Struggle

Walking through the streets under the afternoon sun, Cirrus usually felt a sense of security. But lately, every time he stepped outside, an uneasy feeling crept over him—like something was off.

He pulled out his phone. No messages from his uncle. No messages from Nina.

The screen time displayed 12:00 PM.

His school started at noon, but strangely, the streets were emptier than usual. Only a few people passed by, and some of them shot him odd glances.

The air felt unusually cold despite the sun shining above.

Cirrus reached into his pocket and rubbed the pendant he always carried.

"Should I go to school?" he wondered. 'This feeling… it's unsettling.'

He knew he wasn't dreaming. He could feel everything—the air, the taste of food, the cold water from his morning shower. It was real. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't shake off the unease.

In the end, he turned back.

'The teachers will understand. This isn't my first time skipping school anyway. I can just ask Nina about what I missed.'

Trusting his instincts was better than ignoring them. He had learned that much from his nightmares. Cirrus was always on guard, and even if it was just a feeling, it was safer to follow it than risk losing his life.

---

RING.

A message popped up on his phone.

"Hey, where are you? The teacher's here. Hurry up before you get scolded." — Nina.

Cirrus stared at the screen for a moment.

Then, with a sigh, he turned back toward the school.

---

It didn't take long to reach the campus—his house was only a few minutes away.

Standing outside the school gates, he hesitated. The feeling of unease hadn't disappeared.

But then, he spotted a janitor, a security guard, and several students moving about inside.

The sight eased his nerves a little.

Maybe… everything was normal.

At least, for now. 

The moment Cirrus stepped onto the school grounds, his eyes widened.

A chilling air wrapped around him like an unseen force, sending a shiver down his spine. His pendant—tucked in his pocket—burned against his skin, its heat intensifying.

Then, the sun vanished, replaced by an eerie, glowing blue moon.

The once-busy campus fell into a haunting stillness.

The janitor, the guard, and the students scattered across the schoolyard slowly turned their heads toward him—their eyes blank and empty.

A sharp, instinctual fear gripped his chest.

He turned to run.

'Shit! Shit!'

But before he could escape, tentacles erupted from the school building entrance.

They lashed out, slithering toward him with unnatural speed.

Before he could react, they wrapped around his body, tightening like iron chains.

Cirrus struggled, thrashing against the monstrous grip, but it was useless—the tentacles were too strong.

Terror filled his eyes as he was dragged toward the school building.

Then—

A flash of heat.

The pendant in his pocket burned so intensely that the heat seared through the tentacles.

A deep crack formed on its surface.

The sudden burn made the tentacles recoil for just a moment.

A moment was all he needed.

Cirrus broke free.

Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the exit—

Only to find there was no exit.

The gate, the walls, and even the streets beyond were gone.

Replaced by an endless, suffocating darkness.

His stomach twisted. No way out. Gritting his teeth, he changed direction.

'The rooftop!'

He dashed toward the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

His mind raced.

'What the hell is going on? Can nightmares hurt me now?!'

This was wrong.

For years, the nightmares had tormented him—but they had never been able to physically harm him.

He had let his guard down.

For the first time, he had been excited to see his new friend.

To live a normal life.

But he had made a mistake.

And now, reality itself was devouring him. He knew nothing about them. 

He should have just listened to his instincts.

'But what about Nina? Did she betray me?'

The thought gnawed at him as he kept running up the stairs. But then—he suddenly stopped.

Something was wrong.

He had been running for minutes, yet he still hadn't reached the third floor. He had been too lost in thought to notice earlier, but now the realization sent a chill down his spine.

'The monster… it's not chasing me anymore.'

He glanced downstairs, scanning for any movement. Nothing.

Slowly, he made his way to the second floor.

The hallway was eerily quiet, shrouded in darkness, with only the faint glow of moonlight seeping through the windows.

And then—

"Nina?"

A figure appeared.

It was Nina. He recognized her immediately. But something was… wrong.

She was running toward him, but her movements were unnatural—jerky, almost broken. Thin, writhing tentacles protruded from her mouth.

Her eyes were upside down.

Cirrus felt ice crawl through his veins. Sweat poured down his face.

His instincts screamed at him.

And before he could even think—his feet moved on their own.

He ran. 

"Why are you running? Everyone is dead because of you!"

"Coward!"

"Pathetic!"

"Your mother died because of you. Your father died because of you."

Cirrus gritted his teeth, forcing himself to ignore the monster's words. Exhaustion weighed down his body—he had been running endlessly, trying to escape. But something was wrong.

He finally noticed it.

The second floor was looping.

No matter how far he ran, the hallway never ended. If he kept this up, the monster would eventually catch him.

He glanced at the window.

I have no choice.

Gritting his teeth, he rammed into the glass, shattering it as he leaped out.

But instead of falling to the ground—

His eyes widened in terror.

There was no ground.

There was nothing below him.

Only a vast abyss filled with countless, unblinking eyes—watching him, as if the entire school were part of the nightmare's body. Then, the abyss yawned open like the maw of a beast, revealing countless razor-sharp teeth.

His body plunged downward.

Cirrus couldn't move.

'I'm going to die…?'

He slowly closed his eyes, accepting it.

For years, he had wanted to die. There was nothing left for him in this world. He had no family, no purpose. So why… why had he been running?

Why had he fought so hard to escape death?

A memory surfaced in his mind.

That's right.

He had sworn revenge.

He wanted to find the people who had killed his parents. He needed answers.

Who were they?

Why did they destroy his peaceful life?

But no matter how hard he searched, his efforts led to nothing.

Maybe… deep down, he just wanted to rest.

...

"Have you thought about it? Everyone is dead because of you!"

Cirrus's eyes snapped open.

He was lying in the second-floor hallway again.

Above him, the monster—Nina—was holding him down.

Veins bulged on his forehead. His fists clenched. With a sharp glare, he shouted.

"Who the hell are you!? Who is 'everyone'!? Why are you trying to kill me!?"

The monster tilted its head, tentacles writhing.

"Everyone… You don't remember…"

For the first time, it spoke more than a single phrase.

Its voice was broken. Distorted.

The tentacles on its mouth wiggled unnaturally as it continued.

"Brother… Sister… Grandfather… Grandmother… Aunt… Mother… Father…"

"Everyone is dead because of you…"

Cirrus froze.

'What…?'

Confusion clouded his thoughts, but he didn't have time to process it.

The monster's tentacles suddenly expanded—lunging toward him, ready to consume him whole.

He shut his eyes, bracing for the end.

---

Magic?

Superpowers?

Experimentation?

Ever since he saw his father transform into something inhuman, Cirrus had wondered.

Maybe there was a hidden world.

A world his parents had known about.

Maybe that was why the masked men had killed them.

For years, Cirrus searched for answers.

But he found nothing.

Nothing at all—

Until he remembered.

A dice.

Why?

Why was there a dice?

His father never played dice games. His clothes didn't even have pockets that could hold one. So why—?

...

A glow appeared in the hallway.

A dice materialized in his hand.

Cirrus's eyes widened in shock, but he had no time to hesitate.

He clenched his fist and punched the monster away.

Nina's distorted form stumbled back, seemingly distracted.

But in his rush, Cirrus lost his grip—

The dice fell from his hand.

It rolled across the floor.

Cirrus struggled to move.

The dice rolled… and rolled… until it hit the wall.

It stopped at 1.

...

Cirrus, on the verge of being consumed, suddenly felt it.

His right arm pulsed.

His muscles bulged unnaturally.

Power surged through his veins.

His body felt… different.

Without hesitation—

He threw a punch.

His fist crashed into the monster, sending it flying down the dark hallway.

For the first time—

He fought back.

The monster roared, lunging at him.

Cirrus felt a sudden surge of confidence.

His giant arm—empowered by the dice—slammed into the creature's face with earth-shattering force.

The impact sent it reeling back, but it wasn't enough.

The monster kept coming.

It wouldn't die no matter how many times Cirrus struck or how much force he used—it wouldn't die.

It was relentless.

Unyielding.

A nightmare that refused to be defeated.

Then, the creature spoke.

'Why are you holding back?'

Cirrus froze.

Nina's face—twisted and monstrous—flickered.

For just a moment, her eyes changed.

A spark of life. A flicker of humanity.

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

Her lips trembled as if struggling against an unseen force.

Her gaze—pleading.

Cirrus' heart skipped a beat.

Then, rage ignited inside him.

Deep, searing rage.

He clenched his fists so hard they trembled.

It hit him—Nina was a victim too.

The nightmare had manipulated her.

It had twisted her into a pawn, using her to lure him here.

The monster's tentacles wriggled grotesquely from her mouth as it laughed.

'Is it because she's your first friend?'

Its tone was mocking, and cruel.

Cirrus' teeth gritted. His fists tightened.

"Let. Her. Go!"