Staring out the window, Deven brainstormed ideas for his webnovel—still writing, despite the fact only a handful of people ever read it.
He was on Chapter 1219. What started at the start of the year as a hobby had grown into a full-blown obsession. He'd fallen in love with creating his own worlds, stories, and characters. It was the one place he felt in control, where the rules bent to his imagination and fate was something he could rewrite with a few keystrokes.
His stories were always a little unhinged—apocalypses, powers, monsters, and people pushed to the brink of survival. He wrote without filters, pouring himself into a chaotic webnovel that mirrored his thoughts and moods. Most of the characters were modeled after people he knew. A little drama here, a little betrayal there, and just enough madness to keep himself entertained.
But that was before everything changed.Before the transfer student arrived.Before the apocalypse began.Before his story started writing back.
Someone hitting him on his head brought him back from his thoughts.
"Hey idiot don't doze off in the middle of a conversation"
Deven blinked, turning to see Aisha, his childhood friend, scowling at him from the seat beside his. Her hand was still mid-air, ready to swat him again if necessary.
"You've been zoning out more than usual lately," she added, crossing her arms. "Let me guess—still stuck on chapter one thousand whatever?"
Deven gave her a sheepish grin. "One thousand two hundred and nineteen, thank you very much."
Aisha groaned. "You seriously need to touch grass."
"I touch grass. In-game."
She rolled her eyes so hard it was almost audible. "That doesn't count."
Deven chuckled, rubbing the spot on his head where she'd smacked him. The classroom buzzed with low chatter, the teacher not yet arrived. Outside, clouds loomed heavy and grey, like something was building.
He glanced around the class. Nothing out of the ordinary.The usual suspects doing the usual things.The loudmouths in the back throwing paper balls.The girls near the window whispering and giggling over which guy was "secretly hot."
Deven scanned each face, and a familiar chill ran through him.He'd written them all before.
Every student, every clique—they were characters in his webnovel. Not because he admired them or thought they were interesting, but because he was lazy. He'd modeled most of his background characters after people from school, right down to their names and habits.
Some of the bullies?He'd killed them off brutally in Chapter 3.The quiet loner near the door?He'd given him a tragic story and turned him into a monster.
It was easier than inventing new people.Faster. More efficient.Besides, it wasn't like anyone would ever notice.
No one read his novel anyway.
At least… that's what he thought.
He and Aisha chatted while waiting for the teacher to arrive. Same routine, same vibe—but something felt off.Deven couldn't put his finger on it. The classroom buzzed with the usual noise, but it was muffled, distant. Almost like the world was on pause, and he was the only one still moving.
The door slid open, and Mr. Takeda stepped in with his usual bored expression, a few sheets of paper in his hand. The class greeted him without much enthusiasm.
But Deven wasn't looking at the teacher.
It was the boy who walked in behind him.
The stranger.A teenager, maybe seventeen, stepping in with quiet confidence. Clean uniform. Straight posture. His eyes swept across the room like he'd been here before.
Deven's pulse quickened. There was something about him—something familiar that shouldn't have been.
The boy's gaze moved over the students and then, for a fraction of a second, locked onto Deven's.
Deven froze.A shiver rippled through him.His breath caught in his throat.
It was like looking into a mirror that didn't reflect him—but reflected someone he knew. Someone he couldn't place, but could feel deep inside. That nagging sensation that he should recognize this person. Like a memory on the tip of his tongue.
His mind screamed at him.
No. It can't be him.This is just a coincidence. Just a random kid.There's no way. No way.But I know him.
He had to know him.
And then, just as quickly as it had happened, the boy moved past him, following Mr. Takeda to the front of the room.
Deven's thoughts spiraled as the boy's presence seemed to hang in the air, like a weight pressing down on him. The strange, undeniable connection still tugged at his chest, pulling him into an unfamiliar space between memory and reality.
"Hello, class," Mr. Takeda's voice cut through the fog of Deven's mind. "This is a new transfer student. Could you introduce yourself, please?"
"My name's Kevin Reyes. Pleased to meet you all."
Kevin.
The name echoed in Deven's head. The connection. The familiarity.
His pulse spiked. His hands tightened into fists under the desk, a sense of dread creeping up his spine.
Kevin's gaze flickered briefly back in Deven's direction, his eyes holding something just behind the surface—something too familiar, too knowing.
The classroom door clicked shut behind them with an unsettling finality. And Deven didn't know it yet, but the world had just shifted.