Returning to reality, a buzzing grew in my ears. Each time my vision stopped going black and began to clear, the sound intensified. It reached a point where all I could see was a white light that seemed to swallow the world.
I felt my body — once useless, sprawled on the sand with no hope — float for a few moments and receive sensations beyond what was possible. Even so, I refused to wake; I forced my eyes to remain shut, as if opening them would mean accepting something irreversible.
Unable to see the real world, I watched the spirits of some birds cutting through the blue sky. There were six of them, bathed in sunlight, moving in perfect synchrony as if they knew exactly where to go. There was a calm in that flight that felt almost painful to me, a calm impossible after what I had been through.
In an act of courage, I opened my eyes, expecting the worst.
The unexpected always appears when least expected, ready to set its foot on the threshold.
This time, I was lying on sand — no longer in the park, but on a beach. The salty, cold sea lapped the side of my arm, leaving small shells and bits of seaweed. To the left, a path lined with tall trees led to a handful of houses, some with doors ajar, others completely empty.
"Where am I?" I whispered, putting my sand-coated hand to my forehead.
I had no idea what was happening; the scenes changed every second, like fragments of a dream. Now, however, they felt real, with the smell of sea spray and foam slapping against the rocks.
"Is this all a nightmare?" I thought, trying to find logic in conclusions that slipped away. If it were a nightmare, those who mattered would be here with me — I thought fearfully.
I looked at my body: there were no visible wounds. The only lingering impression from the previous scene was the weight in my eyes — after all, I had cried so much that they burned and were swollen.
I rose slowly, exhausted and traumatized. I conjured the materialization of my staff as a precaution, ready in case a clone, a monster, or any other aberration appeared. Having it in hand gave me a little security.
"The beach is pretty rocky..." I murmured as I walked among stones and shells.
I went to the houses and searched for a vehicle and a key — the first things I needed. I also had to hope the fuel tank was full, or at least enough to reach the military base. I figured that if I could find a car, I could head to places with more people — and more answers.
I rummaged through apartments, yards, and squares and found nothing. It seemed all the inhabitants of that town had fled somewhere unknown. Nightfall came without my noticing the time passing; a strangeness had opened fissures in my understanding of what was real. The great clock in the sky remained stopped, motionless, like a silent witness that something greater had happened.
Turning onto one of the main roads, I came across a two-story car dealership made entirely of glass. Inside, luxury cars displayed broken dashboards, shattered windows, and signs of attempted looting. Screams and sharp cracks — distant gunshots — echoed, and the sound of falling windows mixed with male and female voices.
I ran as fast as I could. There was a mixture of worry and desperation in my chest; the fear of being alone in that situation overwhelmed me. On the other hand, the gunfire could be a good sign: perhaps there was someone skilled enough to help me, or at least someone to share information with.
"Is anyone there?" I shouted as I stormed into the showroom. "I came to help. My name is Jin!"
The noises stopped immediately after I spoke.
The cars were almost all damaged: dents in the bodies, broken mirrors, punctured tires. I moved further in and saw a staircase leading to a lower floor. Bulbs hung from exposed wires, flickering irregularly and casting strange shadows down the corridor.
At the bottom of the steps, the corridor split in two directions and, as I approached, seemed to widen as if the store had more space than it should.
"Hey, is anyone there?" I repeated, this time louder.
When I finished descending, I felt something cold touch my head: the tip of a rifle.
"Raise your hands and don't move," a strangely calm voice ordered to my right.
I obeyed without resistance.
A person dressed entirely in green camouflage emerged, moving in front of me and pressing a heavy weapon to their chest. It was hard to tell whether it was a man or a woman beneath the mask.
"Wait... are you that guy the survivors have been talking about?" they asked, lowering the muzzle slightly.
"I believe so. You're the second person to tell me that today," I replied, lowering my arms. "I'm starting to think I've become famous."
The figure relaxed a bit, put the weapon on their back, and adjusted their mask with a sigh of relief.
"Sorry for scaring you. A woman was chasing us and we had to hide here. The shots were to keep her away," they explained, their voice carrying that same technical calm. "Come, I'll get you something to drink. You must be thirsty."
Opening a door to the left, I found six people leaning against a brick wall: an adult man, two boys, and three women. Their faces were marked by fatigue, eyes hollow, clothes patched. Only one of the boys didn't have black hair; his hair was blood-red.
"Would you like some tea?" the camouflaged person offered, approaching an improvised table with a few cups.
"Sure, please," I accepted gratefully, parched from dehydration.
"It hasn't been easy dealing with all this. People lose hope more every day," they explained, pouring tea from an earthenware jug.
"I imagine... it's dangerous to go out looking for supplies all the time," I said while taking a sip. "If you prefer, we can talk somewhere else."
"Follow me. I know a safer place," she said, rising.
As we were leaving, I felt something tug my jacket. I turned and saw the red-haired boy, his short arm holding onto the hem of my shirt. His eyes were red, and there were tears. He hadn't spoken since the Great Day; he was frightened and confused.
"He hasn't spoken since the Great Day. He's desperate and scared..." the woman explained, stroking the boy's head.
"Looks like he likes you," she said as she walked through the door.
I kept looking at the boy. There was something about him that touched me. I knelt and held him in my lap.
We climbed to the roof of a nearby building. The moon hung high and the stars' shimmer was beginning to pierce the clouds. In the streets below, creatures called Trins — marked in various colors — wandered, some of which I had never seen before.
"It's been such a long time since I admired the night like this," I said, feeling a stab of nostalgia.
"This is perfection," Mi — as she introduced herself — said as she sat on the roof's edge.
"The city looks so different with everything out; it doesn't even seem like we're in Japan," I added, sitting beside her. "You still haven't told me your name."
She looked up and remained silent for a few moments, as if reluctant.
"Mi. You can call me that," she finally answered, still somewhat uncomfortable. "The boy's name is Rin Wakatoshi. He's only six years old, but he shows resolve when he's alone."
"I found him hiding from a monster. Since then, he's helped me locate other people," she added, swinging her legs.
"I'm glad he's okay. I hope he begins to speak again soon," I said, lightly patting Rin on the shoulders to distract him.
"Unlike you, I was at a military base in Saitama earlier before being teleported to the beach after waking from a nightmare," I explained, looking at the distant ground below.
"It's not that different. I've also been having strange dreams even when I'm not sleeping. I thought it was because of everything going on, but apparently there's something supernatural behind it," Mi said with a somewhat ironic laugh.
"When it all happened, I appeared in a house nearby," she recounted, putting her weapon in a corner. "I was in Hokkaido this week studying at the university, but the Great Day threw me into the middle of the chaos."
Rin squeezed my wrist tightly; he seemed to have experienced the same thing. That, in part, explained the unease I felt looking at the towering buildings.
"Where are those people who appear beside you in the videos?" she asked, noticing I was alone.
"For some reason, they weren't teleported," I replied, worried. "We were attacked by some soldiers... not exactly— I don't think it was their fault."
"Do you think Angela knew about all this? Maybe that's why she sent me into the general's office first," she murmured, speculating.
"If it's true, my theory is that everyone was teleported to precise points in each country," Mi said thoughtfully.
"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.
"In China and South Korea, survivors are concentrated in the major cities. There are no reports of people in remote corners of their countries," she answered. "It wouldn't be just a communications cut. How do you explain nearly five hundred million people in Shanghai?"
I was speechless; maybe she was right.
"It could be that this theory is true. Maybe it was caused by someone with powers like yours," she concluded, stretching her hands.
"You mean there are others like me?" I asked, surprised. I hadn't realized that by mentioning my abilities I'd revealed more than I intended.
"There's only one reason you became famous," Mi said, standing up.
"Although I didn't see anyone filming me, there are reports and videos about that group of heroes. But I only used my powers during the fight against Oosawa. We were on the top of the tallest building; it would be practically impossible for there to be recordings," I explained.
"Can you show me any of those videos?" I asked as I helped Rin off the ledge.
"Our devices were stolen by the woman I mentioned earlier. She didn't kill us because of a bearded man who called to her," Mi replied, moving to a nearby vent and opening it. "I managed to stash some weapons and canned food here. I've warned the other survivors in case things go wrong."
Inside the bag there were few canned goods and about three pistols atop five machetes — all in a red tool bag.
"Do you have any information about this woman?" I asked, offering help. "I could try to recover her things and capture her."
"She has brown hair. The man who was with her mentioned a laboratory nearby, but I don't know the area well," Mi answered, visibly disappointed.
"Whether she's from the region or not, it would be hard to know. Before the Great Day there wasn't any laboratory in public spaces, unless it was hidden from the population," I ventured.
Rin grew more restless, pacing and biting his nails.
"Do you know where it is, Rin?" I kneeled and held his hand.
He nodded hesitantly.
"Can you take uncle there, please?" he murmured, his voice trembling.
At last, he agreed. The night would be our ally; the darkness would make infiltration easier. Mi grabbed her rifle.
"I don't need it, but leave one of the pistols with Rin in case something happens," I ordered as I descended the stairs. "Just a reminder: there are more Trins at night than during the day."
In a short time, we were facing dozens of Trins. We killed many, but they kept appearing without end. Rin, on the other hand, seemed unable to recognize the place due to the vast destruction: his eyes widened in awe, and oddly the monsters were drawn to him.
Suddenly, Rin's eyes began to glow an intense red.
"Have his eyes always been like that?" Mi asked amid a fight against a red Trin, receiving no answer.
Rin walked calmly into a ruined pharmacy, passing between the monsters as if nothing bothered him.
Mi and I were busy fighting six Trins at once; we couldn't protect the boy in time.
"Watch out!" I shouted.
One of the Trins picked up an axe and swung it toward Rin. I tried to summon a spiritual hand to stop it, but I wasn't fast enough.
When the axe was only a few centimeters from hitting the boy, Rin stared into the creature's eyes.
The Trin stopped at once.
Rin picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the creature's chest, piercing it and killing it.
It was simply unbelievable.
After the fight ended, we ran to Rin. I turned the boy by the shoulders; his eyes returned to their usual black.
"Here," he said in a low voice.
We hurried into the pharmacy and followed Rin to a metal door with a radiation warning sign pasted on it.
"Are you sure it's here?" Mi asked suspiciously, holding her weapon.
"There's only one way to find out," I replied, and when my hands touched the doorknob we heard heavy footsteps and a gentle voice ask:
"Can I help you?"