The bell marking the end of math class rang, but for Kairo, time never truly resumed its flow.
As the students shuffled out with dragging chairs and hushed chatter, he stayed in his seat. Fingers clenched around his notebook, the words he'd read still etched in his mind:
"You're looking in the wrong place. And they won't believe you."
"Kairo?"
Aenna's voice reached him like a distant call through murky waters.
"You okay?"
He looked up. Her eyes met his—full of genuine worry. Real. Strong.
"Yeah… just a little shaken. It's just… a weird day."
Aenna sat back down beside him, ignoring the teacher's nudge to head out.
"You haven't been yourself since the start of the year. Always distracted. Like you're not really… here."
Kairo sighed, eyes lowering.
"What if I'm not?"
"What do you mean?"
He hesitated. Words knotted in his throat like thorns.
"It feels like… something's trying to erase me. Like I'm slipping away from who I am."
Aenna reached for his wrist, gently brushing her fingers against his skin.
"No matter how far your world shifts, Kairo… I'll stay at the center."
That touch—so real—was the only thing grounding him. Even if just for a moment.
"Ugh... Thanks, Aen," Kairo said, eyes filled with gratitude.
"Anytime, you idiot," she replied, ruffling his hair.
"Hey lovebirds! You done yet?" Riven called from the doorway with a smirk.
"We're not lovebirds, Riven!" they said in unison.
"Sure, sure. Lyra's already at the cafeteria, by the way."
Riven stepped aside, and the two headed out toward Atrium C.
But as they walked, Kairo suddenly stopped.
A Saito Corp display panel nearby began glitching. The digital screen looped awkwardly.
"Saito Corporation. Innovating Memory. Shaping D— Shaping D— Shaping…"
The metallic voice stuttered.
Then the words changed.
"Memory Not Found. Please reinstall self."
Kairo's eyes widened. A sharp sting formed in his head.
A final flicker revealed a new message:
"Azrael is watching."
Who the hell is Azrael? Kairo thought, his heart thumping.
But when Aenna called his name again, he turned… and the screen was normal.
"My name is Kairo. I'm 18 years old. I live in Tokyo,"
he muttered under his breath, a grounding mantra to keep the panic at bay.
As they continued, they ran into someone.
Tall. Silver hair. Eyes the same color.
Wearing elegant clothing—far too elegant for a school environment.
A warm, calming smile.
Professor Yuzuki Iashimura, art history teacher.
"Mr. Kaiaba, Miss Yuki, how pleasant to see you," she said with refined grace.
"Hello, Professor," Kairo responded, forcing a smile.
She studied him for a moment, then added playfully,
"Professor Nagai said you looked pale. You should get checked."
She leaned in closer, whispering:
"I'm sure you'll find some very interesting answers there."
She turned a corner and disappeared.
Kairo froze. Aenna touched his wrist gently.
"Kairo? You alright?"
Something inside him snapped—from fear to resolve.
"I've had enough! You've been haunting me all morning—ENOUGH!"
He bolted around the corner—only to find the hallway empty.
"Damn it!"
He slammed his fist against a locker.
"The infirmary, huh? Fine. Let's play your game."
He headed toward Atrium D.
Aenna reached the corner just seconds later—Kairo was already gone.
She tightened her grip around her pendant, eyes landing on the dented locker.
"Kairo… what's happening to you?"
Behind her, the locker's embedded screen flickered once.
A single message flashed:
"Subject: Yuki Aenna – Memory Drift 5% – Curse of Oblivion: Active."
Kairo reached the infirmary door. It was slightly ajar.
"Tsk… This place gives me chills," he muttered.
Taking a deep breath, he flung the door open.
No nurse. Just silence… and the soft hum of a device in standby.
The infirmary was small but well-stocked. Medical kits, bandages, even morphine.
A faint scent of bleach lingered in the air.
A terminal glowed on the desk. Projecting a biometric hologram.
He saw his name—
But not his identity.
Name: Kairos
Age: [CLASSIFIED]
Status: [IN PROGRESS: OVERWRITE]
Memory Drift: 12.9%
He staggered back. The hologram vanished like mist in sunlight.
"Memory Drift? What does that mean?"
Suddenly, a searing migraine hit.
He fell to his knees.
A thousand whispers echoed in his skull—
Then a vision overtook him.
He was crying. In front of him—Aenna. Lyra. Riven.
Their lifeless bodies lay at his feet.
And from the rubble…
A deafening roar.
The vision shattered. Reality snapped back.
The hologram flickered once more.
"The cycle is destined to repeat, Kairos."
Kairo blinked. The message vanished.
His heart pounded.
Hands clutching his head, he gasped for air.
"No… No! I don't want this!"
"My name is Kairo. I'm 18 years old. I live in Tokyo."
He repeated the mantra at least ten times,
until he leapt to his feet and burst out of the infirmary,
startling nearby students.
He ran to the second-floor bathroom. Splashed cold water on his face.
He stared into the digital mirror.
"What the hell is happening to me?"
A voice echoed from the shadows behind him.
"Only what's inevitable."
He slowly turned.
That burning sensation returned to his forehead.
And then… he appeared.
The masked figure stepped out of the shadows once more.
Kairo stumbled backward as the figure slowly advanced.
It stopped a few steps away and said, in its distorted voice:
"The cycle is destined to repeat, Kairos."