The White Room
Asahi's eyes fluttered open.
His vision was blurry at first, a thick haze clouding his sight. But as it cleared, he realized something was… off.
A vast white room stretched endlessly before him. There were no walls, no ceiling, no floor—just pure emptiness. The air was unnaturally still. It felt wrong.
And then, he saw him.
A man stood a few feet away, his posture eerily still. He wasn't just silent—he was lifeless.
The atmosphere was suffocating. It wasn't just quiet. It was as if the world itself had forgotten how to breathe.
Then, a voice—calm, tired, almost relieved.
???: "Mmm… Finally. I've met you."
A chill ran down Asahi's spine.
That voice.
It was familiar. Too familiar.
The man looked to be in his forties—unkempt hair, hollowed-out eyes, deep bruises staining his pale skin. His clothes were casual—just a white shirt and faded blue jeans—but something about him looked… broken.
His body was frail, as if he hadn't eaten in days.
Asahi's heartbeat quickened.
Asahi: "...Hey. I know you."
The man didn't answer. He only stared at him with sunken, lifeless eyes.
Asahi: "You're the one…" His voice grew weaker. "The one from my dream."
And then, like a thunderclap, realization hit.
Asahi: "It's you…!"
The man's lips parted slightly.
???: "It's… me."
Asahi took a slow step back, his body stiffening.
???: "Do you know who I am?"
The way he spoke—low, exhausted—it sent a shiver through Asahi's bones.
He swallowed dryly.
Asahi: "Huh…?"
The man let out a weak chuckle. It was humorless. Empty.
???: "Come on. You already know."
Then—his voice shifted, deepened.
???: "I am you. Your future self."
The words crashed into Asahi like a train.
Asahi: "WHAT!?"
His body jolted. His mind screamed at him to reject the idea.
But the man—his future self—simply nodded, as if he had accepted this truth long ago.
Future Asahi (FA): "Yeah, yeah… I know. It's messed up." His voice was dry, almost sarcastic. "But you've been pulled into this dimension."
Asahi's stomach twisted.
Asahi: "How!?"
FA sighed, rubbing his temple. He looked so tired—like he had explained this a thousand times before.
FA: "When your mother died… the timeline shifted. And because of that, you were pulled here."
Asahi's breath hitched.
Asahi: "No… no, no, no." He clutched his head, his breathing ragged. "She's dead!? That's not—"
FA's gaze darkened.
FA: "Yeah. But we can fix that."
Asahi's world stopped.
Asahi: "Fix…?" His voice cracked. "You mean… we can bring her back?"
FA's lips twitched into a faint smirk.
FA: "Of course. In this dimension, I can reset time."
Asahi's breath grew heavy.
FA: "So when you wake up… you'll loop back. You'll return to the past."
His mind struggled to keep up.
Asahi: "So… I can go back?"
FA: "Yeah."
Asahi felt a sudden rush of hope, the heaviness in his chest lifting.
Asahi: "Then… I can save her!"
FA studied him quietly.
Then, he nodded.
FA: "I'll decide when and where you go. The perfect moment for you to change everything."
Asahi: "Yes! Thank you!"
Then—
Asahi: "Hey… I have so many questions."
FA chuckled softly.
FA: "Next time."
Asahi: "Next—"
Before he could finish, pain exploded in his head.
Asahi: "AARGH!!"
The world collapsed around him.
Back to Reality
With a sharp gasp, Asahi jolted awake.
His body was drenched in sweat, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
His head snapped toward the clock.
8:30 AM.
He stared.
His breath slowed.
Asahi: "…I looped."
His mind raced.
Then—
Asahi: "Mom!"
He leaped out of bed, his heart pounding as he ran downstairs.
The scent of miso soup filled the air.
His mother stood by the stove, humming softly.
Alive.
Warm.
Real.
Asahi's chest tightened. He wanted to run to her, hold her, tell her everything—but he stopped himself.
Not now.
Not yet.
His mother turned to him.
Mom: "Huh? What's wrong? You look pale."
She studied his face, concern softening her expression.
Then, she smiled.
Mom: "Did you have a bad dream?"
Asahi swallowed.
The weight in his chest was suffocating.
He forced a grin.
Asahi: "Yeah… a really bad one."
His mother raised an eyebrow but didn't push.
He sat at the table, stealing glances at her every few seconds.
She's alive.
The words rang through his head over and over.
She's alive.
For now.
A New Resolve
His father left for work. The house was silent.
Asahi sat beside his mother, gripping his hands tightly under the table.
Nothing had happened yet.
Nothing.
Asahi: (This time, I won't fail.)
1:30 PM.
They had eaten lunch. His mother had gone to take a nap.
2:30 PM.
Nothing.
His nerves were on edge. He checked every room, every door, every window.
And then—
DING DONG.
The doorbell.
Asahi's breath caught.
His pulse spiked.
Asahi: (Calm down. It's fine. It's just—)
He slowly stepped toward the door.
His hands were sweating.
He turned the knob.
A delivery man stood outside.
Delivery Man: "Sir, here's your package."
Asahi blinked.
He exhaled, feeling a little dumb.
Just a package.
He signed the receipt, took the box, and closed the door.
Asahi: (I overreacted.)
He set the package down and started peeling the tape.
Then—
He lifted the lid.
…
…
…
Asahi froze.
His fingers stopped moving.
His stomach churned.
Inside the box—
A severed human head.
His father's head.
Blood pooled at the bottom of the box, thick and dark. His left eye was missing. His mouth was slightly open, as if he had tried to say something before—
Asahi slammed the lid shut.
His body trembled violently.
He barely made it to the bathroom before vomiting.
His hands gripped the sink. His breath came out in short, sharp bursts.
His teeth were chattering. His pupils were dilated.
Asahi: "Wh… what do I do now…?"
He turned back to the box, still sitting on the floor, blood seeping through the bottom.
Then it hit him.
Asahi: (…I looped.)
His body shook.
Asahi: (I failed again.)
His breath turned ragged.
Asahi: (No… I need to sleep.)
Without thinking, he grabbed the bottle of sleeping pills.
This time—
He would save his father.
No matter what.
Darkness.
Then—
A blinding white light.
Asahi's eyes fluttered open.
He was back.
A pure white room surrounded him. Endless. Empty. Cold.
And standing before him—
Future Asahi.
His expression was unreadable. Cold. Detached. Like someone who had already given up long ago.
Future Asahi: "So… who died this time?"
Asahi's fists clenched. His breath was unsteady. His throat felt dry.
Asahi: "...Dad."
Silence.
FA sighed, his shoulders barely moving. As if this outcome was already written in stone.
The loop had begun again.
A blinding white light.
Back here.
Again.
No walls. No ceiling. No floor. Just an endless, suffocating void.
Future Asahi stood there, unmoving. Unshaken.
FA: "So... Dad this time? Hah."
Asahi's chest tightened. A sharp sting ran through his skull. His fingers twitched.
Asahi: "Why didn't you tell me… huh? WHY?!"
His voice cracked. His breathing was uneven.
Asahi: "You're from the future, right?! THEN WHY?!"
FA didn't even blink. His gaze was empty. Hollow.
FA: "Calm down."
FA: "I don't have any memories of my past… because I was killed in the future."
Silence.
Asahi's stomach dropped.
Asahi: "…Huh?"
His voice barely came out.
FA: "Yes. I was killed in the future. Everyone was."
FA: "After that, I ended up here. Trapped. In this void. With you."
Asahi felt his heartbeat pounding in his ears.
Asahi: "So this isn't a dream…?"
FA's gaze sharpened. His voice deepened.
FA: "No."
FA: "This is a Dimensional Dream."
A chill ran down Asahi's spine.
Asahi: "(Huh?)"
FA took a step forward.
FA: "This is a dimension… but not a real one."
FA: "It doesn't exist. It has no form, no space, no time."
FA's empty eyes locked onto Asahi's.
FA: "But when you sleep… this dimension is created."
FA: "For you, it's just a dream."
His voice grew colder.
FA: "But for me…"
FA: "I was transferred into an unknown dimension. A place of nothingness. A white room with no air… literal vacuum. No sound. No time."
Asahi swallowed. The weight of those words was suffocating.
Asahi: "But… I can hear you."
FA gave a hollow smile.
FA: "Of course. Because for you… it's just a dream."
Asahi looked down. His mind was spinning.
Asahi: "Mmm..." (processing everything)
A long silence followed.
Then, Asahi hesitated before asking—
Asahi: "So… you're trapped here… forever?"
FA's expression darkened.
FA: "No."
FA stepped closer.
FA: "If you can save everyone… if you can save yourself…"
FA's lips curled into a small smirk.
FA: "Then I can go back to the future."
Asahi's fists clenched.
Asahi: "But what am I supposed to do now?"
His voice wavered.
Asahi: "If I stay with my mom, my father dies. If I go to school, my mother dies."
A suffocating silence filled the void.
FA remained still, his gaze unreadable.
FA: "I can't help with that."
His voice was flat, devoid of sympathy.
FA: "The only thing I can do… is adjust the timeline. Find the perfect moment for you."
Asahi exhaled sharply.
Asahi: "What if I just tell them?"
FA's expression flickered—just for a second.
Asahi: "What if I tell my parents the truth? That I can loop time. That I'm a time traveler."
A beat of silence.
Then—
FA let out a small, amused breath.
FA: "Mmm… That's an interesting idea."
For the first time, he seemed to genuinely consider it.
But then—his tone dropped.
FA: "But it won't work."
A chill ran down Asahi's spine.
Asahi: "Why not?"
FA: "If you tell them the truth…"
FA's voice darkened.
FA: "The connection between your dream and this dimension will be severed."
A heavy silence.
Then, in an almost emotionless tone, FA continued.
FA: "I will die—permanently."
FA: "And you…"
FA's piercing gaze locked onto Asahi's.
FA: "You will never be able to loop again."
Asahi's breath caught.
Asahi: "(What...?)"
His body tensed. He felt like the air had been knocked out of him.
FA had been trapped in this void, alone. If the connection was broken, he wouldn't just disappear—
He would be erased.
Asahi's breathing turned uneven.
His voice dropped into a deep whisper.
Asahi: "So… it's all in my hands now, isn't it?"
FA nodded.
FA: "Yes."
Silence.
Then—
Asahi: "How do you know that?"
FA's body suddenly tensed. His fingers twitched.
A sharp pain shot through him.
FA: "Agh…!"
His knees buckled slightly as his breath hitched.
Asahi: "FA—?! What's wrong?!"
FA clutched his head, his jaw clenched in agony.
FA: "I… don't know… It's like…"
His fingers dug into his temple, eyes narrowing.
FA: "Like I've experienced this before…"
The pain slowly subsided. His breathing steadied.
Then, FA looked up at Asahi, a faint, knowing smile tugging at his lips.
FA: "I know you'll save everyone."
Asahi took a step back.
Asahi: "(What… the hell is happening to him…?)"
Then—
FA's expression darkened again.
FA: "There's something else."
FA's voice was firm. There was no hesitation. No doubt.
FA: "There's a disadvantage to looping time."
Asahi stiffened.
The way FA said it… It wasn't a warning. It was a fact. A truth already set in stone.
Asahi: "Huh?" (listens carefully)
FA met his eyes, the dim glow of the endless void reflecting in them.
FA: "Whenever you sleep…"
His voice dropped lower, heavier.
FA: "You will always return here."
Asahi's breath hitched. His pulse quickened.
The weight of those words—
No matter what.No matter when.
He would always wake up in this void.
A cold dread slithered up his spine.
FA's expression turned grim.
FA: "And there's more."
Asahi glanced up. The atmosphere shifted. It felt like the very air around them had thickened.
FA: "You can't sleep whenever you want."
A pause.
FA: "You can't sleep at night. You can't sleep out of exhaustion."
FA's gaze locked onto Asahi's. A silent message lay behind those words—one that made Asahi's stomach twist.
FA: "The only time you can sleep… is to loop time."
Asahi's body froze.
It took him a second—maybe more—to process it.
Asahi: "Wait… then when I'm asleep…"
FA: "You're awake here."
A suffocating silence followed.
Asahi's fingers twitched. His mind replayed those words over and over again.
He looked up. His voice barely came out.
Asahi: "…So basically, I'm not sleeping at all?"
FA nodded, his face blank.
FA: "Yes. You can't sleep."
Asahi's breathing grew heavier.
Asahi: "What if I try to sleep like I normally do?"
FA's response was immediate.
FA: "Once you sleep… you must loop."
A sharp, white-hot frustration burned in Asahi's chest.
(So I can never rest?!)
His heart pounded wildly.
Asahi: "That's…"
His hands ran through his hair, gripping it in frustration.
Asahi: "Tch! This is so—!!"
FA sighed. A long, tired exhale.
FA: "I know. It's fucked up."
His voice… it wasn't just tired. It was worn out. Like someone who had come to terms with a truth too cruel to fight.
FA: "That's the only thing I can tell you."
Another long breath.
The white void felt even emptier.
Asahi exhaled sharply.
Okay.Okay, okay. Calm down.
Asahi: "I can do this."
A second passed.
Then—
A grin spread across his face.
Asahi: "Yeah."
His back straightened. His stance grew firmer.
Asahi: "Yeah…!"
In one swift motion, he struck a stance—a fist clenched at his chest, his eyes burning with newfound fire.
Asahi: "I am Asahi Rentaro."
His voice rang through the white void.
Asahi: "The man who's gonna save everyone!"
His eyes locked onto FA's.
Asahi: "The Time Traveler."
His voice softened—but his resolve burned brighter.
Asahi: "Even if I have to sell my soul…"
A pause.
Asahi: "I WILL SAVE EVERYONE."
His breathing steadied. His determination solidified.
Asahi: "Including you."
FA's eyes widened slightly.
Then, for the first time—
FA smiled.
A small, almost imperceptible smile.
FA: "Good luck."
And then—
The white void swallowed everything.
—
Asahi's eyes snapped open.
The familiar ceiling of his room. The warmth of his bed. The faint morning light spilling through the curtains.
He was back.
His gaze flicked toward the clock.
8:30 AM.
A heavy breath escaped his lips.
Asahi: "…I looped again."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
His mind was still catching up, still processing everything that had just happened. But then—
A realization struck him.
His stomach sank.
Asahi: "So basically… I was awake this whole time."
His hands clenched the bedsheet beneath him.
Asahi: "This can cause a problem…"
His heartbeat quickened.
He wasn't just seeing it as a dream anymore.
Asahi: "I wasn't dreaming… It was real."
A real dream.
His throat felt dry.
Asahi: "It is a real dream."
His breathing grew uneven.
Asahi: "It was like I was awake… in another dimension."
Then—
A sickening thought crawled into his mind.
A terrifying, unbearable thought.
Asahi: "If I don't get enough sleep… if I keep looping over and over… over and over…"
His fingers trembled. His mind spiraled.
Asahi: "I'll go insane."
His lips parted. The reality hit him hard.
A sharp, ice-cold panic spread through his chest.
Asahi: "I'LL GO INSANE."
The horror of it sank in. The weight. The crushing reality.
Then—
A sudden jolt of realization.
Asahi: "NO SLEEP?!" (HUH?!)
His voice cracked. His entire body tensed.
His own words echoed inside his head.
Like a death sentence.