SAI SHINU
He lifted me higher, the chains dragging me upwards until I dangled thirty feet above the ground. My stomach twisted, my body trembling. Then—he stopped.
Without warning, he began to float, slowly ascending until his face was level with mine. My breath caught. I had never seen anything like it before—someone moving so unnaturally, defying the world itself.
He drifted behind me. Cold hands ripped away my clothes, leaving me exposed, vulnerable. Shame burned through me, but worse than that was the fear—I couldn't see, couldn't tell what he was doing.
Then he returned to face me. His black eyes bore into mine.
"Now," he whispered, his voice like stone grinding against stone, "you will learn pain."
Confusion gripped me—then his palm slammed against my chest.
A flash of searing light. My body convulsed. My heart felt like it was going to explode. And then, just as suddenly, he pulled away and floated back toward the circle.
The others—those countless, faceless figures—intertwined their hands, left to right, forming an unbroken chain. Their voices rose together in a chant, low and guttural, vibrating through the cavern walls.
A ritual.
And I was the sacrifice.
I wanted to scream, to fight, to beg—anything—but nothing came. My body was weak, powerless, as though every ounce of strength had been stolen.
Shame devoured me. All of them, watching me, while I hung broken and helpless. Pressure built inside my chest, as if invisible hands were crushing me from within.
My breath grew ragged. My vision blurred. My eyes slid shut.
When I opened them again, everything was different.
I blinked at the sky above me. At first, I thought it was just a ceiling, but no—stars. Thousands of stars shimmering across the heavens. The moon shone full and silver, so bright it painted the city below in pale light.
I realized—I was floating.
Slowly, shakily, I touched down on solid ground. I knew this place. My chest tightened as recognition struck. It was the city where I had lived all my life.
And directly beneath me… was the place of the accident. The place where everything changed.
I descended, legs unsteady, and found myself staring at the memorial clock. My eyes widened.
February 8th, 2024.
The day of the crash.
Time travel? No—it couldn't be.
"System," I whispered. The familiar blue interface flickered to life.
No… this wasn't time travel. If it were, the System wouldn't still be with me.
But that meant—this was something else.
Night cloaked the city, the exact hour of the incident. My stomach churned. Part of me didn't want to see it, didn't want to relive that horror… but I knew it might reveal the truth about my mother's abduction.
Headlights cut through the dark. In the distance, my parents' car rolled into view.
I froze. The van.
It was there too—speeding down the opposite lane, swerving wildly. It hit the divider, launched into the air, and came crashing down onto their lane.
The collision thundered through the night. I flinched, looking away. I couldn't watch the impact.
But then—I heard voices.
Through the smoke and dust, I saw them. My parents, staggering out of the wreckage, bloodied but alive. Relief barely had time to register before five men poured out of the van, armed and moving fast.
"Are you okay?" my father asked, voice raw.
A pistol appeared—pointed directly at his chest.
My heart lurched. The smoke thickened. I pushed forward through it, desperate to see.
And then—clarity.
I saw my father's hand wrapped around the gun.
Not resisting.
Holding it.
His face twisted in horror. "I am not doing this! Please, stay back!"
My mother screamed, rushing toward him. "Stop! Please, stop!"
I couldn't breathe. My body went cold. My father… wasn't in control. Something was forcing him. I saw it in his eyes—he was fighting with everything he had.
But it wasn't enough.
With a violent jerk, his hand pulled the trigger.
The sound tore through me.
He collapsed.
My mother fell to her knees, clutching him, her cries breaking the night. Tears streamed down her face, dripping onto his still body, mixing with the blood that flowed from his chest. She held his head close, whispering words that shattered with grief.
And I stood there, powerless, watching my father die all over again.