Ash's perspective
And I knew—more than ever—that I would do anything to protect these people.
Even if it meant dying a million times.
"If the brotherly reunion is over, can you guys come down?" Bram's voice echoed from the doorway.
"Okay," everyone said almost in unison.
Everyone was gathered, and it was obvious something serious had happened.
"What's going on?" I asked Yuki.
"Brother… Rei and Aki still haven't returned home."
"What?!" My confusion spiked.
"I think, instead of panicking, we should just go and check for them," Yuki's father said.
"Alright, but who's going and who's staying?" Aunt Naomi asked.
"I'll go. Whoever wants to come can come," Yuki's father replied.
"Then take a bus. And if you find them first, slap Rei. Oh—and bring more supplies while you're at it," Yuki's grandfather said.
"So, who's going?" Yuki's father asked.
Jun, Theo, Jace, Ryn, Kai, and I raised our hands.
"Kids, that place is dangerous," Yuki's father warned.
"If it's dangerous, then we don't need to argue. We need to save them both," Jace said firmly.
"These children have a point." Yuki looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped.
We piled into the bus. Yuki's father was driving, and the rest of us sat ready with weapons in hand. We were heading toward the mall Rei had mentioned to his father before leaving.
When we arrived, the place was chaos—clearly raided multiple times since the apocalypse began.
On the second floor, in the open hall, Rei was just… sitting on a sofa.
"Rei!!!" Yuki's father shouted.
No response.
Then, without hesitation, he fired a shot toward him.
Rei jumped and ducked behind the sofa. "Who the hell shoots at their own child just for not answering?!"
We were all clueless.
"Guys, I'm sorry for pranking you. There were too many goods here for me to carry alone, so I figured if I stayed, someone from the family would eventually come with a vehicle. Okay, sorry, sorry!" Rei babbled out apologies.
Yuki's father slapped him. "One from my father, and one from your father."
Aki came running downstairs, also apologizing. Yuki's father started lecturing them both.
I was sent to bring some ropes and a metal tray. The plan was simple—break the glass, use the ropes and tray to send all the items down to the ground floor.
When I returned with the items, I learned they'd already voted for me to be the one on the ground to catch everything. Obviously, I didn't want to… but saying "no" in front of these monsters wasn't an option.
They told me not to wander out of sight—but I had other plans. If this mall had any novels, manga, or, better yet, DVD box sets of anime, I was going to find them.
That's when I saw it.
Blood.
At first, I didn't care—I was too happy digging through shelves to even think about where it came from. But as I neared the end of the aisle, I looked closer. The blood was fresh. When I touched it, it smeared wet on my fingers.
My stomach tightened.
I searched for more clues, each step confirming my growing suspicion. Something had happened here.
Then I saw it.
Aki's body—cut in half.
I froze, my throat closing up. I tried to scream, but no sound came out.
Panic hit me hard. I had to warn the others—the shapeshifter was here, wearing Aki's face.
I turned to run—
—but slammed into the wall.
Rei's severed head rolled to the floor in front of me.
I wanted to scream, but something… stopped me. Like an invisible hand clamped over my mouth.
Then the voice whispered in my ear.
When will you stop acting like an idiot, Ash?
My mind went blank. I wanted to cry, but even tears wouldn't come. I couldn't speak, couldn't move.
Two shapeshifters. Rei and Aki—both dead.
What should I do? Die here, and try to stop them from leaving in the redo? But what if I wake up too late… or worse, what if I don't wake up at all this time?
"Hey, Ash! Where are you? We're sending the first batch of items—just unload them!" Jace shouted from upstairs.