Author note: As a new writer, my beginning may feel rough, but I hope you'll still give it a try. I'm improving every day. Some have criticized it for being too fast-paced and lacking explanations about the situation, but if you read chapter 35 or 40, you'll notice how much I've improved. The pacing becomes steadier, and I provide deeper explanations of the characters emotions. I sincerely ask you to keep reading....you won't regret it. Please don't drop it because of the early rough writing.
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Naoki jumped from the bridge to save his big brother, Haruto.
Splash!
The police van was slowly sinking.
Naoki swam toward it. But just before he reached it, the van tilted and started sinking faster.
Naoki dove after it. But as he went deeper and deeper, the water pressed against him, making it hard to move.
His chest felt heavy as his body desperately wanted air. His vision was slowly turning blank.
The police van was just ahead but he was froze in one place.
Just the ,
Boom!
The police van, which had been sinking deeper into the water, suddenly burst open, and someone stepped out from within.
That person started swimming upward, heading straight toward Naoki.
Naoki's eyes widened in shock, 'Brother...'
It was Haruto. His older brother.
A mix of disbelief and relief paralyzed him as Haruto swam toward him.
As Haruto reached him,he tightly hugged Naoki. Who was scared, confused and overwhelmed.
Then, a voice echoed in Naokis head.
- How are you, Naoki?
Naoki froze, shocked to hear his big brother's voice echoing inside his head.
How can I hear him when his mouth isn't moving? Naoki thought. Maybe he was imagining things, or perhaps it was because he was close to death. But then he heard his brother again.
- This is Voice Transmission. I learned it from a friend.
'....friend!!?' Naoki became even more confused. How can his friend do this supernatural thing?
Then his brother spoke again, gently
- I came from the future to guide you toward the destiny you're meant to fulfill. I was supposed to arrive before the accident, before you ever jumped from that bridge. But Something went wrong. A miscalculation and I ended up arriving too late, right when the van was already underwater.
Haruto's gaze dropped slightly, a flicker of regret in his eyes.
Naoki's thoughts raced. 'What does that even mean? Future? My destiny? Is this really my brother... or something pretending to be him?'
Haruto didn't hear Naoki's voice but somehow, he understood everything Naoki was thinking.
Then, Haruto raised a hand and with a snap of his fingers, the world shattered like glass.
Crack
The water, the police van, the darkness, it all disappeared.
They now stood in a strange space. Above them was a vast, starry sky. and beneath their feet was a smooth, mirror-like layer of water.
It was as if they were floating between the heavens and the void itself.
Haruto stood in front of him, steady and calm.
This time, Naoki's voice came out clearly.
"Brother… what is happening?"
Haruto looked at him gently.
"This is a space I created to speak with you. Right now, your body is still underwater. As You're not breathing. You're on the edge of death. And once you cross that line, you'll be sent to another world."
"Another… world? What are you talking about?"
Naoki's mouth went dry as Haruto continued
"I know it sounds crazy. But this is the second time I've gone through this exact accident. The first time…it killed me. And death became a doorway to another world."
Haruto looked away for a moment, as if remembering something far, far away.
"The world I went to… was a cruel, dark, fantasy world. Full of monsters, gods, and despair. A place where strength decides whether you live or die. Where betrayal is normal, and hope is rare."
"..." Naoki was doumbfounded by his brother's words.
"The earth once had a single large continent where people could use magic and supernatural powers. Various magical races lived there, but they were sealed away by a certain being, and the seven continents we know today were formed."
Haruto looked back at Naoki.
"I was taken to that ancient sealed continent by a Celestial Being through a dimensional rift, after deceiving the Heavenly Principle. And after hundreds of attempts, I moved that continent to another world. A planet now known as Eloria."
Naoki was speechless. His brother's voice felt real, but the words sounded like something out of a dream.
"So… are you saying you became a god?" Naoki asked.
In response Haruto shook his head and smiled lightly.
" I'm merely a Celestial Being. You can think of it as a Demi-God. Even you must ascend to godhood to fulfill your destiny."
"Godhood...wait...can you please explain why am I being sent there?"
"I regressed 769 times in total, But no matter what I tried, I failed to accomplish what truly mattered. Then, after my 590th regression, I was given a prophecy. From that point on, I devoted everything to preparing the path for you, the one named in the prophecy."
"Again that prophecy and fate talk. Brother... I'm really really really confused." Naoki admitted.
Haruto's voice grew quieter, yet more resolute
"It's not that I'm sending you to that world but you were ment to go there, as i heard this i chose to abondoed everything and pave a path for you. Anyway, there's not much time left. Once you're there, you'll understand everything. Find the things I left behind, they're meant for you."
"Brother... will you be with me?" Naoki asked quietly.
"No. As i broke the cycle of regression by coming to this place."
"Broke the cycle? Doesn't that mean everyone will revert back." Naoki asked
"That's what regression normally does. It rewinds time. You go back to a fixed point. Everything resets. your friends, your enemies, even fate itself. You remember everything. But no one else does. You start over, again and again."
Haruto looked Naoki in the eye and spoke with pride
"But I didn't come back to Earth by regressing. If I had, time would've reset again. Everything I built would've vanished. All my lifetimes erased. But I broke the cycle. I used a forbidden item, one that let me return here without triggering the regression. This isn't the past for me. This is the endpoint. The last chapter."
One brother's story ends...
So another's may begin.
The future no longer belonged to Haruto ...
It belonged to Naoki.