----Chapter 1----
The sky burned red.
I didn't know where I was. The battlefield stretched endlessly, drowned in fire and screams.
At its center, four figures stood out.
A woman in white armor, silver hair gleaming even in the crimson light. Beside her, a man with a white crown, his sword merciless as he pushed forward.
Opposite them, a woman in jagged black steel, shadows curling around her like smoke.
At her side stood a man with a black crown, staggering as if ready to collapse.
I didn't know who they were. But from the crowns on their heads, from the way others fought around them, I could only assume they were kings and queens.
The man with the white crown lunged.
The man with the black crown dropped his sword, sinking to one knee. For a heartbeat, it looked like the end.
And then the woman in black moved.
She threw herself into the strike. Steel pierced her chest. Her cry split the battlefield.
The man with the white crown pulled back, certain of his victory.
But the man with the black crown rose slowly. His eyes were calm. Too calm.
He hadn't been defeated at all.
Her sacrifice… had been his plan.
And in that moment, I realized the battle belonged to him.
Then the woman in white turned. Her eyes met mine.
Her lips moved.
The world cracked apart.
"Find me."
✦ ✦ ✦
I jolted awake, chest heaving. My shirt clung to me with sweat, my palms damp. My heart hammered like I had just run for miles.
It was only a dream. Just a dream… right?
"Hey, wake up already, idiot!"
Whack! A pillow smacked into my forehead.
I groaned, dragging the blanket over my head.
"Five more minutes, Keela…"
"No way! You're gonna be late! It's your first day, dumbass!"
Her voice was sharp, loud, and annoyingly alive. So unlike the battlefield I had just left behind.
I dragged myself upright.
My long black hair fell messily over my face, sticking out at weird angles like I'd just crawled out of a grave.
My reflection in the mirror across the room looked like some third-rate extra from a zombie drama.
Keela, standing at the door with her arms crossed, smirked.
"You look like Sung Jin-Woo before he leveled up. Honestly, big bro, how do you expect to get a girlfriend like that?"
I scratched the back of my head, yawning. "Didn't ask for a review…"
She rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. Just hurry up already. She's waiting downstairs."
"…She?"
Keela's grin widened.
"Ohhh, don't play dumb. Who is she? Where did you meet her? She's, like, super pretty.
Leading-lady-in-a-K-drama pretty. Don't tell me you actually got yourself a girlfriend?!"
My brain was still loading.
"What are you even talking about?"
"Ugh, just go downstairs already!"
Half-awake, I stumbled down the stairs and froze.
There, sitting on our sofa with an elegance that didn't belong in our cramped living room, was a girl I had never seen before.
Her long black hair shimmered as it flowed over her shoulders, perfectly straight, not a strand out of place.
Her posture was refined, her uniform crisp, the same as mine, but on her it looked like something out of a luxury catalog.
Meanwhile, mine had wrinkles and probably yesterday's crumbs on it.
Her eyes lifted to meet mine. Calm. Steady. Almost regal.
My mouth went dry. Which was bad, because I hadn't brushed my teeth.
Just then, Mom came out of the kitchen, balancing a tray of steaming food.
"Oh my, Hikkie! And you brought a guest too? How wonderful. Have you eaten yet, dear?"
The girl rose from the sofa with measured grace, every motion quiet and deliberate. She brushed a strand of her long black hair behind her shoulder, the gesture precise, almost rehearsed.
Even in something as simple as standing, she carried herself with the poise of someone trained in discipline.
"I'm sorry, I haven't. But I was in a hurry this morning. I came to pick up Hikkie so we could go to school together."
School. Together.
Wait, what?
Before I could ask anything, Keela jumped up, eyes sparkling like she'd discovered a new celebrity.
"No way, you can't leave without eating! Come on, sit down. Big bro always ditches breakfast, but you have to eat with us.
I need to know. When did you meet him? Are you two close? You're way too pretty to just 'know' my brother!"
She tugged at the girl's sleeve insistently, practically dragging her away from the sofa.
Meanwhile, I stood frozen at the bottom of the stairs, scratching my messy hair, completely lost.
Who was she?
And why did she look so familiar?
Her eyes…
They were the same eyes from my dream.
Keela leaned across the table, grinning like a detective closing in on her suspect.
"No way, you can't leave without eating! You have to eat with us.
Tell me everything. When did you meet my brother? Did you two go on a date? Are you his girlfriend?!"
Mom peeked from the kitchen doorway, her eyes sparkling like she was watching the first episode of some soap opera.
"Oh my, Hikkie, you brought such a lovely guest without telling us? My, my, you've grown up so fast."
Ara ara.
I nearly tripped on the last step.
"M-Mom! What are you even talking about?! We don't even know who she is or where she came from!"
But of course, nobody listened to me.
The girl's gaze lingered for a moment, then she gave the smallest nod.
"If… you insist."
"Well, of course she should!" Mom chimed in, setting another plate on the table.
"It's not every day Hikkie brings home a beautiful classmate."
Classmate?! When did that get decided?!
I groaned internally, scratching my head as my long black hair flopped into my face.
She doesn't look like the type who eats plain rice and fried egg in the morning.
She looks more like the kind of rich kid who has servants line up with golden trays.
And then she did the unthinkable.
With a fluid, elegant motion, she slid into the empty chair at the table like she had every right to be there.
My jaw nearly hit the floor. I didn't even realize my shock was written all over my face until it happened.
Her eyes flicked toward me, sharp, quick, piercing.
Like a blade catching light.
I froze under her gaze, my chest tightening.
It was the same feeling as in the dream.
The same eyes.
"Ufufu~," Mom suddenly chuckled, covering her mouth with one hand.
"Ara ara… Hikkie, you're blushing! Don't tell me you're shy around her?"
I snapped my head toward her, face heating up. "Hey, Mom! Where did you even learn those words?!"
Mom tilted her head innocently.
"Oh, I think I picked it up from one of those anime clips online."
Keela immediately burst out laughing.
"Pfft, obviously your fault, big bro.
You're so addicted to anime, I've literally caught you cosplaying in your room before. With wigs and everything!"
"W-What the hell, Keela?!" I nearly choked on air, my face turning red hot. "Don't say weird things like that in front of strangers!"
She grinned mischievously. "Ohhh, but it's true. He even did poses in front of the mirror!"
I buried my face in my hands. Why do I even live here?
And then the mysterious girl finally spoke.
Her lips curved ever so slightly, her voice soft but teasing:
"Ara ara… is that true?"
My soul left my body.
✦ ✦ ✦
As soon as we finished eating, I immediately dressed up and got ready for school.
It was my first day at the new semester, and judging by her uniform, probably hers as well.
A few minutes later, we were finally heading out.
The mysterious girl stepped out of the house first, her long black hair catching the morning light.
She didn't say a word, just moved with that same quiet, regal air as if the world itself was supposed to wait for her.
Keela lingered by the door, waving her hand impatiently.
"Come on, Enix! You're so slow. If we're late, I'm blaming you."
I slung my bag over my shoulder, muttering, "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."
Before stepping out, I turned to Mom, who was tidying up the table.
"We're heading out, Mom. If you need anything from the market, I'll pick it up after school. You don't have to go out. You were sick a few days ago. Don't force yourself."
Mom pressed her hands together, her eyes soft.
"Ara ara, I'm so lucky to have such a thoughtful son. Okay, I'll leave it to you."
I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. "Mom, please… drop that 'Ara ara' already. For God's sake."
"Eh? Why?" She tilted her head, genuinely confused.
I didn't even have the energy to answer.
So, I decided to leave the discussion for later. No way was I going to argue about cosplay accusations in front of her. Not today.
So I walked.
Our school wasn't too far from the house. Just about half an hour on foot.
The streets were quiet at this hour, the air crisp with the scent of morning bread from the local bakery.
Not too bad, honestly.
We had only just moved here last week. Something about "minor issues" with our previous landlord, or so Mom said.
Nothing serious, but serious enough that we had to pack up and rent this place in a rush.
So yeah… new house, new neighborhood, and now, apparently, a mysterious girl barging into my life like she owned it.
I shoved my hands into my pockets, tilting my chin like some wannabe detective.
Weird dreams, mysterious girl, Mom dropping "ara ara" like she's in an anime.
What the hell is happening this morning?
I was so deep in thought that I didn't even notice when she slowed her pace.
When I finally glanced up, she was right there.
The mysterious girl had lowered her head, her long black hair swaying as she looked up at me from beneath her lashes.
Her voice was soft, but it carried like a whisper straight into my ear.
"Are you still thinking about your dreams?"
I froze mid-step, my entire body locking in place.
…What?
My throat went dry.
My brain blanked out.
How did she know about that?!
My heart pounded in my chest.
She shouldn't have known.
She couldn't have known.
And yet, in her eyes, I saw the same battlefield that haunted my dreams.
That was the moment I realized this girl was not normal.