The Dream Where It All Began The 43rd Time

`In A Place unknown, 2 entities finished their battle to the death`

[Breathing heavily]

.....

"You really are late, Ninomiya.", said the heavily wounded man in that room.

"Yeah"

"No more lives, no more death, no more suffering."

He questioned,

"Have you acheived it, Ninomiya?"

Ninomiya took his pistol out and replied, "Yeah"

`Bang`

....

`eyes open`

"Another dream."

Time: 7:41 am

location: Hotaru Residence, Kagoshima

Date: 2016/04/11

Ninomiya keeps his hand to the ceiling light, sweating alot.

"But that seemed real, was it?"

-The Dream Where It All Began-

He goes to the bathroom to freshen up. To take a good look at himself, he zooms in on the mirror. A long scar cutting right through the right eye ran down. His fuzzy green hair from the night's sleep.

When he notices the metal object stuck to his chest. A million unanswered questions barged into his mind that he couldn't start with a particular. He touches it, placing his hand on his chest. I'm still alive was all that he could think of.

A sudden flash of memories hits him,

"I remember my promise.", a girl's shadow tells him.

Ninomiya snaps back to reality, "Again."

When he steps out of the bathroom, he hears the phone ringing. The call drops before he reaches it. He checks the notifications to see who the caller is.

It was his dad, with two missed calls. He ignored them. Below that notification, there was a message from Akise. "Come fast. School starts at 8," it read. That catches him off guard. He didn't know that, but he couldn't have known. Because today will be his first day.

He doesn't bother to check out the notifications piling up below that.

Ninomiya takes a quick shower and dresses up for school. He calls his chauffeur to pick him up and heads to the kitchen. There, he finds a young woman sleeping on the couch. It was his sister, Hiori. He grabs his lunch cautiously, making sure he doesn't wake her up. She must've fallen asleep while eating, thinks Ninomiya.

Hiori mumbles something in her sleep, "Just one more upgrade just oneeee one more timeli-." Before she stopped and said, "I will win."

Ninomiya thinks she was just playing games again late night.

He spreads butter on bread and rushes outside, holding a cup of milk in his other hand. The car waiting for him was ready to leave. A maid holding the passenger door open for him to enter bid him farewell when he stepped him.

"Have fun on your way to school, young master," she said before gently closing the door.

From the window, he could see the front view of his mansion. With a beautiful garden atop a hill, the workers and maids did their best to bring life to the otherwise ghost house. But it was home for him.

The gentle breeze coming from the sea to scan the compound would turn his attention at the sight of the majestic mountains. He would always wonder what lay behind those beautiful mountains. And what about his life, the reality as he knew it? What about the dream he has had for all his life?

He could sense a profound mystery somewhere. Sometimes, he would strain himself trying to uncover the hidden truth lurking underneath reality. But to no avail.

The color of sakura blossoms gives a sharp contrast to the colors of his thoughts. That brings his head back inside the car. Gulping down milk after finishing his bread, he orders the driver to drive faster. He looks at his watch. Only 7 minutes remained.

The car arrives at the school gate just on time. Once inside, Ninomiya rushes to the building just in time.

Everyone outside and in the window

s gazes upon him like he is someone.

Rushing up, he meets Akise in the staircase.

"Yo, Ninomiya.", said Akise

"You mother fucker, why are you here instead of inside the classroom.", Ninomiya replied

Akise hits him with the lie, "I lied, class begins at 8:15."

Ninomiya shrugs it off like any other friend would,

"Well whatever, let's go."

"I was excited, you know. Seeing you in my school, sharing a desk with you. I'm happy you came."

"Yes. You even agreed to repeat a year just to sit next to me."

"Heh heh. I can't let others steal my bank account now, can I?"

Yes, but you didn't have to say it out loud, Ninomiya thought. His bland honesty was eh... Awkward and uncalled for. But strangely enough, Ninomiya liked it.

"Nino, tell me. Are you..." Akise paused for a bit to emphasize what he was about to ask next, "Happy?"

Heh? That was sudden. Was he happy? Ninomiya could only stare at him, with his mind in the abyss, before giving him an answer.

He first thought of Hiori. Then he thought of his father and his late mother. Finally, he thought about their family business. Was he happy?

"Yes."

A faint voice asks him, "you didn't protect us did you?."

Ninomiya sees a field of red grass with black blood on top.

He snaps back to reality.

Akise asks him about his condition,

"Yeah I'm okay."

After a bit of comfort Ninomiya calms down.

Ninomiya was suffering from a condition where his life was divided into a conscious and illusion like state. Scans showed his brain had been badly damaged and only half was functional and the other half was just severely damaged but still working. Due to that he lost whatever memory he had including language. There would be haunting encounters and unreal imaginations.

The students enter the classroom.