I struggled to maintain my grip on consciousness, biting my lip until I tasted blood. My ears were filled with a constant, deafening ring, and my vision was a swirling mess of colors and shadows. It felt like a miracle I hadn’t completely blacked out yet.
Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps cut through the haze.
“It seems you’re in quite a predicament,” a woman’s voice said, smooth and calm. Through my blurry vision, I couldn’t make out any details about her. All I knew was that she was a woman from the sound of her voice. “Do you want me to help you? Say yes if you do, or no if you don’t.”
I was at a loss for words, struggling to find my voice.
“You can’t speak anymore, I see,” the woman said, her tone both gentle and pragmatic. “Here’s what you can do: if you want my help, just squeeze my hand. If you don’t, then leave it.”
She lowered herself to the ground beside me.
“The magic and royal knights have been scouring every nook and cranny, hunting down any Silver Blades members they can find. We’ve uncovered crucial information about your group and are dedicated to rooting you all out. Even if you manage to escape now, you won’t be able to evade us forever. You probably know that already, don’t you? So why not take my hand? I can offer you safety, but there will be a price to pay.”
She extended her hand towards me, her fingers reaching out with an almost magnetic pull.
“Come on now, Miss Shredica. Let me help you,” she said gently, her voice carrying a soothing yet commanding tone.
I recognized her voice through the haze of pain and disorientation. With a flicker of desperate hope, I managed to squeeze her hand. The world around me faded to black as I lost consciousness.
***
“Ichinose-kun…” My voice was barely a whisper, hoarse and strained. I hadn’t meant to speak, but the name slipped out nonetheless.
The rain pounded relentlessly around me, drenching me to the core. My clothes clung tightly to my skin, weighed down by the relentless downpour, while my hair hung in heavy, wet strands.
In front of me stood a vehicle. I had never seen anything like it before—it was enormous. Enormous didn’t quite capture it; it was massive. Oh, right. I remembered now. Back in my old world, a century ago, there were vehicles called trucks. In the era I was in now, trucks or any wheeled vehicles were relics of the past. Seeing something like this was a jarring surprise.
But more pressing was the question of why I was here, and why I was staring at a vehicle that should have been obsolete for a hundred years.
It was then that I saw something horrifying. A boy with black hair lay crumpled on the ground, drenched in a pool of his own blood. The sheer amount of blood was so overwhelming that his face was almost unrecognizable. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that this might be the Ichinose-kun whose name had slipped from my lips.
The road was smeared with dark streaks of blood, painting a gruesome picture of what had happened. It was clear that the truck had struck him, sending his body sliding across the pavement, which explained the bloodstained ground. The truck itself had smashed into a nearby post, and inside it, a lifeless man lay slumped over the wheel.
My vision swam, and the scene before me felt like a heart-wrenching nightmare.
“A-An… ambulance. L-Let me call an ambulance…” My voice was barely audible, hoarse and trembling, as though I had only just learned how to speak. My hands scrabbled in my pocket for my device, but the rain had turned it into a useless lump of waterlogged plastic. The device, covered in buttons, slipped through my fingers as I frantically pressed them, but nothing happened.
“Aaaaah! Why now?!” My voice shattered with panic. With no other options, I staggered toward the boy. My knees buckled as I saw his mangled body. “No… Ichinose-kun…” My voice came out in ragged, gasping sobs as I took in the horrific sight. His bones were crushed, his flesh ripped open with jagged edges, revealing bone fragments beneath. Blood flowed freely, pooling in grotesque puddles around him. The sight was a nightmare, but I couldn’t pull my gaze away.
“No… Nooo!” I shook him desperately, my heart pounding in my chest. He didn’t move, but his labored breaths were a small, fragile sign of life. His eyes moved slightly, but that was all he could manage.
“Please, Ichinose-kun… Stay with me…!” I begged, my voice trembling and barely more than a whisper through my choking sobs.
He didn’t respond. His body lay motionless, and his eyes, though barely alive, locked onto me with a haunting, vacant stare.
“Why… Why did you save me?” I cried out, my voice breaking with the weight of my anguish. “Why did you pull me out of the way?! If you hadn’t…!”
Was I the reason for his death? The fragments of memory were fragmented and blurry, but it seemed like I was the cause.
Ichinose-kun’s mouth quivered slightly, but no sound emerged. His eyes remained locked on mine. Was he etching the image of the woman responsible for his death into his memory? Did he harbor resentment towards me? Maybe that was why he kept haunting my visions.
Soon, the light in his eyes faded, and Ichinose-kun was gone.
“I-Ichinose-kun? I… Ichinose… Tsubasa! Nooo…! Don’t leave me…! Please…!” My desperate cries reverberated through the rain, but no one heard my anguished screams. The rain drowned out everything.
The scene shifted. I found myself looking worn out and defeated. My eyes were hollow, my hair a tangled mess. It felt like a long time had passed since Ichinose-kun’s death. I recognized this scene—I had seen it in my dreams not too long ago.
The bell rang, and I quickly got up from my seat, slinging my bag over my shoulder. Just as I was about to head for the door, someone grabbed my arm.
“…What?” I snapped, turning to face the person who had stopped me. She was glaring with a fiery intensity. I recognized her now—her name was Asada Kaori-san, from my dreams.
I remembered feeling jealous of her, though I couldn’t recall why.
“How dare you show your face at school after what you’ve done? Don’t you feel any guilt? Shame? You’re the reason he’s dead!”
I shrugged her off, trying to ignore the burning anger in her eyes.
“I don’t want to talk to you.”
“You’re truly shameless…”
“Shameless, huh? Who’s really the shameless one here? Who’s truly responsible for your childhood friend’s death?”
“What do you mean? You’re the reason he died!”
“Oh, is that so? Well, if you insist on placing the blame solely on me, then so be it. But do not forget, you too carry a burden of guilt in this matter.”
With that, I walked out of the room, my footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. After a short distance, I crumpled to the floor, unable to hold back the tears any longer. The ache in my heart was relentless, like a jagged blade twisting deeper with every sob. What was this excruciating pain?
I couldn’t remember much about Ichinose-kun, but it was clear now that he had been incredibly important to me. The fact that I could cry for him proved how deeply he had touched my life. I couldn’t recall the last time I had shed tears. I wondered what had happened to me—what had turned me into this unfeeling shell who couldn’t even muster a smile, who found comfort only in the scent of blood and the rush of killing. What had corrupted me so completely?
I remembered my name now. My real name. It wasn’t Shredica. Shredica was just a name they had given me. My real name… yes, my real name was…
No… I couldn’t grasp it anymore. It was right on the tip of my tongue, just out of reach. Why couldn’t I remember it? What… was my name back then?
***
I woke up to a strange ceiling overhead. The bed beneath me was unexpectedly soft and comforting. My surroundings were unfamiliar, and a sense of confusion washed over me. Why was I here?
“You’re awake,” a soft voice said nearby. I turned my head to see a woman standing beside me. She had a striking presence—her dark skin glowing softly in the dim light, and her well-built frame suggesting strength and calm.
“Who are you?” I croaked.
“I’m a captain of a magic knight unit. The name’s Laurel. This is the Vice Commander’s room,” she said with a calm, authoritative tone. “I’m here to keep an eye on you until she arrives. Oh, never mind, she’s here now.”
Miss Laurel stepped out, her footsteps light yet purposeful, and soon returned with a woman in tow. The moment I saw her, a spark of recognition ignited in my memory—she was the Vice Commander of the Magic Knights.
“You…” I managed, the word slipping out in a breathless murmur.
“We meet again, Miss Shredica,” Vice Commander Veronica Eclair said, her voice smooth and composed.
