The classroom hummed with the restless pulse of a Monday morning. Sunlight spilled through tall windows, painting golden streaks across desks cluttered with textbooks and doodled notes.
Ren Amamiya leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. His gaze, sharp enough to pin a butterfly to corkboard, scanned the room without seeming to focus on anything at all.
Beside him, Alex perched on the edge of a desk, grinning like he had just discovered the universe's greatest secret.
"Ren, Multiverse theory—mind-blowing" Alex's voice crackled with excitement. "Infinite worlds, each with their own physics, maybe even other versions of us. How's that not cool?"
Ren narrowed his eyes, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Heard it before, Alex. You're preaching to the choir. Why the rerun?" His tone was sharp, tinged with boredom, like someone already tired of the game.
Alex waved his hands dramatically. "Dude! Imagine a world where gravity's optional, or we're, like, emperors of galaxies. That doesn't spark anything in you?"
Ren's gaze drifted across the room, landing on Dianca by the window. Her long hair caught the light like a dark waterfall, her pen moving steadily across her notebook.
Her focus was a stark contrast to Alex's restless energy. Ren's smirk softened into something warmer before he turned back. "It's neat, sure. But I'm not losing sleep over it."
Alex groaned, collapsing onto his desk. "You're hopeless. Zero imagination."
Ren's eyes drifted back toward Dianca by the window. Alex caught the look and smirked. "You love Dianca that much, don't you?"
Ren gave a small nod, his voice steady but thoughtful. "Yeah. It's been two years since we've been together, and I love her. But… even now, I can't say I fully understand her."
The door creaked open, and Miss Sofia entered, her usual tired smile accompanied by a stack of papers. "Alright, everyone, settle down. Time for announcements."
The chatter dulled but didn't vanish. At the back, Noah sprawled in his chair, feet propped up, mocking Alex's earlier gestures with exaggerated flair. Leo smirked beside him.
Bianca, the class president, rose from her front-row seat, posture rigid. "Quiet down for Miss Sofia, please," she ordered, her voice sharp with authority.
Noah slammed his feet to the floor with a smirk. "Easy, Prez. Bell hasn't even rung yet. Most of us sitting down before first period? That's a miracle."
Leo smirked. "Yeah, cool down Prez. Nobody listens to announcements anyway."
Bianca's face started to flush , fists clenching. "It's called respect, Noah and Leo. Something you both clearly don't understand."
Noah slammed his feet down. "Respect's earned, Bianca. Maybe if the announcements weren't just a list of everything we can't do, someone would actually listen."
Miss Sofia pinched the bridge of her nose. "Noah, enough. Bianca, thank you, but sit down. Let's try to have a calm morning."
The usual tension simmered in the air, but before anyone could respond—everything shifted.
The lights flickered, then died. A biting wind tore through the room, scattering papers like leaves in a storm.
Shadows writhed unnaturally across the walls and ceiling, stretching, twisting, merging into a swirling black cloud at the center of the room.
"What the hell—?!" Noah shouted.
Miss Sofia raised her voice, trying for calm, failing. "Everyone, stay—"
The world dissolved into a vortex of screaming wind and shredded light. Ren's stomach lurched into his throat; he was falling and standing still at the same time. Desks, chairs, and the screaming faces of his classmates spun around him like leaves in a hurricane. He felt a terrible, gut-wrenching tear, as if reality itself was being unstitched. Then—
—silence. A deafening, impossible silence.
When his vision cleared, they were no longer in school
A vast chamber surrounded them. The floor, polished crystal. Pillars of silver and stone reaching for a ceiling lost to shadow. At the far end, a throne carved from obsidian and ivory.
And on it—a queen.
Her presence pressed down like a storm. Regal. Beautiful. Oppressive.
Dianca trembled, clutching her notebook as if it could tether her to reality. Ren stepped forward, blocking her from the throne's gaze. "Stay behind me," he managed, his voice a low steadiness betrayed only by the subtle tremor in his hands.
He bit his tongue, hard, forcing his fear deep down under layers of steel.
A faint touch on his arm. Dianca's voice was a whisper, meant only for him. "I'm okay, Ren." Her eyes, wide with her own terror, yet saw straight through his brave front. "Just take a breath."
Miss Sofia, pale but trying to be firm, demanded, "Why are we here? Who are you?"
The queen didn't answer. Instead, advisors cloaked in rune-etched robes stepped forward, their smiles calm yet unreadable.
"Welcome, people of another world," they intoned in eerie unison. "Welcome to Melincia."
The words cracked like thunder in the air.
"What do you mean another world?!"
"Send us back right now!"
"This is kidnapping!"
Bianca stepped forward, her chin high despite trembling. "Release us now! My father is a powerful man—he'll destroy you for this!"
The advisors exchanged glances before one shook her head. "Returning is impossible. From this day on, you belong to Melincia. This world is your new home."
Panic erupted, shouts clashing with sobs.
Then the queen rose.
Her movements were slow, deliberate. But her very presence distorted the air, forcing knees to buckle. Alex collapsed, nearly bowing against his will.
Ren gritted his teeth, refusing to kneel, holding Dianca's hand tighter as she pressed against him in fear.
The queen's voice thundered, deep and resonant, as though carried by something more than mortal breath.
"People of another world… you have been summoned to Melincia. Humanity here suffers. We stand on the brink of ruin. You will fight for us—or you will perish."
She lifted her hand.
The ground split apart, and from the crystal floor rose a great cherry blossom tree. Its branches glowed with an otherworldly radiance, petals drifting through the air.
But beneath its beauty lurked something unsettling—the warmth it carried was too forceful, invasive, pushing into the students' minds, smothering their panic, replacing it with dreamy calm.
Ren fought it, glaring at the queen even as his body grew heavy.
Dianca's tears had stopped, her voice weak. "Ren… I'm sorry…"
"Stay with me," he muttered, but his vision blurred, the weight dragging him down.
One by one, classmates slumped to the floor in blissful sleep.
Ren's knees buckled. His last conscious sight was the queen's calm, knowing smile—too serene, too certain, as though she had already claimed them.
Then darkness took him.