SAI SHINU
I was deep in sleep when my phone suddenly rang. The sharp sound cut through the quiet night, making both me and Yuri jolt upright. My heart pounded as I reached for it.
"Who calls this late?" I muttered, still groggy.
I answered—and it was Jiro. His voice was panicked. He said something like an earthquake was happening, but neither I nor Yuri felt anything.
I quickly told him our location, and he said he was heading here immediately. Yuri, still half-asleep, sat up and asked what was going on.
I didn't answer. I couldn't—not with the confusion knotting in my chest. Instead, I walked to the window, pushed the curtain aside… and froze.
The sight outside was horrific. People were screaming, running for their lives. Buildings collapsed one after another, falling like raindrops in a storm.
I cracked the window open and stretched my hand outside. Instantly, I yanked it back. The sheer pressure in the air felt like it was going to rip my arm out of its socket.
The wind was so forceful it could stop an ordinary human from taking even a single step forward. My pulse raced.
Without thinking, I grabbed Yuri's hand. "We need to move."
We rushed downstairs. She quickly checked on the cat while I opened the front door just enough to test outside. The moment I stepped forward with my right leg, I felt it—the crushing force from the ground itself, like the earth was trying to shove me back inside.
And then—Jiro appeared in the distance.
"Hey! I'm here!" I shouted, waving.
His eyes lit up. Relief washed over his face despite the chaos crashing down around him. When he reached me, I grabbed his arm and yanked him inside, slamming the door shut behind us.
"Thank goodness you're okay," we both said at the same time.
He was gasping, drenched in sweat. It was clear he hadn't stopped running since the moment we spoke on the phone.
"What the hell is happening? And why is it that inside this house everything feels… normal?" he asked, panting.
"I noticed the same thing," I said, glancing between him and Yuri. "The moment I stepped out, I felt the earthquake. But here… nothing."
Before we could speak further, a familiar chime echoed.
Ding.
The system.
"Did you hear that?" I asked Yuri.
She blinked. "No… what sound?"
I grabbed her hand. Immediately, her eyes widened—she could see it.
"Jiro, give me your hand," I ordered.
He clasped my arm, and just like Yuri, his expression changed. Both of them were staring at the same translucent screen I was seeing. Their hands gripped tightly onto my biceps, as if tethered to me.
I opened my quest log. A red mark pulsed, and with it… an item appeared.
ITEM: D/D/D KEY
DESCRIPTION: ???
Yuri leaned closer. "Triple D…? What does that even mean?"
I shook my head. "Only one way to find out."
Reaching into my inventory, I pulled the key out. Its surface glowed faintly as I moved it forward, mimicking the motion of unlocking an invisible door. The moment I turned it—
—it vanished.
My heart sank. But just as disappointment washed over me, space itself tore open.
A gate—shimmering, pulsing, alive—opened right in front of us.
"Grab whatever you need. We're leaving," I said firmly.
Both Yuri and Jiro froze. "How do you know it's safe?" they asked together.
"I don't," I admitted, my tone sharp. "But I do know this—staying here without a plan will kill us. That gate might be our only chance."
Jiro nodded slowly. "He's right." His gaze shifted to Yuri.
I could see hesitation in her eyes, but deep down, she knew there was no choice.
She handed us bags. "Fill them. Whatever we need—food, water, anything."
We packed quickly, every second feeling heavier than the last.
"You ready?" I asked.
"Yes," they both answered, though Yuri's voice trembled.
Then she looked at me, eyes brimming with worry. "But… what about my father?"
I gripped her hands tightly. "Right now, the only thing he'd want is for you to be safe. I'm sure of it."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Wouldn't it be better to take him with us? Through the gate?"
I swallowed hard. "Yuri… I know your father's a kind man. The first thing he'd do is reach out to you. But he hasn't. That means either he's safe somewhere beyond our reach… or he's—"
The ground jolted violently, cutting me off.
"Now!" I shouted.
I grabbed their hands and hurled them toward the gate. In the same motion, I scooped up the cat and tossed it safely through.
Just then—click.
The sound of the front door unlocking.
Reflexively, I spun around.
And there he was.
A figure stepping through the threshold, his presence heavy, unreal. His image flickered like a mirage—half real, half not.
Before I could speak, a calm but chilling voice cut through the chaos.
"We should have a talk."