiliar mark etched into his skin.
Then, everything goes black.
---
To Be Continued...