Chapter 11: Echoes of a Past Unseen

Late evening draped the school rooftop in a rich red-orange hue, the sunset casting long shadows across the cracked concrete.

Haruto and Airi stood together, breathless from the earlier confrontation.

"Why is he after us?" Airi asked, clutching her chest.

"He knows things we don't. He called us... mistakes?"

Haruto glanced at the watch on his wrist.

Its faint golden glow pulsed gently, almost in rhythm with his racing heart.

"This thing..." he muttered.

"It chose me.

But it doesn't feel like I'm the one in control anymore.

It reacts on its own... like it knows what's coming."

Suddenly, the sky darkened.

Clouds twisted unnaturally fast above the school, spiraling as if time itself had been grabbed and wrung out.

A sharp buzz vibrated through the air.

Reality bent — just for a moment — and then cracked, a sound like shattered glass echoing across the rooftop.

From nowhere, Reiji's voice resonated around them.

"You had your moment to run.

Now let's see how much you're really worth."

In a blink, Reiji appeared.

He stood calmly at the edge of the rooftop, a faint aura of swirling black and violet energy wrapping around him like a living storm.

His eyes glowed — cold and unnatural.

"The Light Gods..." Reiji said mockingly.

"Always believing in hope and harmony.

Let's see how long that belief holds... when I erase both of you."

He clapped his hands together.

A new wave of distortion rippled outward.

Time slowed again — but this time, it was heavier.

Denser.

Even gravity seemed to drag them downward.

Airi stumbled, clutching her sketchbook tightly.

"H-Haruto... it's... pulling me down..." she gasped.

Haruto gritted his teeth, reaching for the watch.

"Not again... come on, MOVE!" he snarled.

The watch sparked violently.

Golden veins of light flared up his arm.

His heartbeat thundered in his ears.

A voice — old and familiar — whispered in his mind.

"Use your heart, Haruto.

Not your anger.

Power is meant to protect."

Grandfather's voice.

Haruto took a deep breath.

The pressure around him eased.

Click.

The world gave way — and he pulled Airi behind him just as Reiji lunged.

"You want us?" Haruto shouted.

"Come and get us!"

Reiji's attacks were merciless — swift, calculated.

He wasn't trying to kill them yet.

He was testing them.

Haruto barely dodged a wave of temporal distortion that sliced through part of the rooftop wall like paper.

"Still relying on reflex?" Reiji taunted.

"Still blind to your truth.

I wonder... how long can you protect her...

when you don't even know who she is?"

The words hit like daggers.

Haruto froze.

Airi flinched.

On her finger, the silver ring glowed faintly — unnoticed by anyone but her.

Haruto clenched his fists.

"I don't care what you know!" he roared.

"She's my friend — and I'll protect her with everything I've got!"

Without hesitation, he charged.

This time, the watch responded immediately.

Click.

Time froze.

Ten seconds.

Haruto dashed forward with everything he had.

He slammed his fist across Reiji's face mid-air.

Time resumed—

Reiji caught himself mid-flip, landing perfectly with eerie grace.

He wiped blood from the corner of his mouth and smiled coldly.

"So... you are waking up," Reiji murmured.

"This is going to be fun."

He vanished into a swirl of black smoke.

But where he had stood, a thin, floating crack remained — a scar in the fabric of time itself.

Airi collapsed to her knees, breathing hard.

Haruto knelt beside her.

"I don't know what's happening..." Airi whispered, tears burning at the corners of her eyes.

"But I feel like I've known him before.

And you.

All of this feels... familiar."

Haruto placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You're not alone, Airi," he said softly.

"Even if I don't understand it yet...

I'll figure it out.

With you."

They sat together in silence, the dying sunset painting the rooftop in gold and crimson.

Behind the clouds, the moon glowed unnaturally bright — as if it were watching them.

Far away, hidden in the mist of the fading sky, the mysterious man watched as well.

This time, his golden eyes shimmered with sadness... and recognition.

"...He's getting stronger..." the man whispered.

"But it's not yet time.

Not yet."

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To Be Continued...