Tokyo, 2047.
Artificial rain washed over the neon-lit streets, making the city glow like a painting dipped in liquid glass. Towering holo-ads beamed in every direction—politicians promising safety, corporations selling immortality, and vigilante groups denouncing the government. But for Ka-nar, twenty-five years old and invisible to the world, it was just another night.
He stood in the corner of a convenience store, waiting for his shift to end. His hair was messy, his uniform crumpled, and his eyes half-dead from staring at cash registers all day.
"A meaningless life, huh?" he muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead.
He never chased dreams, not because he didn't have them, but because he had convinced himself they were impossible.
While his classmates had become engineers, soldiers, or politicians, Ka-nar settled for the background. A cog in Tokyo's vast machine.
At 11:59 PM, just as he was about to lock the shutters, a courier drone descended outside the store. Its sleek white body hummed with quiet menace.
"Delivery for—Ka-nar Sir."
Ka-nar frowned.
"Me? I didn't order anything."
The drone scanned his face, confirmed identity, and dropped a small black case onto the counter. Then it flew off into the rainy night, leaving Ka-nar staring at the object.
The case was no bigger than a glasses box, engraved with symbols he didn't recognize. Its surface felt warm, almost alive.
Something inside him whispered—open it.
---
The Box
In his cramped apartment later that night, Ka-nar sat cross-legged on the floor, staring at the case under the dim light of a flickering bulb. His hands hesitated, but curiosity won.
The lid slid open with a hiss.
Inside lay a single lens—transparent, yet glowing faintly like starlight trapped in glass. Alongside it was a folded slip of digital paper.
The message read:
"To Ka-nar. This will let you see what others cannot. Use it wisely. — From the Future."
Ka-nar's heart skipped.
Future? What kind of prank is this?
He picked up the lens. It was soft, almost liquid, yet held form. The moment he pressed it against his right eye, the lens fused seamlessly, dissolving into his cornea.
Pain shot through his skull—like needles of light piercing his brain.
Ka-nar screamed, collapsing on the floor.
---
First Activation
When he opened his eyes, the world had changed.
Digital texts hovered in the air. Over his messy table, over the cracked wall, even over the leaking sink. Everything had a label. A description.
But when he looked into the mirror, his own reflection stunned him.
> Ka-nar
> Age: 25
> Condition: Mentally exhausted
> Dream: Unknown
> Possible Timeline (0.003%): "Hero who changes the course of humanity."
Ka-nar's throat went dry.
"What… the hell is this?"
His vision flickered, and suddenly, across his reflection, another line appeared—
> Future Fragment Available.
And then—he saw it.
For a split second, the mirror didn't show his shabby apartment. Instead, he saw himself standing in a ruined battlefield. Flames devoured skyscrapers, corpses littered the ground, and Ka-nar was wearing an armored exoskeleton, holding a burning sword in one hand. His eyes glowed unnaturally, and people—hundreds—knelt before him.
Then, just as fast, it vanished.
Ka-nar fell backward, gasping for air. His heartbeat hammered against his chest.
"No… no way. That wasn't real… was it?"
---
The Knock
A sudden knock at the door jolted him.
Three sharp raps.
Ka-nar froze.
Nobody visited him at midnight.
He opened the door slightly. A figure in a black raincoat stood outside, face hidden. The man's voice was calm, too calm.
"You've received the lens."
Ka-nar's blood ran cold.
"Who… who are you?"
The man ignored the question. His gaze seemed to pierce through the gap in the door.
"Listen carefully. That lens is not a gift—it's a curse. If you keep it, your life will no longer be your own. You'll be hunted, betrayed, and erased from history."
Ka-nar's grip on the door tightened.
"Then why was it sent to me?"
For a moment, the man was silent. Then he whispered—
"Because in one timeline… you succeed. And that terrifies them."
Before Ka-nar could ask who them?, the man vanished down the stairwell, footsteps echoing until silence remained.
---
Sleepless Night
Ka-nar shut the door, heart racing. His room suddenly felt suffocating, walls pressing in.
He stumbled to the mirror again, staring at the faint glow in his right eye.
"Hero who changes the course of humanity…" he repeated, voice shaking.
"That's… not me. I'm no hero. I'm nothing."
But the lens didn't care what he believed. It had already chosen him.
And outside his apartment, under the rain-soaked sky, two more figures watched his window from the shadows—one adjusting a mechanical mask, the other speaking softly into a communicator.
"Target has activated the Neno Lens. Permission to proceed?"
Static answered back:
"Proceed. He must not live long enough to change the future."