10:12 AM – The Next Day
Akondo was sleeping in his room at home. The place was a mess, clothes strewn around, books and papers scattered on the floor. The doorbell rang, its sharp sound cutting through the quiet. He didn't stir.
A moment later, the door creaked open and someone came in quietly. The figure's shadow lengthened across the cluttered room and went all the way up to Akondo's bed. He was sleeping, unaware of this, when the shadow loomed closer and a soft hand touched his hair.
"Uh, just ten more minutes, Mom," Akondo mumbled half-asleep.
The hand paused for a moment before a gentle kiss touched his cheek. "Sleep as much as you want. I won't wake you up," was the soft voice of Seren.
Akondo opened his eyes, startled suddenly. Before him stood Seren, in her school uniform, standing beside his bed while half of her face was lit by morning sunlight. "Oh… sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she said, forcing a small smile.
"Seren?" Akondo's voice was slumberous, and a passing sadness crossed his face as he knew it wasn't his mother.
"You thought I was your mom, didn't you?" Seren spoke softly, taking in his face.
Akondo shook his head as if trying to clear his mind. "What are you doing here? Did you not go home?" he asked in a puzzled tone.
"Yeah, I did. I snuck back before my mom woke up. Nobody noticed," Seren grinned.
"Oh…," Akondo could only manage to say.
"Well, I came back here because you need to eat properly, and I'll be cooking for you from now on," she said firmly.
"What?" Akondo asked, a little surprised.
"Come on," Seren went on, unwavering, "you must be fed on proper home cooking. And as it stands, nobody around here can bother cooking for you, so it is my pleasure," she added gallantly.
"You're supposed to be at school, aren't you?" Akondo reminded her, taking in this pronouncement in vain.
"I do. I told them I was heading there, and then I came straight here," she said, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
"Wait, you're not even going to school?" Akondo pushed up to sitting as he said that.
"Nope," Seren said practically. "I'm going to stay with you and watch over you till you can care for yourself, maybe even afterward."
"Seren, I don't need to have someone coddle me; I am okay," Akondo insisted now using a stronger tone.
She barely looked up while tidying to retort, "Did I ask for your opinion? I said what I'm going to do, and I'll do it. Taking care of you at the moment is more important; that's what I'm going to do."
"Why can't you just listen to me?" sighed Akondo, following her as she tidied the messy room around him.
Just as she was picking up some discarded piece of clothing, Seren changed the subject. "Anyway, remember yesterday?.. when that woman tried to place the blame on you for her husband's death right in front of the hallway of the room? Did you happen to notice that guard standing outside the door?"
Akondo furrowed his brows, thinking hard. "I… I don't know. I didn't."
"There was this beautiful woman inside the room," Seren continued, "and she looked so familiar. Well, it turns out she's the Queen of Valloria. I confirmed it while watching the news this morning."
"Oh… I see," Akondo muttered, still processing.
"And remember that guy who gave me back my phone and helped us get away from that problematic woman?" Seren pressed on.
After a pause, Akondo said warily, "That man. that odd man."
"That guy… that wired guy…" Seren interrupted with an accusing raised eyebrow. "Actually, he was really cool. Guess what? He's the Prince of Valloria. Wonder what they're doing here."
Akondo was busy processing the information and connecting all dots together in his mind. "The Prince of Valloria?" he said to himself rather than Seren with low mumble.
Seren continued, bending down to pick up a book from the floor. Her voice was more reflective now. "By the way, why did I feel like the Queen of Valloria was staring at you when we passed by? I'm not kidding, her eyes were glued to you for no reason."
"What do you mean?" Akondo's voice was tinged with apprehension.
"Nothing… probably just my imagination," Seren brushed it off. She got up and adjusted her uniform, looking at the clock. "Anyway, since you're up now, I'm going downstairs to cook. Hurry up and take a bath before coming down."
She didn't wait to hear an answer; Seren had already turned and left the room, closing the door softly behind her. Akondo lay there for a moment longer, trying to make sense of all that she had said.
It wasn't long before Akondo was bathing. His left hand rested against the wall, and suddenly a memory came to mind.
He was five years old and still in the orphanage. He could recall being alone in a small room, feeling the weight of isolation. Then, the door creaked open, and he cautiously stepped out. As he walked down the corridor, he saw a car parked outside with a child seated between a man and a woman. Akondo paused and stood watching from afar before continuing down the hall.
As he walked, he heard two women talking a little distance from him. One of them, a rather short woman with a timid voice, asked, "Ma'am, sorry to ask, but why do you always hide Risen whenever someone comes for adoption? Is there a reason?"
"Shh… don't speak like that," answered the tall woman, her voice fast. "I am under strict orders not to let anyone adopt Risen, or else…
"Who gives these orders?" the shorter woman pressed on, her curiosity finally overcoming her caution.
"The Queen of Valloria," the taller woman said, lowering her voice as if the very name demanded secrecy.
Akondo, lost in thought, muttered to himself, "My name was Risen back then, and no one ever came to adopt me. I know it wasn't my fault.
I was being hidden so no one could take me away. And that day, I realized that my fate was being controlled by someone called the Queen of Valloria. I really wanted to know who she was, but after my mom adopted me, I forgot all about it…"
He snapped back to the present, sighing as he began to rub soap over his skin. "Valloria… the neighboring country to our own, still ruled by a king. Even so, it's remarkably peaceful and ranked as the 10th happiest country in the world. And the 4th most beautiful."
"Why am I even thinking about this?" he muttered to himself, washing the soap off and finishing up his bath.
Later, Akondo was sitting at the dining table, eating a plate of fried rice. Seren sat opposite him, watching keenly.
"How does it taste?" Seren asked, her eyes shining with anticipation.
"Umm… really good," Akondo responded, still chewing.
Seren leaned back, pleased. "Great! So, make me your permanent cook as soon as possible," she said, grinning mischievously at him.
"Huh?" Akondo looked up, perplexed by her sudden statement.
"I mean, I'll be 18 next month," Seren expounded, her voice taking on a half-serious, half-jocular tone. "Then we could get married or just stay together, you know?"
"Hmm…" Akondo responded, not committing himself, intent on completing his meal.
Seren got up from her chair and stretched out her arms. "All right, I have to sleep. I am going to your room. Don't wake me unless it is crucial—I didn't get any sleep at all last night," she added before going upstairs.
Akondo watched her go, then silently returned to his meal
.
.
.
.
Meantime, Ren was running along the snowy road that cut through an impenetrably dense winter forest. His breath was steady, his feet crunching softly on the icy path. To fight off the biting cold, he was wearing a heavy winter coat, gloves, and a woolen cap.
After a while, Ren stopped opposite a strong ancient tree. Taking his phone, he called up and read out to check his distances traveled so far; 5 kilometers.
"Whoa, my stamina's really improved. I'm not even tired, and I ran this in just about half an hour," thought Ren, his pride surging as he caught himself on the hand of the tree to catch breath. A clump of snow fell from it because of this act.
As he took in the vision of serenity before him, his eyes landed on a giant, irregularly shaped stone at the base of the tree. "This stone… it looks so familiar…", he muttered as the very view shot an unsettling jab of déjà vu down his spine.
His phone rang just then to cut through his thoughts. His screen lit up with Mother's name. He paused, for a moment, and then picked up.
"Ren, where are you?" his mother's worried voice came through. "Why are you out after what happened to you yesterday?"
"Mom, I'm just out for a jog. I'll be back in half an hour, don't worry," Ren replied, trying to sound reassuring before ending the call.
.
Akondo entered his bedroom and saw Seren lying across his bed, asleep. He walked towards the desk and started quietly charging his phone while picking up a book titled 'Quick Decisions are the Key to Success.'
Seren suddenly sat up and pulled Akondo onto the bed.
"Whoa, what the—?" he stammered, a bit startled.
Seren sat on Akondo's legs with a large grin. "Gotcha!"
"Why didn't you sleep?" Akondo asked him with a dazed look on his face.
"No, I was waiting for you," Seren said with a sharp glint in her eye, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
"What?" Akondo raised an eyebrow, perplexed as to her intentions.
"What do we do now?" Seren teased in an amused tone.
"What?" Akondo returned, his voice filled with confusion.
Seren started to unbutton her uniform, revealing her collarbone and part of her cleavage. "You aren't dumb enough; I know you catch on."
Akondo caught her shirt to stop her hands. "No."
"Why not? What's wrong? Everyone does that nowadays. It's normal in 2024! Like, everyone loses their virginity as teenagers, you know?"
"Everyone does that because, for some, it's a priority in relationships. But I love you for how you treat me, not for following trends. In many conservative countries, people wait until marriage," Akondo said seriously.
"But in our country, it's normal! Everyone in my class… " Seren started.
"Please, do not make me think of it that way," Akondo said interrupting.
Seren slid off his legs and lay beside him, a playful smile still on her lips. "Honestly, I was joking though. But if you agreed then we could…," she suggested.
Akondo hugged her closer. "This is enough for me," he said lovingly.
"Want to watch anime?" Seren suggested, shifting the mood.
"Anime?" Akondo asked, tilting his head. "Yeah, I guess."
Seren let him go and asked, "Have you seen Death Note?"
"No, it's a classic and old, but I haven't watched it," Akondo admitted.
"Okay, I only watched one episode, but it was fire! Let's watch it until it ends," Seren said enthusiastically.
A few moments later, Akondo and Seren were settled on the mattress, engrossed in Death Note. Akondo focused intently on the screen, where the plot unfolded.
"That's cool! He started killing criminals. If I were him, I would do the same," Seren remarked, eyes wide with excitement.
But Akondo was lost in thought, analyzing the show. Everything around him felt meaningless as he pondered the implications of vigilante justice.
"Killing criminals, huh…" he mused silently.
Time passed quickly, and soon it was 9:00 PM.
"No way! No way! Light killed L!" Seren exclaimed, her eyes glued to the TV as she watched L's body fall to the ground on screen.
Akondo's eyes widened in shock, sharing at tv.
"Now. Now I hate Kira! He's trying so hard to survive, and now—no! He killed my favorite character! I can't believe it!" Seren exclaimed dramatically.
She continued, "Kira has turned into a monster, a psychopath. He's not even human anymore! He'll do anything, anything to survive."
Her words hit Akondo like a freight train, and he turned to look at her, his mind racing.
"What?" Seren asked, noticing his expression.
"I need to go to the bathroom," Akondo replied, urgency creeping into his voice.
"Oh, right! I'll pause it," Seren said, reaching for the remote.
As Akondo walked slowly toward the bathroom, the words "psychopath" and "monster" echoed in his mind. He reached the bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"Killing people to save yourself, turning into a monster and a psychopath just to survive. If the power I have is real, will I become like Kira?" he thought, searching his own eyes for answers.
He glanced at his hands and muttered, "If my assumptions are correct, then I'm already responsible for two deaths."
His gaze shifted to his watch, and he saw it was 9:05 PM.
"It's already 9?" he murmured, his eyes widening as a realization struck him. "Wait, 9…"
Suddenly, he recalled that his body had swapped at around nine o'clock the last two days. "My body changed around 9 with the nearest person. And now my nearest person is Seren. That means she's at risk. I can't let anything happen to her!"
Panic surged through him as he ran toward Seren, thinking, "I still have time. My chest pain hasn't started yet."
Bursting into the living room, Akondo shouted, "Get out of my house!"
"What?" Seren said, shock evident on her face.
"I said get the hell out!" Akondo yelled, throwing Seren's bag at her.
"What's wrong with you all of a sudden?" Seren asked, bewildered.
Akondo seized Seren's hand, pulling her toward the door thinking "I'm sorry, but this is for your safety!"
"Why are you acting like this?" Seren screamed, struggling against his grip.
He didn't respond. Instead, he opened the door and forcefully pushed Seren outside, tossing her shoes after her. "It's over between us! Never show your face to me again!" he said, his voice cracking with emotion.
"If you stay close to me, you'll be in danger. I'm so sorry, Seren," Akondo thought as he slammed the door shut.
Outside, Seren began to cry. "Why are you doing this to me all of a sudden? What have I done?"
Akondo sank to the floor, breathing heavily. He glanced at his phone, the time now reading 9:15 PM, and his eyes widened in horror.
[To be contained]