Seina woke up to the alarm ringing for the third time. The annoying sound didn't make her jump out of bed, but it reminded her that the world kept spinning, even when she didn't want to spin with it.
She stretched slowly and sat on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Another day. Just like all the others. Or almost.
In the kitchen, her parents were already seated at the table.
Breakfast was served, but the silence was louder than the smell of toasted bread. No one spoke. Only the sound of a cup hitting its saucer broke the emptiness between them.
Seina grabbed her mug and sat down. She took a sip and looked at them both.
Her father was reading the newspaper like it was 1950, and her mother was scrolling on her phone with a look that said, "I have more important problems."
"Good morning," she said, half on autopilot.
"Good morning," her mother replied without looking up.
Her father grunted something.
The mood wasn't hostile. Just… empty.
The walk to school was quick.
The day passed by like a blur. The classes were there, the teachers too, but nothing seemed to really matter.
Seina didn't talk to almost anyone, only answering when called. She followed the protocol of living.
Back home, the breakfast mood lingered. At dinner, everything collapsed.
"You need to start thinking about your future," her father said, cutting his meat with exaggerated force.
"What future?" Seina snapped, dropping her utensils. "Why bother making plans if nothing ever changes in the end?"
"This will pass, Seina," her mother said. "Things will go back to normal."
"When? It's been so long that… I don't even know if I want things to go back to normal anymore. At least now I know what to expect: nothing!"
"That's a lack of effort. You need to adapt," her father's voice grew harsher. "Life waits for no one."
"Then maybe I shouldn't even keep living this life!" Seina shouted, standing up as her chair scraped the floor. "I don't want to hear this anymore!"
Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed her coat, pushed the door, and stormed out.
The street was dark. A blackout had turned off the streetlights, plunging the neighborhood into heavy shadows.
She pulled out her phone and its screen lit up her face. 12:04 AM.
"Shit... the curfew..." she whispered.
Panic started crawling up her body.
Suddenly, a metallic sound, like something dragged across asphalt, echoed at the end of the street.
Curious and alert, Seina walked toward the alley where the noise came from. There, the world collapsed.
A silver-haired girl lay on the cobblestones, her body twisted unnaturally.
The oversized hoodie she wore was bloodstained, her face partly hidden by silver strands.
Blood pooled slowly at Seina's feet. Beside the girl, an entity. Black as night itself, with glowing eyes that didn't blink. Not human. Not even close.
Seina tried to scream, but no sound came out. The creature abruptly turned toward her and started running…
Everything around distorted.
The ground disappeared.
A white light exploded in Seina's eyes.
She felt like she was floating, sucked by something invisible, bigger than anything she'd ever known.
And then… silence.
Seina woke up. Lying in her bed, heart racing, cold sweat on her skin. She slowly got up, placed her hand on her chest, and looked around.
Everything was the same.
"The reset… happened again…" she murmured. "But what was that yesterday? That girl…"
The day began like any other.
But Seina wasn't the same. Something inside her had changed.
On the way to school, her thoughts wouldn't stop: "Who was she? That girl… even dead, she was beautiful… Too bad I'll never get to know her."
She turned the corner and then… bumped into someone in the hallway.
Seina's eyes, a clear amber hue, met the dark..., intense eyes of the silver-haired girl. She was alive.
Seina was struck dumb, unable to move.