Rani sat at the edge of Rio's bed, her hands trembling as she touched his forehead. He had been unconscious ever since she dragged him into the room. Her eyes were red, as if her tears were only waiting for permission to fall.
"What's wrong with you… do I need to call an ambulance?" she whispered.
She held on until exhaustion crept from her shoulders into her eyes. Eventually, she fell asleep beside him. The night felt unbearably long to her, long and heavy with anxiety pressing against her chest.
Rio didn't move.
It was as if he was trapped somewhere else.
Somewhere else.
Rio's consciousness drifted in an endless dark space. No floor. No sky. Just emptiness swallowing sound and time. He looked around, though he didn't know what he was searching for.
"Where am I…?"
It felt like fainting, yet also like being detached from his own body. When he thought about Rani, his chest tightened with a fear he had never admitted to anyone.
Is Rani okay…?
He tried to walk, but the darkness didn't shift. No walls. No doors. No cracks of escape, like the world had sealed every exit.
His thoughts began drifting somewhere dangerous.
If I hurt my own body… maybe I'll wake up.
The idea alone made him tense.
Why was he here? Why had King's Sense pulsed right before he collapsed?
He remembered the panic when he couldn't find Rani. His mind had shaken, and King's Sense was the only anchor holding him together.
But even anchors could snap.
Slowly, he saw his body fading. His hands. His feet. His own silhouette.
Fear climbed faster than his breathing.
I'm disappearing… am I really unable to return?
Just as his mind began to crumble—
Light exploded.
Rio woke up in his room.
His breath cut off for a second, like someone had just dragged him up from the bottom of the sea. Beside him, Rani slept, her small body clearly exhausted.
He looked at her, guilt resting silently in his eyes.
Carefully, he carried her back to her room without waking her. He closed the door softly, like the world might shatter if it made too much noise. Then he returned to his own room and changed clothes.
But his mind wasn't calm.
He stared at the ceiling, replaying everything. That dark world. That floating sensation.
Was it his subconscious? Or had King's Sense pulled his awareness somewhere else?
No answer came. Only a heavy weight in his chest.
"Forget it…" he muttered. "I'll think about it later."
He forced himself to sleep.
Rani's POV
Morning came with soft light, but panic hit Rani the moment she remembered last night. She woke up in her own room, even though she had fallen asleep in Rio's.
That meant… he moved her.
She jumped up too fast, nearly stumbling. She shoved Rio's door open.
BANG.
He was still lying there.
Rani bit her lip. "Do I really need to call an ambulance…?"
Back to Rio
Rio opened his eyes when he heard her footsteps. Rani immediately hugged him tightly, like someone who had been holding fear in all night.
"Big brother… I don't want to lose my only family."
Her tears soaked his shoulder. He gently stroked her head, like calming a child afraid of a storm.
"I'm not going anywhere," he whispered.
For the first time, Rani relaxed.
"Come on. Get ready for school."
"Okay…"
Her smile returned.
Rio's didn't.
The image of that dark space still haunted him. No matter how hard he tried to understand it, the answer remained blurred. So he focused on the day in front of him.
Elsewhere.
A building that looked ordinary from the outside.
An iron door opened. Rivaldo stepped into a room thick with cigarette smoke and drunken laughter. Adults sat gambling, careless about the outside world.
At the center, someone leaned back on a sofa. Huge body. Muscles exposed like a threat without a cover.
The silhouette didn't speak gently.
"David lost again?"
His voice cut through the air.
"Disappointing. Get rid of him. I don't want to see his face."
No room for mercy.
Rivaldo turned pale. Sweat fell like rain without an umbrella.
"Y-yes…"
He left the room stiffly, holding back anger.
The moment the door shut, his emotions exploded.
"How could David lose to that loser!? Rio… he's in my way again! I'll destroy his body myself!"
The dark hallway echoed with his frustration.
Morning Road to School
Rio and Riko walked side by side. Rio looked more tired than usual, steps slow, back slightly hunched like someone who hadn't slept for days.
Riko glanced at him. "You look drained."
"Yeah."
Even though his body had slept, Rio felt unrested. Time didn't move in the subconscious, but exhaustion still clung like a shadow.
As they passed a small alley, noise shattered the morning routine. Shouting. Impacts. Thuds.
Too familiar.
Riko pointed. "It's loud over there."
"Wait…"
Rio narrowed his eyes.
A student was being beaten by several others. The scene felt like a piece of his past thrown back into his face. No need for King's Sense to analyze this.
"This is… bullying."
This time, Rio didn't intend to stay silent.
Not after everything he'd been through.
This is my territory now.