Thino finally made it home, still carrying the weight of unanswered questions in his mind.
Yet despite everything, he managed to smile at his family—as if nothing had happened just like always.
Every day, he wore that same smile, even after the harrowing events he'd endured at the hands of his fellow students.
"I'm home," he greeted cheerfully into the quiet house. As usual, no one greeted him back. But he understood—his parents were rarely around, buried in the responsibilities of their demanding work.
Setting those thoughts aside, Thino reminded himself there was something far more pressing. A problem that couldn't wait. Especially now, as he began to feel something strange shifting inside his body—something he never expected.
He quickly made his way to his room and collapsed face-down on the bed, trying to calm his racing thoughts before seeking the answers hidden within himself.
Okay, first... remember what Light said. If I recall correctly, Wosker and his gang started beating me around 9 a.m., and Light found me at 2 p.m. That means I was unconscious for five hours. After that, I began to feel a dull throbbing in my head… then the visions started. Images of things that had just happened. But before all that, I'm sure I dreamed something. Though it's blurry now. Could that dream be connected to what's happening? And those red eyes, the smoke… the blood?
He whispered to himself, eyes shutting tightly—right as a sudden, sharp pain stabbed through his head, forcing him to clutch his bedsheet in agony.
"Aah!" he gasped.
Another vision crashed into his mind—one he couldn't place. One that didn't seem to come from any memory he recognized. He stayed like that for several minutes, curled up, unseen by the world beyond his four walls.
Eventually, Thino sat up, only to collapse again—this time onto the floor, gasping for breath, eyes staring at the ceiling. His body felt weak. Dizzy.
"You must take care of this, Thino."
"W-What is this, Mom? Why?"
"Just promise me, son… protect it. No matter what."
"But why? What's happening? Why are you talking like this?"
"There's no time to explain. If you really want to understand… the key is in my lab. I have to go now. Just remember, I will always love you, my son."
The memory echoed like a whisper through his mind. With it came other images—like flashes from a news report he had once ignored, but now they meant something more. Still, the last thing his mother said echoed loudest, louder than the chaos of his thoughts.
"Then… I guess it's really going to happen soon."
That was all he could think, rising from the floor to change out of his uniform. As he did, something on his shoulder caught his eye—a scar.
He stared at it, puzzled. Was this from Wosker too? But no… it looked dried out, oddly painless compared to the fresh bruises. Something about it didn't fit.
Before he could dwell on it, the loud slam of the front door snapped him back. His mother was home—just as in the vision.
Everything played out exactly as he'd seen it: the words, the expressions, the emotions. But this time, Thino decided to change something.
To ask something new.
"Mom," he said coldly, holding a box in his hands. "If you don't tell me what's going on… I'm throwing this away."
His mother froze. Then turned.
Her eyes widened in shock—then softened. A tear slipped down her cheek as she smiled, catching Thino off-guard.
"I-I see… you're back, Thino. Now I don't need to worry anymore. I know you'll survive… you'll save the world."
"W-What do you mea—Mom? Hey! Mom! Where are you going?!"
"My time is up, Thino. Remember… I'll always love you."
She walked out the front door. Thino followed without hesitation.
But when he opened the door—
No one was there.
He scanned the street. Nothing. Silence.
He stood frozen. His mother's words echoed in his skull, adding more weight to the chaos already in his head. He walked back inside, dazed, and turned on the TV—just like in the memory.
But this time, something stopped him from ignoring the news.
A massive plane was flying across the sky. Not just any plane—it opened, releasing not bombs or gas… but blood. It rained down, staining the earth crimson. Residents screamed, torn between fear and disbelief.
Then again, who wouldn't scream? Who wouldn't wonder why blood is falling from the sky instead of bombs?
Thino noticed the symbol on the plane.
It belonged to the enemy.
Then—static. The TV signal abruptly cut out, leaving only a blank screen. Thino scowled but didn't move. He was about to turn away when the screen flickered again.
The angle was wrong—tilted.
Then, a hand appeared. Trembling. Reaching. Desperate.
It clawed at the lens.
Blood smeared across the screen.
"Aaaah!!!"
A chilling scream burst from the speakers—high-pitched, piercing. Thino rushed to shut the TV off, chest heaving. He leaned against the screen, trembling.
W-What the hell was that?
Morning came.
Thino hadn't slept.
His classmates noticed. Whispers followed him through the halls.
But the peace didn't last long.
Wosker found him again. Dragged him to the rooftop. Readied for another beating.
Only…
It didn't happen.
This time—it was Wosker's group who ended up bruised, writhing, terrified.
Thino stood before them, his gaze monstrous—inhuman.
"Oh, right…" he said slowly, stepping forward. "After everything you did to me… you even encouraged me to end it all. You made me believe I had no worth left."
He stopped at the edge of the rooftop.
"I walked up here… ready to jump…"
Then he paused, eyes fixed on a tall building in the distance.
"But before I could…"
BOOM!
A deafening explosion tore through the air. The building erupted into flame.
And once again—blood rained from the sky.
It splashed on Thino yet he didn't flinch.
He'd seen it coming.
And in that moment, one truth rose above the noise:
"I… I came back."
But… came back as what? Thino blinked, heart pounding, unsure if the blood on his hands was from Wosker's gang or something else entirely. The rooftop blurred—was it shaking, or was he? The wind whispered names he didn't know, and the sky looked wrong.
The world around him twisted in subtle, creeping ways—shapes bending at the edges of his vision, colors a shade too bright or too dark. He couldn't tell if it was real or something inside his head cracking open.
No, not now. Stay alert. You have to stay alert.
He took a step back, then another, eyes darting around the rooftop. Wosker and his gang lay sprawled and groaning, their faces pale, confused, terrified. One even scrambled back like a wounded dog, whispering something under his breath when they stared at Thino, eyes wide with disbelief, as blood poured down his body—soaking him from head to toe like he had stepped out of a nightmare.
But it didn't end there.
As their senses returned and the shock wore off, they realized—it wasn't just Thino. The blood was on them, too. All of them. Clothes stained. Skin slick. Rooftop painted in crimson.
This wasn't water.
It was blood.
Dark red. Warm. Thick. It splattered across the rooftop, ran in rivulets down Thino's face, and soaked his already bloodied uniform. The metallic stench filled his lungs, stuck to his skin, and twisted his stomach into knots.
The others slowly looked up at the sky—mouths agape, eyes trembling with horror.
Thino didn't say a word.
He stood there, motionless. Mind whirring. Thoughts tangled.
This scene... he'd seen this before. Not in dreams. Not imagination.
On the news. In the footage. That yesterday broadcast.
The screams—they echoed in his head now. Terrified. Raw. Some begging. Others fading. He remembered how it all spiraled after the blood rain began.
And now it was here.
It's happening again... and this time, it's here.
A chill crawled up his spine despite the warmth of the blood soaking him. His heart thumped louder, faster—panic edging into his chest, but he swallowed it back.
Confused, yes.
Afraid, definitely.
But he couldn't freeze. Not again.
He looked down at his hands, trembling, drenched in red. Was this really him? Was this still his body? His mind?
Wosker stirred behind him, groaning.
"what's going on?"
Another voice, shaken. "Hey—why aren't you saying anything?!"
A third voice, almost angry now, desperate to make sense of it. "LOOK AT US!"
But Thino didn't turn.
He didn't answer.
Their voices felt like distant echoes underwater. Meaningless. Empty.
He had no time for them.
I need to go. I need to tell them.
Before it's too late.
Before it starts here like it did there.
That single thought pushed through the fog in his head. Clear. Sharp.
His body moved before his mind caught up.
He walked past the fallen gang, ignoring their calls, ignoring the pain in his chest, ignoring the confusion screaming in his own head.
The rooftop door stood ahead.
All that mattered now was what waited below.