Chapter 2: The First Note
A sharp, chilling breeze brushed against Ren's skin. The soft rustling of grass replaced the honking of cars. The air smelled different—crisp, untouched, like the world had never known pollution.
Ren groaned, his fingers twitching against the cool earth beneath him. His body felt heavy, like he had just woken up from a dream that lasted forever.
Slowly, painfully, he opened his eyes.
The sky stretched endlessly above him, clearer and more vibrant than he had ever seen. The colors felt too sharp, too real. The golden glow of the sun wasn't just warm—it buzzed against his skin, like raw energy.
He sat up with a grunt, his head pounding. This wasn't Tokyo.
This wasn't Earth.
"Wha… what the hell?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.
He glanced around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. He was in a vast field, rolling green hills stretching as far as the eye could see. In the distance, a thick forest loomed, tall and ancient, its deep shadows sending a shiver down his spine.
No roads. No buildings. No people.
Just nature.
Ren exhaled slowly, pressing his fingers against his temple.
"This… this has to be a dream."
It had to be.
One minute, he had been walking home. Then—the voice. The light.
And now?
Silence.
His heart pounded in his chest. He dug his fingers into the grass, gripping reality. This was real.
He wasn't home anymore.
My breath came out shaky.
I reached into my pocket, desperate for anything familiar. My fingers brushed against cold metal, and my heart nearly stopped.
My phone.
I yanked it out, pressing the power button. The screen flickered to life.
Battery: 100%
No Service.
I swallowed hard. No bars, no Wi-Fi—nothing but a frozen time display. 2:14 PM. The exact moment I had disappeared from Tokyo.
I gritted my teeth.
"Okay. Okay, think."
Was this some kind of simulation? A lucid dream? A coma?
I took a deep breath, pressing my palm against my chest. My heartbeat felt real. The wind against my skin felt real.
The sound of distant birds, the scent of grass, the slight pain in my muscles—it was all real.
And that meant…
I wasn't waking up from this.
Ren forced himself to stand, his legs shaky but functional. He needed to move. Sitting here wouldn't give him answers.
His gaze flickered toward the distant forest. It was the only landmark nearby, and if there were people—or anything resembling civilization—it was his best bet.
He sighed. "Guess that's my only choice."
With his phone still clutched in his hand, he started walking.
The grass was soft beneath his shoes, the air unnervingly quiet. No distant city noise, no hum of electronics—just the occasional breeze and the chirping of unseen birds.
The silence was… unnerving.
Then he heard it.
A low, guttural growl.
Ren's steps halted.
From the shadows of the trees, something moved.
His stomach twisted as two glowing yellow eyes locked onto him from the underbrush. A shape emerged—low to the ground, muscles tensed, a beast.
It looked like a wolf, but its body was too large, too lean, its claws gleaming in the sunlight. Saliva dripped from its fangs as it growled again, stepping closer.
Ren froze.
His pulse hammered in his ears. His body screamed at him to move—to run—but his legs wouldn't listen.
The beast snarled, lowering its stance.
It was going to lunge.
And Ren had nothing.
No weapon. No plan. No way to fight.
His grip on his phone tightened. Think, damn it. Think!
Then—
An idea. A stupid, reckless idea.
With shaking hands, he plugged in his headphones.
Music.
It was the only thing he had.
And if there was even a chance it could do something—
He pressed play.
The second the music started, my world shifted.
A rush of heat flooded my body. My heartbeat steadied, falling into sync with the rhythm.
The pounding in my chest slowed. The fear vanished.
My senses sharpened. The beast's movements became clearer, like I could predict its next move before it even made it.
The music pulsed in my ears, and something inside me reacted.
A strange, thrumming energy coiled beneath my skin. My body felt lighter, stronger.
The beast lunged—
And I moved.
Before I even realized what I was doing, I sidestepped the attack with inhuman speed. The world blurred for a fraction of a second as I twisted, my muscles reacting too smoothly, too perfectly.
The beast skidded across the ground, its claws scraping dirt. It turned, snarling—but I was already moving again.
I wasn't thinking.
I was just acting.
Like the music was driving my body for me.
Ren barely had time to process what just happened.
One moment, he had been frozen in fear. The next, he had moved like a trained fighter—fluid, precise, fast.
The song still played in his ears, his breath coming in steady, controlled beats.
The beast snarled, circling him cautiously now. It had noticed the change, too.
But then—
The music ended.
And everything collapsed.
Ren's strength vanished. His body turned sluggish, his vision blurred, his legs nearly buckling beneath him. A wave of exhaustion slammed into his chest.
The beast saw its chance.
It lunged.
Ren's heart pounded as he realized—
He couldn't move.