The night was still and peaceful, the kind of quiet that wrapped the city in a soft, dreamlike haze. Outside, the faint glow of Yokohama's streetlights shimmered through Fumiko's bedroom window, painting pale rectangles of light across the wooden floor. Inside, the ticking of a small clock was the only sound that disturbed the calm.
After finishing her schoolwork and indulging in a few chapters of one of her favorite fantasy novels, Fumiko placed the book gently on her desk and stretched. The familiar worlds of magic and heroes usually brought her comfort, but tonight even their warmth felt distant. Her mind was too cluttered, her thoughts chasing one another in endless circles.
With a small sigh, she switched off her bedside lamp and slipped beneath the covers. Darkness settled around her like a heavy blanket. Fumiko lay flat on her back, staring at the pale ceiling above.
"Why...Why is this happening to me?"
The question echoed inside her, relentless. For weeks, strange dreams had haunted her nights, dreams that felt more real than anything in her waking life. Each time she awoke, the images lingered like smoke, refusing to fade. Were they just dreams? Or… were they some kind of riddle she was meant to solve?
The more she thought about it, the tighter the knot in her chest grew.
Her eyes drifted to the bedside table. There, framed neatly in polished silver, was an old family photograph. She reached out and brushed her fingertips across the glass, tracing the smiling faces of her mother, father, and older brother. Once, life had felt as warm and secure as the smiles in that picture. But now, everything was… different. Messy. Uncertain.
"Why does everything feel so complicated?"
She whispered to the quite room.
A soft sigh escaped her as she turned back toward the ceiling. Slowly, her eyelids grew heavy. The rhythm of her breathing deepened, her thoughts dissolving into the gentle pull of sleep.
---
When Fumiko opened her eyes, she was no longer in her room.
A faint, endless light surrounded her, a vast emptiness that seemed to stretch forever. Beneath her feet, there was no floor, no ground. Only a glassy sheet of water that reflected the soft glow of the void above. Each step she took sent ripples across the surface, but no sound followed.
Her heart pounded. She knew this place. She had been here before.
"This dream again..."
She murmured, her voice swallowed by the infinite stillness.
Ahead, through the shimmering haze, a figure emerged. It stood a few meters away, its form glowing with a gentle radiance that made it impossible to see clearly. It wasn't tall nor small, man nor woman, just a being of light.
Then it spoke.
The voice was neither male nor female, yet it carried a power that resonated deep within her bones. It echoed around the endless space like a song of the universe itself.
"You are the dawn, child of light. The fate of this world, and all that lies beyond it, rests in your hands…"
Fumiko froze. The words vibrated through her chest, filling her with a strange warmth and a shiver of fear.
"You have special powers. In fact, you were born with them, my child. Understand yourself, awaken the strength within you. Only then will you have the power to face what lurks in the dark… the Abyss."
Her breath caught. The Abyss? What was that supposed to mean?
The figure's voice softened, almost like a parent soothing a frightened child.
"I will always be watching over you… my child…"
Before she could speak, before she could demand answers, the figure began to fade, its glow dissolving into the endless light.
"Wait–!!"
She cried, taking a desperate step forward. But the dream dissolved around her like mist.
---
A loud, piercing beep-beep-beep cut through the air.
Fumiko's eyes snapped open. The familiar sight of her bedroom ceiling greeted her. Her alarm clock blared relentlessly on the nightstand.
She sat up abruptly, heart still racing. The echoes of that voice clung to her like a second skin.
"Same dream"
She whispered, pressing a trembling hand to her chest.
"The same dream… for an entire month."
The clock ticked on. She stared blankly at the wall, her thoughts racing.
" Am I missing something?
Is something bad about to happen?
Who… or what… is that figure?"
The questions repeated like a storm inside her head.
Shaking her head, she forced herself to breathe.
"No"
She muttered under her breath.
"I need to stay calm, panicking won't help"
Her eyes drifted to her palms. Slowly, she opened them, staring as if expecting to see something, anything, that might reveal the meaning behind the figure's words.
"Special powers?"
she whispered.
"Child of dawn? What does any of this even mean?"
But there was nothing. Just her hands, pale and ordinary in the morning light.
With a reluctant sigh, she pushed herself out of bed. Whatever the dream meant, she couldn't spend the whole day obsessing over it. School awaited.
---
Her morning routine passed in a quiet blur. Brushing her teeth. Packing her lunch. Buttoning her neatly pressed school uniform. Each movement felt mechanical, as though her body was running on autopilot while her mind floated elsewhere, back to that endless sea of light, back to the echo of that mysterious voice.
By the time she stepped outside, the sky was a clear, cloudless blue. The air carried a crisp freshness that hinted at the start of autumn. Birds chirped overhead as she walked toward the street corner where she usually met her best friend.
For a brief moment, the ordinary beauty of the morning almost made her forget her unease.
Almost.
As she waited, she absentmindedly scrolled through her phone. A breaking news headline caught her eye.
*Another Mysterious Accident in the City, Authorities Baffled*
Her thumb hovered over the article. The report detailed a series of strange incidents that had occurred across Yokohama over the past few weeks, cars crashing without reason, sudden power outages, people collapsing in broad daylight. No explanations. No suspects.
Fumiko's heart skipped a beat.
Abyss...
The word whispered through her mind, unbidden. Could these accidents be connected? Were they the work of… whatever that glowing figure had warned her about?
A chill crept down her spine.
If that was true, then… was she supposed to do something?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a cheerful voice.
"Fumiko!!"
She looked up just in time to see a familiar figure sprinting toward her, brown hair bouncing with every hurried step. Ami, her best friend since childhood, waved enthusiastically even as she panted from the run.
Fumiko smiled, the tension in her chest easing slightly.
"Ami, you're late, you know?"
she teased as her friend skidded to a stop beside her.
Ami leaned forward, catching her breath.
"Ah! Sorryyy! I got stuck in traffic, hehe..."
She scratched the back of her head, offering an awkward grin.
Fumiko raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.
"Aww, no need to lie to me, girly. I know you too well. You slept late again, didn't you? Forgot to set your alarm?"
Ami groaned dramatically.
"Yeah yeah, miss smarty, you're right, I'm dumb, happy now?"
Fumiko giggled, the sound light and genuine.
"But don't worry!"
Ami added with exaggerated confidence, striking a playful pose.
"This won't happen again. Tomorrow, I'll be the first one waiting for you!"
"Yeah, right"
Fumiko said, smirking.
"You better not be late tomorrow, or else the PE teacher will eat you alive."
Both girls burst into laughter, the tension of the morning finally melting away. Together, they began walking toward the school, their conversation flowing as easily as the autumn breeze.
For a while, everything felt normal again.
---
Far away, in the heart of Tokyo's business district, a different kind of morning unfolded. Towering skyscrapers loomed over the bustling streets below, their glass facades reflecting the golden sunlight. Inside one of the tallest buildings, on the top floor of a sleek corporate office, a man stood silently before a massive window.
His silhouette was sharp and imposing against the backdrop of the waking city. Hands clasped behind his back, he gazed down at the world below with a cold, unreadable expression.
On the desk behind him rested a single photograph. The man turned slowly, his eyes lingering on the picture as a faint shadow of emotion crossed his face.
The photo showed a young girl with gentle eyes and a warm smile.
His voice, low and strained, broke the silence.
"Fumiko... Where are you...?"
The city outside continued its steady rhythm, unaware of the storm quietly brewing within the walls of that high-rise office, or within the lives of those it watched over.
---
Back on the quiet streets where Fumiko and Ami walked, the day seemed as peaceful as any other. Yet somewhere in the depths of her heart, Fumiko could not shake the feeling that the world had already begun to change.
That the voice in her dreams was not just a warning… but a call.
And whether she was ready or not, the dawn it spoke of was already approaching.