The storm screamed.
But Asahi sat still.
He didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't speak.
The sky had been angry all day. Thick clouds like bruises rolled overhead. The wind howled through the empty trees, and the rain fell harder than it had in weeks. But here he was. Sitting on an old, rusted park bench, clothes soaked through, body trembling, and still...
Unmoving.
The world around him could collapse, and he wouldn't care.
Maybe it already had.
The wooden bridge across the lake groaned with every gust of wind. The lake itself was churning, restless, its surface shattered by a million rain drops. Everything was in motion.
Except him.
Asahi stared at the ground.
Water pooled around his shoes.
He didn't even flinch when thunder cracked so close it sounded like the sky was splitting in two.
He just spoke. Slowly. Softly. Each word like it weighed too much to carry.
"I don't even know anymore..."
His voice was barely a whisper. It cracked in the middle. Not from fear.
From exhaustion.
"I don't know who's controlling the dimensional dream."
"I don't know what happened to FA."
"I don't know what happened to MA."
A long pause.
"I don't know why..."
He swallowed. His throat was dry despite the storm.
"Why it's just me."
His hands slowly curled into fists.
But he didn't cry.
He didn't scream.
He just sat there.
Soaked.
Breathing.
Alone.
Suffering in silence.
And then—
"What if..."
He said it so softly the wind nearly swallowed the words.
"What if I just gave it all up?"
"All of it."
"The loops. The battles. The pain."
A grumble.
His stomach.
He blinked.
"Huh... I'm hungry?"
The thought felt strange. Too normal.
He didn't remember the last time he ate.
He laughed. A tiny, breathy sound. No joy. Just disbelief.
"How long has it been since I sat and just... ate?"
He wiped his face, though it did nothing.
The rain kept falling.
He leaned forward.
Arms on his knees.
Head lowered.
Eyes closed.
"How do I find FA?"
The name came with pain.
Like a wound reopening.
"How do I talk to MA...?"
His voice trembled.
"MA..."
The name felt heavier now.
"I don't know what happened to you..."
Silence. The storm softened for a breath.
"I might give up, MA..."
His shoulders dropped.
His back slouched.
"I'm sorry..."
Then, almost in a whisper:
"FA..."
"Man... I can't do this anymore."
He laid back slowly.
Let the rain fall on his face.
"Let me sleep."
The bench was cold.
Uncomfortable.
But he didn't care.
"Let me, FA..."
He closed his eyes.
The rain hit his lashes.
His neck.
His arms.
And still, sleep didn't come.
He groaned.
"Why can't I sleep...?"
He sat up slowly, blinking.
Looking around.
"Is it the rain?"
He shook his head.
"No... that's not it."
Something was wrong.
He could feel it.
Deep in his bones.
"I should be in the dimensional dream by now\..."
His breath quickened.
"What's happening...?"
"Where is FA?"
"Why isn't he letting me in...?"
"No FA."
"No MA."
"Why is everyone gone...?"
He pressed his palm to his face.
Tried to focus.
Tried to breathe.
"Think, Asahi."
He sat straight.
Stiff. Alert.
"What if FA... isn't in the dimensional dream anymore?"
That thought chilled him more than the storm.
"No one's there."
"So I can't enter."
His eyes widened.
"Where is he...?"
His memories felt fragile.
Disjointed.
"He travelled with me. But..."
His voice dropped.
"Did he come back?"
His heart skipped.
"I don't remember."
He stood.
Slowly.
"If he didn't..."
The rain grew heavier.
"Then FA is trapped."
He looked down at his shaking hands.
"It's just a theory..."
He exhaled.
"But it makes sense."
Another pause.
Another breath.
"The dream follows someone."
"Not me."
"So who...?"
The theory formed.
Piece by piece.
"Theory One:"
"The dimensional dream reacts to FA. It lets me in only when he's there."
He swallowed.
"Theory Two..."
He hesitated.
"The hardest to believe."
He looked up at the storm.
Lightning flickered.
"What if..."
His voice trembled.
"What if FA is the controller?"
"What if he's the one behind it all?"
The wind roared.
The trees swayed.
The rain didn't stop.
And Asahi stood there.
Soaked.
Shivering.
Afraid.
Not of the storm.
But of the answer.