Two people stood by the shoreline, the golden sun dipping into the ocean.
"Heyyy Eric, look—it's so beautiful," the girl said with a dazzling smile, her eyes reflecting the sunset. "The sea, the sky… I could live here forever with you."
Eric smiled, eyes fixed not on the horizon, but on her.
"There are even more beautiful things I hold close to my heart."
"Really?" she asked, curious. "What is it? Tell meee!"
"Just guess," Eric said, his voice playful.
"Hmmm…" she tapped her chin dramatically. "Umm… the stars? Pizza? Your game console?"
Eric laughed. "Nope."
"Ugh! I give up!" she groaned, pretending to be angry. "Tell me already!"
He leaned closer, eyes gentle. "It's you, stupid."
Her eyes widened—and just as she opened her mouth to speak—
The memory began to fade.
"Eric... Eric, wake up!"
The scene around him flickered like a dying flame. The waves, the sky, her smile—vanishing.
"Eric!!"
He clutched his ears. "No… not again…"
"Eric…" the voice now softer, closer.
Eric gasped awake, eyes wide, drenched in sweat. His heart pounded as he scanned the room in confusion.
He was back in bed.
His mother sat at his side, eyes glassy with relief.
"Eric… you're awake," she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks.
Eric jolted awake, heart hammering in his chest.
His vision was blurry, but the sterile scent and soft beeping around him told him everything he needed to know.
He was in a hospital room.
The walls were white. Too white. The kind of white that made everything feel distant and cold.
A dull pain throbbed at the side of his head.
He reached up instinctively—bandages.
Thick ones, wrapped tightly. His fingers trembled as they brushed over them.
Beside him, his mother sat clutching his hand, her eyes red from crying.
"Eric…" she whispered, her voice breaking. "You're okay. Thank God."
Eric blinked slowly, still caught between the fading dream and the pain of waking life.
"M-Mom… what happened…?"
"You were in an accident," she said, choking back emotion. "A motorcycle nearly hit you. A girl pulled you out just in time…"
His breath hitched.
"A girl…?"
His mom nodded, smiling weakly. "Yeah. She stayed with you until the ambulance came. She disappeared before anyone could thank her."
The room suddenly felt colder.
That dream—the beach, her voice, her face...
It wasn't just a dream.
It was her.
"Sweetie, are you okay? Do you need anything?" his mom asked, her voice laced with worry.
Eric was still dazed—confused by the dream, or whatever it was. It had felt real, like something he had actually lived… not imagined.
But seeing his mother's teary eyes and trembling hands, he didn't want to worry her more.
"I'm okay, Mom," he said softly. "I just… I think I need some rest."
She nodded quickly, brushing his hair gently. "Of course, honey. I'll be right here if you need anything."
Eric turned his head slightly, staring at the ceiling as his mind raced.
"That dream…""That girl...""That voice…"
"Was it all just in my head?Or was it something more?"
After resting for a while, Eric began to feel a bit restless. The hospital room, though quiet, felt suffocating—too quiet, too still. His mom had gone home for a bit to bring him some food, so he decided to step out.
Carefully, he got out of bed and made his way toward the elevator. His head still ached slightly, and the bandages felt heavy, but the urge for fresh air was stronger.
He took the elevator to the rooftop—the highest point of the building. The door creaked open to a gentle breeze and a wide, open sky.
"Finally... space to breathe."
Eric leaned on the railing, the city buzzing far below him, but up here it felt distant—quiet.He tilted his head back and looked up.
The sky was clear tonight. Stars blinked faintly in the darkening blue, scattered like whispers across the void.
A soft smile tugged at his lips.
He remembered when he was a kid—just eight or nine—his dad had surprised him with a telescope.
They'd set it up in their small backyard, fumbling with the screws and laughing as they aimed it at the night sky.
"You see that one?" his dad had said, pointing out a bright speck. "That's your star now. Name it."
Eric had beamed. "I'm gonna make the biggest star ever," he'd declared proudly.
His dad had just ruffled his hair and said, "Then you better shine brighter than all of them."
Eric smiled gently as he remembered the past.Life had felt so light back then—just him, his dad, the stars, and dreams too big for his small hands.But somewhere along the road, things had changed. The world had grown heavier, colder. So had he.
As the breeze brushed past him, Eric stayed lost in thought—until something caught the edge of his vision.
His eyes shifted toward the rooftop across from him.
A chill ran down his spine.
There he was.
The same man from the bus stop. Black hoodie, face shadowed beneath a cap. Just standing there—watching.
Eric straightened up instinctively.Fear and curiosity twisted inside his chest like tangled wires.
Then the man raised a hand.
Not to wave.Not to gesture.
He pointed at Eric—two fingers shaped like a gun.
And with a smirk that made Eric's blood run cold, he whispered—
"Bam."
A sharp crack echoed before the sound even registered.
A bullet screamed through the air, fired from somewhere impossibly far yet incredibly precise.
Eric didn't even have time to blink.
But just before the bullet could strike—
"THYANGGG!"
The deafening ring of metal meeting metal shattered the silence.
A flash of silver had cut through the air.
Someone stood in front of Eric.
A figure, cloaked in motion, holding a gleaming sword that had just deflected the bullet mid-flight.
The rooftop wind whipped around them.
Eric's heart pounded in his ears.
It was her.
The same mysterious girl who had saved Eric once before.
Now she stood between him and death again—blade drawn, eyes sharp like ice under moonlight.
Eric's breath hitched in his throat.His knees trembled. Not from fear—but from disbelief.
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!
The hooded figure opened fire.
Bullets tore through the air, one after another, a deadly rhythm pounding from the rooftop across the street.
But she moved like a phantom.
Steel flashed.
CLANG!TING!SHIIING!
Each shot met the edge of her sword—deflected with impossible precision. Sparks flew. Metal screamed against metal.
She didn't flinch.Didn't blink.
Pivoting on her heel, she danced between the lines of fire—each slash clean, each motion flawless.
One of the bullets ricocheted wide—off a metal pipe—and curved midair, heading straight toward Eric's chest.
He didn't see it.
He was too busy staring at the mysterious figure vanishing into the shadows.
But she saw it.
The mysterious girl—already mid-movement—sprinted across the rooftop like lightning.
"ERIC!!" she shouted, her voice sharper than the gunfire.
Eric turned just in time to see her leap in front of him.
BANG!
The sound echoed like thunder.
She stumbled—her body jerking from the impact—as the bullet struck her shoulder.
Eric's eyes went wide in horror.Blood bloomed across her dark outfit.
"You're bleeding!!" Eric cried, panic rising in his throat as he reached for the girl, hands trembling.
But before he could say anything more—
SWOOSH!
A sudden shift in the air.
The mysterious man appeared behind Eric in a blur—faster than thought, his blade already in motion.
"Eric, LOOK OUT!" the girl shouted.
She lunged forward and shoved him aside just in time.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as her sword intercepted the deadly strike. The sheer force of the clash sent vibrations through the rooftop.
Eric stumbled back, eyes wide in disbelief. "H-How is he that fast?!"
The girl didn't answer—her focus was absolute.
The mysterious man flicked his wrist, rebalancing his stance. "You've gotten faster," he said, his voice low and venomous. "But still soft."
Without another word, he launched at her with a flurry of slashes—each one quick, precise, meant to kill.
CLANG! CLANG! SHINK!
Steel danced against steel under the moonlight. The girl held her ground, despite her injury—gritting her teeth, deflecting blow after blow.
Eric watched helplessly, caught between awe and fear.
Then—an opening.
With a sharp twist, the girl spun under one of his strikes and sliced upward.
SLASH!
A clean cut across the attacker's shoulder—dark blood spilled onto the concrete.
The man hissed and jumped back, gripping the wound. His glare sharpened.
"This isn't over," he said coldly. Then, with a gust of wind and blur of motion, he vanished into the night.
Eric rushed to the girl as she dropped to one knee, breathing heavily, blood dripping from her side.
"Hey—hey! Stay with me!" he said, voice cracking.
She looked up at him, eyes fierce despite the pain. "Next time… run."
And then her body slumped forward into his arms.
As she lay unconscious, a memory suddenly came to her—a vision of a war. She was standing in the middle of a destroyed city, with buildings burning and smoke filling the air. It was chaos. In the middle of it all, there was a man with a scar on his face and a metal arm. He was surrounded by soldiers, beating someone badly, throwing punches with no mercy.
Then, just when it seemed like the person would take their last blow, a gunshot echoed through the air. The person fell to the ground, and they landed in her arms.
She looked down in shock. The person's face was bloodied, and it was Eric.
"Eric…" she whispered, her voice trembling in fear.
She held him in her arms, her heart racing as she realized what had just happened. "Eric!!!" she cried out, desperate and helpless, but everything around her was silent, as if the world had frozen.
Suddenly, she woke up with a gasp, her body stiff, and her mind racing. The memory—the vision—was real. It wasn't just some dream. It had actually happened. And it involved Eric.
She looked around. She was back on the rooftop, bandages wrapped around her wounds, and Eric was sitting nearby, watching her with concern.
"You're awake..." he said softly, relief in his voice.
She looked at him, still shaken from the vision and the unsettling memory of his face in her arms. The weight of it all seemed to press down on her chest as she stood, her hands trembling slightly as she moved to the edge of the rooftop. The wind swirled around them, but there was a stillness in her gaze.
"Okay, I know the timing might not be right, but I have so many things in my mind right now. I need to ask," Eric said, his voice laced with frustration. He stared straight into her eyes, his emotions finally boiling over.
"So many crazy things have happened to me in these two days, and I don't know what's going on," Eric said, his voice thick with tension. His hands clenched into fists, frustration bubbling to the surface. "Tell me, who are you, and how do you even know my name?"
The mysterious girl remained silent for a moment, her eyes flicking down as if she was unsure whether to speak. The air between them was thick with anticipation.
Eric took a step closer, his eyes narrowing. "Why are you saving me? Why is all this happening?"
Finally, the girl spoke, her voice steady but with an edge of urgency. "My name is Mitsu," she said, her gaze meeting his. "I'm here to protect you, Eric."
Eric stared at her, still processing. "Protect me? From what?"
Mitsu's expression hardened, her voice dropping to a low whisper. "Things you can't even begin to imagine. You're not just any ordinary person, Eric. The world is about to change, and you're going to be at the center of it."
Her words hung in the air, heavy with meaning, leaving Eric with a sense of impending chaos that he couldn't yet understand.