"Not all threats strike with thunder. Some simply wait for the perfect silence."
Scene 1 – A Peaceful Morning… Too Quiet
May 19, 2011 – 7:56 AM – Hoshino Residence
A rare quiet had settled over the Hoshino home.
Ruby and Aqua were arguing over toast—Ruby had claimed the last strawberry jam. Ai was humming as she tied her hair, and Happy was asleep under the kotatsu.
And Souta?
He was watching it all.
Not to analyze it. Not to protect it. Just… to feel it.
"You okay, Souta?" Ruby asked, catching his gaze.
"Better than okay," he smiled. "I think this might be what it means to be alive."
"That's suspiciously poetic for a morning person," Aqua mumbled.
Ai came over and kissed each of their heads—one by one.
"Hurry up or you'll be late for school."
They nodded and scattered in different directions, grabbing bags, bento, and notebooks.
But as they walked out the front door—
Souta paused.
Something felt off.
Scene 2 – A Glimpse in the Mirror
Same Time – Somewhere Else
In a dim, circular chamber filled with mirrors—each one showing moments across the Hoshino family's timeline—a boy sat in a cracked throne.
He looked no older than Souta.
But his eyes were pure crimson.
One was shaped like a spiral.
The other... had no pupil at all.
Around him floated fragmented clock gears and broken god-masks.
"He chose not to dominate the world," the boy whispered. "Which means... I must."
A mirror flashed.
It showed Ai smiling.
"So she lives now…"
He reached into the mirror.
And carved a scar across it with his fingernail.
"Then I'll make her die properly."
A pulse of power rippled out—but the other mirrors didn't shake.
Only one—
The mirror that showed Souta—turned black.
"Let's play, Third Child."
Scene 3 – School Bells and Ominous Whispers
8:32 AM – Tokyo Middle School, Classroom 2-B
Souta, Ruby, and Aqua sat in class.
Well—Ruby tried to pay attention. Souta had his cheek resting on his hand, eyes drifting toward the hallway window.
"Hey," Ruby whispered, poking his shoulder, "you spacing out again?"
"...Do you feel that?" he whispered back.
"Feel what?"
"Like… someone's watching us."
Aqua turned toward them sharply.
"I feel it too."
Just then—the classroom lights flickered.
Only for a moment.
But it was enough.
The chalk in the teacher's hand crumbled.
Outside the window, the shadows of the trees didn't sway with the wind. They twitched.
A new transfer student walked in.
Boy. Same age. Crimson eyes.
"Class, please welcome—"
"Shigure Yoru," the boy said softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Souta's eyes widened.
"Yoru…"
The boy met his eyes.
And smiled like a knife.
Scene 4 – Happy's Warning
Same Time – Hoshino Residence
Happy's eyes snapped open beneath the kotatsu.
He looked toward the door.
Then toward Ai, who was cleaning dishes and singing.
"...Something's wrong."
He stood.
Walked to the balcony.
The wind had stopped.
Even the birds froze mid-flight for half a second.
Happy narrowed his eyes.
"He's here."
Scene 5 – Confrontation in the Hallway
12:03 PM – Tokyo Middle School, Rooftop Hall
Lunch break.
Souta stood near the railing, pretending to sip juice. Aqua was close behind him. Ruby sat on the bench with her legs swinging, watching butterflies.
"Souta," Aqua said cautiously. "That transfer student. His aura…"
"It's wrong," Souta agreed.
Suddenly—Yoru appeared from around the corner.
"Funny seeing all three of you here," he said, hands in pockets.
"What do you want?" Ruby asked, her smile disappearing.
Yoru looked past them—straight at Souta.
"To give you a warning."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, old-fashioned music box. It played a warped version of Ai's first song.
"You undid what was meant to be final."
"You rewrote what was never yours."
"Now, I will unmake you."
A flash of red light burned behind his eyes—
—and time around them froze.
Only the four of them still moved.
Scene 6 – The Clock Ticks Backward
The rooftop dissolved. They now stood inside a dream-space. Time reversed. Trees decayed. The school unbuilt itself in slow motion.
Souta gritted his teeth.
"You're not from this world, are you?"
Yoru's eyes shimmered.
"I was born from every ending you denied. Every fate you refused. I am the backlash."
He stepped closer.
"I don't want to kill your family."
"But I will, if you don't undo yourself."
Ruby stood up, defiant.
"Then you'll have to go through all of us!"
Yoru's smile vanished.
"As you wish."
And in a blinding pulse—time shattered.