Sunlight broke over the horizon, casting a golden glow across the city.
Birds chirped faintly as Haruto gasped awake in bed, his hair damp with sweat.
Again... that dream again.
Grandfather... the basement... the box...
The words echoed in his ears.
Haruto stumbled out of bed, heart pounding.
---
Morning — The Forgotten Room
He moved briskly through the quiet house, the early morning light casting long shadows over the aged furniture. The air smelled faintly of old wood and memories.
Fleeting images surfaced — his grandfather's voice, a hidden place beneath the floorboards, a moment locked in childhood haze.
In a forgotten corner of the house, buried beneath crates and dusty cloth, he found it.
A loose tile.
Haruto's fingers traced its edges. It shifted under pressure with a dull, satisfying click.
Beneath it: an iron ring embedded in the floor.
He gripped it and pulled.
A hidden trapdoor groaned open, revealing stone steps spiraling into darkness.
This... this is the place, he thought, goosebumps prickling his arms. Just like in my dream.
He lit a flashlight and descended.
With every step, the air thickened. Cold. Heavy. Silent.
The chamber opened wide before him.
Ancient symbols spiraled across the stone walls, glowing faintly — rhythmic, like a heartbeat.
And at the center, resting solemnly, a wooden box.
It pulsed faintly with energy — alive, aware, waiting.
Haruto stood frozen, staring.
"This... this is real. All of it," he whispered.
He stepped forward, hand outstretched — but paused just inches from the box.
It hummed louder, resonating with his presence.
---
Later That Day — School Rooftop
Haruto drifted through the crowded school corridors like a ghost. His sleeves tugged down over his wrists, his eyes empty and distant.
He pushed open the rooftop door, craving silence.
But someone was already there.
Airi.
She sat near the ledge, her sketchbook open in her lap, pencil gliding softly across the page. Behind her, the city gleamed under the morning sun.
She looked up and met his eyes with a gentle smile.
"There you are," she said quietly. "I thought I'd find you here."
Haruto walked over and sat a few feet away.
"I needed air," he muttered. "Didn't sleep much."
Airi studied him, thoughtful. "You've been like this since middle school... always locking everything away."
He looked away. "You noticed?"
She closed her sketchbook gently — but not before he saw it.
A half-finished sketch of himself. Standing alone beneath a wide, empty sky.
"Hard not to," she murmured. "Especially when people like me keep getting pulled into your mess."
A flash of memory:
Airi being shoved.
Her sketchbook torn.
Laughter echoing.
Her standing between him and the world.
"They say I'm obsessed," she said. "Weird... because I draw you."
Haruto's throat tightened.
"I never asked you to defend me," he said softly.
"I know."
Airi's voice trembled, but her eyes didn't look away.
"I just couldn't watch them hurt you. I didn't want you to think you were alone."
For a while, they sat in silence. The wind moved gently between them.
Then Haruto noticed it.
A shimmer — silver in the light.
He leaned closer.
"What's that? On your hand."
Airi blinked. "What?"
He gently took her wrist.
Around her finger — a ring.
Elegant. Faintly glowing. Almost ethereal.
Haruto's eyes widened.
"That ring... Have you always worn it?"
"My parents said I was born with it," she said. "But no one's ever seen it. Until now."
Haruto's voice dropped to a whisper.
"I can see it."
Their eyes locked.
And in that moment — something deeper stirred.
Not memory, but recognition.
A connection far older than either of them could understand.
---
Flashback — Earlier That Morning
Golden light burst outward as Haruto lifted the wooden box's lid.
The chamber throbbed with radiant energy.
Ancient symbols pulsed like the beat of a divine heart.
His fingers brushed the object inside—
A surge of warmth.
A sudden link.
And then — darkness.
---
Unknown Location
In a realm untouched by time, swirling with shadows and silence, a portal flickered open.
A cloaked figure watched through it.
Eyes hidden. Voice cold.
"So... the cycle begins again," he whispered.
The portal faded to black.
---
To Be Continued...