Prologue – One Second Before the Fall

The rain fell like bullets. Cold. Merciless.

The night sky was shapeless—pitch black, as if mourning alongside a heart long since shattered.

In the distance, the hum of traffic echoed faintly, a reminder that the world kept spinning... even without me in it.

I stood at the edge of the bridge.

Soaked. Shivering. Empty.

My hand clutched a phone with a cracked screen—its damage nothing compared to the wreckage inside me.

The final message still glowed dimly, flickering like the dying ember of something that once felt warm:

> "I'm sorry. I can't do this anymore. Reiji and I... we didn't want you to find out this way."

Ayaka.

Her name circled my mind, tangled with shards of memories that now pierced like broken glass.

And Reiji...

The best friend I once called family.

Turns out... he was the sharpest knife I ever handed to my own back.

I let out a small laugh—not because it was funny, but because the pain had already crossed into something worse.

Something hollow. Something quiet.

What hurts more than betrayal by the ones you trusted most?

What's sadder than realizing the life you built… was nothing more than a beautiful lie?

But it wasn't just about them.

This pain… wasn't just theirs to blame.

Not since that night—the night I called my mom and dad...

and five minutes later, learned their car had fallen off a cliff.

I lost more than just love.

I lost my family.

I lost my home.

I lost everything.

I wasn't even there. I didn't join that trip.

And one single call from me… was all it took to ruin it all.

Since then, I stopped knowing what was worth saving in my life.

The wind howled like a ghost wrapping around my body.

Cars below kept moving.

Time marched on.

Reality stayed cruel.

One more step.

Just one.

What am I even searching for?

Forgiveness? Redemption?

Or… a way out?

---

And then—

a voice, soft yet clear, echoed from the darkest corner of my mind:

> "If you were given a second chance…

would you fix everything?

Or make them pay for what they did to you?"

I froze.

That voice cut through louder than the rain, deeper than grief.

Sharper than guilt.

What would I do... if time gave me one more shot?

The world blurred.

The horns, the cold, the weight in my chest—

all began to fade.

And in that emptiness…

only one thing remained:

Regret.

---

When I opened my eyes,

I was no longer on that bridge.

No thunder.

No traffic.

No overwhelming pressure crushing my ribs.

Just a small room.

Warm.

Anime posters on the wall.

A rickety study chair.

And a middle school uniform hanging by the door.

My hands... were smaller.

This body… was mine.

But it was me from the past.

And in that moment, I knew—

Time had given me a second chance.

---

> But second chances aren't always about redemption.

Sometimes, they're a path toward truth.

And revenge.

Or maybe... something far greater than both.

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The Leftover Fragments

Written by Vons

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