The fluorescent lights of the Tokyo research lab hummed a monotonous tune that had become the soundtrack to Kaito Shun's life. At seventeen, he stood before a quantum physics whiteboard covered in equations that would make most professors' heads spin, but to him, they were just another puzzle to solve.
"Shun-kun, your calculations on quantum entanglement are... extraordinary," Professor Nakamura adjusted his glasses, peering at the complex formulas. "You've solved in three days what our team has been working on for six months."
Kaito offered a polite bow, his expression betraying none of the boredom that had settled in his bones like a disease. "It was simply a matter of reframing the variables."
The truth was, quantum physics had become too easy for him. He picked up a marker and, without hesitation, filled in a gap in the professor's work that had stumped the entire department for weeks. Nakamura's jaw dropped as Kaito casually solved what should have been impossible.
"Remarkable," the professor stammered, already scribbling notes.
Kaito's smile tightened. His parents were proud. They had pushed him into advanced mathematics before he'd entered elementary school, his parents didn't care about him, they only wanted his achievements.
"I should go," Kaito said abruptly, gathering his tablet and notes. "I have another appointment."
The appointment was with the only thing that truly challenged him anymore: "Lumenkin Chronicles," a monster-catching game that had consumed his free time for the past two years. The game offered infinite complexity, strategy, and discovery.
The train ride home was a blur of faces and scenery, Kaito's mind already racing through battle strategies and capture techniques. He had been hunting for the legendary S-rank Lumenkin "Auri" for months, and tonight, according to the game's lunar cycle calculations, was his best chance.
His apartment was neat and clean—everything in its place, just as his mother preferred. But beneath the orderly surface, a different world existed. Multiple monitors displayed breeding charts, evolution trees, and battle statistics. A custom-built gaming rig hummed quietly in the corner, its blue light casting neon glow across the room.
Kaito dropped his bag and settled into the comfortable gaming chair, fingers flying across the keyboard as he logged in. The familiar opening sequence filled his screen—mythical creatures dancing across a field of light, their forms shifting and evolving to the dramatic group score.
"System check complete. Welcome back, LumenkinMaster," the game's AI greeted him.
He navigated through menus, his heart thumping fast as he approached the Sunstone Ruins—the Auri's rumored habitat. The game's world was richly detailed, with ecosystems, weather patterns, and creature behaviors that mimicked reality. It was this complexity that had drawn him in, that made the virtual world more engaging than the real one.
The ruins appeared on his screen—ancient stone structures bathed in endless twilight, surrounded by floating orbs of light. Kaito guided his character carefully through the crumbling archways, his eyes scanning for any sign of the tricky creature.
According to the game's lore, the Auri was a solar-powered Lumenkin that could only be captured during a specific alignment of in-game celestial bodies. Its capture required skill and understanding of its behavioral patterns, environmental preferences, and a specialized binding ritual that most players considered too complex to attempt.
Kaito had spent months preparing—studying patterns, calculating probabilities, and even composing a three-beat melody that, according to ancient game texts, was said to attract the creature. Where other players just think it's just a superstition, but Kaito knows this is information he sought.
He reached the central chamber of the ruins, where a broken altar stood beneath a shaft of simulated moonlight. This was the place. He set up mirror-lures as the online guides suggested, but added his own modifications based on his analysis of the game's light-refraction algorithms.
Then he waited.
Minutes stretched into an hour. The game's ambient sounds—crickets, the wind hitting stone, distant creature cries—created an atmosphere of excitement. Kaito found himself holding his breath, straining to detect any movement in the shadows.
Just as he was beginning to think his calculations were wrong, a flicker of gold caught his eye.
There, perched on a crumbling pillar, was the Auri. It was smaller than he'd imagined, no larger than his hand, with downy golden plumage and a single crest filament that pulsed with light. Its eyes were like tiny suns, intelligent and watchful.
Kaito's heart hammered against his ribs. This was it. After months of preparation, and countless hours of analysis, all leading to this moment.
He began the three-beat melody, his fingers pressing the keys with practiced precision. The Auri tilted its head, its crest filament brightening in response to the rhythm.
Encouraged, Kaito continued, with intense focus. He activated the binding sequence, watching as the game's sigils appeared around the creature. The Auri didn't flee. Instead, it hopped closer, curious and not frightened.
The binding progress bar filled slowly. 25%... 40%... 65%...
Kaito's palms sweated. This was further than anyone had reported getting. The Auri was now just inches from his character's outstretched hand.
85%... 95%...
The Auri hesitated, its form flickering between the small bird-like creature and something larger than, and radiant than the current Auri. For a split second, Kaito saw a glimpse of the game's forums called the "Ascended Form"—a humanoid figure with draconic features and fists of pure light.
99%...
The screen flashed white, and the binding completed. The Auri was his.
Kaito leaned back in his chair, exhaling a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding for long. A wave of euphoria washed over him—more intense than any academic achievement at school. This was the real accomplishment he was talking about.
The game displayed his capture statistics:
CAPTURE SUCCESSFUL
Lumenkin: Auri (S-Rank)
Binding Purity: 98.7%
Time: 3:47:12
Technique: Custom
Rating: Legendary
A notification popped up: "New record! First player to capture Auri.
Kaito smiled, allowing himself a moment of pride. He had done what thousands of players had attempted and failed. He had mastered the game's most complex challenge.
But as he looked at the small creature on his screen, something strange happened. The Auri's form began to glitch, flickering between its normal appearance and the Ascended Form he'd glimpsed earlier. The game's graphics are distorted, colors bleeding together.
"What the..." Kaito muttered, checking his system diagnostics. Everything appeared normal.
The glitching intensified, the Auri's form became unstable. Then, to Kaito's astonishment, the creature seemed to look directly at him through the screen.
A notification appeared on his screen. It was a stark white text on a black background:
LUMINADRIVE ACTIVATED
PREDICT 48% — AURIWREN SIGNATURE DETECTED
BIND-FRAMING SEQUENCE INITIATED
"What is this?" Kaito wondered aloud. Has the game been hacked? Was this some kind of Easter egg?
Before he could investigate further, his room was filled with an intense light emanating from the monitor. It was golden radiance that seemed to pulse with life.
Kaito shielded his eyes, but the light penetrated his eyelids, filling his vision. He felt a strange sensation, as if his very atoms were being rearranged. A high-pitched ringing started in his teeth, the air pressure in the room dropped suddenly, and a metallic smell filled his nostrils. The familiar world of his apartment dissolved around him, replaced by something vast and ancient.
The last thing he saw before consciousness faded was the Auri, no longer on his screen but floating before him, its form shifting between the small bird and the radiant humanoid.
REALITY SYNCHRONIZATION COMPLETE.
WELCOME, BINDER.
Then darkness.
When Kaito's eyes opened again, he wasn't in his apartment. He was lying on a rough stone, beneath a sky that was too large and purple, with two moons. The air filled the air Keith eathly smell and floral yet unfamiliar.
He sat up slowly, his body feeling both heavy and weightless at the same time. Around him were ruins similar to those in the game, but more real, more weathered by time. Stone pillars stretched toward the sky, covered in symbols that seemed to shift and change when he wasn't looking directly at them.
"This can't be real," he whispered, his voice sounding small in the vast silence.
A chirp drew his attention. There, perched on a nearby pillar, was the Auri. But it wasn't a game character anymore—it was real, its feathers rustling in an actual breeze, its eyes regarding him with unmistakable intelligence. It made no sound to communicate, simply watched him.
As Kaito stared at the creature, a strange hum resonated not in his ears, but in the depths of his mind. It felt like a lock clicking into place. Then, without warning, text scrolled across his vision, a stark white overlay on the purple sky, visible only to him.
LUMENLOG — VAN: N/A
Binder: Kaito Shun | Rank: F | Region: Unknown
Lumen Day #: 1 | Time: 06:23
Encounter: Auri — S-Rank
Outcome: Captured
Notes: First bond successful. LuminaDrive active.
Luxflow: 0
Signature: Pending
"Binder?" Kaito said aloud, the word feeling foreign on his tongue. The HUD displayed unfamiliar fields—Van, Luxflow—terms he'd never encountered in the game.
The Auri chirped again, a simple, inquisitive sound, and hopped from its pillar to a closer one.
Kaito stared at the creature, his mind struggling to reconcile the impossible. This is just a dream. It had to be. Some kind of hallucination exhaustion and too many hours staring at the screen.
But the stone beneath his hands felt real. The air. The fear beginning to creep into his heart felt terrifyingly.
"Where am I?" he asked, though he wasn't sure if he was speaking to the creature or to himself.
As if in response to his question, the LuminaDrive in his mind pulsed, new text appearing in his vision:
LOCATION: BLACK SPRAWL, SECTOR 7.
AMBIENT LUMEN LEVELS: 12% (CRITICAL).
CYCLE: DAY.
TIME UNTIL NIGHTFALL: 4 HOURS 32 MINUTES.
The Black Sprawl? That was from the game's lore—the catastrophic event that had plunged the world into everlasting darkness.
The Auri chirped again,, and took flight, circling overhead before heading in a specific direction.
Before Kaito could decide whether to follow, the LuminaDrive pinged again in his consciousness, a new notification appearing in his vision:
NEW OBJECTIVE: TUTORIAL - SURVIVAL UNTIL NIGHTFALL.
A moment later, the objective broke down into a list of tasks, a quest log in the game he knew.
PRIMARY TASK: ESTABLISH SHELTER.
SECONDARY TASK: LOCATE LIGHT SOURCE (CRITICAL DAYSTAR COMPONENT RECOMMENDED).
TERTIARY TASK: ASSESS LUMENKIN COMPANION STATUS.
Kaito's fear warred with a strange, exhilarating sense of clarity.
"Okay," he said, his voice is stronger now. "Establish a shelter."
He stood, his legs unsteady beneath him. He was still wearing the clothes he'd had in his lab—at school button-down shirt now stained with dust, and shoes completely unsuitable for the rough terrain.
The Auri flew a short distance, then circled back, chirping as if urging him to follow.
"You know where to go?" Kaito asked.
The creature simply chirped again and flew off in the same direction.
With no other options, Kaito followed, his mind already beginning to analyze.
As he hurried after the glowing creature, the LuminaDrive in his mind displayed a message:
WARNING: NOCTURNAL ACTIVITY INCREASES 300% AT NIGHTFALL.
MAY YOUR LIGHT BURN BRIGHT, BINDER.
The sun was setting on Kaito Shun's old life. A new life was about to begin that would test his intellect, his courage, and his very understanding of reality.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, a thought formed 'Game on.'