In this world, people are different—measured, judged and divided by what they carry within.
Some are blessed with Diu, the Light. Some are cursed with Empo, the Darkness.
But there exists one who carries both.
A Paradox.
A name long forgotten in the scripts of metaphysical layers—
erased from the very infrastructure of this world.
He is the symbol of everything and nothingness. Everywhere, yet nowhere.
Unseen yet inevitable.
And yet—
he is just a normal teenager living his everyday life.
Until he begins his true life...
After. The. Gates.
(Yokohama - 2015)
(Early Autumn)
The bells of Seiryo High School start to ring, signaling departure time.
The teacher standing in classroom 1-C, Takashi Morinaga. To Class 1-C, he's the one who always enforces the rules-
sharp eyes, doesn't tolerate laziness.
But outside of those moments, students see he's genuinely warm, caring, and protective. He knows everyone's name, remembers their quirks, and actually looks out for them in subtle ways.
Beloved by the entire school — students joke that Morinaga-sensei is like a "second father" figure.
He speaks with a warm smile on his face:
"That's it for today. Please be mindful and pay attention to the assignments given to all of you, I won't tolerate any exceptions in future..."
He looks at all of them hopelessly, sighs:
"Anyway you all are free to go."
Everyone takes deep breaths as if they are finally graduated now-
still they're just first year students.
One girl says to her friends:
"Wanna go to karaoke next?"
Her friend:
"MANNN! I got cram school so I won't be able to join ya'll.. but I wish I could."
Morinaga is watching everyone leave the classroom, He closes his eyes thinking:
"Well, I hope this time they'll do their duties... Hmhmhm"
"Duties.. huh? WAIT A SEC-"
He opens his eyes and catches a quite, lazy boy with dead eyes trying to leave silently.
Morinaga instantly grabs his bag:
"MARSHAL... Where do you think you are going, huh?!"
Meet Marshal Bell a foreign student in class 1-C. Always silent and full of thoughts yet open for conversations.
Marshal rolls his eyes, replying:
"What do you want from me now, Sensei?"
Morinaga with his brows frowned:
"Thinking about duties... I just remembered aren't you... the one... who was chosen for the after-school duties?"
Marshal acting like he doesn't knows about it:
"Oh, Me? But who chose me? I feel like the student council is behind all this, isn't?"
Morinaga with his one eye twitching:
"I am the one who chose you because you're the only one I have hope left in."
Morinaga lifts his one hand and slowly hits Marshal's head:
"And don't drag the student council. I don't get why you always blame them for no reason."
Marshal pouts, looking away:
"Because they're. Do you know the student council president? She once revealed that she lik-"
Morinaga cuts him off:
"I know she liked you but you're the one who rejected her immediately, isn't?"
Marshal nods:
"Yeah, Prolly because I was a di-"
*A little slap from Morinaga-Sensei*
Morinaga as he leaves the classroom:
"Fulfill your duties and head home as soon as possible, Marshal."
Marshal sighs with his eyes closed, as if he has lost all hope on himself:
"SuUuRee, Sensei!"
He tosses his bag on top of a table and wanders outside the window. His grey eyes stay lifeless.
The wind rushes in, tossing his long jet-black hair across his face. With a sigh, he shuts it down.
As he steps back, something unseen hook into him - pulling. His body lurched:
"What The-?"
He stumbles, falling backwards into someone's arms. In that heartbeat of weightlessness, he mumbles:
"I guess this is it. Goodbye, Morinaga-sensei. Mother. father... Everyone!"
A laugh rings in his ear:
"Dramatic much?"
He turns his head.
It was her-
the one person in the classroom who never let him sink into his own gloom, a whirl wind of energy and trouble rolled into one.
Some of her ash-blonde hair falls over his face. Her emerald green eyes shine with playfulness.
He moves her hair away while calmly saying:
"These days you're really trying to mess with me too much, Selina!"
Meet Selina Vale - Marshal's Classmate, Neighbour and Bestfriend.
As he stands up, She chuckles and says:
"You made me wait too much outside the school so I came back to check what was going on here."
Marshal rubs the back of his head:
"Oh yeah, As I said my plan was to sneak away from today's after-school duty."
Selina stands up:
"Lemme guess you couldn't, isn't?"
He pokes her forehead with a finger:
"Even the readers know about it, Dumbo!"
Selina closes her eyes:
"OouChH"
He walks to align some table and chairs. She says:
"Want me to help ya?"
He throws tons of papers towards her. She gets covered in them, then gulps:
"What's with all these papers, Marshal?"
He yawns while saying:
"Throw them away.. In the dustbin."
She starts to look at the papers. He starts thinking while doing his work:
"I should've slept early. I went to bed but spent half night staring at the ceiling."
In the middle of the thought, his gaze shifts towards her.
*One Paper Ball on the head*
He says to her:
"Its trash. Instead of looking at it. you should throw it away"
She nods after picking the bags then asks:
" SUuree but I'll have to go alone today too?"
He replies:
"Certainly, Yes."
She pouts in the most childish way:
"Why can't you just lemme wait here?"
He looks around at his surroundings:
"Its gonna take so much time of mine that's why."
She sighs:
"Sure, I'm leaving."
He nods and gets back to his work.
Selina leaves the classroom to walk in the hallway. She throws the bag full of papers in the dustbin.
She smiles and says:
"The works done, huh?!"
She looks up at the sky at the gloomy weather. Then says:
"I should leave... ASAP!"
*After Some Time*
Marshal is walking down the hallway while cracking his arms:
"Ha! That sure was one heck of a work."
He stops in the middle, a thought pops up in his mind:
"Is everyone already gone? What... time is it?"
He checks the time:
"Its not that much late the sun hasn't wait... THERE'S NO SUN OUTSIDE?!"
*Umbrella falls on his head*
Morinaga from behind:
"The news anchor said it might rain heavily today so take it."
He asks from Morinaga:
"How will you go then, Sensei?!"
Morinaga sighs:
"Look, I've got my own."
Marshal takes the umbrella and says:
"Th-Thank you!"
With the passage of time the speed of wind is increasing, its getting darker and darker and the roaring of clouds is getting heavier and louder.
Everyone is rushing back to their houses. Marshal walks amidst them-eating a dumpling while holding his umbrella.
He is wearing his headset so he can hear the news. Live News Broadcast:
"Good evening, this is NHN Yokohama News at 6:15 PM.
Residents are advised to head home early tonight as weather conditions continue to worsen. Strong winds from the southeast are sweeping across the bay, and forecasters are predicting heavy cloud cover moving in rapidly over central Yokohama..."
A sharp gust rushes past, stinging his face and tossing his hair back as he moves forward. The news continues:
"Thunderstorms are expected later tonight, with possible lightning strikes along the coastal districts and business wards. Authorities warn that visibility on the roads will decrease quickly after sundown, so please exercise caution."
Marshal takes a turn while saying:
"Tch! I already know about the weather dude..." - Changes the channel.
The news on this channel:
"Several high school students have been reported missing in the past week, with no significant progress made in the investigations..."
As soon Marshal hears it his eyes widen slightly. It continues:
"Crime rates overall are climbing sharply — from corner shops being robbed in broad daylight to violent street gangs expanding their influence in the nightlife districts..."
He stops on a footpath of an empty street while hearing:
"Authorities assure citizens that the police are 'taking care of the matter,' yet critics argue little attention is being given to the rising number of cases. Many residents feel their voices are being ignored while the system drags on in silence."
He takes a deep breath, questioning himself:
"Who truly deserves judgment—
the crowds stumbling through this world, or the unseen hands tightening its chains?"
That's when it happened.
A void - The Gates - tears open on his right side, before he even knows what's happening.
A crushing gravitational force seizes him, dragging him in. The only line heard is:
"WOAH, WAIT - MY OTHER DUMPLING..."
His backpack and headset tumble on the ground. Forgotten relics of the life he once knew.
(Ending)
The Gates of Tusatra
Ancient. Mysterious. Overflowing with power. A threshold between what is... and what must never be.
They hold both: Empo and Diu.
Here bones, blood and veins are stripped away. Here, Empo consumes... and Diu whispers.
Marshal is devoured by nothingness, erased from every records of existence...
And yet-
because of the Diu present within him- he is given a choice: remain as the Supreme Entity of Nothingness... or return to the life he left behind.
Even should he return, the powers gained within the Gates will remain.
But the real question is...
"Will he choose to continue his life?"