Volume 1 — Chapter 1: The Broken Boy
The classroom buzzed with laughter, voices, and the low hum of passing time. But at the far left corner, behind a flickering window drenched in gray light, sat a boy whose presence might as well have been invisible.
Megumi Valentine.
Thin-framed, hollow-eyed, and quiet. His jet-black hair was tousled, falling into his eyes—save for a streak of white just above his right temple. A subtle mark that always seemed out of place. Like him.
He stared at his notebook, not writing, not reading—just staring.
"Hey, freak," a voice cracked from the desk beside him. "You dye that white in your hair so people notice you? Cringe."
Laughter followed. Sharp. Cruel.
"Maybe he thinks he's some kind of anime protagonist," another chimed in. "Too bad you're not even main-character material."
Megumi didn't respond. He never did.
Until a new voice broke through.
"That's enough."
The room stilled. The bullies glanced up.
Ava Takabi.
A name that echoed through the halls of the school like sunlight through stained glass. Popular, sharp-witted, and fierce—but not cruel. She stood with her arms crossed, her dark uniform crisp against the light spilling in from the hallway. Her long chestnut hair framed her face, and her warm eyes locked on the bullies with steady judgment.
"You two bored with your own lives, or just really desperate for attention?"
They muttered and slunk back to their seats. Ava turned her gaze to Megumi.
"You okay?"
Megumi blinked. Slowly nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."
"You don't have to let people talk to you like that."
He shrugged. "It's easier than fighting back."
Ava tilted her head, something flickering behind her eyes. She didn't push. "Well… if they try it again, I've got your back."
That afternoon, the rooftop was quiet. Wind brushed against the chain-link fence. Megumi sat at the edge, legs dangling over the side, gazing at the city skyline.
He didn't expect anyone to follow him.
So when the rooftop door creaked open, he flinched. Ava stepped through, a drink in each hand.
"You really like the dramatic spots, huh?" she said, handing him one.
Megumi stared at the drink. Took it with hesitant fingers. "…Thanks."
They sat in silence for a while.
"Why me?" he finally asked.
"Hm?"
"You could've ignored it. Like everyone else. Why help me?"
Ava leaned back against the fence. "Because I've been there. Feeling like you're on the outside of everything. I don't know what your story is, but… you looked like you needed someone to step in."
Megumi looked down. The can in his hand trembled slightly.
"You're not alone, Megumi. Not unless you choose to be."
Later that night, Megumi sat at the small kitchen table in his apartment.
His younger sister, Chloe, laughed softly as she stirred the pot on the stove. "So… Ava Takabi, huh? That's huge."
Megumi groaned. "Please don't start."
"She defended you in front of everyone. That's like… a storybook moment!"
"She probably just felt bad."
"No," Chloe said, placing a bowl in front of him. "She saw you. That's different."
He looked up at her. Her soft smile. Her tired eyes. Chloe had raised him since their parents died. She was only two years older, but she carried herself like someone who'd lived a thousand battles just to keep them fed.
She was the only one who truly knew him. And the only one he couldn't bear to lose.
That night, Megumi dreamed of shadows.
Of a burning tree. Of a pale mask. Of a voice that whispered his name from somewhere beyond the edge of the sky.
And of a black halo—floating, spinning slowly above his head like a curse.
He woke with a start. Cold sweat clinging to his skin. The white streak in his hair seemed to shimmer faintly in the moonlight.
Outside, the wind howled.
And somewhere, something watched.
End of Chapter 1