It started with the sky.
Again.
That crack—
Was no longer a line.
It spread.
Slowly.
Like glass under pressure.
The academy felt it this time.
Students stopped mid-step.Teachers looked up.
Whispers spread.
"What is that…?"
"Is that… a tear?"
Kai stood in the courtyard.
Nyari beside him.
Both staring upward.
Neither speaking.
Because they both knew—
This wasn't normal anymore.
The crack pulsed.
Then—
A piece of the sky…
shattered.
Not exploded.
Shattered.
Like it was never real to begin with.
Behind it—
Nothing.
Not darkness.
Not light.
Just…
emptiness.
Nyari grabbed Kai's sleeve.
"…Kai."
Her voice trembled.
— I know.
Kai stepped forward.
Jinwi spoke instantly:
"Do not approach."
Kai ignored him.
— I need to see it.
"You are already seeing too much."
Another crack.
Then another.
The world started… glitching.
Buildings flickered.Ground shifted.Voices overlapped.
Reality—
was losing shape.
Kai suddenly stopped.
His head snapped to the side.
More memories.
This time clearer.
Hospital lights.Machines beeping.A weak heartbeat.
A voice:
"—he's still alive—!"
Kai's breath hitched.
— Alive…?
Jinwi confirmed:
"Yes."
Kai's pupils shook.
— Then this world—
"…is not your origin."
Nyari stepped in front of him.
"No."
Her voice broke.
"You're not leaving."
Kai looked at her.
Really looked.
And for the first time—
He hesitated.
The sky cracked again.
A massive fracture split the horizon.
The world trembled violently.
Jinwi's voice sharpened:
"Time is running out."
Kai clenched his fists.
— What happens if it breaks completely?
Pause.
Then Jinwi said it.
Cold.
Direct.
"You wake up."
Silence.
Nyari's grip tightened.
"…No."
Kai looked at her.
Nyari shook her head, tears forming.
"No. I won't let you disappear."
Kai stepped closer.
— Nyari…
She grabbed his collar.
"Don't say it like that!"
Her voice cracked.
"This isn't fake to me!"
The world glitched behind them.
Pieces of the academy flickered in and out of existence.
But neither of them moved.
Kai spoke softly:
— It's not fake to me either.
That hurt more than anything.