Episode 1 – The End of One Life, The Start of Another
Ren Arata never considered himself extraordinary. He was simply another eighteen-year-old student caught between deadlines, part-time employment, and the subtle suffocation of city monotony. His days blended together in an indistinguishable blur—textbooks, convenience store meals, late-night study sessions, and the quiet fatigue of youth spent in transit.
Perhaps that was why death arrived with such merciless abruptness.
The evening carried no omen. A light drizzle painted asphalt streets with glistening reflections, neon signs flickering across shallow puddles. Ren, arms burdened by textbooks, trudged across a dimly lit intersection. His mind wandered—distracted by half-formed worries about examinations, money, and the dull ache in his shoulders.
Then came headlights.
Too bright. Too close.
Time fractured into fragments of sensation—the shriek of tires, the violent screech of metal, and an impact that shattered his fragile body. For a heartbeat he felt every bone crack, every nerve scream, before everything collapsed into a cold void.
No final words.
No desperate prayer.
Only darkness.
When consciousness returned, Ren was nowhere he recognized.
An infinite expanse stretched before him, neither sky nor earth, but a vast tapestry of stars suspended within emptiness. Constellations shifted unnaturally, moving like living organisms, pulsing faintly as though whispering secrets in a language he could almost hear.
Ren floated weightlessly, his thoughts sluggish, body absent.
Am I… dead?
A voice—mechanical yet resonant—echoed through the void.
> [Initialization sequence… anomaly detected.]
[Subject: Ren Arata. Origin status: Terminated.]
[Transfer request: Approved.]
Ren's eyes widened, though he had no body to widen them with. The words formed directly within his consciousness, sharp as blades.
"Who—who's there? What do you mean terminated?!" His voice reverberated without air, panic sharpening each syllable.
The void did not respond. Instead, new fragments of light appeared before him, cascading like falling data.
> [Vessel reconstruction in progress.]
[Warning: Class assignment failed.]
[Designation: Undefined.]
"Wait—wait! I don't understand!" Ren shouted, but his words scattered like ash. The constellations distorted, swirling into a vortex of radiant brilliance.
And then light consumed him.
---
Pain greeted him.
Ren gasped, lungs heaving desperately, as though he had been drowning for hours. His body slammed against coarse dirt. Above him stretched a sky too vibrant to belong to Earth—azure canvas splattered with drifting clouds, sunlight filtering through with piercing intensity.
He lay still, overwhelmed by sensation. The soil beneath him carried the raw scent of earth, damp and fertile. The air tasted heavier, infused with something alien yet invigorating. Birds sang unfamiliar melodies, sharper and clearer than anything he had heard before.
Slowly, Ren forced himself upright. His body felt… altered. His limbs lighter, muscles subtly more responsive. He flexed his fingers, marveling at their strength, though fatigue still weighed upon his chest.
"…Where am I?" His voice cracked with bewilderment.
A forest surrounded the dirt road where he had collapsed. Towering trees stretched skyward, their trunks thick with age, branches interwoven into a canopy of green. Leaves shimmered faintly as wind carried them into a rhythmic dance. The world felt alive—charged with an invisible current that prickled across his skin.
Ren clutched his chest, heartbeat racing. The memory of that void, of those words—initialization, transfer, undefined—flashed within his mind.
It wasn't a dream. I… I really died. And now…
Before panic consumed him, the sound of wheels rattling against stone reached his ears.
Ren spun toward the road. A wooden carriage approached, pulled by two chestnut horses. At the reins sat a broad-shouldered man with weathered features, his clothes plain but sturdy. Beside him sat a young woman, posture straight, gaze forward.
Ren staggered from the road instinctively, though his ragged school uniform and bloodstains were impossible to hide.
The carriage slowed.
The young woman's eyes fixed upon him—clear, sharp, and tinged with suspicion. Her chestnut-brown hair was tied neatly behind her head, her clothing modest yet carefully arranged. She exuded an aura of discipline, every movement measured.
"You there," she called, voice commanding despite her youth. "Why are you standing in the middle of the road? Do you have a death wish?"
Ren froze, stunned not only by her presence but by the simple fact that he understood her words. The language rolled naturally into his ears, though clearly unfamiliar.
"I… I don't—" He stammered, words collapsing. How could he explain?
The man at the reins narrowed his eyes. "Strange garments you wear, boy. Are you some kind of traveler? Or did you crawl out from a bandit camp?"
Ren glanced down. His torn, bloodstained school uniform contrasted violently against their rustic attire. He clenched his fists, embarrassment and fear mixing within his chest.
The young woman studied him a moment longer before sighing softly. "Regardless, it is dangerous to remain here. Beasts roam the forests. Get in. We will bring you to Falthorne."
Ren hesitated. Trusting strangers felt reckless. Yet the alternative—wandering lost and defenseless—offered no hope.
"…Thank you," he whispered, climbing into the carriage.
The wheels creaked forward once more, rhythm steady. Silence hung between them until the young woman spoke again, tone clipped but not unkind.
"My name is Elena, daughter of Falthorne's mayor. And you are?"
Ren hesitated before replying. "Ren… Ren Arata."
Elena's brows furrowed faintly at the unusual surname, but she did not press further. Instead, she turned her gaze forward, studying the forest shadows.
Ren leaned back, breath shallow. The road stretched endlessly ahead, bordered by trees whispering in the wind. His mind reeled, replaying every fragment of the void, every cryptic word that declared him an anomaly.
And then, faintly, almost imperceptibly, a shimmer flickered before his vision.
> [Chain Link: Initialized.]
The letters glowed briefly before dissolving into air.
Ren blinked rapidly, heart thundering. Elena did not react, nor did the driver.
"…What was that?" he muttered under his breath.
The forest offered no answer.
But deep within, Ren felt it—the first thread of something vast and incomprehensible tightening around his fate.