Asahi's eyes fluttered open.
At first, everything was nothing. A thick haze blurred his vision, like a fog between worlds. Then clarity arrived—not as comfort, but as a curse.
A vast white room surrounded him. No walls. No ceiling. No floor.
Just endless, suffocating whiteness.
The air didn't move. It didn't breathe.It didn't even exist.
And yet—he was there.
Standing.
Breathing.
Alive.
But not alone.
A man stood ahead, no more than a few feet away. Still as death. Silent as a corpse.
The atmosphere was wrong. It wasn't quiet—it was void. It was as if reality itself had forgotten how to exist.
Then came the voice.
Calm. Tired. A whisper echoing across a dead world.
"Mmm… Finally. I've met you."
Asahi's body locked. A chill spiraled up his spine.
That voice.
That voice was his.
The man looked to be in his forties. Unkempt black hair, sunken eyes, bruises painting his pale skin like old sins. His white shirt clung to his frail frame, stained and faded. Jeans torn. Lifeless posture.He looked like someone who had been forgotten by time.
And yet—
Asahi knew him.
"...Hey," Asahi whispered, heart thudding against his ribs. "I know you."
The man didn't answer.
He just stared.
With his eyes.
Asahi's voice quivered. "You're the one... from my dream."
And then it hit.
Like thunder through bone.
His breath caught.
His mind split.
"You... it's you!"
The man's lips parted.
"It's… me."
A single step backward. That's all Asahi could manage.
"Do you know who I am?"
The voice dropped—calmer now. Heavy with exhaustion. Like someone who had lost everything but the ability to speak.
"…Huh?" Asahi blinked.
A weak, humorless chuckle.
"Come on. You already know."
And then—his tone changed.
Deeper. Sharper. Final.
"I am you. Your future self."
The words didn't echo.They reverberated.
Asahi's world shattered.
"WHAT?!"
He staggered, brain spiraling into chaos. Logic failed. Sanity bent. But the man only nodded, accepting the impossible like it was routine.
"Yeah, yeah… I know. It's messed up," his future self muttered. "But you've been pulled into this dimension."
Asahi felt his lungs seize. "How!?"
"When your mother died," FA said, rubbing his temple, "the timeline shifted. Because of that, you were pulled here."
A silence fell.
A terrifying silence.
Asahi couldn't breathe.
"She's... dead...?"
"Yeah," FA said, not flinching. "But we can fix that."
Asahi's heart slammed against his ribs.
"Fix...?" he whispered. "You mean… we can bring her back?"
For the first time, Future Asahi smiled—a ghost of one. Twisted. Hollow.
"Of course. In this dimension... I can reset time."
The heaviness in Asahi's chest lifted just slightly.
"So I can go back...?"
"Yeah."
Hope bloomed.
Fragile. Dangerous.
"I'll choose the moment you return to. The perfect chance to change everything."
Tears welled in his eyes. "Then… I can save her!"
"Next time," FA said, already turning.
"Wait! I have so many questions!"
"Next time."
Then—
PAIN.
White-hot, blinding agony erupted in his skull.
"AARGH!!"
The void collapsed.
Back to Reality
Asahi jolted awake.
His body was drenched in sweat. His chest heaved. His eyes snapped toward the clock.
8:30 AM.
His mouth trembled.
"…I looped."
The words left his lips like a prayer.
Then—he bolted from his bed.
"Mom!!"
He stumbled down the stairs, bare feet slapping the wooden steps.
The scent of miso soup filled the air.
Warm.
Familiar.
Alive.
His mother stood at the stove, humming to herself. The morning sunlight kissed her face.She was real.
She turned. "Huh? What's wrong? You look pale."
Asahi's heart squeezed. He wanted to scream. To hold her forever. To never let go.
But he forced a smile.
"Yeah… just a bad dream."
She laughed softly and turned back to the soup.
And he sat at the table, staring at her.
She was alive.
She was alive.
She was alive.
For now.
They had lunch.
His father smiled like usual, said he'd be back by evening.
His mother kissed his forehead, then went to take her afternoon nap.
2:30 PM.
The house stood in silence.
Not peace.
Silence.
Asahi sat alone at the dining table, staring at his untouched tea. The world outside the window felt... wrong. Too still. Even the birds weren't singing.
A prickling sensation crawled up the back of his neck.
His fingers trembled slightly as he stood.
He began checking the house.
The hallway. The kitchen. The back door.
Click.
Lock.
Click.
Lock.
Room by room, he confirmed the house was secure.
Everything looked normal.
And yet—something was off.
The air felt thick. The kind of thick that warns you just before lightning strikes.
He paused in the living room.
A chill snuck through the windowpane, brushing his skin.
He swallowed. Looked over his shoulder.
Nothing.
He turned back to the clock.
2:37 PM.
Then—
DING DONG.
The sound slashed through the silence.
Asahi's body froze.
He didn't move.
Didn't blink.
It rang again.
DING DONG.
Slowly, as if the floor beneath him would crumble, he approached the door.
Through the peephole—a man in a delivery uniform.
Normal. Ordinary.
Too ordinary.
Asahi opened the door just a crack.
The man smiled, polite but expressionless. "Delivery for Mr. Asahi."
Asahi's lips barely moved. "...That's me."
The man held out a digital pad. "Sign here."
He signed.
The man handed him a medium-sized brown box.
No labels.
No return address.
"Thank you," Asahi said, his voice barely audible.
The man nodded.
Turned.
Walked away.
No van.No engine.
Just... gone.
Asahi closed the door.
Locked it.
Twice.
Then stared at the box in his hands.
It was light.
Too light.
Like it held only paper.
He placed it gently on the floor.
His heartbeat echoed in his ears as he peeled the tape away.
Slowly.
One flap.
Then another.
His hands moved like they were no longer his own.
He lifted the top.
And looked inside.
His breath stopped.
He didn't scream.
He couldn't.
Because what he saw—
Was his father's severed head.
Resting atop red-stained towels.
The mouth was slightly open. As if caught mid-sentence.
The left eye—
Gone.
Asahi staggered back.
The box fell over, blood smearing across the floorboards.
He stumbled into the sink.
Collapsed.
Threw up until nothing came out.
His vision blurred with tears and bile.
His hands clawed at the edge of the counter.
The world spun.
"What is this… what is this… what is this…?!"
His heart was no longer beating.It was screaming.
Then, through the madness, a thought pierced through.
A whisper from somewhere deep inside.
"Sleep. Sleep and loop again."
He wiped his mouth.
Snatched the bottle of sleeping pills from the cabinet with shaking hands.
Fumbled with the cap.
Poured five into his palm.
No hesitation.
No plan.
Just one thought.
"This time… I'll save him."
And with that—
He swallowed.
Let his body fall.
And waited for the void to return.
"So… Dad this time? Hah."
The voice was flat. Empty. Like it came from someone already dead.
Asahi Rentaro flinched.
A sting shot through his skull. His chest felt like it was being crushed by invisible hands. His fingers twitched.
"Why didn't you tell me… huh? WHY?!"
His voice cracked as it left his throat, raw and trembling. His breath came in uneven bursts.
"You're from the future, right?! THEN WHY?!"
But Future Asahi—FA—didn't even blink.
His eyes were hollow. Black holes where light used to live.
"Calm down," FA muttered, a lifeless whisper.
Then, without a pause:
"I don't have any memories of my past… because I was killed in the future."
Silence.
Time seemed to hold its breath.
Asahi's stomach twisted. The room—no, the void—felt colder.
"…Huh?"
The word barely escaped his lips. It was all he could manage.
"Yes," FA said. "I was killed. Everyone was."
He stepped forward, his presence heavy with quiet death.
"And after that… I ended up here. Trapped. In this void. With you."
Asahi's heartbeat pounded in his ears. The world began to tilt.
"So this isn't a dream…?" he whispered.
FA's gaze sharpened.
"No."
His voice deepened.
"This is a Dimensional Dream."
A chill crawled up Asahi's spine like icewater. His knees nearly buckled.
"Huh?"
FA's steps echoed—though there was no floor. No sound. Just sensation.
"This is a dimension," he said. "But not a real one."
"It has no form. No space. No time."
His eyes locked onto Asahi's like a blade pressed against his throat.
"But when you sleep… this place is created."
FA's voice turned cold.
"For you, it's just a dream."
He paused.
"But for me…"
His expression darkened.
"I was transferred. Not dreaming. Not resting."
"A white room. With no air. No time. No sound. A vacuum."
Asahi's throat closed up. He swallowed hard.
"But… I can hear you."
FA chuckled. A hollow, mirthless sound.
"Of course. Because for you… it's just a dream."
Asahi's legs wobbled. His thoughts swirled like a broken compass.
"So…" he whispered after a long silence, "you're trapped here… forever?"
FA's expression twisted—just a little. Almost a smirk.
"No."
He stepped closer, his voice lower now.
"If you can save everyone… If you can save yourself…"
His lips curled faintly.
"Then I can go back to the future."
Asahi clenched his fists.
"But what am I supposed to do now…?"
His voice trembled like a wounded animal.
"If I stay with my mom, my father dies. If I go to school, my mother dies."
His breath caught in his throat. The weight of fate crushed down on him.
"I can't help you with that," FA said, emotionless. "The only thing I can do… is adjust the timeline. Try to find the perfect moment for you."
Asahi's chest tightened.
"What if I just… tell them?" he asked. "Tell my parents the truth? That I can loop time. That I'm a time traveler."
FA blinked. Just once.
Then, slowly, he smiled.
"Mmm… That's an interesting idea."
But then his expression collapsed. His tone dropped like a blade.
"But it won't work."
"…Why not?"
FA's eyes narrowed.
"If you tell them the truth…"
The air felt colder. Denser.
"…The connection between your dream and this dimension will be severed."
A long, terrible silence.
FA continued.
"I will die. Permanently."
His eyes—so blank before—glinted with something like fear.
"And you… will never be able to loop again."
Asahi's breath caught.
What?
His pulse thundered in his veins.
The truth sank like a dagger into his chest.
If the bond broke—if FA was cut off—he wouldn't just disappear.
He would cease to exist.
And Asahi… would lose the only power he had.
His voice dropped into a whisper.
"So… it's all in my hands now, isn't it?"
FA nodded once.
"Yes."
Silence.
But then—
"How do you know that?" Asahi asked.
FA suddenly flinched.
A jolt of pain surged through his body. His legs trembled. His hands flew to his temples.
"Agh…!"
"FA?!" Asahi cried.
FA's face twisted in agony. His breathing became erratic.
"I… don't know…" he hissed. "It's like…"
He gritted his teeth.
"Like I've experienced this before…"
The pain faded, slowly. FA exhaled.
Then he looked up, eyes clearer than ever.
"I know you'll save everyone."
Asahi took a small step back.
(What's happening to him…?)
Then—
FA's tone shifted.
"There's something else."
A terrible stillness settled around them.
FA's voice turned to stone.
"There's a disadvantage to looping time."
Asahi froze.
It wasn't a warning. It was a truth carved in blood.
"…What is it?" he asked.
FA didn't blink.
"Whenever you sleep…"
His voice dropped lower. Quieter. Deadlier.
"…you will always return here."
Asahi's breath hitched.
No matter what.
No matter when.
He would always come back—to this void.
FA's gaze sharpened.
"And there's more."
"You can't sleep whenever you want."
"You can't sleep at night. Can't sleep from exhaustion."
FA's eyes bore into him.
"The only time you can sleep… is to loop time."
Asahi couldn't breathe.
His throat dried. His hands trembled.
"…Wait. Then when I sleep…"
FA answered coldly.
"You're awake. Here."
The world blurred.
"…So basically…" Asahi whispered. "I'm not sleeping at all."
"Yes," FA said.
"You can't sleep."
Asahi's knees buckled. He collapsed to the floor.
His voice broke.
"What if I just try?! What if I just sleep normally?!"
FA's voice turned sharp.
"Once you sleep… you must loop."
It hit him like a sledgehammer.
He was never sleeping.
Only jumping. Looping.
Over and over.
Without rest.
Without peace.
He'd never truly rest again.
"THAT'S—!!"
Asahi gripped his hair, the pressure in his skull unbearable.
"This is so—!!"
"I know," FA muttered. "It's fucked up."
The words dropped like stones into the void.
FA's voice carried the weight of someone who had endured too long.
"That's the only thing I can tell you."
Silence.
The white void stretched into infinity.
Asahi exhaled. Deep. Shaky.
"…Okay," he whispered. "Okay, okay… calm down…"
He forced himself to stand.
His hands stopped trembling.
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Yeah…"
His back straightened.
"Yeah…"
Then—
He slammed his fist against his chest.
His voice rang loud and clear:
"I am Asahi Rentaro."
His eyes burned like fire.
"The man who's gonna save everyone."
He looked directly into FA's hollow eyes.
"The Time Traveler."
Even if it killed him.
Even if he lost everything.
"Even if I have to sell my soul…"
He paused.
"I will save everyone."
"…Including you."
FA's eyes widened.
Then—
A smile.
Soft. Faint. But real.
"Good luck," FA whispered.
And the void collapsed into blinding white.
Asahi's eyes snapped open.
Ceiling. Curtains. Morning light.
His room.
His breath was heavy.
"…I looped again."
8:30 AM.
But it wasn't the same.
Not anymore.
Because this wasn't a dream.
This was real.
His fists clenched the bedsheets beneath him.
"So basically…"
His voice trembled.
"…I was awake this whole time."
He could feel it. In his bones.
No sleep.
Not real sleep.
His heartbeat quickened.
His thoughts spiraled.
"I wasn't dreaming…"
His voice dropped lower.
"It was a dream… but real."
Dimensional Dream.
The words echoed through his skull.
And then—
A terrifying realization crept in.
"If I don't get enough sleep… if I keep looping…"
His lips quivered.
"…over and over…"
His body began to shake.
"I'll go insane…"
His voice cracked.
"I'LL GO INSANE!!"
The horror swallowed him whole.
Then, like lightning—
A jolt of realization.
"No sleep?!"
His voice broke.
"HUH?!"
The words slammed into him.
Like a sentence.
Like a curse.
Like fate.