Chapter-1: The Day It Began

Three days earlier, Kai's biggest problem was oversleeping.

"Kai, wake up! You're going to be late again!" His younger sister, Hana, banged on his door with all the fury of a mini-hurricane.

Kai groaned, burying his face deeper into his pillow. "Five more minutes…"

"You said that twenty minutes ago!" Hana snapped. "And don't make me come in there with a bucket of water again!"

Kai shot up, his messy black hair sticking out in every direction. "Alright, alright! I'm up!" he yelled back, stumbling out of bed. He pulled on his school uniform in record time and grabbed his bag, nearly tripping over a stack of manga in the process.

By the time he made it downstairs, Hana was already waiting, arms crossed and an exasperated look on her face. "You're hopeless," she said, handing him a piece of toast.

Kai grinned sheepishly. "Thanks, sis. I owe you one."

"You owe me ten," she muttered, shoving him toward the door.

The streets of Kiyomura were peaceful that morning, the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Kai's school was a short walk away, and he spent most of it daydreaming about the next episode of his favorite anime. Life was simple, predictable, and maybe a little boring.

But all of that changed when the sky turned purple.

It started with a low hum, like the sound of a thousand bees. People stopped in their tracks, staring up in confusion. Then came the light—a blinding, otherworldly glow that seemed to tear the atmosphere apart.

Kai froze as an enormous rift appeared in the sky, pulsating with energy. From it, shadowy creatures began to emerge, their forms twisting and shifting like living nightmares.

"Is this… a dream?" Kai whispered, his body refusing to move.

A scream jolted him back to reality. One of the creatures had lunged at a passerby, its claws gleaming like obsidian. Without thinking, Kai grabbed a discarded metal pipe from the ground and charged forward.

"Get away from her!" he shouted, swinging the pipe with all his might. It connected with the creature's head, sending it staggering back.

For a moment, Kai felt triumphant. But then the creature turned its glowing red eyes on him, and he realized he had just made a very big mistake.