The night came heavy and strange.
Riku tossed in his bed, the pendant glowing softly on his nightstand. Every time his eyes shut, flashes of something pulled him in—petals falling, a voice calling his name, and a red sky where the world felt upside down.
And then—darkness.
Until…
"Riku…"
He opened his eyes. But he wasn't in his room.
He stood in the middle of an empty field under a pitch-black sky. Crimson flowers bloomed around him, glowing like tiny lanterns. The air buzzed with energy, like the moment right before lightning strikes.
Ahead stood a figure. Tall. Cloaked. A face hidden beneath a hood of shadow.
"You're late," the figure said, voice deep and distant. "The Bloom chooses those who suffer. Those who promise... and forget."
"I don't understand," Riku said, stepping closer.
"You will," the voice replied. "But understand this: to become the Bloom King… you must lose more than you gain."
The figure raised a hand—and suddenly the crimson flowers around Riku wilted, turning to ash.
Riku gasped. "Wait!"
"You can't save them all," the voice said. "Even when you try. Even when you give everything."
Riku clutched his chest. His heart ached—but not with fear. With regret. A feeling that didn't belong to now... but somewhere deep in his past.
"Then I'll save what I can," he whispered. "Even if it's just one person."
The figure tilted its head.
"A bold lie."
And then—
CRACK!
The dream shattered like glass.
Riku shot up in bed, panting. Sweat clung to his skin. The pendant no longer glowed. Everything looked normal.
But the feeling in his chest hadn't left.
He was being called. By something bigger than him. Something older. Something that had waited for him to wake up.
---
The next morning, Riku met Kaito and Airi at their usual rooftop spot. But this time, he couldn't hide what was bubbling inside.
"I had a dream," he started.
Kaito sipped his drink. "Did it involve aliens, swords, or your hopeless love life?"
Riku ignored him. "It felt... real. Like a memory I haven't lived yet."
Airi frowned. "Was it about… the pendant?"
He stared at her. "How do you know about that?"
She froze.
Kaito looked between them. "Okay… did I miss an entire episode or something?"
Airi opened her mouth, then closed it. Her expression twisted into something Riku hadn't seen before.
Fear.
"I think it's starting," she whispered. "Just like back then."
"Back when?" Riku asked.
Airi looked at him. "We weren't supposed to remember. Not until it began."
Kaito raised a brow. "Guys, you're freaking me out. What are you talking about?"
Riku didn't know.
But the air around them had shifted.
The rain had stopped. The sun broke through the clouds.
And yet… the rooftop felt like the calm before something none of them were ready for.
Something blooming beneath their feet.
---