ERRRRRRT! ERRRRRRT!
The blaring alarm cut through the silence like a blade.
Akiju groaned, blindly slapping the snooze button before burrowing deeper under the blanket. The shrill noise finally ceased, leaving only the steady rhythm of his breathing. He wasn't anyone special—just a nobody in the grand scheme of things. But even nobodies had names.
Akiju Bridge. A mix of his father's Western roots and his mother's Eastern heritage.
He sighed, sinking into the comfort of his blanket, trying to grasp onto the remnants of sleep. But then—
Knock-knock-knock.
He ignored it.
Knock-knock-knock. Still no answer.
The knocking grew louder, this time accompanied by a voice muffled through the door—sharp and distinctly annoyed.
"Open the door before I leave your ass here!"
Akiju only groaned, pulling the blanket tighter around himself.
Silence.
For a moment, he thought she'd given up.
Then—
BANG.
The door swung open with a resounding crash, rattling against the wall. Akiju bolted upright just as a figure stormed in, frustration practically radiating off her.
His sister, Hecate Bridge, stood in the doorway, her expression a volatile mix of anger and exasperation. A visible vein twitched at her temple, her grip tightening around the pillow in her hand.
"Get up!" she snapped.
Before he could protest, the pillow swung.
SMACK. Right to the face.
"Ow! What the hell?!" Akiju yelped, flailing under the covers as he tried to shield himself.
"You think I have all day to wait for you?" she shot back, glaring. "Get your ass up! You've already snoozed that damn alarm three times!"
The pillow rose again, a silent threat.
Akiju groaned, finally sitting up as he rubbed his face. "Alright, alright! I'm up, okay? Jeez…" His hair stuck out at odd angles, and his bleary eyes made him look even more disheveled than usual.
Hecate huffed, hands on her hips. "Good. Now move it before I leave you here. I'm not gonna be late because of you, dumbass."
Akiju muttered something under his breath, but one look from her shut him up instantly. She smirked. Another battle won.
He groaned, checking his phone. 8:00 a.m sharp.
Twenty minutes to spare.
"Plenty of time earlier…" he grumbled to himself as he grabbed a fresh pair of underwear and pants from the closet. A crisp white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of pressed slacks followed—his uniform for work. Being a waiter meant looking the part, even if he felt anything but put together.
Ducking into the restroom, he flicked his wrist, and a faint chime accompanied the appearance of a translucent screen projected midair.
The morning news flickered to life, headlines scrolling across the screen as he started brushing his teeth. His reflection stared back—red hair with streaks of white here and there, brown eyes so deep they were almost black. Neither striking nor forgettable. Just… average. The kind of face you wouldn't mind seeing every day but wouldn't remember in a crowd.
Sighing, he tied his hair into a low ponytail—anime style, he mused, though it was more for practicality than anything else.
Hecate had the same features, though her eyes were a deep, piercing purple.
The usual routine. The usual life. On the planet known as Terre.
Snatching his bag from the closet, he hurried downstairs.
Hecate was already waiting, popping a piece of candy into her mouth as she leaned against the wall.
Akiju sighed. "Candy? Seriously?"
She smirked. "Don't question my breakfast choices, dumbass."
Akiju followed with a sigh, rolling his eyes as he muttered under his breath. Another day. Another battle with his sister's relentless energy.
But beneath the routine, beneath the banter, there was a gnawing truth—a truth that had been with him since the moment he woke up in this world.
His last chance had stretched for ten years—an entire decade that he'd tried to make count. He'd pushed, struggled, clawed his way toward something meaningful. But in the end? It had all been cut short. Stabbed. Left to die in a slow, suffocating spiral of pain. He could still feel it if he let himself—the phantom ache, the cold creeping in, the realization that it was over.
And now, he was in another place.
As they climbed into the car, Akiju felt the weight of it pressing down on him like an unseen force. What's the point of another chance if it always ends the same? He turned his head slightly, watching Hecate as she fiddled with the console, her focus entirely on something as simple as adjusting the mirrors.
She didn't know.
And maybe that was for the best.
Meanwhile, their parents? Off working, maybe?
Hardly.
The truth was far more saccharine.
They were on a date—a rare outing that Akiju and Hecate found unbearably cringeworthy.
The air in the house always felt heavier when they returned. Sticky. Thick with lingering laughter, stolen glances, and far too much shared affection for two people who had been together for decades. It wasn't that it was bad—if anything, it was a miracle their parents still liked each other that much. But for the siblings?
It was like wading through syrup.
"Ugh," Hecate muttered, adjusting the rearview mirror with a look of pure exasperation. "Mom and Dad are probably eating something overpriced and disgusting right now. Can you imagine? Bet they're holding hands and giggling like teenagers."
"Don't remind me," Akiju groaned, slouching further into his seat. "They'll come back acting like newlyweds again."
Hecate shuddered. "The horror."
For a moment, they sat in mutual disgust, sharing a rare moment of perfect, sibling-level understanding.
Then, with a flick of the ignition, the car hummed to life.
Hecate smirked, fingers drumming lazily against the steering wheel.
"Cringe," she said flatly.
Akiju snorted.
The car rumbled to life, and they pulled out of the driveway, slipping into the quiet hum of their neighborhood's familiar streets. Houses blurred past in streaks of muted color, but something felt… off.
A weight settled in Akiju's gut, his instincts prickling before his mind could fully process why. His eyes flicked to the side mirror.
His stomach dropped.
A black van trailed behind them. Unassuming at first glance, but too precise in its movements—never straying too far, never falling too close. Just there.
Lurking.
His pulse kicked up. "Uh… Hecate?" His voice was low, careful.
"What?" She barely glanced at him.
"I think we've got company."
The casual edge in her demeanor evaporated instantly. Her gaze snapped to the rearview mirror, scanning, assessing. The van remained steady in pursuit, its tinted windows swallowing any chance of seeing inside.
"Shit," she muttered, her grip tightening on the wheel.
She wasn't the type to rattle easy. That alone made his skin crawl.
"Buckle up, Aku."
The engine snarled as she slammed her foot down. The car lurched forward, throwing them into their seats. The van followed.
Akiju twisted in his seat, trying to get a better look. "Who the hell are they?"
"No idea," Hecate bit out, jaw clenched. "But I'm not sticking around to ask."
The streets blurred as the chase spiraled into chaos. Traffic thickened—too thick for this kind of speed. Horns blared. Tires screeched. The car weaved dangerously between lanes, but the van never faltered, shadowing them with mechanical precision.
It wasn't just a coincidence. It wasn't just some impatient driver.
This was deliberate.
Akiju's grip on the door handle tightened. "Hecate, this is bad."
"Yeah, no shit!" she snapped, jerking the wheel violently to take a sharp turn. The van mirrored the movement perfectly.
Fate, however, was crueler than the people chasing them.
Ahead, a massive truck barreled into the intersection at full speed, its horn a blaring warning that drowned out every other sound.
Hecate's eyes widened. No time.
She yanked the wheel, tires screaming against the pavement—
Too late.
The truck clipped the rear of their car, hard enough to send them into a violent spin. The world blurred, a chaotic swirl of headlights, asphalt, and cold, raw momentum.
"Hold on!" Hecate shouted.
The bridge loomed ahead. The barrier rushed toward them.
The metal railing crumpled, glass exploded, and for the briefest second—everything froze.
Suspended in midair and weightless.
The river below gaped wide, its dark, churning depths rushing up to meet them.
Akiju barely had time to suck in a breath before Hecate's voice cut through the chaos.
"Aku!"
Then—
Cold.
Black.
The river swallowed them whole.
The van? It was a production team that mistook them for their driver, all while it was being recorded.