As Kaito dozed off, he found himself standing in a place he had never seen before.
An endless white field.
The sky above him was pure blue — not a single cloud.
The air was warm, but something about it felt... lonely.
"Kaito..."
A soft voice called out.
He turned.
Standing a few feet away was a girl.
She looked about his age — maybe a little older — with long silver hair that shimmered like moonlight.
Her eyes were a deep, sorrowful violet.
She wore a white dress that fluttered even though there was no wind.
Kaito blinked.
"Who... are you?"
The girl smiled sadly.
"You don't know me yet. But you will."
He frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The girl walked toward him, barefoot on the glowing ground.
"You're about to lose something... very important to you."
Her voice trembled, as if she didn't want to say it.
"What are you talking about?" Kaito asked, feeling uneasy.
The girl stopped right in front of him.
"I'm sorry, Kaito. I can't stop it. But..."
She reached out and gently touched his chest.
"You will have a choice soon. A choice to protect... or a choice to forget."
Kaito's heart pounded.
"Protect who? Forget what?! What are you saying?!"
His voice grew desperate.
The girl's sad smile deepened.
"You'll understand... when it happens."
She leaned in and whispered something he couldn't quite catch.
Then—
Suddenly, the sky above cracked like glass.
The world shattered.
Everything fell into darkness.
Kaito woke up with a jolt.
He sat up, panting, drenched in sweat.
"What... was that dream…?"
He looked around.
The sun was setting outside the window.
But the strange feeling in his chest wouldn't go away.
The mysterious girl's words echoed in his mind:"83 97 118 101 83 109 101"
Riku's POV
Time: 7:00 PM
The warm orange glow of the evening sun spilled through the windows as Riku stirred from sleep.
He groaned softly, rubbing his eyes.
"7 PM...? I overslept again."
Yawning, he dragged himself out of bed, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and headed downstairs — where Kaito was already sitting on the couch, half-asleep.
Time: 7:03 PM
The light from the window slipped through the curtain, casting long shadows on the ceiling as Riku stirred awake.
He blinked up at the clock. "7 PM...? I overslept again."
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he pulled himself out of bed, yawning. He stretched lazily before dragging himself to the sink to brush his teeth and wash his face. The cold splash of water helped clear the fog in his mind.
Once freshened up, Riku walked to his door and opened it. The sound of light footsteps downstairs made him smile.
He slowly descended the stairs and saw his little brother, Kaito, rubbing his eyes and sitting on the couch.
"Good morning, bro," Riku greeted, his voice still a bit groggy.
"Morning..." Kaito mumbled, still half-asleep.
Riku chuckled, then walked over and hugged him. "You look like a zombie. Didn't sleep well?"
"Had some weird dreams," Kaito replied, blinking slowly. "But it's fine now."
They both sat down at the dining table with the rest of their family. Their mother served warm rice and egg, while their father read the newspaper quietly. The scent of miso soup filled the air.
It was peaceful.
"Dad," Riku said between bites, "can I join the soccer club at school?"
Their father glanced up, then smiled. "Sure, go for it. Just don't let your grades drop."
"Thanks, Dad!" Riku's face brightened with excitement.
After breakfast, Kaito grabbed his bag and waved goodbye.
"Don't get in trouble!" Riku called out.
"No promises!" Kaito laughed as he left the house.
Riku looked around the now-quiet home and sighed. "Now what…"
He tried gaming. Got bored. Tried vacuuming. Still bored. The walls felt too silent. Eventually, he flopped onto the couch and closed his eyes.
SCREAMING.
A woman's scream tore through the silence like a blade. Riku jolted upright, heart hammering in his chest.
"Mom?!"
He jumped up and ran down the stairs — the same stairs he walked down hours earlier with peace in his heart.
What he saw next would haunt him forever.
Blood. Fire. The house was in flames.
His father and mother lay motionless on the floor, their bodies riddled with bullets and deep stab wounds.
"No… no no no—" Riku staggered back. "MOM! DAD!"
Then, he remembered. "AIKO!"
He bolted through the flames, coughing from the smoke. "Aiko! Where are you?! Please—answer me!"
A soft sob came from under the dining table.
He dropped down and saw her — Aiko, his little sister, no older than six, hugging her knees tightly.
"Riku… I'm scared…"
He crawled toward her and pulled her into a hug. "It's okay. I'm here now. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, alright?"
"W-what happened to Mommy and Daddy…?" she asked with trembling lips.
Riku couldn't answer. His throat tightened. His eyes burned with tears.
"They… they're sleeping, okay?" he whispered, lying because she was too young to understand. "We need to get out of here, Aiko. Trust me."
She nodded against his chest, gripping his shirt tightly.
"I promise," Riku whispered, holding her closer. "No matter what happens, I'll protect you."
But just then—
Footsteps.
Riku turned and saw a man stepping through the fire and smoke. Dressed in black, his face was half-covered with a mask.
Riku shielded Aiko behind him. "Who are you?!"
The man tilted his head. "Doesn't matter. You're too dangerous for this world, Riku."
"What the hell are you talking about?! I'm just a kid!"
"That's what makes you dangerous," the man said. He raised a gun. "Time to go."
BANG!
The shot ripped through Riku's side.
BANG!
Another bullet grazed his arm. Aiko screamed.
Riku collapsed beside her, gasping, blood soaking through his clothes.
"Aiko…" he whispered, reaching for her hand. "Stay with me…"
She was crying, eyes wide in shock. "Riku… please don't die…"
"I won't… I won't let go… I love you, okay? You're… my precious little sister…"
"Riku…"
They held each other's hands, trembling.
Then—another shot.
Everything went quiet.
The man vanished into the fire, leaving nothing but smoke and silence behind.
---
30 seconds later…
Kaito arrived.
He rushed inside, coughing from the smoke, stumbling over broken glass and burnt furniture. His gaze locked onto two familiar figures on the floor — hand in hand.
Riku was covered in blood. Aiko's tiny hand rested in his.
Kaito fell to his knees. "No… no no no…"
Riku's eyes fluttered open. Barely.
"…Kaito?" he whispered.
"I'm here… I'm here, bro. Just hang on!" Kaito cried.
Riku smiled weakly, blood slipping from his mouth.
"I'm sorry… bro…"
Kaito shook his head. "No… don't say that…"
"I… couldn't protect Aiko…" Riku's voice cracked. "I was too late… I failed her…"
He choked on a sob, tears now trailing down both sides of his face.
"I'm sorry, bro… I'm so sorry…"
"I… couldn't save her…"
"I'm too late…"
Then his voice broke completely:
"I'm sorry… I couldn't protect Aiko…"
And finally—
He cried.
Even as his strength faded, he sobbed.
"I'm sorry…"
His hand slowly slipped from Aiko's.
His body went still.
Kaito stared at him, trembling. "Riku…?"
Silence.
Kaito's scream tore through the air.
And then — silence.
Kaito dropped to his knees, shaking, as he cradled them both.
"I'm sorry… I should've been here…" he sobbed. "I'll find who did this. I promise…"
The fire crackled in the background, but Kaito didn't care.
He had just lost everything.