Episode One. (May 8th, 2123. Division-A, South District.)

'After weeks of dreaming the same thing, it finally continued. This time, the same man who told me it was my job to save everyone, said that today is the day that I start that very thing. He stated that today is the start of my efforts to prevent the second apocalypse. And, no, I haven't the slightest clue as to what he meant. I do know a few things, though:

1. He was talking to me, and only me.

2. He rescued me, from what- I don't know.

3. The airport all this took place in exploded shortly after.

4. Pods are a thing. I think they're some sort of aircraft.

5. At the end of every dream, a bright purple light flies around and blocks my line of vision, causing me to awaken.

I'm curious to see if the 'plot' my dream follows will go anywhere. I'll tell Sakagami I need a refill on the pills. Now that I think about it, I've never tried to dream without the pills. I've never slept without them either. Hm. It isn't like I could get away with just not taking them, so I'll leave it be. I got one left to last me through tonight.'

Akino closed his journal. He traced his fingers over the leather binding as he stared into oblivion, not thinking about anything in particular. He curled his toes, extended his arms, and tensed his body, and proceeded to stretch before eventually stepping out of bed.

A mess of a bed remained untouched in the plain, spotless room. Behind the head of the bed was a pristine nightstand, only carrying an unplugged lamp and a frequently ignored alarm clock. Underneath his bed was the bottle of sleeping pills and a few dirty socks that haven't seen a ray of sun in a century. Other than the clothes stacked against the corner of a wall and the pre-mentioned commodities, the large room was visibly clean and empty. A bed, a nightstand, a rug, a dresser, a journal, and a bottle of pills sitting on a slick wooden oak floor, and a boy exiting into the kitchen.

The continuous running water showering from the faucet gave off a similar sound one would hear at the beach, if it wasn't for the clanging of dishes being smacked together. Akino turned the nob on the faucet as he dried his last dish with the rag he instinctively grabbed from the stove handle. As the last sound of clanging dishes echoed through the kitchen, the sound of a sliding wooden door echoed as well.

Akino turned his head as he put the rag back. "Oh, morning," he greeted as he faced back towards the sink.

Sakagami yawned as she usually did once entering the kitchen. She sat down at the circular wooden table right behind her son as she watched, waiting for him to sit with her. "Morning." She looked around for a brief second. "You're doing dishes? You haven't done those in weeks. Special occasion?"

Akino smiled as he turned around, drying off his wrinkled hands on his thighs. "No," he lied, "I woke up before you, so why not?"

She ran her hand through the bun of blonde hair on her head. "You mean got out of bed before me?"

Akino's smile was accompanied with a chuckle. "Yeah, that."

Sakagami dazed off with a blithe expression. "Then," she returned her attention back to him, "at least let me make breakfast."

Akino stood still with an absent expression for what seemed like days. "N-no, that's fine. I'm done with dishes anyway. Thanks, though."

Sakagami was struck aghast. "What?! Are you saying my cooking is bad?!"

Akino chuckled again, with not as much lightheartedness as the last. "Y-yes, that is what I'm saying."

Sakagami shot up from her seat, her temper resembling a child's. "It's so bad because you never let me cook in the first place!"

Akino turned his back to her, hiding his fearful expression as he tried to execute the illusion of continuing dishes. "-because you're so bad at it, Sakagami."

Sakagami leaned over the table, bearing all her weight onto it. "My name is 'Mom'!"

The boy bared a skittish smile. "Y-Yeah, got that." Akino proceeded to turn back around and head to his room, closing the door behind him. He opened his dresser and grabbed his necessities. Grabbing his school uniform hanging on the doorframe, he paused to think to himself.

'What's different today than any other day?' He looked at the palms of his hands as he sat on the edge of his bed, thinking. 'I don't feel any different.'

As he went away with this pajamas in exchange for his uniform, he stared at the floor in thought. His uniform was one of the various different versions available to the students at the High School he attended. The same applied for the girls. While the uniforms mostly corresponded with each other, there were various little tweaks and changes students could make to personalize the uniform. Akino wore a white, button up shirt with a customized tie wrapped underneath his collar. On top of the button up shirt was a formal navy blue shirt. Akino used this as a jacket, though. Long pants matching the shirt jacket hung from the brown belt around his waist, and brown loafers hid his feet.

He walked out from his room, standing in the doorframe as he adjusted his tie.

Sakagami turned her attention from putting bread in the toaster to her son. "Already?"

"Yeah," Akino assured her as he finished his work on his tie, "I should get going if I don't want to be late."

"Well, don't you want some toast?" Sakagami tilted her head, slightly disappointed.

He shook his head. "No, save it for next time." Akino started heading out the front door, stepping down the few stairs they had before Sakagami stopped him.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," she shouted, "if anything happens at school, I won't be there for you. I'm going job hunting today, and our phones won't be shipped until another few weeks yet."

Akino slowed his pace as he continued walking on the scattered cobble stone. "I won't need you, don't worry. Just hurry up and get a job so we can afford better phones, alright?"

Sakagami nodded. "I hope so. Have a good day at school, and make sure you learn something, too!"

Akino rolled his eyes before mumbling, "as if," and sped his pace. After giving each of the neighborhood cats a tender smile, he turned the corner into the busy city.

Walking into the mass of people, he nearly blended in with everyone else there. The nearly ten meter sidewalks were barely, if not at all, visible underneath the crowds' busy feet. The clicking of womens' heals and the tapping of mens' flat leather shoes, combined with the honking and shouting of traffic and its guards, it was almost an inconvenience to some people. It was business hour in Division-A, the same time school started- so students were often expected to be late if they didn't have a bus pass.

In the city stood massively tall skyscrapers that towered above the clouds. Massive televisions often aired various news channels or reality shows for business men and women waiting for the trains. Akino could hear all the weather reports and community updates from the path he walked down.

"Today will be a bright day with little to no clouds. A low of seventy six degrees and high of eighty one are to be expected. Tomorrow will be nearly the same with slightly more clouds as the tropical storm is expected to make its way down here at the end of the week."

Chattering people.

"Now, some interesting things had occurred last night. The East District has joined the likes of the South-East District as not only the state with the highest crime rate, but the only two states to be completely leveled overnight as of today. Tensions are getting even higher as protests at the Grand Hall continue to get even more violent. Last night, before the Ten O'clock shut down, several young men and women were caught vandalizing the Grand Hall with spray-paint. According to officials, the messages depicted several anti-government remarks and hate speech directed towards our leader, The Royal Ambassador. She herself gave a statement this morning, informing the public that security will be amped up to one hundred the next few days. Not only for the Grand Hall, but for Division-A as a whole after the second attack. That is all for the Morning Rewind, and we'll catch you tomorrow."

As Akino approached his school gates, he couldn't help but notice the abundance of guards surrounding not only the school, but every corner he went down. He paused and stood in the long line of not-so-eager students to go through the security checkpoint. His eyes were glued to the ground, not interested in looking around the line of people. That could prompt someone to talk to him.

As he approached the line, he caught sight of a short, slim, energetic school girl just on the other side of the metal fence. Akino dug through his pockets and pulled out his identification card.

Fuji High School Identification Card:

Name: Akino Sakagami

Age: 17 Years

Sex: Male

Location: Southern District

The guard, with a rather stern expression, scanned the barcode imprinted underneath his card and waited for a few seconds as the system confirmed his residency. The guard handed him back his card and waved over the next student.

Akino ran towards the schoolgirl as he tried to put his identification into his briefcase. He slowed down significantly as he struggled with it. Eventually, he looked back up and gave a tender smile, similar to the one he gave to cats. Before him was a fellow pier, or friend, Yukino Shoto. She wore the typical Japanese Schoolgirl attire: a long green sailor collar upon a white, long sleeved, button up shirt and a tie wrapped around her neck. A black miniskirt and matching stockings with sneakers also accompanied her sailor uniform. Her pink and white hair was tied up in a high ponytail, strung together with the same old lucky charm she'd have in her hair everyday.

Her fingers interlocked with each other behind her back as she smiled back towards Akino. "Morning! Look who's here early!"

Akino chuckled as he strapped his briefcase over his shoulder, glancing behind him back towards the gates. "I see that. Where's Slacker?"

Yukino puffed her cheeks, pouting. "Why? Am I not entertaining enough?"

Akino was stunned. He whipped his head back around and moved his hands back and forth. "No, that isn't what I meant. You two are usually always together, that's all."

Yukino continued glaring at Akino with her puffed cheeks, crossed arms, and tapping foot. Eventually, she stopped them all together and ran her hand through his blue and purple hair. She had to get on the tips of her toes to do so. "Haha, just kidding," she flattened her feet and put her hands behind her back as usual. "He's in the line somewhere. He's who I was waiting for actually."

"Ouch-," Akino groaned.

Yukino, who was dwarfed behind Akino's shadow, peaked behind his back to see another girl waving at him from the check point line. "Oh, someone's waving at you."

Akino glanced her way. "Oh?"

Yukino waved back, not realizing who it was until eventually she squinted her eyes. "Matoi, it's Matoi!" Yukino started running towards her, leaving Akino behind.

Akino, who remained planted in the same spot in the court yard, waved, embarrassed. Yukino's extroverted and socially energized personality caused him to feel second hand embarrassment to a small degree.

Matoi wore a much more plain uniform. There were no customizations from what Akino could tell. She was on the taller side and had light brown hair with sky blue tips that matched her glimmering sky blue eyes.

She waved yet again. "Hey, Akino."

Akino gave a slight bow before offering his fist. Matoi pushed her fist into his and then intertwined pinkies and tapped thumbs. Yukino watched on, admiring their friendship as she boasted a smug look.

"Everyone seems pretty early today," Akino monologued, "except Slacker, though."

Matoi took a few steps into the shade provided by the towering four-story high school. She leaned against one of the five pillars supporting the over hang of the school that also lined the main entrance. "Aren't you hot?" She looked towards Akino, who was nonchalantly wearing multiple layers of clothing. "You know that its summer, right?"

"Yeah, but it isn't that bad," Akino started picking apart his uniform. "Besides, if it ever gets too hot, I can just take off the jacket."

Yukino smirked. "You mean the shirt you're supposed to wear?"

Akino shot her a stare before eventually retreating into the shade with Matoi. "-but it is bright out. C'mon, Yukino." The boy nodded towards the glass doors of the entrance.

Yukino shook her head in response, her ponytail swinging. "I'm going to wait here for Slacker."

Matoi shrugged as she retreated into the building, leaving Akino to catch up.

"Alright, see you in first hour then," he shouted before following Matoi's footsteps into the building.

Immediately after one would enter through the main entrance would sit the main office to the left, with a secretary's office branching off of that. Placement mats sprawled across the first few feet of the entrance. Upon the mats were tall, green plants and various vegetation lining the windows. Above Matoi and Akino and a handful of other students was the indoor balcony that connected to hallways on either side and below it as well. Classrooms lined the walls with teachers standing beside the doors, waiting for the bell to ring.

Akino rubbed the soles of his shoes against the mats as he followed Matoi up a clean, reflective, and relatively large spiral staircase to the second floor. The tiled flooring was just as spotless and reflective as the staircase was. Everyday the school looked brand new to the people who walked through it.

"Did you hear about the East District this morning?" Matoi continued down the hallway with Akino not too far behind.

Akino looked down, his face riddled with sympathy and anguish. "Yeah, I heard. None of your folks live down there, do they?" He lifted his head up towards Matoi as she turned the corner, climbing up another set of stairs. "I heard a few hundred died."

Matoi walked ahead, her hand gripping the railing every few steps she took. "No, luckily the family I have left doesn't live anywhere near here. I don't have much family." Matoi slowed down, causing Akino to stop in his tracks before he ran into her. She turned around to face him and delivered a worried smile. "I'm worried about which district will be attacked next. Will it be us? -or some other place."

Akino returned the worried smile as he reached towards her. "Don't get so worked up. The attacks are pretty far away. The Royal Ambassador should find them eventually."

Matoi continued up the stairs without another word other after a nod and a smile. Akino, who was feeling slightly uncomfortable with the silence, resorted to gawking out the window. The cityscape, the power lines, the school fence, the lines of students, the busses and cars trapped in the traffic jam, and the cherry blossom petals swimming along with the breeze helped ease his tension.

The staircase was usually empty- nothing different from the usual. It had always been quiet and devoid of people. It was the back staircase, the staircase that took longer to get to. Matoi's and Akino's first class wasn't on the fourth floor so they couldn't use the elevator, and the rest of the stairwells were littered with students rushing to finish yesterday's assignments. Besides, the two found pleasure in the calmness of the empty staircase and the view accompanied with it, even if it did take longer.

The classroom, on the other hand, was a different story.

Clusters of teenagers sitting on desks, chatting about various meaningless topics, opened and unopened text books, papers of all kinds scattered across the floor, an absent teacher, and Akino and Matoi opening the door to see it all.

Their piers turned their heads towards the two standing in the doorframe and stared at them, more so Matoi than Akino.

Matoi balled her fists and slowly walked through the classroom. Each click of her sneakers against the tiles struck fear in the student body as they grew quiet. She paused in the middle isle as she took in the mess titled a classroom.

Everyone watched on, at the edge of their seats- or desks.

A shadow casted over Matoi's face like an evil comic book villain as she spoke, not forgetting to bare her teeth as she did so. "Clean this trash up before Mrs. Mikami sees this."

The class jumped up and immediately began lining the desks back up and picking up the balls of papers but not before they all shouted in unison, "Yes, Class President!"

Matoi watched as the class followed her orders. Even as they cleaned up after themselves, Matoi was still visibly discontent. Akino patted her on the shoulder to snap her out of the mood. "Chill out, Mrs. Mikami won't fire you," he joked.

Matoi shot him a glare. "The least I could do is keep my class inline."

Class eventually started and by the time the teacher walked in, the class was brand new- not that Matoi, the Class President, would allow anything less than that. Mrs. Mikami was a slender woman with long, sleek black hair and pink rimmed glasses. She often wore a long white coat with a bright pink dress underneath like she did today. She came in with a stack of papers weighing down her left arm and a sack of the same thing rung around her shoulder. She hastily dropped the bag and stack of papers on the ground beside the doorway, and jogged up to the podium. Her heels almost created a rhythm that clapped against the tiles, louder than Matoi's sneakers did.

The teacher picked up a binder and flipped to the appropriate page where she began role-call which more often than not ended with the mass majority of the class attending.

Akino Sakagami- present.

Matoi- present.

Yukino Shoto- present.

Miki "Slacker" Mankanshoku- present.

Everyone else? Present.

Mrs. Mikami closed the binder and set it on the shelf behind her in exchange for a small and thin laptop. The rest of the class followed her actions, pulling out the same device as her. She pushed her glasses back up onto the bridge of her nose before looking at the thirty-some students in front of her.

"Alright, guys. Since we didn't finish the chapter yesterday, can anyone tell me where we left off?"

A student raised their hand.

"Yes, go ahead, sir."

The student read from the passage written across his screen:

After all hundred of the cruise ships were filled to the brim with civilians, they began their departure towards the island. Many ships didn't make it as a result of the storm and a few hundred people died during the voyage, furthering the death toll to a staggering one hundred forty million people, nearly two times that of the likes of World War Two. Approximately three hundred thousand people made it to Division-A alive. With the leadership skills of the Royal Ambassador, humanity escaped complete extinction at the hands of Mother Nature and constructed a massive city for people to rest and be at ease.

Another student chuckled and followed up with a comment. "Yeah, little did they know a little less than half our city would be demolished by a terrorist group nobody can get their hands on."

"Excuse me," Mrs. Mikami interrupted, "are you the one reading?"

The class lifted their heads and ran their eyes around the classroom curiously. A burst of whispered chatter arose but quickly died down as the student finished reading the section. Akino studied the book carefully, trying his hardest to dissect any abnormal phrases, words, information, anything.

Nothing.

There wasn't a single thing out of the ordinary.

'I don't understand,' Akino rested his head in his hands, 'what's so different about today?! There's nothing to indicate that today is special!'

Eventually, after an excruciatingly long first hour, the day carried out moderately quicker than days prior. The cafeteria, a massive room (nearly three stories tall with windows for walls and an opening into the courtyard), was stacked to the brim with hungry teachers and their students.

The hallways? Crowded.

The classrooms? Full.

The loud and sharp noise of the school bell rang through the speakers. Within seconds, students jumped up, pushed back their seats, and stuffed their papers and other miscellaneous items into their bags and briefcases. Akino, who knew better than to hurry along with them, stayed behind to take his time sorting through his bags so he wouldn't get trampled in the hallways later. A few other people did the same, including the two girls and "Slacker."

Matoi approached Akino, her briefcase overflowing with papers. "I have the link to the History Article if you want it," she said. "I noticed that you couldn't find the right site today."

"Oh, yeah," He hunched over, handing her a stray piece of paper that was abandoned on the desk in front of him. "Just write it down for me, thanks."

Matoi took the paper and looked at it obliviously before eventually digging through her pockets for a pen. "D-do you not have your phone yet?" She struggled to find it.

The boy replied, "no, shouldn't be in the mail for another week yet." He volunteered to offer his pen to her, which she gladly accepted.

Matoi placed the paper in the palm of her left hand and proceeded to write the long link with her right. She handed it back after a solid minute of writing, pen and paper in her grasps. "There you go."

He looked down at the link, numbers, letters, and all, that took up nearly the entire page. "Y-You memorized this…?"

She nodded, pulling the strap for her briefcase further up her shoulder. "Yup, it's good brain exercise."

Suddenly, one of the many buckles attached to her briefcase snapped, and a mountain of assignments, flyers, and pamphlets came tumbling down. Yukino and Miki (otherwise known as Slacker) turned around from across the room after hearing Matoi's brief shriek. They walked towards the mess to see Matoi on her knees frantically scooping up the papers.

Akino and Yukino bent down to help her but Miki stayed still, looking down at a specific item hidden beneath the mound. He slouched over and picked it up, looking at it front to back, flipping through the pages, and reading the title. It was a magazine.

"Miki, give it back!" Matoi jumped up and tried to reach for it.

"Oi, Slacker, what is that?" Akino stepped up and looked over Matoi's shoulder.

Miki lifted the magazine above him, far enough so that even Matoi, the tallest in their class, couldn't reach. "D/A Weekly Paper: Is the Omega Conspiracy Really Just A Conspiracy?" He read aloud, "Find Out What The Royal Ambassador Is Hiding From Us Today!"

Matoi growled, jumping up and grabbing the magazine from him. "Not cool, Miki."

Akino tilted his head at Matoi, smiling teasingly. "Oi, Matoi. You never told me you had a thing for conspiracy theories." He walked towards her and took a look at the cover, partially covered with her hand. On the cover was what looked like a naked female human at first glance. Then it looked like a female human wearing a skin suit. But the more Akino looked, he could see small little rivets and plates of metal all over the body. Akino blinked, bending over to see more. "What is that? A robot?"

"I've never heard of-," Yukino paused, "…what was it called again?"

Miki grabbed the magazine from Matoi again and jumped towards the other two. He nearly shoved the magazine cover in Yukino's face as he pointed to the female figure. "You've never heard of Omegas?! They're like these badass superhuman chicks that wander the streets while we're all asleep to fight monsters! It's gone viral ever since a photo was leaked onto the dark web last month!"

Matoi tried reaching over Miki's shoulder to grab it back. "Hey, stop!"

"They have a photo of it? Does it look like whats on the cover?" Akino questioned,

"No, not at all," Miki replied, "but they are females. Apparently they work for the government, at least that's what the rumors say."

Yukino giggled as she pushed her hair back over her shoulder. "When isn't a conspiracy theory related to the government? Matoi, I didn't expect someone as level headed and realistic as you to find interest in this."

"I found it in the hallways! I thought it was a lewd magazine or something so I was going to give it to the teacher," she relentlessly fought Miki, who seemed unfazed.

"The interesting part is that no one can tell if they're good or bad," Miki stated.

Yukino pushed Miki off of her after he got backed into a corner due to Matoi's pushing and shoving. "B-but they're fighting monsters, so they have to be good."

Miki gave an insidious smirk. "Not necessarily. Some people speculate that the reason they were fighting was because the Omega walked in on the monster eating a person and wanted one for themselves. Another theory is that the Omegas are the people flattening the other districts."

"Miki!"

"How do you know so much about this stuff?"

"I'm into this kind of stuff," Miki backed away and handed Matoi the magazine, "and apparently Matoi is, too."

Matoi looked down to the ground and gripped the magazine tightly, wrinkling it. "I told you I thought it was something inappropriate."

The four walked down the stairwell and towards the main entrance, all while teasing and talking about the magazine. Miki, who seemed not to know much about anything, fascinated Yukino and Akino with his seemingly endless knowledge. Matoi wasn't too happy, though.

The four went their separate ways; Akino going right, Matoi taking the backroads, and Yukino and Miki turning left. Akino watched the sun sink into the sky and hide behind the cityscape. The clouds had long since fled and the sky itself was a blend of reds, oranges, and purples. Telephone lines spread for miles along the roads, unintentionally allowing itself act as a free pit stop for birds flying by.

"Nothing is different," Akino mumbled as he walked back home.

Akino turned the corner to his home. As he walked down the alley, he caught sight of the neighborhood cats and gave them a friendly wave before stepping inside his house. He paused to see a plate full of hot food waiting for him on the kitchen table. He stepped forward and leaned down to smell it.

Tap.

Akino jolted up, widening his eyes like a deer in spotlights with a mouthful of food. It was Sakagami with her blonde hair, pink eyes, white tank top, and snug black shorts. She faced him directly with a smirk and tap of her foot. "Caught red handed."

Akino started talking before he even swallowed. "S-Sorry, Sakagami."

She giggled, circling around the table to pat him on the back.

Akino choked.

"I'm kidding," she confessed, "I made it for you since you didn't get breakfast. Seems like, for once, that you like my cooking?"

Akino stared at her, dazed as he finished chewing and swallowed. He then turned to the near empty bowl before him and the hand he used to scoop the food up with. "Y-you're right. It's really good."

She smiled big, showing her sparkling teeth. "I ordered it."

Akino jumped back, looking back and forth at her and the bowl. "Sakagami! You can't be doing that, you're unemployed!" Akino jogged over to the stove and pointed to it frantically. "I know how to use this, please, I can cook for us! I'll even go to the store after school!"

"Actually," she interrupted, "I might be getting a job as a patrol officer!"

"W-what?"

"They said they'd call me in a few days if they had any positions open. I'm pretty sure they will, though! Have you heard about the attack on The Southeast District? They said they'd be amping up the security as a result so of course they'd need more patrol officers!"

Akino rolled his eyes after dropping the empty bowl in the sink. "You've never even received training for something like that. You're a maid, remember?"

Sakagami crossed her arms. "Well when push comes to shove, all they need is someone to stand beside a post and look around. I doubt I'd participate in any part of battle." She watched Akino walk past her and into his room, silent. "It's getting late, so I recommend going to bed before it's too late," she teased.

"Yeah, yeah, see you in the morning," he uttered before entering his room.

From red, orange, and purple to dark blue and nearly black, the sky seemed darker than ever. There wasn't a single star to be seen, and the moon was hidden behind streaks of thin clouds, clouds similar in appearance and texture as a cotton ball stretched past its limit. The cats ran rampant and the crickets sang their hearts out.

Akino climbed into bed, pulling the cluster of blankets over him. He crawled to the side of the mattress and and reached for the bottle of pills. He wrapped his hands around the bottle and brought it up to his face before realizing-

"W-what…?"

The bottle was as dry as a desert.

Empty.

There wasn't a single pill.

"N-no, I-," Akino locked his eyes on the bottle in his hands, "I forgot to… remind her."

'The government is going to kill me… I didn't take the pills… I didn't- no.' Beads of sweat dripped down his face and his hands began to shake as he dropped the bottle onto the floor, causing the cap to fall open. Without another second, he launched himself off the bed and dug through the drawers of his dresser, looked under his lamp, searched through the blankets and under the bed. He looked through each article of clothing one by one but nothing turned up.

He shook his aching head weakly. "There has to be a pill somewhere… there…"

Click.

Akino whipped around and ran towards the door and into the kitchen, accidentally running into the table on his way to the outside. He stumbled down the stairs, awaking a cat before it ran off with the others. Sakagami's room was a detached offshoot of the main house, and that was exactly where Akino was running to. He ran through the garden and into her room. He desperately searched for the bottle of pills before eventually finding them next to a bottle of water beside her sleeping head. He screwed open the cap and took one for himself.

He shut the door behind him slowly, now that he was more relaxed. He took his time walking back to the house, letting his sweat dry on his face with the chilly breeze brought along with the night air. He walked back to the cobblestone walkway that led up to the main house.

The peaceful blue sky erupted into flames.

Blue and black to steamy hot red.

The clouds were blasted away and so was Akino as the wind uplifted the very cobblestone he walked upon. He collapsed onto the ground after a failed attempt to catch himself. As he watched the pill roll into the tall blades of grass, he happened to catch a glimpse of something behind him.

A massive, blindingly bright explosion towered above the clouds a few blocks away. It continued to climb further up to the sky before the thick, black smoke caught up to it, bringing the surroundings back to the dull color it was before.

Akino pushed himself up to his feet before eventually falling back down and covering his nose. "W-what the hell is that smell?"

The smell was distinct, the only smell like it. The smell of burning flesh. The scent invaded the surrounding neighborhoods with no signs of slowing down. Akino gagged as he pinched his nose even tighter, only occasionally looking up to see the raging fire. He climbed back up with shaking legs and slowly made his way to the fire. With his nose still plugged, he turned the corner into the alley where the flames seemed the strongest.

He ran his eyes over the area, searching for the source of the rancid smell. There wasn't much to be seen besides the expected sight of crumbling concrete walls and planks of wood.

However, in the corner was a figure of an unhealthily slender female slouched against the remains of a wall. Her left arm held her right shoulder. Underneath the shoulder was the ghost of what should be there- the other arm. The girl appeared to be bald as a result from the scorching flames and seemed to be missing a large chunk of her hip.

Akino stepped forward, out reaching his hands toward the girl. "A-are you okay?" He stopped before he walked into the inferno himself. "I-I can't go any further. If you can, can you walk over here? I'll take you to the hospital!"

'Idiot,' he said to himself, 'nothing is open at this hour, not even hospitals!'

Suddenly, the figure moved.

Just a twitch.

'Was she burned to the point she can't move? Or talk?!'

His assumption was proved to be wrong. The figure, still mostly reduced to a black shadow behind the flames and smoke, limped a few steps till it reached the center of the alley.

Akino nodded, taking another small step towards her. "Y-Yeah, just come a bit closer and I can-"

Out of the blue, the figure lifted its head up towards the sky and released a blood curdling scream. Akino lunged back, frightened. 'She's in too much pain, I gotta…' Before he could finish, he caught sight of its back bursting open little by little. Her flesh shot out of her body and spread itself across the ground behind her. With the scream coming to an end, four massive tentacles shot from its back. Blood rained down on the two of them as Akino watched, frozen in place. It stumbled back and forth before eventually steadying itself and pointing the ends of its tentacles towards Akino.

"H-huh…?"

'This is it.' He looked up at the sky to finally see the moon peeking out from the smoke. 'This is what it meant by the start of something… that'd change my life. Unbelievable. He could have at least phrased it better. This is the start of something that'd end my life- not change it. Damn it, Akino. Couldn't you read between the lines?'

Abruptly, a person hidden behind a pitch black shadow casted from the flames leapt above Akino, blocking his view of the moon. He fell to the ground and locked eyes with the person.

'Another girl? And what is that she's holding? -a blade? No, two! Wait- does that weapon have two blades?!'

The girl landed right in front of the tentacled creature and didn't spare a second before pointing one of the blades at it. "Pathetic!" She cried, her voice raspy and filled with angst. "Your kind was already disgusting to begin with, but settling for this poor quality meat is all sorts of low!"

'I-is she talking about me…?'

"You can never change someone's poor taste, so the least I could do is put you out of your misery!" Her voice was ear piercing, almost louder than the creature's scream that followed.

Within seconds, she launched towards the monster. It recklessly allowed its tentacles to run rampant in the hopes of hitting her, but she dodged every one. As she got close, it lifted its arm to grab her. The girl dropped to the floor and slid behind it, catching both it and Akino off guard. She spun around and sliced straight through the middle of the creature.

A perfect, clean cut.

The creature stood still, it's jaw dropped and infectious eyes wide open. Steam crawled out from the wound as the top of the creature slowly slid off from the bottom half and fell onto the ground. Not long since that, a shower of its blood rained down on the two of them.

Akino, who's behind was planted firmly in the pavement, gazed at the girl. His jaw was dropped as well. The girl stood a few meters ahead of him, not giving him even a sliver of her attention as she slid her finger across the blade she possessed. The wind picked up slightly and the fire was extinguished. The creatures body went with it.

It became nothing but ashes dancing through the night sky.

Akino watched as the girl traced her finger along the red blade to a metallic sphere it stabbed straight through the middle of. It, too, eventually was reduced to nothing but ashes. The girl did nothing but watch with her fierce red eyes as it disappeared right in front of her.

She looked almost… sad.

Without even giving Akino a glance, she spoke. "I'd recommend that you run back from whatever hole you crawled out of before I'm forced to hand you over to the authorities. You never saw anything tonight, and…," she made eye contact with him, her gaze as deadly as herself, "if you did, you didn't see me."

A girl with purple braids, red eyes, pale skin, thin, and tall.

A two-sided blade, aimed straight at him.

A night that would be the start of something…

Life changing.