BOUND BY WORLDS

Akira and Hayato had been inseparable since childhood—two idiots who laughed at the same jokes, shared the same snacks, and gamed until their eyes burned. But lately… things had changed. Ever since Hayato started dating Ayase, his time had been split like a thin sheet of paper. Akira wasn’t jealous—at least that’s what he told himself—but the silence in his room felt heavier than it used to. Then the news hit.A serial killer roaming their neighborhood.Curfews suggested. Phones buzzing with warnings But that night, Akira sat alone, controller in hand, anime running softly in the background. He wasn’t really paying attention; he was just killing time. Then he spotted movement from his window—Hayato heading home with that tired walk he always had after long dates. Akira couldn’t help but smile. Finally, a chance to talk.He rushed downstairs and caught up to him. “Dude, you should NOT be outside right now,” Hayato scolded, eyes wide. “Go home. Seriously.” But Akira shook his head with that stubborn grin. “It’s been two weeks. I’m walking with you. Halfway. You can’t stop me.” Hayato sighed in defeat, but his eyes softened. “Fine… but only halfway.” And for a while, it felt like old times. They joked. They teased. They filled the empty space that had grown between them.For those few blocks, everything was right again.But when they reached the point where they normally split paths, the night shifted. The street was too quiet. The air too heavy. The shadows too thick. “Alright… I guess this is—” Hayato began. A sound cut him off. Fast. Sharp. Wrong. Akira barely had time to turn.A glint of steel.A blur of movement.Pain that stole his breath.He collapsed first.Hayato screamed his name—but the serial killer was already on him too. Two best friends. Two final breaths. Two lights fading out in the cold dark.Yet death wasn’t the end. When Akira’s consciousness returned, he woke to unfamiliar skies… unfamiliar air… and an unfamiliar body. Long hair. A smaller frame.A girl’s voice escaping his lips. Meanwhile, Hayato awoke not too far away, still himself—but in a world filled with magic, beasts, and kingdoms straight out of the games they used to play together.Two best friends. Reborn.