Boom
A dull thud echoed.
Mike — "Ah!"
He jolted awake, eyes snapping open, and fumbled for his lamp on the floor. Once he found it, he hurried to turn it on and looked around. He was lying on the ground, and when he pointed the light straight ahead, he saw a door.
「What am I doing here? Didn't I fall asleep in a bed?」
He yawned slightly before standing up, brushing off his old, slightly sticky clothes.
Mike — "That liquid again… and what's with this door?"
The door looked twice his height, and the material didn't seem ordinary. He took a step closer.
「No handle? How am I supposed to open it?」
He tried pushing it, but the door didn't move an inch. He stepped back and kicked it.
Mike — "Damn it, what is this thing?!"
He began feeling around the surface of the door.
Voice — "I think it's impossible to open it right now, since it's sealed. So stop playing with it and figure out why… or how."
He froze, as if struck by something.
Mike — "Oh right, I'd forgotten about you. You're still here, huh? Thanks for the commentary — I did notice I couldn't open it."
Voice? — "Did you think you could get rid of me?"
Mike — "Tss. No, but maybe you could explain why I'm not in the bed anymore?"
Voice? — "I'm not really sure… Well, actually, I guess one of the others must've done it."
Once again, he was faced with cryptic statements, dropped without explanation — as if the voice just enjoyed mocking him.
Mike — "Huh?! You've mentioned these others a few times now, there are—"
Mike's tone was rising, but before he could finish, the voice cut him off.
Voice? — "Don't get mad. It's not my fault you've forgotten that too… You'll figure it out yourself."
Mike — "Same old song…"
He grumbled a few words but kept talking as if nothing had happened.
Voice? — "For now, you should head back to the room to grab your things — and something to defend yourself with. Don't you think?"
Mike — "Yeah, sure, this is getting shady. You'd better hope there's no one else here."
「He's probably grinning ear to ear right now.」
So he started walking, searching for the apartment where he had dozed off.
He entered the first one, rummaged around, and took anything that looked useful.
「It'd be easier to carry all this with a backpack.」
As the thought crossed his mind, he found himself in what looked like a teenager's bedroom. He opened the large creaking closet in front of him and found a black backpack inside. It was filled with notebooks from different subjects. He paused, then pulled them all out and wiped the bag clean using some clothes he found in the same closet.
Voice? — "Hmm… not bad. That should come in handy."
Mike ignored it, pleased with his discovery. He packed all the items he'd gathered earlier and resumed searching.
After checking several apartments, he finally found the right one. The closet door was still open, wrappers and scraps scattered on the floor. Disgusted by the liquid, he decided not to touch any of it.
Voice? — "You make me laugh, but you're right — best not to touch that."
Mike — "Gngngn, yeah I know, don't worry."
He inspected what remained inside the closet with his lamp, grabbed everything that looked edible, and stuffed it into his bag.
「Canned food, canned food, and more canned food… plus a bit of water. I'm not getting far with this…」
Voice? — "I know you're not dumb, but you won't last long on that. It's not enough to survive. You should find something to defend yourself."
Mike — "Oh right! Guess you are good for something…"
He searched through the kitchen cupboards and found a large, sharp knife. He took it in hand, gave it a few quick swings… and dropped it.
「How am I supposed to use this thing? I can't even chop vegetables.」
Voice? — "Ha! Just don't stab yourself with it!"
He picked up the knife and carefully slid it into the front pocket of his bag.
Mike — "Yeah, yeah, I'll be careful…"
He moved into the next room — the one where he had collapsed earlier.
「So I did fall asleep here. But something feels off.」
There were still traces of his presence, but the bed had been made.
Voice? — "If you ask me, you should change clothes. You look… let's say, a little dirty?"
Indeed, the young man was wearing a torn T-shirt and a pair of pants riddled with holes.
He searched through the closets, tossing anything interesting onto the bed. After trying on several outfits, he found one he liked.
「Let's see how it looks.」
He looked at himself in the mirror on the door.
He was of average height for his age — though he still didn't know what that was. His head was crowned with straight black hair, slightly messy, with strands that faded into white at the ends. His eyes were a deep gray, almost platinum-like. His mouth was small and unremarkable.
「What's with these white strands?」
Now, he wore black pants that struck a strange balance between comfort and necessity. The elastic waistband, tightened by a simple drawstring, gave it the casual feel of a child's joggers. Yet the large flap pockets on the sides — one reinforced with a zipper — lent it a utilitarian, almost military look. The dark, slightly stiff fabric folded around his knees and tightened at the ankles, as if to keep him from tripping over his own steps. Ordinary yet singular, those pants seemed just like their wearer — ready for anything, but never quite fitting in.
Above that, he wore a gray T-shirt of almost irritating simplicity — no pattern, no detail to catch the eye. Its straight cut hung loosely on him, not bothering to flatter his shape, even seeming a little too big. The wide sleeves brushed his thin arms, and the worn cotton fabric looked built for daily survival rather than style. The kind of clothing one forgets the moment they see it — blending into the background… just like him.
His shoes, however, contrasted sharply with the rest. High-topped and entirely black, they looked built for survival rather than comfort. Their thick soles, shaped to bite into the ground, made him seem heavier than he was, as if each step had to echo through this empty world. Tight laces and metal hooks reinforced their rugged, almost military look — and yet… something about them was too new, too clean, clashing with his frail appearance. As if they were waiting to be stained by the dust and blood of the floors to come.
Mike — "Much better now, right?"
He packed a few spare clothes into his bag, which looked ready to burst at any moment.
Voice? — "Simple, but oddly fitting. But watch ou—"
Before the voice could finish, a sound broke out. Tap tap tap.
Someone — or something? — was knocking at the door.
TAC TAC TAC
Mike — "What the hell is that noise?!"
The sound came from outside the apartment. He quickly grabbed his things and rushed out.
Mike — "The sealed door?"
He crept toward it cautiously.
Voice? — "You'd better step back and take out your knife. That sounds dangerous."
Before he could react, the door began to glow — a blinding, pure white light.
TATATATATATAC—
Then, all sound stopped. A sharp, echoing silence filled the air.
Something emerged from the door.
It looked human — clad in white armor. In its hand, a long sword, equally white. The moment its foot touched the ground, the being vanished from Mike's sight.
Mike — "Huh?! Where did it go?!"
Voice? — "Dodge, now!"
It was suddenly in front of him, swinging its sword in a powerful arc.
Mike barely managed to leap backward in time… His heart was pounding like mad.
「It tried to kill me? Who— what— no, no, no.」
Armored Being — "A bit clumsy with your reaction time… But are you ready for what comes next?"