remember me beyonder oblivion

One Month Earlier

Tokyo – 11:00 PM – Aenna's House

— "Kairo? …Kairo? …KAIRO!?"

A gentle tap on his shoulder made him jolt. Kairo opened his eyes, still heavy with sleep. He had dozed off on the couch while his friends were watching a horror movie. The dim lighting of the room and the muffled sound of the television made him blink in confusion.

Aenna was staring at him, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised.

— "Ugh! You're always the same sleepyhead!" she grumbled, annoyed.

— "Come on, Aenna, give him a break," Lyra intervened in her usual melodic voice. "He trained all day with Riven in kendo."

— "Tsk! Boys," Aenna huffed, crossing her legs.

Lyra smirked. "They also need to let out some of that testosterone," she giggled, throwing a knowing glance at Aenna.

— "I can hear you, Lyra," Kairo replied with a tired smirk, giving her a light pinch on the shoulder.

Lyra let out a small squeal and pouted. "You missed me playing music and Aenna's dance… though, in my opinion, she's better suited for archery than dancing."

— "Says the one who skipped two notes in a row," Aenna shot back with a grimace.

— "Hey, have you two finished bickering?" Riven interrupted, returning from the kitchen with a bag of chips in hand.

Lyra turned with a mischievous grin. "Oh, the great Riven is back—the one who lost to Kairo again!"

Riven froze mid-step, squeezing the bag of chips as if he wanted to crush it. "I didn't lose! It was a tie!" he protested.

— "Yeah, yeah, sure," Lyra laughed.

Kairo shook his head with a smile. The warmth of that evening wrapped around him. He looked at his friends, one by one. Their voices intertwined in perfect harmony. Aenna with her boundless energy, Lyra always ready with her witty remarks, Riven with his stubborn competitiveness.

"If only these moments could last forever…" Kairo thought as a sense of peace washed over him.

Then… the memory shattered like glass.

Tokyo – 11:25 AM – Café Yoru

The crash of shattering glass tore through the air.

Kairo was yanked back to reality. The roar of the creature made the ground tremble beneath his feet. The blood of the victims still mingled with the asphalt as the twisted beast advanced toward them.

Its arms ended in sharp black claws, and its violet eyes burned with pure malice.

Riven stood beside him, breathing heavily.

— "Tell me you have a plan."

Kairo clenched his teeth. A plan? They had only one certainty: they had to survive.

The creature suddenly stopped.

It roared again.

From that roar, an incredible shockwave burst forth, making the air vibrate.

The four friends and the other people inside the café shielded their faces with their hands against the pressure.

Then, the shadow vanished and reappeared behind Kairo with inhuman speed, raising its clawed hand, ready to strike.

Instinctively, thanks to his reflexes, Kairo barely dodged it, jumping sideways. The clawed hand struck the tiled floor, slicing through it like butter.

People tried to escape, but the creature let out a hiss, and from its body, black tentacles shot out, impaling the unfortunate souls.

Lyra was grazed by one.

"BASTARD!"

The sight of his friend's blood ignited something inside Kairo. He grabbed a fallen metal pipe and charged at the shadow with all the rage in his body.

But it was too fast.

It teleported behind him.

Riven reacted in time and pushed his friend away.

The creature missed Kairo but turned toward Riven, screaming in fury, and lunged.

Kairo, in a fluid motion, intercepted the being with a direct strike to the face.

A metallic sound rang through the air.

But it didn't move.

"How the hell is it this tough?" Kairo thought.

The violet eyes turned toward him.

He didn't have time to react.

It grabbed him by the throat and slammed him to the ground.

Kairo felt the cold grip of its clawed hand tightening around him.

The creature moved closer, revealing a jaw full of sharp black teeth.

It let out a guttural, furious sound.

Riven grabbed a chair and hurled it with all his strength. The being caught it with its other hand and, without effort, crushed it in an instant.

Then it grabbed Riven by the throat and lifted him off the ground.

Was this the end?

A metallic sound echoed through the room.

— "Leave my friends alone!" Aenna shouted, throwing a tray at the creature and hitting it square in the face.

The blow barely made it waver, but it was enough to loosen its grip.

Kairo and Riven exchanged a determined look. With a kick and a quick movement, they broke free.

Enraged at losing its prey, the beast lunged at Aenna.

And then it happened.

Aenna stumbled backward.

Kairo and Riven rushed to protect her, but they were too slow.

Lyra stepped between Aenna and the being, acting as a shield.

The creature impaled them both.

Riven, furious, charged with a punch.

It never landed.

He was pierced straight through the chest by a tentacle.

Kairo screamed in rage, tears burning his eyes.

He grabbed the metal pipe again and prepared to fight.

But then…

Time stopped.

Everything froze in an eerie silence.

And from nowhere… she appeared.

A light, both warm and cold at the same time.

A young girl with silver hair and gray eyes walked forward with slow steps.

She stopped in front of his friends' lifeless bodies.

She sighed.

— "Ah… this really is a mess."

Kairo was a storm of emotions.

Rage, pain, loss, sadness mixed with astonishment, surprise, and confusion.

He fell to his knees and began to cry.

He didn't want to lose his friends.

— "Why? Why is this happening to me…?" he sobbed.

The girl calmly approached, leaned down slightly, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Her touch was warm, reassuring, yet… something felt strange.

Her gaze was serene, but deep within her gray eyes, a shadow of melancholy danced.

Her lips curved into a faint smile, neither kind nor cruel, as if she were witnessing a scene already written long ago.

Then, in a voice both gentle and distant, she whispered:

— "Do not despair… you can still save them."

Kairo lifted his tear-filled eyes, now burning with a newfound determination.

— "How?"

For a moment, the girl looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected such an immediate and resolute response.

Then she lowered her gaze, tucking a strand of silver hair behind her ear with a slow, almost theatrical gesture.

— "Well… there is a way."

She paused, tilting her head slightly, her enigmatic smile widening just a bit.

— "But everything, as you know… comes with a price."

Kairo wiped his tears with the back of his hand. He clenched his fists.

He didn't care about the cost.

He was determined to bring them back.

No matter the price.