Kazuki sat on the edge of his bed, the dim light in his apartment casting long shadows across the room. The hum of Eidolon's strange world was ever-present, like a song playing softly in the background. His mind raced with thoughts, trying to make sense of everything he had experienced so far.
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling. The glowing light… It seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once. It didn't behave like the sun or moon—there was no source he could see, no sky to explain it.
And then there was Hotaru. A trailblazer, like him. But different. She hadn't fallen from the sky, nor had she been invited like he was. She simply… appeared. And yet, she knew him.
Kazuki pressed his fingers to his temples, frustration building. "What is this place…?" he whispered to himself. "Why do things feel like they're both real and unreal at the same time?"
He tried to recall the things Lumi had told him about Eidolon before she vanished again. The timeline here didn't feel linear. Moments felt stretched, while others passed in an instant. Was time even functioning normally? Or was it all part of something bigger—something tied to the glowing light that never faded?
Then there were the trailblazers. So far, the only two he knew of were himself and Hotaru.
"Are there more of us?" Kazuki wondered aloud. If there were, where were they? What kind of people were they?
His thoughts spiraled further. He stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the upside-down cities in the distance. Flying trains floated by, each one glowing faintly as they twisted along their tracks in the sky. The entire world felt like a dream, but it was too vivid, too alive to be an illusion.
Kazuki narrowed his eyes at the horizon. Something wasn't right. This world was hiding too much, and he was determined to figure it out.
Just as he turned back toward the room, something caught his attention. A faint sound—like footsteps, but lighter, almost like a whisper against the floor.
Before Kazuki could react, something struck him from behind. His vision blurred as he stumbled forward, hitting the ground hard. His head swam, and darkness crept at the edges of his sight.
He heard a voice—calm, almost amused—but couldn't make out the words. His body felt heavy, his thoughts slipping away as the darkness closed in.