"Gahhh...! Gh…!?"
The room was dark, only the glow of the moon giving sight to those in it.
But even though there were three people, that amount was ever so close to dwindling to two.
"Gh…! Gah…!"
Wretched sounds continued to echo through the otherwise quiet room.
It was the sound of someone desperately struggling for air as their oxygen was being cut-off.
The five-year-old watched helplessly as his mother was strangled right in front of him.
The boy's vision was woozy from the blow that he had received, and he wasn't even sure his ears were working properly, but—
"PuHaHa! HaHaHaHa! PuHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa! PuHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa!"
That laughter… that damned despicable laughter that flooded his subconscious to the brim; it rocketed through his brain as he was forced to witness the gruesome sight.
Even as young as he was, it sent him over the edge in despair.
Why was this happening?
Why was this happening to him?
What did he do?
What did he...?
On the cold floor of his home, the young boy could do nothing but watch as his mother flapped her arms wildly at the man lying over her. She gasped for air, but it wasn't allowed. Nothing but pain rested on what should have been a serene and beautiful face.
This scene was all he could see, as there was no looking away.
From this tender age, it had been burned into his eyes, making sure he would never forget.
"Oh~! ThAT FaCe~! HeY BrAt, ArE YoU LoOkInG!? DoN't YoU DaRe LoOk AwAy AlRiGhT!"
The boy's soul was on fire, and it lit up the rest of his body as well.
I'll… kill you.
The boy glared hatefully at the man who was doing this, baring his canines in a feral manner, in a way that didn't suit someone is his age.
But.
Despite this white hot hate.
Despite the crippling anger.
It momentarily faltered.
Because, craning her head, his mother turned to look at her son. She did so even amidst someone's grip slowly stealing her life away. And, she performed one simple action.
In fact, it was so simple and casual that it looked unreal in this situation.
"AH~?"
Seeing this, the man momentarily widened his eyes, right before his mouth split into a massive grin.
"YoU'rE SmIlInG…!? YoU'rE AcTuAlLy SmIlInG EvEn As I'm MuRdErInG YoU, YoU BiTcH!? AmAzInG—! HaHaHaHaHaHaHa!"
As the last of the light started to fade out of her eyes, his mother smiled at him. Tears were trickling down her face, and it was distorted with agony as she was mercilessly choked, but even so… she tried her best to give that expression to him.
As if to say everything was going to be okay.
She did not beg for her life.
She did not wail in fear.
She didn't say a word.
She couldn't.
And yet…
And yet...!
I'll be going on ahead, Rio.
—The light left her eyes in that moment and her head lulled lifelessly to the side.
The boy who was only five years old, Rio Karasuki, just watched his mother die right in front of him.
"..."
He sat there in a daze, tears streaming down his face with no sign of stopping. The silence was unbearable. Still, he remained there, not moving a single muscle while staring at his mother's unresponsive face.
"Oh man~! I knew it, I knew sticking around and playing the reliable friend was the right call. That was totally worth the month of pretending. Haha~!"
That voice filled his ears, and Rio barely caught it, but once he did, he slowly turned his head to him.
To the man.
Red.
Red eyes that were filled with nothing but carnal intent. Malicious, evil, disgusting eyes that looked sharper than any blade.
"Don't you think so too, Rio~!? Hahahaha~!"
It made Rio sick.
Those red eyes made him burn with a feeling previously unknown to him.
I'll surely… kill you.
"Ah…~! That face she made at the end there, that was beautiful. Aren't you glad brat~? Your dear mother made such a beautiful expression to see you off~! Ahahahahahahahaahaha~!"
That sickly and horrid voice, Rio felt pure unadulterated hatred, and nothing was to stop it from blossoming.
From the bottom of his heart, he gave rise to a desire that slowly crept into his very subconscious, presenting itself as truth and fact.
He had never felt this feeling that seemed to burn his heart into a frenzy with rage, not really.
"I..."
It was unbearable, yet it was also just as unbearable to ignore it.
"I… I swear… I'll…. I'll…!"
Weak and feeble as he was, his voice hoarse from all the crying he did, Rio still roared what came next. He roared it even as it felt like he was tearing his throat apart.
"Y-You— Yo—u….I'll kill YouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
…
…
…
Rio sprung awake.
His body bolted upright, and he quickly noticed the lack of breath he had. And it was panting in this dazed state that his mind drifted back to what he had just witnessed.
Again.
Rio covered his face with his hand, a dark expression clouding his features.
Will I never be free of that nightmare…?
But he already knew the answer to that.
Of course he wouldn't.
Even if he achieved the directive that had from an early age become his entire reason for living, that dream would likely remain, taunting him for being so weak and helpless that day, laughing at him for being only able to do little more than watch...
Rio shook the thoughts away.
But, it was only in doing so that the white haired boy with the dark apparel noticed something odd.
He could feel the morning breeze all too clearly.
And more than that, what he was currently laying on—it was not in a bed, a cot, or even a sleeping roll.
Sat atop grass, Rio was outside.
In a forest to be exact.
What the… where, no... how did I…?
As Rio looked left and right, all he saw was a vast expanse of trees in every direction.
He tried to recall what he had been doing previously, but even that escaped him.
Of course, he was able to remember his past easily enough; his life as a college student, his sudden death, and the many years he had spent in that new world meeting everyone. Professor Celia, Latifa, Ruri, Sayo, Aisha, Miharu…
Wait…
"Aisha... can you hear me...?"
Rio's voice was barely above a whisper, as if he was scared of the answer. His fears continued to grow as nothing but silence awaited him.
But—
'Uwaaaa… hm? Oh, yup. Morning, Haruto.'
A beautiful yet casual voice sounded through his ears, filling him with nothing but relief. Before he even knew it, a small smile warmed itself across Rio's face.
"It's good to hear your voice, Aisha. For a moment... I thought I thought I was all alone."
Aisha must have sensed his distress and how unlike him it was, because in that instant, a gorgeous girl with flowing pink hair in a white sundress materialized in front of him.
Her graceful form slowly floated down, and her dainty feet found purchase on the autumn filled leaf sea that stretched all around them.
"Haruto… what's wrong…?" Now fully materialized, the girl spoke aloud instead of in his head.
Upon seeing the clear concern on the girl's face, it seemed to calm Rio down.
He bore a thoughtful expression.
"Aisha, do you happen to know where we are?"
"Hm… no, I can't say that I do."
After looking around with earnest curiosity, Aisha's face turned a bit troubled as she admitted this. She then looked at Rio imploringly, probably wanting to voice the same question, however Rio answered by shaking his head.
"I don't know either, but I don't think we can be too far from the others. There has to be some landmark—"
Rio abruptly stopped speaking, going completely still.
"Haruto?" Aisha asked in confusion.
The boy was staring upward, and the expression on his face lacked all color. Aisha turned her gaze up as well.
"—!?"
And her breath too hitched in surprise.
The cause of their speechlessness was clear.
It lay in what resided in the sky, or to be more accurate, what was peeking out due to the sun slowly going down. Yes, the sun was there and vibrant in all its glory.
But…
"How can… How can that be…?"
Rio's face was tight.
Up above, starting to become visible as the sky was slowly darkening, was a shattered moon, a sight so very different from the luminous orb Rio had come to know, in both worlds.
Could… Could I have once again—?
Basked in the peeking visage of that remnant, Rio came to a slow fleeting realization.
He was in some incredibly far off place, and he had a feeling it would remain like that for the foreseeable future.