It started with her updates.
Akihisa aka Sayiku Mayunos' novel was like clockwork—new chapters every Monday and Thursday, rain or shine.
But last week, Monday came and went without so much as a teaser.
Then Thursday.
"Maybe she's busy," he muttered to himself, scrolling through his fansite.
The other fans were already speculating.
-----------------————————-----------------
> SkyfallX: "Do you think Akihisa is okay? This isn't like them."
KnightedWings: "What if they're planning something huge? Like a new city addition?"
Not_a_gacha_game_addict: "I knew they weren't gonna finish this novel, what a let down."
CR_Observer: "I'm sure they're fine. Let's just give them some time."
Except she wasn't fine.
By Friday, Sayuki stopped coming to school.
No texts.
No calls.
Just… radio silence.
◇◇◇
The clock on the wall ticked steadily, each second dragging out longer than the last.
Terumi sat slumped at his desk, one hand holding up his head as he stared out the window.
The afternoon sun cast lazy patterns on the floor, and the faint chatter of classmates felt like distant white noise.
The teacher's voice droned on, something about historical turning points and things like that, but Terumi's mind wasn't there.
He has already zoned out.
"...rumi… Terumi Kuro!"
The sharp snap of his full name made him jerk upright, nearly knocking his notebook off the desk.
The entire class turned to look at him, some were already laughing.
Standing at the front of the room, the no-nonsense teacher who could silence a class with just a raised eyebrow, was staring daggers at him.
Her arms were crossed, and her face was twisted in a very weird way.
"Care to join us in this century?" she asked, her voice icy but calm.
"Or should I schedule a meeting with your parents to discuss your fascination with clouds today?"
The class chuckled, and Terumi grimaced.
"Sorry, ma'am," he muttered, sitting up straighter.
"Good." She turned back to the board, continuing her lecture without missing a beat.
As soon as the attention shifted away, a light voice came from beside him. "What's wrong with you today?"
Terumi turned his head to see Mayu, the girl who sat next to him, peering at him with curiosity.
Her dark brown eyes narrowed slightly, her expression was that of a concerned classmate and a teasing troublemaker.
"Nothing," Terumi said flatly, picking up his pen and pretending to take notes.
"Don't lie," Mayu said, leaning in closer. "You usually just look bored, but today? Spacing out and getting caught? That's new."
He sighed, scratching at the back of his head. "Just thinking about something."
"Must be some something," Mayu said, resting her chin in her palm. "Let me guess—girl trouble? Or maybe..." Her eyes lit up mischievously.
"You finally started to pay attention in class?"
Terumi snorted, his lips twitching despite himself. "Yeah, right. Like I'd have girl trouble. I'm not you."
"Hey!" Mayu said, her loud voice attracted a few glances from nearby classmates.
She stuck out her tongue at him before lowering her voice. "Seriously, though. If you've got something on your mind, just say it."
"It's nothing," he insisted, glancing at the clock and wishing for the period to end.
Mayu studied him for a moment, then sighed. "Fine. Be like that. But if the teacher calls you out again, don't expect me to bail you out."
Terumi smirked. "I'll keep that in mind."
The rest of the class passed uneventfully, but Mayu's words lingered in his mind.
"Why was I spacing out so much?"
◇◇◇
The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and Terumi couldn't have been more relieved.
He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, waving off Mayu's parting comment about not daydreaming his way into detention tomorrow.
The walk home was uneventful, the kind where his feet moved automatically while his mind replayed the events of the last week.
Sayuki's absence wasn't just strange—it was unsettling. As much as she annoyed him with her boundless energy and constant teasing, she was... consistent.
Reliable, even.
He sighed, unlocking the front door of his house and stepping inside. The familiar quiet greeted him like always.
Tossing his bag onto the couch, he pulled out his phone, scrolling through notifications with half-hearted interest.
That's when he saw it.
A message.
From her.
The timestamp read 6:23 PM—just a few minutes ago. His thumb hovered over the notification for a moment before he opened it.
The message was short but oddly specific:
"Follow the cracks before they shatter. Time is running out."
Terumi frowned. "Sayuki? Wait- What does that even mean?"
It wasn't Sayuki's style to be poetic or spout cryptic nonsense.
He checked the sender's name again, just to be sure.
It was definitely her number.
Before he could type a response, another message popped up.
"Don't look away. Everything will break."
His unease grew, and he typed quickly: "Sayuki, what's going on? Where are you?"
The message was sent, but no reply came.
He tried calling, but the line didn't connect—it didn't even ring.
The phone simply displayed an error message: "User unreachable."
Frustrated, he threw the phone onto his bed. "What kind of message is that supposed to be?"
He paced the room, running a hand through his brown hair.
The unease that had been gnawing at him all day now felt like a full-blown storm in his chest.
The phone buzzed again, making him jump.
He snatched it up, expecting another cryptic message. Instead, the screen flickered.
And then it went black.
"Great. That's just perfect," he muttered, shaking the device.
But before he could throw it against the wall in frustration, the screen lit up again.
This time, it wasn't a message. It was... strange symbols.
Glowing, golden letters that shifted and rearranged themselves like they were alive.
"What the—?"
The phone started vibrating violently, and a bright light burst from the screen, engulfing the room.
Terumi stumbled back, shielding his eyes. His body felt weightless, like he was being pulled into a vortex.
"What the hell is going on?!" he yelled
The light swallowed him.
Then silence.
[#$%It's all in your hands now%$#]
◇◇◇
The air in the room was still and heavy with the smell of rain-soaked earth.
It must have rained the night before.
A dim light bled through the curtains of the room, signaling the start of a new day.
The peace lasted exactly three seconds.
A sharp gasp broke the silence as a boy shot upright, his chest heaving like he'd just run a marathon in a dream.
His eyes darted around the room, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings.
His heart pounded loudly, each beat thundering in his ears.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his head.
Ding!
[Process Successful]
"Argh, my head!" he groaned, pressing a trembling hand against his temple.
His head was covered in sweat.
His shirt clung to his body, drenched, even though the room was cool.
"What's with this headache…" he muttered, rubbing his temples.
Then, as if struck by a jolt of realization, he froze.
"This isn't my room."
He furrowed his brow, his mind racing to piece together his memories.
Then it hit him.
The cryptic message.
The phone screen flashing in the dim light of his room.
Sayuki's haunting and bizarre words: "Follow the cracks before they shatter. Time is running out."
And,
"Don't look away. Everything will break"
And now… this.
Terumi's gaze darted around again, and yes—this was definitely not his room.
The walls were blindingly white, like someone had a vendetta against color, and there was actual air conditioning humming in the corner.
Fancy.
His real room, with its red walls and permanently sweaty atmosphere, would've been so jealous.
As he was scanning the room he caught his reflection on the window.
"Is that… me?!"
He quickly got off the bed and ran towards the bathroom.
He took a look at the mirror and was met with an unfamiliar face.
"Woah! what the hell, I look like…"
The boy staring back at him was a stranger.
Straight white hair framed a handsome, pale face, together with dull red eyes.
His body, though not overly muscular, was well-toned, as though it belonged to someone who trained regularly.
But the paleness of his skin was unnatural, almost sickly.
"A vampire?"
he whispered, tilting his head to one side as he inspected his reflection.
"No, no, no. That's crazy," he said, shaking his head frantically.
"I mean I don't feel like biting anyone, but…"
Just to be sure he cautiously checked his mouth for fangs, running his fingers along his gums.
Nothing.
"Nope no fangs. Phew." He exhaled loudly.
"But seriously, why am I so pale?"
The reflection stared back at him undeniably his own now.
He ran his hand through his white hair and exhaled loudly.
"Okay, freaking out won't do me any good. I need to stay calm. Step one: figure out where I am but before that…"
Shaking off his confusion, he brushed his teeth and took a quick shower.
He couldn't bare how sweaty he was.
The hot water did little to wash away his confusion—or the creeping suspicion that something was off.
By the time he stepped out, a towel slung around his neck, he had managed to push his strange appearance to the back of his mind—for now
After making himself a quick cup of instant coffee in the kitchen, he wandered into the living room and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Woah..."
The apartment he found himself in was surprisingly spacious for someone his age to be living in alone.
It was massive.
It looked like it belonged to someone who is probably a CEO or a secret agent, he thought.
With three bedrooms, a spacious living room, and furniture so fancy it looked like it came with a "no touching" policy.
"This guy must be loaded," Terumi muttered, walking toward the kitchen area.
Though he referred to his body as "this guy," the truth was slowly starting to sink in.
This was his body now—at least, for the moment.
Spotting a smartphone on the coffee table, he picked it up and checked the time.
7:23 AM.
He quickly realized he didn't have his original phone on him.
But that didn't bother him much right now.
What mattered was that this phone opened with his fingerprint.
"Guess this is my phone then…"
The notification dot on the mail app caught his eye. He tapped it and was greeted by three unread messages.
The first? Spam.
An ad from an online shopping site. He dismissed it faster than the speed of light.
The second was from a contact labeled "Big Sister." He paused, blinking at the name.
"Huh... so he- I have a big sister," he muttered, opening the message. The contents read:
From Big Sis:
"I'll be back in a week. I've left enough food to last you until then, and your share of the allowance is in your room drawer. Try not to do anything foolish, okay, Little Bro?"
"Allowance?" he said aloud, eyebrows shooting up.
His gaze flicked around the absurdly spacious apartment again. "If this guy gets an allowance, it's gotta be enough to buy a small country."
He shook his head, chuckling at the absurdity of it all.
Then he opened the third email—and instantly choked on his coffee.
He coughed violently, nearly spilling it all over the fancy rug as his eyes locked onto the sender's address.
"Ashfield Academy," he read aloud, his voice a chaotic mix of disbelief, dread, excitement, and about ten other emotions he didn't have time to process.
He stared at the screen, his coffee forgotten, the cup was dangerously close to tipping over.
"Ashfield Academy..." he repeated, slower this time, as if saying it again would somehow change what he was seeing.
This was the name of the academy.
The exact same elite school where almost all the main characters in Sayuki's novel attended.
"No, no, no. There's absolutely no way," he muttered, his voice tinged with excitement and a whole lot of denial.
He could feel his heartbeat picking up speed, his brain was already hurting.
With trembling fingers, he opened the email and read its contents:
From the Ashfield Academy Admissions Council:
Dear Kiel Selfort,
It is with immense pride and profound excitement that we extend this official letter of acceptance to Ashfield Academy.
After an in-depth review of your application, we are pleased to inform you that you have been selected to join the academy as a first-year student in our prestigious high school division.
Your academic journey will commence on 3rd of September, 2034 AE.
We eagerly await your arrival and look forward to witnessing the remarkable contributions you will make as you embark on this exciting new chapter.
He read it once, twice, and then a third time for good measure.
Before screaming
"What the hell?!"