Ren Solas was still asleep that morning, tucked beneath his warm blanket, breathing softly in the comfort of childhood dreams. Golden light slipped through the curtain, casting soft patterns on the wall. Beside the bed, there was a study table and a chair. Near the door stood a tall cupboard.
Suddenly, the door creaked open. Wren, his older sister, stepped in quietly. She was around twenty, with flowing black hair and calm blue eyes. She approached the bed with gentle steps and started shaking him. "Wake up, Ren. It's time for school."
Ren didn't respond. She sighed, looking at him with a mix of exhaustion and affection. 'Here we go again.' She grabbed the blanket with both hands and pulled it off. As the cold wind hit him, he curled tighter into the sheets.
She sighed again. 'Okay… that's not enough, either.' Wren grabbed both his legs, swung them off the bed, and gently forced him to stand. She placed her hands on his shoulders and guided him toward the bathroom. Each step was clumsy—Ren half-asleep, stumbling, and she had to redirect him every time he veered off course. Finally, she pushed him into the bathroom and returned to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, their father sat dressed in a grey suit, reading the newspaper and eating toasted bread. Their mother stood at the counter, boiling milk and preparing more toast. Fifteen minutes later, Ren walked in, rubbing his eyes. He slumped into a chair.
His mother placed a plate and a glass in front of him. "Eat up," she said gently.
"Thanks, Mom," Ren mumbled through a yawn, taking a bite of bread.
Wren smiled and spoke softly. "So, what's your plan for today?"
Ren looked at her while chewing. After swallowing, he said, "Nothing special. School. Games. Homework."
She took a bite of her bread. "Wanna go shopping later?"
"For what?"
"Clothes," she said with a playful grin, "maybe toys."
He brightened. "Yeah! I'll go with you."
Their father folded the newspaper and stood. "It's good you two are going out. Wren, don't let him out of your sight, alright?"
She nodded affirmatively. "Yeah, Dad, I will take care of him."
He drained his milk in one gulp, then gasped for breath, leaving a foamy white moustache on his lip. She burst out laughing. "Wipe your milk moustache, genius."
He wiped his face while their mother handed him a lunchbox. "Go get ready or you'll be late for school," she warned.
Ren nodded and hurried upstairs. Ten minutes later, he returned in his school uniform. His mother handed him his lunch, and he left for school.
He shuffled along, lazily kicking at pebbles on the road. Then a voice came from behind him.
"Ren! Ren!"
'Who is calling me?' He turned back. It was Takashi, jogging toward him, waving his hands. He lifted his hands, waving back.
Takashi stood before him, puffing and holding his knees to catch his breath.
"What happened?" Ren asked.
"Let's go. We're gonna be late."
The two boys began walking together.
"Did you watch yesterday's episode?" Ren asked.
"Yeah! It was awesome," Takashi grinned. "I loved the part when the main character died…"
They chatted as they continued toward the school, passing through the school gate, surrounded by other kids.
Suddenly, two boys snuck up from behind and patted Ren on the shoulder.
"Last one to the classroom loses!"
Without missing a beat, Ren grinned and shouted, "I'm not losing to you!" He took off with Takashi, racing through the stairs and hallways.
The four of them crashed into the classroom, laughing and panting.
Takashi flopped into a chair. "I can't even walk anymore…"
They all laughed as the bell rang. And school began.
Later during lunch, Takashi came up to Ren. "Let's have lunch together."
All four of them sat at the same table and began eating. One of the boys leaned forward and slammed both hands on the table. "So, what's everyone doing this vacation?"
Takashi grinned. "I'll be visiting my grandparents' house."
Ren smiled. "That sounds so nice."
Then, sneaky as ever, Ren tried to steal an egg roll from Takashi's luchbox using his chopsticks.
Takashi caught him mid-act. "Ren, I'm not giving you this."
Ren grinned and tried again. But Takashi blocked him, then immediately scarfed the rest of his lunch into his mouth before Ren could make another attempt. Ren stared, shocked, as Takashi chewed and laughed at the same time.
"Next period's physical education, right?" Takashi said, his mouth full.
Ren replied with a sigh, 'Yeah.'
The bell rang. Everyone closed their lunch boxes and began filing out of the room. The classroom emptied, with only Ren and a boy left. As the boy walked out of the room, he turned back. "Don't screw the game today."
Only Ren was left. Just as he got up to leave, he heard something chanting. Soft at first, in a language he didn't recognize. Then louder. And louder.
He looked around the room. No one was there. The chanting grew deafening.
He looked down at his hands. They were turning into energy and fading away. 'What's happening to me?!'
Panicked, he ran toward the door. But with each step, his body turned, and the room grew brighter with light. He reached out, his fingertips barely touching the doorknob. And vanished.
Ren blinked awake, rubbing at his eyes. He was lying on cold stone, in a narrow, shadowed alleyway. He sat up, dazed. 'Where… where am I?'
Ahead, a hooded figure slumped against the wall. A woman, still and silent.
Ren approached cautiously. "Ma'am? Are you okay? What is this place?"
No answer came back. He reached out and tapped her shoulder. As his hand touched her body, it slumped forward. A swarm of glistening black insects burst from beneath her cloak, flooding onto the ground and scurrying over his feet.
He screamed. He spun around and ran blindly, breath ragged, through the twisting alleys. His footsteps echoed off the walls, panic pounding in his chest.
Gasping, he spotted a light up ahead. 'An exit… if I can just find a police station, I can call home!'
He ran with all his might and jumped inside the light. And saw a wide street open before him. Carriages rolled past. Horses trotted lazily. People—human and otherwise—filled the street. Dwarves, Elves, and Beastfolk were walking along with humans, speaking the same language, laughing, trading, buying food.
He slid to the ground, chest heaving, heart pounding like a drum as he stared in shock. He looked at the banner of a shop, and the language on it was different; his eyes wide with disbelief. 'Where am I?'