The screams didn't stop when Rei fell to his knees, hands on his head.
Breathing frantically, his mind was spiraling.
"What… what the hell is happening"
Students collapsed one after the other, gasping and clawing at the air.
Rei couldn't hear them clearly anymore.
"Stop…please!"
Tears in his eyes, he cried out.
The air around him suddenly trembled, ripples moving through space.
Then the space shattered.
And air snapped back into place, but the damage was already done.
Students hit the floor coughing violently.
Then alarms suddenly rang throughout the school, red lights flashing. The school turned into chaos.
Teachers shouted, evacuating the students from the building.
Rei stood up, legs shaking. He looked at his shaky hands, scared and confused, his mind was racing.
Moving towards the nearest student, dropping to his knees.
"Hey! Are you okay."
Before he could touch them.
Click. Click. Click.
The sharp sound of guns snapping into place.
Rei froze, then looked up.
The hallway entrance was blocked.
Men dressed in matte black armored suits, moving with practiced precision. Their faces hidden behind full black masks.
Rifles raised in unison, they aimed at him.
"Don't move!"
The command was cold.
"What…? I…"
"Hands where we can see them."
Rei's heart dropped, arms trembling, he raised his hands slowly.
What is this? The police? The military?
Boots echoed in the hallway.
From behind the armed unit, a tall woman stepped forward.
She wore a long black coat underneath her armored suit that brushed the floor. Long purple hair that caught the light, sharp and vivid. Her green eyes scanned Rei with measured curiosity.
"So,"
She said calmly, stopping a few steps away.
"This is the level seven alert"
Her gaze lingered on Rei.
"...A kid."
Rei swallowed.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about… who are you people?"
Unimpressed, she tilted her head slightly.
"Capture him."
Rei's heart dropped and instinct took over.
He turned and ran.
Or at least he tried to.
The woman vanished in a blur of motion.
One moment she was standing in front of him, the next, pain exploded across Rei's neck.
Electricity surged through his body, his muscles locked instantly. His legs gave way beneath him while his vision blurred.
He hit the floor.
The last thing Rei saw before darkness took him was her standing over him.
"Confirmed."
She said quietly.
"Unregistered Somniarch."
Then everything went black.
—
Cold.
That was the first thing Rei felt.
A shiver went down his spine as something rolled beneath him. His senses came back in fragments, the sound of metal clanking, boots striking the floor and the low hum of machinery overhead.
His eyes blinked open.
He couldn't move.
His breath lurched as he realized his arms were pinned tightly against his sides, wrapped in tight white restraints. A rigid strap pressed across his chest. His legs were bound to heavy chains locked to his frame.
A muzzle covered his mouth.
"Mmph!"
Panic surged, but his voice died in his throat.
He was lying on something that looked like a sack barrow but reinforced, clearly something not meant for people.
Pairs of boots entered his blurry vision. Three figures walked alongside him.
All black armored suits. Full masks. Rifles held low but ready.
Rei's heart sped up violently.
Where?
He forced his eyes to focus.
The ceiling wasn't the familiar white of his school halls. It rose higher, lined with long strips of ceiling light. The walls stretched smooth and metallic, interrupted by thick reinforced doors and dark glass panels.
Cameras, dozens of them everywhere.
They followed him as he passed, tracking his every movement.
This wasn't his school, not even close.
Rei tried to turn his head, just a little, trying to take in more of his surroundings.
A hand suddenly slammed down on the barrow.
"Don't try it kid."
The voice was distorted through the helmet, flat and serious.
"Better for you to stay put."
Rei froze.
His breathing grew shallow beneath the restraints. The hallway felt endless, swallowing him whole as they pushed him forward without slowing.
Every instinct screamed at him to run, but all he could do was stare at the lights and wonder where they were taking him.
And what they thought he was.
—
The soldiers continued rolling him down the corridor.
The hallway stretched on, until it split into two branching paths, left and right. Without slowing down, the unit turned sharply right.
For only a brief moment, Rei caught movement to the left.
A man stood next to a glass panel, watching.
He had messy blue hair, sharp deep blue eyes and wore a white lab coat over dark clothes. Thin framed glasses rested on his nose. The man sighed as his gaze landed on Rei.
"Another one,"
He muttered.
"That makes fifteen this week."
He wrote something against a clipboard, then turned away.
"Guess I'll have to ask her what happened earlier today."
Their eyes only met for a second.
The man smirked.
A chill crept up Rei's spine.
He's not here to help.
The cart rolled on.
They stopped in front of a massive reinforced door, thick metal layered with warning stripes. One of the soldiers stepped forward, removing his glove, he pressed his palm against a scanner.
Beep.
Access approved.
A second screen lit up. A code was entered.
Confirmed.
A narrow slot slid open. A key card was inserted.
With a low mechanical hum, the door unlocked.
Rei exhaled slowly.
Yeah… they really don't want anyone getting out.
Beyond the door was another corridor, shorter and narrow. It was lined with identical steel doors. Each one was marked with a bold white number.
They passed several doors.
012.
013.
014.
015.
They stopped at 017.
The key card was swiped and the door slid open.
Inside was an investigation room. Plain and cold. A metal table bolted to the floor, two chairs on the opposite sides, a dark observation window embedded into the wall.
The soldiers wheeled Rei inside and positioned him in front of the table, facing the door.
Then they turned and left.
No explanation, no warning.
The door slid shut behind them.
Alone.
The silence pressed down on Rei as he lay restrained in the chair.
Calm down.
He forced himself to breathe slowly.
It's fine. This is a mistake. They'll clear it up… any minute now.
He clung to the thought desperately.
I'll be home soon.
Then it hit him.
Hanami!
His breath caught.
"Hana…"
He whispered to himself.
The image of her running off class replayed in his mind, her smile.
Did she see what happened? Is she safe?
His chest tightened.
I forgot… I totally forgot about her.
His vision blurred as tears welled up, striking down his cheeks.
"I want to go home."
A movement caught his eye.
In the dark reflection of the observation glass, a figure stood behind him.
Rei froze.
The reflection wasn't his.
A shadowy silhouette stared back with hollow, lifeless eyes.
Before Rei could react, the figure faded away.
A cold deep voice echoed inside his mind.
"You're weak."
His body tensed.
"Drown in your own despair."
The air thickened instantly.
The temperature dropped, cold seeping into his skin as if the room was closing in. Rei's breaths came shallow, his tears fell faster as the weight pressed down on him.
Then,
Click.
The door slid open.
The heaviness vanished.
The cold retreated like it was never there.
Rei gasped softly, lifting his head.
The man with blue hair stepped inside first, adjusting his glasses. Behind him came the woman with purple hair, her expression calm and unreadable.
The man pulled out a chair and sat across from Rei, folding his hands casually on the table. His blue eyes flicked briefly to the tear tracks on Rei's face.
He chuckled, a faint smile curved his lips.
"You crying?"