The One Who Is a Dream
A silent scream of terror scolded the monolith.
But if the monolith itself screams, then who will be scolded...?
Raikiri closed the book and put it on the table.
He was saddened by the story he had just read.
"I hope this is just fiction, because if I were that man, I would have ended myself by now," Raikiri said while turning the book upside down.
"How can someone write so beautifully and still remain infamous?" Raikiri asked himself.
"Wait, there's another paper attached to its back," Raikiri said—looking at an old, vintage paper attached to the book.
He took the paper out.
It read:
> This book is written to HIM only. If you are reading this without HIS permission, you must face the consequences...
~ Silent Pen ..
"Who is him mentioned here?" Raikiri asked, deeply thinking about what it could mean.
"Oh! I get it now—it must be a cursed item or something. Now what, am I getting powers or not?" Raikiri said sarcastically.
"Oh god, it's already 2:30 a.m. I want... to... slee...p..."
Raikiri fell asleep while sitting on the chair.
> Scene shifts
A dark old cottage, lit only by candles. The candle holders are heavily rusted. A dining table in the middle, well-lit with candles and old antiques.
A man in a black kimono is eating a French cheese dish.
Two people are sitting at the dining table, on opposite ends.
Raikiri instantly opened his eyes. He was on a table in front of another man who was eating something with a fork and knife.
Something had been placed on the table for Raikiri to eat as well.
"What do you know about The White Dimension?" the strange man asked, taking a sip of wine.
Raikiri looked at the man—he couldn't see him clearly. He seemed charismatic, wearing a black Japanese kimono and a black-red haori on top of it.
"Ah, that was a book I read. It was a nice fiction book," Raikiri said, confused and unsure what to say.
"Did you see the stars?" the man said calmly.
"I did see a strange constellation in the sky.
Did you notice that too?" Raikiri asked excitedly.
"Why did you read it without my permission?"
The man spoke softly.
"Hey, you keep asking questions—why aren't you answering?" Raikiri said in anger.
Raikiri cleverly looked out the window—it was all white. No colors, only pure whiteness.
"Wait! Who are you? What is this place?
How did I get here?
Are you the author?" Raikiri questioned continuously.
The man spread his hand over his food. Suddenly, the food vanished.
"You will face the consequences of your nuisance, Raikiri," the man said—but he was no longer in his seat.
He was now standing beside the chair Raikiri was sitting on.
(Raikiri, in his mind: "How the fuck does this guy know my name? I didn't even tell him anything. And what just happened?")
He opened the door—on the other side, it was pure white.
"Crush that stone inside your hand," the man said in a low tone.
He walked out the door.
Raikiri stood up and tried to follow him, but the door closed as he approached it.
"What stone was he talking about? I don't have any—" Raikiri said, but suddenly felt something in his hand.
He opened it. It was the same pendant that looked exactly like the structure he had seen in the sky.
"Should I crush it or not? Should I trust that guy or not? What is happening to me?!" Raikiri questioned in his mind.
Overwhelmed with wonder, he was about to press it with great force—
"STOP! DON'T CRUSH THAT—HEY!!" a loud voice came from behind him.
At the same moment, Raikiri crushed the pendant.
Suddenly, he was in his room, sitting at the study table.
"What kind of strange dream was that, man?!"
Raikiri said.
"Oh shit! I'm late for school! I need to hurry!"
Raikiri panicked.
> Scene shifts
At school, children were talking with high enthusiasm in groups. They were all happy. Some students were still arriving.
Raikiri reached the school and entered his classroom.
Everyone seemed delighted and excited about something.
They were talking with each other excitedly.
"Hey Sente ! What's going on today?" Raikiri asked his friend Sente.
"Something that never happens—we're all going on a picnic!" Sente said, throwing his arm around Raikiri's back.
"Wait, what? When?!" Raikiri asked, putting his bag on the bench.
"Raikiri, why are you taking your notebooks out?" a girl said from behind him.
"Oh hey! Yuki, how are you doing?" Raikiri said, smiling.
("Oh god, she's looking beautiful today," Raikiri said in his mind.)
"We're going today, so keep them inside," Yuki said while reading something.
"Oh, that was quite a surprise," Raikiri said curiously.
"EVERYONE, MAKE A SINGLE LINE AND MOVE TOWARDS THE BUSES!" a voice called from outside the room.
Students began to move toward the buses.
Everyone was now inside the bus. The engine started, and the bus began to move.
Raikiri was sitting with his friends.
"Hey, but where are we going?" Raikiri asked.
"We're going to Dark Oak Forest for mental health training, as they say," a boy replied.
"Datenshi, since when have you been sitting here?"
Raikiri asked.
"I've been sitting beside you since the bus started," Datenshi said calmly.
"What kind of assassin are you—silent killer, huh?" Raikiri said, smiling.
"I like that nickname. Maybe we can change it to Silent Pen or something. That would sound much cooler, you know," Datenshi said.
To be continued...