Chapter 1: Fragments
Morning light slid through the window.
Soft.
Pale.
Almost unreal.
Shin stared at it without really seeing it.
Something about that light felt strange.
Not comfort.
Not sadness either.
More like a déjà vu he couldn't explain.
Then the memory returned.
His mother was smiling.
Amara Mizushi sat across from him, elbows resting on the coffee table, chin on her hands. She looked at him as if the entire world had narrowed down to that single moment.
Her smile was gentle. But not simple.
Something was hidden behind it. Something invisible.
"Are you listening to me?" she asked softly.
Seven-year-old Shin, with messy red hair, looked up from his notebook.
He hesitated for a second.
Then he nodded.
"No," she immediately replied, laughing.
A light laugh. Natural. Almost happy.
Shin blinked.
"Why ask then?" he murmured.
Her smile widened.
As if the answer didn't matter at all.
She reached out and touched his cheek.
Warm.
Reassuring.
Too calm.
"Whatever happens…"
She paused.
Her gaze shifted slightly. Just for a fraction of a second.
Then it returned to normal.
She pulled her hand back.
"Never mind. Forget it."
Shin wanted to respond.
But he didn't have time.
Glitch.
The world shattered.
Not slowly.
Instantly.
Shin was running.
The ground was red.
Earth kicked up beneath their steps.
Wind slammed against his face.
His mother was holding his hand.
Tightly.
Too tightly.
As if she was afraid he would disappear the moment she let go.
"Don't stop," she said.
Her voice was low.
Controlled.
But Shin could hear something beneath it.
Tension.
Danger.
They cut through trees.
An alley.
Then another.
Sounds behind them.
Footsteps.
Regular.
Unhurried.
Not panicked.
Organized.
As if the ones chasing them already knew how this would end.
"Mom… where are we going?"
"Shh."
That was all.
She never looked back.
Never.
Glitch.
The forest grew denser.
The air heavier.
Shin was hidden inside a bush.
Branches scratched his arms.
He didn't dare breathe too loudly.
In front of him—his mother.
Very close.
She knelt down.
And smiled.
Again.
Always that smile.
"We're going to play hide-and-seek," she said softly.
Shin frowned.
"This isn't the time—"
"Shh."
Her finger pressed against his lips.
She leaned closer.
"You're very good at this game. Stay here. Don't move. Don't make a sound."
Shin felt his heartbeat spike.
"And you?"
She didn't answer immediately.
She looked at him for a long moment.
Then she smiled again.
"I'll come back for you."
She stepped back.
One step.
Two.
Then she released his hand.
Shin immediately felt the emptiness.
Like something had been torn away from him.
She turned around.
And left.
Without a single glance back.
Silence fell.
Thick.
Heavy.
Alive.
Shin stayed still.
His fingers clutched the branches around him.
His legs trembled slightly.
But he didn't move.
Then he heard footsteps.
Several.
Slow.
Calm.
Inhuman in their rhythm.
Shin slightly parted the leaves.
And saw it.
A man.
From behind.
Tall.
Dark uniform.
No sign of urgency.
No rush.
And on his back…
A symbol.
A red crow.
Wings spread wide.
Massive.
Perfectly embroidered.
Like a mark that didn't belong on fabric—but on the world itself.
Shin stared at it without understanding.
But something inside him did.
Even without words.
A voice.
His mother's voice.
One sentence.
Very short.
Then…
Total silence.
Glitch.
"Mizushi!"
Shin opened his eyes.
White light.
Too bright.
Too normal.
A classroom.
A blackboard.
A teacher staring at him with irritation.
"Sleeping again?"
Muted laughter in the room.
Shin blinked slowly.
As if returning to this world took time.
He looked at the board.
An equation.
He understood it instantly.
"X = 3.7," he said.
Silence.
The teacher checked.
Sighed.
"Correct…"
Someone whispered behind him.
Shin rested his head on his arms.
As if nothing had just happened.
Hours passed.
Slow.
Meaningless.
After school.
The hallway was noisy.
Too noisy.
Shin walked through the center without touching anyone.
As always.
Earphones in.
But no music.
Just to shut the world out.
He took his usual route.
Twenty minutes.
Always the same streets.
Always the same cracks in the ground.
He knew every detail.
That's why he heard them before he saw them.
An alley.
Voices.
Shin stopped.
Four boys.
One on the ground.
A wallet in one hand.
Three standing.
Tense silence.
Shin observed.
Three seconds.
Maybe four.
"This isn't my problem."
He turned around.
Three steps.
A dull sound.
A hit.
A groan.
He stopped.
Silence.
He closed his eyes for a second.
Then he came back.
No running.
No expression.
No visible hesitation.
The first fell.
Then the second.
The third realized too late the situation had already changed.
It wasn't a fight.
It was a correction.
Fast.
Clean.
Final.
When it ended, the silence felt heavier than before.
The boy on the ground was trembling.
Shin knelt down.
Picked up the belongings.
Put them in order.
Without a word.
As if chaos had never existed.
"Th-thank you…" the boy whispered.
Shin didn't reply.
He stood up.
Put his earphones back in.
And walked away.
Behind him…
A presence.
Total stillness.
Someone was watching.
Without moving.
Without breathing.
Then…
Nothing.
And in Shin's memory…
A red crow waited.
END OF CHAPTER 1
