The school festival starts at 1:30 PM.
I know this because I check the time six times.
Because promises become heavier when you measure them.
I leave work early. Ignore my boss's annoyed look. My hands feel steady as I walk, steps even, controlled.
Too controlled.
Don't be late, Mika said.
I won't be.
I turn the corner—
And the world stutters.
Not a rewind.
Not yet.
Just a flicker. Like reality blinked and forgot where it was.
I stop walking.
People pass me. Bump into me. Laugh.
I don't move.
Something's wrong.
My phone buzzes.
Unknown Number:Convergence detected.
My stomach drops.
Me: What kind?
The reply comes instantly.
Unknown Number:The kind you don't walk away from.
The air thickens.
Sound dulls. Colors flatten.
I feel it then—pressure, building behind my eyes. Time tightening around a single moment.
The festival.
Mika.
I break into a run.
—
The school grounds are packed.
Banners. Music. Kids in costumes.
I scan the crowd, heart starting to pound—not from fear, but urgency.
Where is she?
I spot the stage.
The play has already started.
My chest tightens.
I push forward—
And the ground drops.
Not physically.
Temporally.
The world fractures.
I see it all at once.
A ladder behind the stage. Old. Rusted. One loose bolt.
Mika climbing it to reach her "tree" position.
A misstep.
A scream.
Time wants this to happen.
"No," I whisper.
I close my eyes.
Go back.
The pull hits—
And stops.
Something blocks it.
My head explodes in pain. I stagger, clutching my skull.
"What—?!" I gasp.
I try again.
Nothing.
Time refuses.
My vision clears just enough to see—
Luna.
Standing near the stage.
Watching.
Not intervening.
"Luna!" I shout.
She looks at me.
And for the first time—
She looks afraid.
"You made a promise," she says softly.
"I know!" I snap. "Help me!"
"I can't," she whispers.
The ladder creaks.
Mika slips.
Everything slows.
Her eyes meet mine.
Confused.
Trusting.
"Ren—?"
She falls.
The scream rips through the crowd.
I move without thinking.
I don't rewind.
I jump.
Pain explodes as I hit the ground hard, catching her mid-fall. My shoulder screams. My vision whites out.
We crash together.
The world rushes back.
Shouts. Panic. Teachers running.
Mika's crying. Shaking.
But alive.
Alive.
I laugh once. Breathless. Broken.
"You're okay," I whisper. "I've got you."
She clings to me. "You came," she sobs. "You weren't late."
I freeze.
Something tears loose inside my head.
Not violently.
Quietly.
Like a thread snapping.
Mika pulls back, still crying.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asks.
I stare at her face.
I know it's important.
I know she matters.
But the word—
The word that defines her—
It won't come.
"…Hey," she says, scared now. "It's me."
My mouth opens.
Nothing comes out.
Luna kneels beside us, eyes wide.
"No," she breathes. "That's too much."
I look at her.
"Who is she?" I ask.
The words land like a gunshot.
Mika's face crumples.
"…Ren?" she whispers.
Luna closes her eyes.
The promise held.
The cost came anyway.
Because time always collects.