"…"
Pitch Darkness.
Nothingness. Endless void. Eternal emptiness.
"What…?"
Hiroki gasped. He couldn't feel his hands or his legs. His physical form simply didn't exist in this space. Yet, he was somehow fully aware of what was happening.
The sensation was familiar. Unpleasantly familiar.
"Don't tell me…"
Hiroki's eyes darted around him with nervous urgency.
"A vision…? Again?!"
Time exploded. Seconds stretched into what felt like years, warping his perception of time. Nothing stayed long enough to understand.
But before he could even think of something, clarity finally started to emerge.
The tall grass bent softly beneath the light sky.
Through the distant fog, a wounded girl's body emerged, shaking uncontrollably.
Amaya.
She looked exactly the same as he remembered. Yet something about her expression felt… wrong.
Her eyes were wide. Her face was pale. She seemed afraid of what was before her.
"Ama—"
Before he could even finish the word, she stumbled backward. Her body vanished into the dense patch of tall grass as if she were swallowed by the earth itself.
Her face was the only thing that remained in his eyes. The gloom of terror was covering her features.
"Why was she looking at me like that?"
The world shifted instantly once again. It took him a few seconds to process it.
This time, he found himself in an unfamiliar place. Dark patches of black were spread out on the grass; the further he looked behind him, the more blackness he saw.
"Where am I…?"
Fire everywhere. Screams. Wails. Cries. His eyes remained wide open as he stared, frozen in silence. One child was crying beside a collapsed wall. Women were fleeing in every direction, trying to avoid the flames raining down on them from the sky.
Hiroki looked up slowly, still in a state of shock and disbelief. He glimpsed figures dressed in black. They were the ones throwing fire spells at the people.
"What is all this…?"
But then, everything snapped away.
Hiroki stood at the center of the capital that moment.
The sun shone brightly on his face, causing him to cover it with his left hand. He looked ahead and realized the place was entirely empty, except for a girl a few meters away.
She huddled on the ground, curled up, and softly whimpering as if in tears.
Hiroki stared for a moment. He didn't know what to do.
His feet slowly advanced on their own, heading straight toward her.
"You…"
The girl went quiet for a moment. Hiroki caught a glimpse of her features from behind.
"Long white hair? She looks familiar…"
He blinked for a moment. As soon as he opened his eyes, the girl vanished from his sight, and even the street he'd been on had shifted into a nearby wooded forest. Snow covered the entire ground.
"H-Huh…?"
His feet were moving slowly and helplessly, without him even controlling them.
Hiroki lowered his gaze, only then… his expression crumbled, descending into unreadable darkness.
He was holding the same girl with white hair. Her features were indistinct.
He hadn't meant to do that.
Yet his hands were already holding her.
He began to hear laughter, but… it was his own voice.
His body was out of his control. He laughed quietly, a thin, cold noise, until it warped into something closer to a sob. Tears slid soundlessly to the snow.
"What's this nonsense crap…"
"Why am I seeing this…?"
But the girl wasn't answering at all.
At that moment, he closed his eyes completely. Darkness surrounded him.
"Why…?"
His eyes slowly began to open from the darkness. The ceiling of his room was the first thing he could see.
Hiroki was now aware of his body and the atmosphere around him. He lifted his left arm up, looking exhausted.
a
"So… it happened again."
His arm fell back onto the bed. His facial expression was marked by deep despair.
"These visions, they won't stop… they're really getting annoying."
He slowly forced himself to sit up. His gaze was dull.
"These visions… I don't know if it matters to me anyway or not. I could no longer understand the meaning behind it."
b
He finally got out of his bed, while silence filled the room.
"So Ayuri was right…"
"This must be the Golden Eye."
He then walked slowly toward his table next to the outer door, grabbed the water jug, and took a slow sip, attempting to settle his thoughts.
"If that's really the case… then what am I supposed to do with this?"
He stood there for a brief moment, his mind dominated by silence.
Then, he placed that jar back on the table.
"Thinking about this endlessly won't help."
He moved forward and grabbed his uniform from the chair.
"But, if these were related to future things… then maybe they can still be changed."
After dressing, Hiroki walked toward the small mirror beside the door.
He paused there. The reflection staring back at him looked different from what he used to be.
His shoulders had grown broader, and his face became sharper.
"Since when did I start looking so old?"
He looked into his eyes through the mirrors. There was a dull emptiness in them. Hiroki then remembered something important.
"Ah… Right… Within about twenty days… I will be seventeen years old."
"September 27th. Strangely, the calendar system here uses the exact same months and days as in my previous world. Only the year is different."
Hiroki remained staring intently into his eyes reflection, lost in thought.
"Am I now considered a grown man in this world…?"
But then…
Something flashed. Golden glow. Emanating from his own left pupil.
"W-What…?!"
Panic washed immediately over Hiroki's face, making him step back instinctively.
His heart started beating faster again.
But the glow had already disappeared.
"That was… The golden Eye?"
Hiroki couldn't believe it as he kept feeling his eye repetitively while looking at his reflection.
"That's the first time I've seen it outside my visions."
He felt a wave of unease wash over him.
"Does that mean… I might have other abilities too?"
He slowly straightened his posture again.
"Those visions… seem like an approaching catastrophe."
He tilted his head down slightly, looking unsettled.
"Given all the snow I recall, it's likely something bad is coming this winter."
Hiroki looked back at the mirror, tension was clear on his face.
"What am I supposed to do? How can I fight a future that's already written?"
"If so, then how much time do we actually have left?"
Hiroki's words emerged in a whisper.
His face tightened slightly as he slowly tightened his right fist.
"But it doesn't matter. I will not remain a mere spectator waiting for the end."
"I will prevent it…"
Hiroki pulled open the door of his room and stepped out into the corridor. It was quiet.
Morning activity had already begun in other parts of the building.
As he walked down the hall, he noticed someone approaching from the opposite side.
Ryuuji Yamaake.
He noticed him too as he passed by.
"Oh, Hiroki. It seems you woke up late as usual." Ryuuji offered a casual, brief greeting.
Hiroki scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Well… It's hard to sleep these days."
Ryuuji gave a faint chuckle.
"I see…"
He then glanced briefly at the outer area from the corridor balcony.
"Most people have already finished breakfast."
After that, Ryuuji seemed about to continue his walk regardless.
Hiroki hesitated for a moment. He had something he wanted to say. But the words felt heavy.
"If I don't take action now… the opportunity may never return."
Ryuuji took two slow steps ahead. Hiroki stood there still, frozen in place.
"Please wait."
Ryuuji halted, turning his head slightly. His calm eyes analyzed Hiroki's serious expression, noticing his hesitation.
"Hm? What is it?"
Hiroki took a breath.
"There's something I wanted to talk to you about."
"I'm listening."
For a moment, Hiroki struggled to find the right words. But he still carried on.
"It's about the PHG… and the things happening lately." Hiroki continued, his voice steady, refusing to waver under the master's gaze.
"We can't just stay idle here. The Night Crows are already acting openly. They're attacking in the capital and threatening the kingdom."
Ryuuji watched him carefully.
"And…?"
Hiroki clenched his fist slightly.
"My friends and I joined the PHG to protect the kingdom from things like this. Not to wait for decisions that may have dire consequences."
"I never thought I'd say this one day. Was I rude to him?" Thoughts raced at that moment.
His gaze lifted directly toward Ryuuji. Then he continued.
"We want to return to our duties."
Ryuuji's expression didn't change, but his tone grew more serious.
"You know very well why Seina suspended your main operations at first. It was a necessary safety measure for your own good. The situation outside remains highly volatile."
"I know, and I understand the risks," Hiroki countered immediately, taking a small step forward.
"But things have changed. Sitting idle while things happen around us is not a solution. We refuse to be helpless bystanders, doing nothing while corruption is spreading inside the system."
Ryuuji kept his gaze locked on the boy.
"You speak of preventing corruption, yet you lack the experience to navigate the political traps of this kingdom."
"Then let us gain that experience!" Hiroki pressed on, his emotions peaking just beneath his calm demeanor. "We should stop them, Ryuuji-sama. We're not useless. And we know the enemy too."
The hallway fell silent after these words ended.
Ryuuji eventually closed his eyes and let out a faint exhale.
"Impressive… your determination is certainly clear, Kurogane."
He opened his eyes, offering a small, knowing look that held a hint of pride.
"Your timing is surprisingly good."
"Huh?"
"Well… you will understand soon in the upcoming days."
Ryuuji turned toward where he was initially going.
"Until then, maintain your preparations."
While Hiroki didn't fully understand what he was talking about, yet he still recognized this as a win.
He then offered a firm nod.
"Mm. Understood."
And just like that, Ryuuji disappeared down the corridor as he walked away.
Hiroki stood there still, confused.
"What was that supposed to mean?"
[TO BE CONTINUED…]