The rain was heavy and the night at its darkest. The outskirts of the city were almost completely deserted—empty streets and buildings entirely dark.
Stepping off the main concrete road, reddish sand lay beneath his feet. As he walked, he left the car behind. A completely black umbrella shielded him from the rain. He was close to reaching the edge of the city, which would mean a vast view of the sand stretching endlessly into the distance.
Before getting there, he stopped abruptly.
The blades of a helicopter passed above him, making his bluish hair sway slightly, dampened by the rain.
The helicopter descended, landing in front of him.
Closing his eyes and taking a step toward it, the helicopter's door suddenly opened. In response, he did not hesitate to open his two dark-blue eyes and look calmly inside.
"Well… I hope being so far from your comfort zone didn't stress you out."
A female voice murmured from inside.
Within the helicopter, a silhouette could be seen against the night. She didn't step out because of the rain, but the faint light revealed her sarcastic smile and part of her pale skin. Her straight silver hair fell beside her shoulders. She crossed her arms elegantly—almost arrogantly—revealing her long, tight black gloves.
"And why is someone as annoying as you picking me up with the helicopter I requested myself?"
He lowered his head slightly, though not his gaze.
Calius' voice beneath the umbrella was calm and serious as he simply looked at those pink eyes inside the helicopter.
"I'll be honest. I don't like crossing sea and desert by helicopter either. But I came because otherwise you wouldn't listen to anyone who isn't Father."
Hearing that, Calius didn't respond immediately.
He knew she was right, in a certain sense.
"And what makes you think I have to follow your orders just because you're older…?"
The woman inside the helicopter only widened her smile upon hearing him. It was a good response.
"Because you know I follow Father's orders to the letter."
He couldn't help but breathe calmly for a few seconds while glancing up at the dark sky under the pouring rain.
She crossed her legs casually, revealing part of her skirt, which was purple—somewhat dark, with white edges.
"Well, it's simple. You'll have to stay here a little longer. Father already arranged where you'll be staying, so there's no problem."
Her voice was gentle but firm.
They continued their conversation in the middle of the storm.
That night, he washed his face in the bathroom. Water ran down his pale face and black hair. Some of the liquid slid down to his neck, inevitably getting in the way when he tried to stand upright and brush his teeth with the toothbrush he had specifically taken.
Beside him, a gloved hand picked up another toothbrush.
"You're not planning to change? It's late…"
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and smiled even with the toothpaste and toothbrush in her mouth. As if that weren't enough, she tried to speak anyway.
"You're not my father, Shiro."
Both of them stayed silent for a moment, simply staring at the mirror in front of them.
"By the way… when did they take the basket with all the clothes?"
"W-Wait, they already took it?!"
She quickly turned to look behind her, but the basket was still there in the corner of the bathroom.
Kaede glanced sideways at Shiro.
She looked annoyed.
She removed the toothbrush from her mouth to speak properly.
"Very funny."
They both finished brushing their teeth.
Shiro left the bathroom so Kaede could stay inside to change. He quietly closed the refined wooden door.
The hallway was dark, most of the lights turned off on that stormy night.
When he turned his gaze down the corridor, he noticed Mizuki standing in front of him, still wearing her coat even at this hour.
Before he could greet her, she spoke.
"You already have your room. Come."
She began walking further down the hallway.
In front of Kaede's room, she stopped and gently opened a door.
The room was simple.
The walls were gray, the floor black. There was a bed with black sheets and a pillow. There was also a desk, empty except for a lamp pointing toward the center of the wooden surface.
In front of the desk stood a wheelchair, completely still.
Shiro slowly entered, looking around the room.
He noticed an air conditioner.
"Hey… don't you think it's too cold to have an air conditioner?"
"The air conditioner has a heat pump function. It can switch from cold to warm. Basically, instead of taking heat out from inside, it brings it from outside to warm the room."
Shiro glanced at her sideways and narrowed his eyes.
"That exists…? Uh… and does that work if it's really cold outside?"
"Yes. Just a little less efficiently."
Finally, Mizuki left.
But before Shiro closed the door, she spoke again.
"I recommend not doing anything for the moment. Yuzuki will come see you in a few minutes."
"Alright, wait… why will Yuzuki come?"
Mizuki didn't answer.
She left silently.
Shiro closed the door and looked again at what seemed to be his new room. It felt very cozy despite how simple it looked.
However, when he looked more carefully, there was a phone on the bed.
Shiro quickly approached, almost throwing himself onto the bed to grab it.
When he turned it on, he couldn't immediately understand how it worked. Apparently it needed facial recognition.
Shiro pulled it slightly away to test it.
And indeed, it unlocked.
"When did they capture my face… that's scary…"
He muttered quietly to himself.
The first thing he searched for was a chat application.
Just as he expected, he already had some messages—specifically four contacts.
"Kaede… Mizuki… Yuzuki…"
He read the names softly while calmly looking at the phone.
"Akira… that guy is really formal…"
Shiro remembered their brief conversation earlier that day. Seeing him already listed as a contact didn't surprise him.
After all, he had said he would add him.
Without realizing it, someone beside him was also looking at the phone.
She leaned her hands on the bed, bending her back and head to see the screen that cast a faint glow over both of them.
The calm between them was as if the other didn't exist.
"So it wasn't a lie that the youngest Hinokami wanted your number…"
"Eh?"
Shiro looked to his left.
Yuzuki was looking at his phone.
She calmly stepped back and placed some notebooks on the desk.
She slightly pulled out the chair and looked at Shiro, waiting for him to sit.
It took a few seconds for him to understand.
Shiro got up from the bed and sat down.
Yuzuki, standing behind him, passed both arms around his body to reach the desk, making Shiro tense up.
Yuzuki took a notebook and opened it, flipping through page after page filled with writing and scribbles.
Until she stopped at one page.
It showed a drawing that clearly took time to make.
It depicted a sea reflecting the moon, with all kinds of lights shining beneath the water—mostly yellow, green, and blue.
"What is this…?"
Shiro asked while keeping his gaze fixed on the drawing—mostly out of embarrassment to turn around and face Yuzuki directly.
He slowly set the phone somewhere on the desk and looked again at the drawing.
Aside from the sea, there was a boat—or something similar.
"A canoe…?" Shiro wondered.
"It's a kind of wooden boat. I just drew it badly, anyway…"
Yuzuki continued speaking, calmer now.
"This is the only navigable sea in this world. Its original name is the Sea of Souls. Here, hundreds of souls drift for days, weeks, months, even years."
"Right… but why are you telling me—"
Shiro couldn't finish speaking.
Yuzuki didn't stop explaining.
"This sea is immense. It marks the boundary of this world. Beyond the sea, there is nothing—or so they say. Because there's an old legend."
Yuzuki turned the page in front of Shiro and kept reading for him.
"It's said that long ago, different kinds of figures arrived here. Travelers and wanderers who came from beyond the Sea of Souls gave themselves a nickname so they would be remembered… 'Walkers.' And with that name, voted by the majority of the group, they were remembered—until, mysteriously, day by day, they died in ways no one remembers."
Shiro stayed silent, simply following her words as she spoke.
The explanation intrigued him slightly, but he didn't feel ready to ask questions.
"Well, I suppose you understand the basics."
"Uh… I think so."
Yuzuki turned another page.
This one had a poorly drawn illustration and a phrase.
The drawing had two parts. The first showed dense fog and darkness. The second showed a reddish desert.
However, before Shiro could examine the drawing further, he only managed to read the phrase in his mind before Yuzuki suddenly turned the page.
"The end of the storm… and the beginning of the hurricane."
That was all he could read before the page flipped.
And it wasn't the only one—several passed in quick succession.
He felt like he couldn't complain.
When Yuzuki finally stopped, Shiro opened his eyes wide upon seeing the page.
It was difficult for him to understand everything—aside from something he had only seen in manga.
"W-what… what is this?"
he asked, confused, still reading.
"…It's a type of hook or whip. Passively, it's used however the bearer wants. The whip is connected to a mechanism on the wrist that allows the user to move quickly and latch onto surfaces from a distance. It has enough range to help the user jump or climb easily. The mechanism on the wrist, when pressing the buttons, controls the hook's action, allowing the user to move as agilely as if it were an extension of their body."
"That's… extensive," he murmured.
"It has three buttons… don't you think they're too far apart for a quick reaction?" Shiro commented.
Yuzuki laughed softly at his remark, closing her eyes and sighing.
"Even an idiot like you noticed. The buttons connect to the palm of the hand so you can reach them with your fingers. Easy, right? They even have names: Launch to fire the hook, Fix to keep it anchored, and Rewind to retract it."
"…It's interesting. But why are you telling me this?"
"Shut up and listen, will you? You're asking more questions than Kaede when I don't let her eat too much."
She didn't say it like a joke.
It sounded more like resentment.
"Anyway… the thread of this device has to be made with something flexible and durable. The fastest way to get something like that is a piece of a card."
Shiro looked forward.
Yuzuki's card appeared.
A faint flame flickered.
It was the first time Shiro had seen something like that.
Then suddenly, the silence broke when a corner of the card tore off—like ripping a piece of paper.
"And that's it. You'll have your hook in less than a week, Shiro."
"E-eh?!"
Shiro felt embarrassed by the sudden gesture.
After all, it's not normal for someone other than your parents—or now Yuzuki—to give you gifts.
"S-something so complex… for me?"
"…Complex? That would be harder for Kaede to use than for you, you know?"
Shiro closed the notebooks and held them in his hands.
"Kaede made this. She thought of it for you. Mizuki found these notebooks in her room. And to be honest, I don't like spoiling you right after you join… consider it a welcome gift."
Shiro stayed silent as he watched Yuzuki walk toward the door.
"I… thank you…"
She glanced at him from the doorway.
"…You'll have to thank Mizuki. Good night."
Yuzuki left the room and closed the door.
Beside it, Mizuki was standing calmly, as if she had been waiting for no more than three minutes.
"You seem to be a good tutor."
"I'm only teaching him the basics."
Yuzuki replied distantly.
A faint silence followed.
The hallway was dark, and the storm outside could be seen through the windows in the living room at the far end.
"Go return the notebooks to Kaede without her noticing—except the whip one. I'll take care of that."
Yuzuki nodded and handed her a notebook.
She walked toward the right side, toward the living room.
"You skipped the information about 'Pandora,' I see…"
Yuzuki stopped.
She didn't glance back at Mizuki, only looking slightly to the side.
"…That will be for another day."
Her words were serious and direct.
She walked away, fading into the distance like a shadow.
Inside the bedroom, the lights were off.
The only sounds were faint gasps, subtle movements on the bed, and the rustling of sheets.
The blanket fell aside with a sudden motion.
Shiro was half-asleep, apparently having a bad dream.
In front of him, the Alma Rigel card emerged.
"He still has a long road ahead. I hope he doesn't die. Otherwise I would have no choice but to intervene. Though… I think one of these days, I'll talk to him about something related."
The talking card, with its feminine voice, vanished as quickly as it appeared.
And with that—
Shiro opened one of his eyes.
//////////////////////////////////////
"The Sea of Souls"
"A place where souls wander for eternity. Neither heaven nor hell, but a sea where, if you venture too far, you may never return. This sea marks the edge of the known map, like a border to the beyond."
"From the opposite side came a group of those travelers and wanderers already mentioned, known as the Walkers. The reason for their journey is unknown—and what happened to them is unknown as well."
"Interesting, isn't it? I've been there myself. Personally, I liked to call it…"
"The other side of the border."