Before Kaito could respond, the void began to shift. Darkness was slowly swallowing the hall, and Kami just stood there smiling.
He felt Airi's grip tighten around his hand. She moved closer to him, obviously terrified by the sudden change in their environment.
As Kaito glanced down at her, she instantly vanished and reappeared in Kami's arms. Surprisingly, she was not scared. If anything, she held onto Kami without bothering to question who or what she was.
It pleased Kaito a bit that she was comfortable with a stranger. He wouldn't need to keep her by his side constantly, but he couldn't bring himself to trust Kami.
"Put her down," he ordered, his voice barely raised, but firm. He wouldn't repeat himself especially when it's not necessary . He reached out to touch Kami, but she took a step back and raised her free hand.
"Your sister is safe with us, Kaito. You have nothing to worry about."
Airi glanced at him, her blue eyes glowing softly. She raised her hand to say goodbye, already accepting her fate, and silently asking him to accept his as well.
She couldn't argue with a goddess because Kaito didn't—and she trusted him to come back for her if anything went wrong.
"Hold on," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the roar of the collapsing void. The hall was almost gone, and he still hadn't told Kami how to take care of Airi.
"Don't worry, Kaito. I'll take care of her like my own child."
The next thing he knew, he was falling. This time, his movements weren't random. He could only see darkness, but he was falling—and fast.
He braced himself for impact, clenching his fists and jaw. Not a sound escaped his lips, not even a muffled grunt.
He accepted his descent and whatever would come after it.
Fifteen minutes of continuous falling through darkness ended, replaced by bright, sunny clouds, a sun that wasn't as harsh as the one he knew, and a landscape below radiating dark energy.
There was nothing good about the world he found himself in. It was certainly not Earth and definitely not another planet—or a simulation.
It was real. And strange.
The air smelled of fresh leaves, delicious food, and, faintly, of blood.
Unfortunately, before he could process his new surroundings or adapt to the air around him, Kaito landed hard on solid ground. His body absorbed the impact as he shielded his chest and ribs. The scent of the ground and grass filled his lungs, vastly different from anything he had known on Earth or the laboratory he once called home.
It was extremely different.
He remained on the ground for a while, his ears flat against the surface to pick up any nearby movement or a possible stampede. His eyes stayed shut; he wanted to take a moment to think and adapt to his new environment.
'Airi,' he thought, his heart aching oddly—something he didn't want to feel. But he missed her more than he thought he would.
He liked that she was always by his side, her giggles, her complains, no matter how annoying. Yet he knew one day, she would leave him.
Heaving a sigh, he turned onto his back, now facing the blue sky that reminded him of the simulations at the lab. His mind drifted to years ago, back when he was ten and still getting used to seeing the real world.
He recalled an event that almost cost him his life—a test. It was almost laughable how his so-called "superhuman abilities" appeared like a spark and then vanished, as if they were never there.
Despite the scientists' relentless attempts to get him to replicate what he had done that day, he could never remember what it was.
'Pointless attempts,' he told himself, heaving another sigh before closing his eyes.
He clutched the pendant in his hand, raising it over his face. He stared at what he always held as though his life depended on it.
The blue spiral encapsulated in the transparent crystal—a piece of his mother's eye. Or so he had been told.
"Have this, Kaito dear. These are your mother's pretty eyes. It was a shame to take them out before she died. She was always so beautiful with them."
Those words haunted him like a sinister rhyme, replaying every night since the day he escaped. The memory was the root of his insomnia.
He had anticipated the trauma, the dread, the unlucky future that awaited him.
But now, his only option was to rise and start afresh. And something told him he was meant to be here.
But where was he?
Kaito pushed himself up, groaning softly as his bones ached from the impact of his fall. He dusted the dirt off his clothes, shook himself slightly to ensure nothing was broken, then raised his gaze to the massive structure looming before him.
It was an academy, with a strange aura that oddly drew him in. Smoke rose from several points behind the building, indicating there was more to see. Faint sounds echoed through the air—voices talking, laughing, and the sound of stomping.
He was certain it was a school. But why had he fallen in front of it and not somewhere else?
Like a store, an abandoned house, a farm, in a forest or on a mountain.
His expression remained stoic as he slipped the pendant over his head, letting it fall freely around his neck.
While he was still taking in the view, a stranger walked up to him, his eyebrows raised. He had noticed Kaito's fall but expected him to walk away. Instead, Kaito just stood there, like he hadn't just dropped from a thousand feet.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" the man said as he stopped beside Kaito, raising his head to look at the academy gate, where its name was boldly displayed.
Kaito glanced at the man, scanning him from his slightly gray hair to his coat and suit, and finally to his polished shoes.
''A professor,' Kaito thought, relieved that it wasn't a random stranger. At least he could get some answers. "Do you live nearby?"
The man turned to him, his slate-gray eyes piercing into Kaito's. "Unfortunately, no," he replied, pausing briefly. "I am the registrar of this school. And you are?"
Kaito hesitated for a moment, questioning whether he could trust the man enough to give his name. He glanced at the school once more before answering.
"Kaito. Kaito Shizukawa."
The man mumbled an "oh," a smile spreading across his face. He recognized Kaito—his description had matched the one he was given. However, he was surprised by the boy's appearance; lanky, battered, yet unfazed.
"You're the kid she told me about."
"I'm a little lost here, sir," Kaito admitted.
"My apologies," the man replied. "I was informed a few days ago that we would be expecting some new students—three males and five females. Turns out, one of them happened to be a kid from another world."
"And how is that a good thing?" Kaito asked flatly.
"Since the rift in dimensions, strange portals have been opening randomly, causing disasters everywhere. To balance things and close the portals quickly, one or two individuals are pulled in," the man explained. He took a deep breath. "The last quake was two days ago. So, was starting to get worried."
"I was also wondering when you would show up,"
He chuckled and walked in front of Kaito, giving a polite bow before stepping back.
"I am, Instructor Marcus, and I am happy and honoured to welcome you to Ethereal Cross Academy, School of the gifted, cursed and many more."