An alarm blared through the facility as people ran in every direction. A woman in a suit sprinted down a hallway and slipped into a control room, where another person sat at a bank of monitors.
"Miss Yumi, the subject has awoken," said the operator at the computer.
Miss Yumi peered at the camera feed. Smoke poured from a large pod in the center of a sterile chamber.
"It seems that after all these years, he's finally awake," said the man standing beside her.
As the smoke cleared, the pod's door hissed open. A young man stepped out, blinking in confusion. His name was Hide. He looked around, realizing immediately that this place was nothing like the world he remembered.
"Where… am I?" Hide murmured to himself.
"He doesn't know where he is. And he does look… different," the man beside Miss Yumi remarked.
Miss Yumi leaned forward and spoke into a microphone. A voice echoed through speakers in Hide's room. "Hello, subject. You have awakened. Prepare to tell us why you suddenly woke up."
Hide couldn't understand the words, but his eyes narrowed when he spotted a strange device in the corner of the room. Without hesitation, he smashed it with a flick of his power. The camera feed went black.
Miss Yumi and the man exchanged a look and rushed toward the chamber.
Inside, Hide inspected the unfamiliar surroundings. So this isn't where I was before… and I can't use magic anymore. I can feel traces of other abilities, but not all of them. I must be in a different world. Just like Eden's Garden…
He flexed his hand. My strength hasn't returned yet. I need to escape.
The door opened. Two people in strange uniforms entered. Without a word, the man stepped forward and cuffed Hide's wrists, forcing him to sit in a metal chair facing Miss Yumi. She began to speak, but Hide just stared, unable to grasp her words.
"I don't know what you want. I don't even know how I got here," Hide said flatly in his own tongue.
Miss Yumi and the man glanced at each other in confusion. The man leaned closer and whispered, "Yumi, he's speaking a different language. It may take time for him to adjust. All we know is that we found him trapped in ice we couldn't break. Something triggered his release… and did you notice? His left eye glows, while the other is normal. Who knows what this boy is capable of?"
Miss Yumi nodded slightly. "Trying to interrogate him won't work yet. We need to teach him our language. I'll bring in people who know anything close to what he's speaking."
The man uncuffed Hide, and the two of them left the room, casting wary glances back at him. Hide watched them go and gave them a faint, bemused smile.
Miss Yumi's phone rang as she walked briskly down the corridor. She answered it on the move.
"Yumi, any news on the boy?" crackled a voice on the other end.
"He's speaking a very old language — I barely recognize it. For now, we'll focus on teaching him how to communicate."
Outside, she climbed into a sleek black car. Inside his room, Hide sat on the edge of his bed, deep in thought.
Where am I? Why am I here? He tried to remember the last thing before the darkness. A voice echoed in his memory — soft, familiar.
"Hide, I will meet you again. Not here, but somewhere else. Don't worry… fate won't keep us apart."
He opened his eyes. So this isn't Eden's Garden after all. I don't think they've done anything bad to me — they just speak a language I don't know.
He lay back on the bed, raising his hand in the dim light. Most of my power is sealed. Even my true strength is gone… only my God's Eyes remain, but they feel different too. Once I get out, I'll find answers.
He closed his eyes as the room's lights dimmed.
In the car, the man beside Yumi spoke. "Does the boy remember anything about where he came from?"
Yumi stared out the window. "When he emerged from the ice, I knew there was something important about him. Anyway — what about the beasts?"
"The BCC handled it," said the man. "Those beasts were just a small threat. The big ones haven't shown up — yet."
The car drifted into the night.
At dawn, sunlight streamed into Hide's room as Miss Yumi and the man returned. They cuffed him again and sat him down for more questioning. This time, they brought a translator.
The translator sat across from Hide, frowning in surprise when Hide spoke. "Sorry, but can you tell me why you're keeping me locked up?" Hide asked in his language.
The translator's eyes widened. "Miss Yumi, he's speaking the same language as that new game — The World Beyond."
Yumi's brow furrowed. "Ask his name. And tell him to cooperate — or there will be consequences."
The translator relayed the message. Hide listened, then answered, "My name is Hide. I don't know what time era this is, but I'm already close to understanding your language."
When the translator repeated this, Yumi looked genuinely surprised. They began teaching Hide their language properly.
Days passed. Hide learned quickly. He absorbed their writing system, their words. Soon he learned what year it was: 2029. He had been asleep for almost a thousand years. He was still only sixteen.
In the weeks that followed, Hide talked more with Miss Yumi and the man — Jinko. He learned about the modern world: advanced technology, towering cities, and the ever-present threat of beasts. But even as he marveled at it all, he felt like an outsider.
Summer neared its end. One afternoon, Miss Yumi called Hide into her office.
"Hide, you'll be attending high school this spring. We won't be there with you — a family will take you in as a foreign student. Be careful. There are occasional beast attacks, but the BCC will handle them."
Yumi and Jinko had gathered what information they could about Hide — though he lied about much of his past.
A car drove Hide to the airport. He watched the futuristic city slide by through the window.
"You think he'll be alright?" Jinko asked quietly.
Yumi nodded, though her expression was unreadable. "I have faith in him. And the school he's going to is for advanced students with unique traits. If they graduate, they can join the BCC. We'll be monitoring him."
At the airport, Hide stepped out carrying only a small briefcase. Miss Yumi's personal jet waited for him.
Inside, he sat by the window, staring at a note Yumi had left for him. So this world flies in metal birds instead of summons, he thought.
He drifted to sleep. Five hours later, the plane touched down in Tokyo under a warm sun.
Hide stepped off the plane and into a taxi.
"So, you new around here?" the driver asked.
"I am," Hide said with a faint smile. "But I'm enjoying it so far."
"Where you from?"
"Europe," Hide lied easily.
"You don't look like it… but who knows — the world's changed," the driver said, eyeing him in the mirror. Hide ignored the suspicion.
They reached an urban neighborhood unlike anything Hide had ever seen. When the car stopped, Hide realized he had no local money.
"I'm sorry — I don't have any cash," he said awkwardly.
The driver scowled. "If you don't have money, you'd better—"
"Wait — never mind," Hide interrupted. He slipped a hand into his pocket and discreetly created a wad of cash. He paid the fare and stepped out with his luggage.
"Thank goodness I can still do that…" he muttered to himself. He looked around at the unfamiliar street, took a breath, and smiled faintly.
Time to find my new home… before they get mad at me.