The school bus rolled slowly along the winding country road, its tires squealing on the wet morning asphalt. Inside, the sound of students' animated voices mingled with peals of laughter. This wasn't an unusual trip, just another field trip.
But for Kaito, it was a chance to escape reality for a while. A simple bus ride through the countryside, far from the pressures of school and the social interactions he hated. There, in his seat, surrounded by noises and conversations he preferred to ignore, Kaito had lost himself in his manga. An exceptional guy who leads an exciting and interesting life in a fantasy world, where even picking plants could trigger an epic quest.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk for a bit? It'd be nice to chat, you know?" snapped Ryo, a noisy classmate who had leaned back, trying to get his attention.
Kaito barely looked up from his book, making an indifferent gesture with his hand. "Not now." His reply was as curt as ever, but Ryo knew it wasn't a personal rejection.
"It's really no fun being this lonely, you know?" Ryo continued, but quickly turned back to his friends, looking for a new topic of conversation. Kaito simply sighed and drifted back into his thoughts.
Professor Kentaro, up front, was talking to the driver, his words lost in the general buzz. There was nothing particularly exciting about this trip, just an ordinary day, like any other.
Then, without warning, something completely inexplicable happened.
A flash of blinding light burst through the bus windows, as if the sun had just smashed against the glass. Time seemed to stand still, and everything that had happened up to that moment seemed to freeze.
"What the...?" someone whispered from the back of the bus, but no one had time to finish their sentence.
The light became unbearably intense, filling every corner of the vehicle. The bus began to vibrate, and a strange, almost unreal sensation invaded everyone. The students jumped to their feet, some screaming, others trembling, while Kaito, his eyes wide open, felt his heart race.
"What's going on?" he thought, a lump of anxiety forming in his throat. The pages of his manga, still in his hands, crumpled with tension. There was nothing logical about it. No rational explanation. Was this a dream?
The bus began to slide, as if reality itself were warping around them. The driver, panicking, tried to maintain control of the vehicle, but he seemed helpless against this unknown force. Everything became a blur, the landscape outside the bus distorting as if time and space were being distorted.
Kaito, his eyes fixed on the bright light, suddenly found himself thrown back against his seat. All around him, the students screamed, some closing their eyes, while others were frozen in terror. But at that precise moment, a strange sensation passed through Kaito. He had never felt anything like it before, as if something great and powerful was about to happen.
Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the light disappeared. The bus stopped in an eerie silence. The outside was... different. The vast expanses of countryside were gone, replaced by immense ruins with blurred outlines, barely visible through a dense fog. The sky was no longer the blue they knew, but an eerie reddish hue.
"Where are we?" Ryo whispered, his voice trembling, but Kaito didn't even have the strength to reply.
He felt as if he were in another world. A world he didn't understand. And yet, a part of him felt strangely drawn to the unknown, as if, somehow, this journey was leading him exactly where he was meant to be.
"It's impossible..." Kaito breathed, still in shock. But his eyes shone with a strange light.
The students huddled together, their faces marked by confusion and fear, but Kaito, though just as lost as they were, felt as if he'd been transported to a completely different universe.
And all because of that light. A light that had changed everything.
The intense light that had filled the bus dissipated as suddenly as it had appeared, but the silence that followed was even more oppressive. Everyone seemed frozen, their gazes lost in the unknown, unable to comprehend what had just happened. The students, frozen in their seats, didn't even dare move, their faces marked by confusion and fear.
Kaito was in the same state as his classmates, his hands clutching his manga, which he hadn't even noticed he still had in his hands. Everything seemed so unreal… Part of him refused to believe it, but another, stranger part, felt a sort of thrilling thrill, as if something even bigger was about to happen.
"What the hell is this?!" cried Hiro, one of the students in the back. He stood up abruptly, almost knocking over his backpack. "Where are we?! Is this a dream?"
The bus grew agitated, several students getting up hastily, some pushing past others to look out the windows. But the landscape outside was nothing like familiar. The green fields were gone, replaced by immense ruins, and a reddish sky enveloped the horizon, bathing the surroundings in an eerie glow.
Professor Kentaro, who until then had seemed calm and collected, stood up quickly, his hands trembling. "Everyone, stay seated! Don't move! I'm going to..." He turned to the driver, but the latter seemed in a state of total panic. "What did you do? Did you see that? Where are we?!" the driver shouted, agitated, pounding frantically on the steering wheel.
The students were screaming, some were crying, others seemed to want to get off the bus to escape this unknown world. But a group of friends had already formed, with their own theories and reactions.
"It's an illusion! It has to be an illusion! We're all going to wake up!" cried Haruka, Ryo's best friend. She hugged herself tightly, visibly terrified, but tried to remain calm.
"No, it's real! Look!" Ryo replied, pointing at the ruins outside. "It's impossible!"
In the midst of the panic, another student stood up. It was Reiji, the class representative, a calm and authoritative figure. Always impeccably dressed in his uniform, he was accustomed to keeping a cool head in all situations. His gaze fell on each student, then he took a deep breath and, in a firm but reassuring tone, said:
"Everyone, be quiet!"
The murmurs gradually died down. Even Professor Kentaro fell silent, and the tension in the air began to dissipate. Reiji turned to the professor, who seemed lost in thought.
"Professor, we have to stay calm. We don't know what's going on, but we have to stay together and rational." He then turned to the students. "Listen, no one is moving. We have to check the situation and try to figure out where we are. Stay together, and no one is panicking."
His gaze pierced Kaito's, who was still in complete shock. Reiji gave him a small, reassuring smile and then walked to the front of the bus. "Professor, we need to organize a search. There might be an exit near the engine. We need to know if this bus can move."
Professor Kentaro nodded slowly, though he still seemed shaken. "Okay, okay... I'll try." He hesitantly approached the door, fighting his own sense of helplessness.
The students were beginning to calm down a little, but the situation remained completely incomprehensible. A few groups of friends were forming, some trying to reassure each other.
"Are you sure we're not in an anime?" Ryo whispered to Kaito, a faint smile on his lips, but Kaito didn't respond. Kaito stared in wonder at the ruins through the window.
"It's just a nightmare..." Haruka murmured, his eyes wide.
Reiji, back near the students, spoke again. "I know this is all scary, but we must remain calm. There's only one way to solve this: by working together. I'll divide the students into groups. Each group will go to the windows and look around. Look for signs of life or anything else that might help us."
He paused for a moment and observed the students, his voice now softer. "Don't worry. We'll find a solution, I promise. We all have to support each other, no matter what."
The students nodded slowly, some still trembling, but more inclined to follow the delegate's example. Kaito, though still confused, felt a slight sense of calm. He realized that, despite his introversion, he should probably join this group and figure out what was going on. Everything seemed unreal, but somewhere deep inside him, a hint of curiosity was awakening. The fantasy world he'd never stopped dreaming about... might be real.
The first few seconds passed in heavy silence. Then, one by one, the students sprang into action, each following Reiji's orders, with varying degrees of conviction. Kaito, his heart pounding, slowly stood up and walked to one of the seats at the back. He glanced one last time out the window.
A strange world, another world... He couldn't believe this was reality.
Reiji stood in front of the center aisle of the bus, standing like a captain on the deck of a ship stranded in an unknown sea. His gaze was grave, but his gestures betrayed a newfound determination. He took a deep breath, then gestured for Professor Kentaro to approach.
"Professor, we need to take roll call. We need to make sure no one is hurt or missing." How many of us are supposed to be there?"
Kentaro, still a little shaky but gathering his wits, took a notebook out of his satchel. He quickly consulted the list, then nodded.
"We have 27 students, two teachers, and the driver. Thirty people in total. I'll help you count them."
Reiji nodded. He raised his voice confidently, over the murmurs of the still-shocked students.
"Everyone, listen to me! We're going to take roll call. Stay in your seats if you can, raise your hand when called. If anyone is unwell or injured, report it immediately."
The students obeyed without question. The atmosphere had grown tense, but Reiji's firm voice provided a sort of anchor.
Teacher Kentaro began reading the names.
"Haruka Aiko?"
"Here..." she said hesitantly, still pressed against Ryo.
"Akabane Ryo?"
"Yeah, I'm here... A little freaked out, but here."
"Fujimoto Hana?"
"Here!"
"Hiro Nakamura?" »
— "Still alive, and my arm hurts, but I'm fine."
And so on. The roll call continued, the students responding one by one. Some shyly raised their hands, others almost shouted to reassure themselves.
Then it was Kaito's turn.
— "Shiroe Kaito?"
He slowly raised his hand, without a word, his gaze still lost in contemplation of the unreal landscape outside. The teacher gave a discreet nod and continued.
— "Kuroya Reiji?"
— "Present."
The teacher paused, then continued.
— "Hiroshi Sakura, present."
— It was the young art teacher, sitting in the front, her hands clenched on her bag. She attempted a forced smile.
— "Mr. Kobayashi, bus driver?" »
— "Yeah... Yeah, I'm here. I... I don't understand what happened, but I'm here..." he said, his eyes still wild.
Reiji spoke again once the list was finished.
"Perfect, we're all here. Is anyone seriously injured? Any pain or discomfort?"
A few students reported aches and pains, a slight headache, or fear, but nothing critical.
"Now we have to organize the reconnaissance groups. But first, let's take five minutes to settle down. Breathe. We're together. And we'll get through this."
He turned to Kaito, whose gaze was still fixed on the ruins through the window.
"Kaito? When you're ready... you'll come with me. I'll need you."
Kaito finally looked at him, a moment of surprise crossing his face. This wasn't a trivial request. It was an invitation to get involved, to break his silence.
He nodded gently.
Kaito moved slowly between the rows of seats, his eyes shifting, as if trying to avoid the gaze of his classmates. The heavy silence of the bus made his every step echo.
At the front, Reiji stood straight, his gaze fixed on the edge of the forest. His shoulders, tense like a bow, betrayed the pressure he'd been carrying since the strange disappearance of their world.
"You wanted to see me?" Kaito asked, his tone stiffer than he would have intended.
"I already spoke to you earlier, but... I wanted to make sure you were okay with it. We need to scout the area, and you're the one who knows the forest best."
His voice wasn't imperative. He wasn't ordering—he was asking. Kaito's help wasn't absolutely necessary, but Reiji knew that with him, their chances would be much better.
Kaito was silent for a moment. Memories flooded back, blurring the lines between past and present. The long walks, the familiar trees, the afternoons spent purposefully getting lost so they could find themselves again.
He looked down, took a deep breath, then looked up.
"...Okay. I'll guide you. Just like before."
Reiji nodded slowly, relieved. He hadn't forced his hand. Kaito had chosen. And somehow, that mattered more than anything.
As the five-minute respite drew to a close, a spirit of rebellion rose in the heavy air of the bus. The back door flew open, and Mitsuki Tanaka jumped to his feet.
"Wait!" she called out in a clear voice that cut through the last murmurs. All eyes turned toward her. "Are we just going on an adventure like nothing's wrong? Do you really want to go for a walk?"
A defiant grimace on her perfect face, Mitsuki leaned back against a seat and crossed her arms. Beside her, half a dozen comrades nodded in agreement.
Reiji straightened and frowned. "Mitsuki, this isn't a fun outing; we're looking for clues to get going again!"
"Clues?" Mitsuki laughed, scanning the misty clearing. "All I see are rocks and a forest that's probably deadly." She paused, gathering her supporters. "I say we stay here and wait for someone to come get us. We don't scatter!"
A murmur of approval rippled through the ranks of her supporters: the shy Mai, the burly Daichi, and even the usually quiet Haruto sided with her.
Reiji inhaled slowly, searching for the right tone. "Mitsuki, your proposal—staying still—is paralyzing everyone. And if the bus gets stuck, we could die of inactivity."
Tension rose, the two camps facing each other in the center aisle. Mitsuki locked eyes with Reiji, defiance shining in her eyes. "So it's your decision that the bus should move?" she sneered.
Reiji crossed his arms, frowning, as Mitsuki, proud of her small group of allies, hammered home her point: stay put and wait. The atmosphere in the center aisle of the bus was electrified, the students divided into two tacitly opposing camps.
Suddenly, Professor Kentaro cleared his throat, placing a heavy hand on the back of a seat. “Enough,” he said sharply but calmly. Everyone instantly fell silent. “We are here as responsible adults. Neither I nor Miss Hiroshi will tolerate behavior that endangers any of you.”
Professor Hiroshi, still trembling but determined, took a few steps forward. “Mitsuki, Reiji, your arguments each have merit,” she stated calmly, “but this debate is preventing us from moving forward. We need to make a collective decision, based on real information, not fear or defiance.” »
Reiji nodded. "Professor Hiroshi is right. We lack visibility of our surroundings. If we remain motionless, we'll let the situation worsen—a stuck bus, nightfall..."
Mitsuki looked up, tense, and opened her mouth to reply, but Kentaro spoke first: "Ms. Mitsuki, your recommendation shows great prudence; I grant you that. However, inaction is a risky choice." He turned to the students: "I propose a compromise. A very small reconnaissance group: three students, two teachers, and the driver. The rest stay here, safe. We'll set out cautiously, armed with improvised lamps."
A fleeting tension swept through the assembly, then heads nodded. Reiji was the first to volunteer, followed by Mitsuki, who closed the debate with a touch of suppressed pride: "Agreed." But I'll only leave if we have a clear method of return."
Professor Kentaro took an old compass from his bag, which he had retrieved from the school supply chest. "Here's a starting point. We'll use it to orient our route." He brandished it, like a symbol of authority and scientific expertise.
The driver, still shaken, cleared his throat: "I know a little bit about mechanics. I can check the engine before we leave. If it's possible to restart the bus, I'll let you know."
In a matter of moments, the reconnaissance group formed: Reiji, Mitsuki, Professor Hiroshi (who had timidly accepted the invitation), Professor Kentaro, and the driver Kobayashi. The other students remained on board, the door locked, their eyes wide, whispering among themselves.
The sixth formed an incongruous procession: Mitsuki held the compass, Reiji had retrieved a flashlight from the first aid kit, Kaito carried his precious manga—just in case literary self-comfort proved beneficial. The teachers, living signs of serenity, walked past, scrutinizing every detail of the landscape.
Kobayashi pushed the hood of the bus. Under the driver's careful hands, the engine purred faintly. "Maybe we can start it," he indicated, moving a cable aside. But the purr remained hesitant. The driver shook his head: "Not today. I think reality here doesn't follow our laws."
Outside, the reddish mist danced between the crumbled stone pillars, while a dense, almost impenetrable forest surrounded the ruins. The trees, with gnarled trunks and twisted branches, formed a natural barrier, making progress difficult. The six scouts advanced across ground strewn with shifting debris, winding between the eroded walls of ancient buildings. The teachers walked side by side, exchanging in low voices:
"Keep an eye out for signs of vegetation," Hiroshi advised. If this forest is as dense as I think, there should be a watering hole nearby, where the erosion is less advanced."
"Exactly," Kentaro replied, scanning the horizon, his eyes fixed on the strange glow filtering through the trees. "And if the light really is coming from within the forest, it could indicate local activity, perhaps a village hidden in the middle of these woods."
Mitsuki, attentive to every sound, squinted. "I hear bells... or is it my imagination?"
Reiji leaned forward, his ears pricked. A distant, rhythmic chime. The lamps revealed, through an archway, a paved road that seemed less exposed to ruins.
They moved forward, forming a small, silent snake, through the densely packed trees of the forest. The rustling of leaves and the discreet cracking of branches accompanied each of their steps. Gradually, the vegetation thinned, revealing a barely visible path beneath the roots and moss. They followed it in silence until they emerged into a clearing bathed in a strange light, where tall purple torches burned without wind.
And there they appeared: a group of knights in shining armor, caparisoned in white tunics adorned with golden symbols. Their faces were hidden beneath engraved helms, revealing only piercing gazes. At their head stood the silhouette of a taller man. In his right hand, he held a scepter topped with a glowing crystal.
The six arrivals froze. A solemn silence enveloped the clearing, interrupting the whirring of the wind and the distant echo of the abandoned bus. The priest slowly raised his head and, in a deep, soothing voice, spoke a foreign word that echoed in the stone:
"Welcome, Children of the Light."
The clearing, until then frozen in expectation, suddenly vibrated with sacred energy. The tunics parted, forming a guard of honor. The torches flickered, casting dancing shadows on the anxious faces of Reiji, Mitsuki, Kaito, Hiroshi, Kentaro, and Kobayashi.
The priest took a few steps forward, his scepter casting a red shimmer in the mist. The six explorers, held back by the authority it emanated, understood that this first contact would change their destiny forever...