The morning sky looked gray, as if intentionally hiding the sun—almost as if it knew that today was the beginning of something that shouldn't be remembered.
Inside the train speeding rapidly, a teenager sat quietly in silence. No earphones. No book to read. Only a single letter with a gray labyrinth symbol printed right in the center.
He opened the letter again, even though he had read it multiple times. But before he could continue, a woman's voice echoed from the train's speakers.
"Rai Tsukasa, thank you for accepting our offer. In 03:00:00, your old version will begin to fade."
Rai slightly raised an eyebrow. Confused, yet he chose to ignore the words.
"I didn't expect you to greet me after more than five hours I've spent on this train," he said while staring at the speaker.
No response. No voice. Just silence again.
With a soft breath, Rai stood up. He walked toward the compartment door and tried to open it—but it didn't move even a little.
"Hm? Since when is this locked?" he muttered softly.
Suddenly, the door shook lightly. Not as if it were being opened, but as if someone touched it from outside. No footsteps. No shadow under the door. A few seconds later, a small piece of paper was slipped under it.
The handwriting looked rushed. Dark red ink, almost resembling blood.
> "Have you thought about… why you were chosen?"
Rai froze for a moment. His expression was flat, cold. He then lowered himself and returned the paper through the gap beneath the door without saying a single word.
That was when the room lights began flickering rapidly. The train suddenly swerved sharply to the right. Rai reflexively ran toward the window and pulled the curtain—yet all he saw was pitch-black darkness, as if the world outside had vanished.
Moments later, an unknown gas began filling the room.
But instead of panicking, Rai let out a faint smile.
"So… this is what you meant," he whispered calmly.
The gas started to take effect. His vision blurred. His body weakened. Rai collapsed to the floor of the compartment, his breathing slowing. In the midst of his fading consciousness, he saw the door opening—slowly.
Someone walked in. The footsteps approached. The silhouette was unclear.
Then darkness.
Hours later…
Rai regained consciousness after fainting. He was startled when he found himself sitting on a chair, inside a room that looked like an interrogation chamber.
With his hands tied, Rai tried to remain calm. He analyzed his surroundings carefully.
Suddenly, the room door opened. A man in a gray uniform entered, holding several files.
"I didn't expect you to be that calm," the man said as he sat on a chair directly in front of Rai. "Normally, new kids panic the moment they wake up."
Rai stared sharply at the man. Seeing that expression, the man attempted to lighten the atmosphere.
"Oh right, nice to meet you…" He glanced at the identification file in his hand. "Rai… Tsukasa? Nice name."
"Skip the small talk. Who are you? And where am I?" Rai asked coldly.
Hearing that, the man smirked. Without warning, he grabbed Rai's hair harshly.
"Hey. You're new here, so show some respect," he said.
Rai still looked at him calmly. "What do you want, RyuzakiLyube?"
The man froze. "Wait… how do you know my name?"
"From the name pin on your uniform," Rai answered flatly.
Lyube went silent for a moment, then slowly released his grip. He sat back down as if nothing happened.
"Ahem. Alright, where were we?"
"Straight to the point," Rai repeated.
Lyube tossed the identity file onto Rai's lap.
"Rai Tsukasa. Sixteen years old. And you've already been involved in a minor criminal case at age fifteen? Impressive. Even the other newcomers haven't dealt with the law before," he said mockingly.
Rai remained silent and simply stared. Lyube smirked again.
"Did you hear me? Or do you want me to send you to isolation for three days?"
"I said, straight to the point."
"Fine, if that's what you want," Lyube snapped.
He picked up a large bag and threw it at Rai. The bag struck Rai's face since he couldn't dodge with his hands still tied.
"As a newcomer, you must follow every rule here. From the headmaster to the homeroom teachers," Lyube said.
He then walked behind Rai and began loosening the ropes around his wrists.
"And about earlier, just consider it procedure. I'm the Head of the Security Division in this place. After this, you'll have to meet the HeadoftheRegulationDivision."
The rope finally loosened. Rai rubbed his reddened wrists from being tied too tightly.
"Alright…" he whispered quietly.
Lyube chuckled. "Haha, so you're just like the others. Always complaining about the rope."
He exited the room laughing loudly. Rai let out a long exhale, trying to process the situation.
Rai took the bag Lyube had thrown earlier. Without wasting time, he walked toward the door to leave the room. But as soon as the door opened, a beautiful woman stood right in front of him.
"Hi, you must be the newcomer named Rai Tsukasa, right? My name is Liora Vespera. I'm the Head of the Regulation Division. Come with me," she said with a smile.
Rai stared at her briefly. "Were you standing in front of the door this whole time?"
"Hehe, you caught me, huh?" Liora replied casually.
Rai slightly shook his head. "Actually, I wouldn't have known, but I saw the shadow of your shoes through the gap under the door while talking to Lyube earlier."
"Wow! Even while being interrogated by Lyube, you still paid attention to your surroundings? You're unbelievably calm," Liora said, impressed.
"So, are we going to talk here?" Rai asked in a cold tone.
"Nope! I'm not talking to you in the Security Division office. This place is cold and creepy," Liora replied quickly.
"Then where are we talking?" Rai asked again.
Liora's face instantly brightened with excitement. "Haha! Follow me outside. We're going to the Regulation Division office—it's beautiful and magnificent!"
Rai exhaled helplessly. "How many offices does this place have…?" he muttered quietly before following Liora out.
-- EndChapter1 --