Ann Yamada sat on her couch.
One leg crossed over the other. Eyes locked on her tablet.
The room was quiet—peaceful, even.
She scrolled.
Swiped.
Paused.
One more message from Giro.
"Don't forget the party this weekend 😘"
Ann stared at the emoji like it had insulted her bloodline.
She didn't respond.
Instead, she tossed the tablet to the side and curled deeper into the couch, hoodie pulled over her head like a lazy shadow.
Ding-dong.
She ignored it.
One second.
Two.
Three—
Ding-dong. Ding-dong. DING-DONG.
She groaned.
"Who the hell is banging on my door like this is Tokyo Tower?"
Dragging herself upright, she peeked through the door's peephole.
Nothing.
She frowned.
Ding—
She yanked it open.
A man stood there.
Middle-aged. Covered in sweat.
Breathing like he'd run through ten hells just to ring her bell.
And before she could speak—
He shoved past her.
"Where—Where is your father?" he asked, spinning to face her.
His voice trembled like a violin string stretched too thin.
Ann blinked, stunned.
"I—I don't know, he's not—"
The man dropped to his knees. Hands shaking.
His head snapped up, eyes wide and wild.
"No. No, this isn't it. This isn't it. It followed me, I know it did. I saw it. I saw its eyes—!"
He screamed.
Once.
Twice.
A howl of something more than fear. Something primal.
And then—
He collapsed.
Flat on her living room floor.
Ann took a slow step back.
Her fingers reached for her tablet.
But—
She never made it.
The world around her blinked.
And then she was no longer in her house.
A temple.
Dark. Monolithic.
Grand in the way that makes your lungs forget how to breathe.
She stood in the center of it. Alone.
Marble tiles. Burning braziers with violet fire. A ceiling lost in black mist.
No doors.
No windows.
Just pillars that stretched into nothingness.
"…What?"
Ann turned on instinct. Took a step—then another.
But the room didn't change. The shadows only deepened.
Elsewhere.
Evon Kinjiro was trying to dunk a basketball.
His feet hit the court hard, sneakers screeching on polished wood.
He missed. Again.
Laughter echoed from his friends.
"Still can't get it, huh?"
"Bro's 6'1 and still can't dunk!"
"Yeah, yeah," Evon grinned. "Laugh it up."
He chased after the ball.
Rolled to the far corner.
And then—
Everything shifted.
The gym vanished.
The court turned to stone.
Evon looked up.
The sky above him was blood red.
No sun. No stars. No wind.
Just silence. And cold.
He walked.
And walked.
Ann walked.
And walked.
Eventually—
They saw each other.
Stopped.
Stared.
Two strangers in a world they didn't recognize.
"Who the hell are you?" Ann asked.
"I… I'm Evon," he muttered. "I think."
Back in Sekai Town…
Giro scrolled through her messages.
"Ann hasn't opened my texts all day…" she muttered.
She sent another. Then another.
Still no reply.
GC Chat — 9 unread messages.
"Hey anyone heard from Ann?"
"Not me."
"I texted but no delivery?"
"Maybe her phone's off?"
"Bro even Haru's not replying."
"Yo this is weird."
Giro stared at her screen.
"…Haru."
She got up.
Grabbed her keys.
Haru Airumoto stood in front of Ann's house.
Silent.
He had knocked.
Twice. Three times. No answer.
The door was locked.
But Giro appeared, panting, holding a familiar spare key.
"I'm… unlocking it."
The door creaked open.
And inside—
The man was sitting over Ann's body.
Haru saw red.
He rushed in, fist flying.
The man turned just in time to catch the blow to his face, flying back into a chair.
Haru dropped to Ann's side.
"She's not breathing—WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
The man scrambled back. Panicked.
"I didn't—I swear—!"
And then—he raised his hand.
A glove lit up in red flame.
Two blackened fingers. A circular metal crest on the back.
The Blaze Glove.