✦ Prologue ✦
Silence. No one around him.
Only the sky stretched above the rooftop.
"...Not bad."
It had been a while since he enjoyed a morning like this.
Grandpa Marcus would have liked it. He used to say things like that all the time.
"Experience everything in life, Zekai. Don't stay in darkness forever. Darkness spreads slowly. Like poison."
Marcus believed people should walk toward the light.
Zekai never agreed. Work. Relationships. Family. People called those things "life." To him, they looked like cages.
"Living like this is easier." He leaned back and looked at the sky again.
"For me… and for everyone else."
His life had always been quiet. Slow. Predictable.
Then everything changed. It started with the card. He looked down at his hand.
The black card rested between his fingers, its surface darker than ink.
"…You again."
It had been three weeks since it first appeared. Three weeks, and it still refused to disappear.
The real problem wasn't the card. It was the window. The moment he focused on it, the screen appeared again.
A red screen surfaced in his vision—transparent, layered with black and white text.
It flickered… just once. Like it was waiting for him.
[ CONDITION LOCKED ]
Next Activation: Pending
Timeframe:
Failure Condition: [ xxxx xx xxx xxxx xxxx xxxx ]
[ FINAL WARNING ]
— DO OR DIE —
He stared at the words for a long moment.
"…Great."
'This thing had completely ruined my quiet life.'
He closed his eyes. That wasn't much time.
"Alright."
He stood up slowly.
"Let's see how far it pushes me."
Marcus always said life should be experienced.
'Fine. I would experience it.'
But he wasn't planning to lose. He looked at the card again.
"I'll finish it."
Whatever this thing wanted. Whoever created it.
It didn't matter. In the end, the result would be the same.
They would understand… or they wouldn't.
It didn't matter.
'They didn't need to understand anything.
As long as the job was done.'
✦ End of Prologue ✦
✦ Chapter 1 : Act 1 — The One Who Watches ✦
Zekai Krystan lived without direction. He didn't work, didn't chase anything, and didn't feel the need to. To him, the world moved on its own whether he cared or not.
If something happens to someone… what does it have to do with me?
That was how he saw things.
His parents were gone. It had been years since they died. The only person left in his life was his grandfather, Marcus. Even then, Zekai never truly felt like he belonged anywhere. Not in a family, not in the world.
He lived like someone already detached.
Marcus often told him the same thing.
"Do you know what your name means, Zekai? It means The One Who Watches the World."
Zekai always found that amusing. Because it was true.
He had always been a spectator. Watching was easy. Acting meant consequences, and consequences required choices.
He avoided both. But somewhere deep inside, a thought kept surfacing.
'Doing nothing isn't the same as staying safe.'
'It just means you accept whatever happens next.'
'You don't choose the outcome… you just live with it.'
Zekai didn't like that part.
✦ Act 2 — Black & Red✦
Zekai stood in front of the vending section inside a convenience store, holding the daily living expenses his grandfather Marcus had given him, quietly thinking about what to buy for breakfast. He stared at the options for a while before deciding.
After a moment, he exhaled lightly.
"Morning… ramyeon should be fine. And rice balls for later."
It wasn't much, but it was enough.
He picked them up and started walking toward the counter, his gaze drifting lazily around the store as he moved, more out of habit than interest.
Then suddenly—something small collided into him.
A little girl had been running without looking ahead. Zekai hadn't noticed her, and she hadn't noticed him. The impact was light for him, barely enough to shift his balance, but for her it was different.
She stumbled and fell.
"Ouch—"
Zekai looked down immediately.
"Hey… sorry, I didn't see you."
But before the words even settled, the girl had already gotten up. No hesitation, no reaction, like the fall hadn't mattered at all. She ran past him without even looking back.
"Mommy… where's the chocolate?"
Zekai blinked.
"…Kids."
He didn't dwell on it. Just turned and continued toward the counter.
Behind it stood Aron Lexi, a nineteen-year-old cashier. Aron was the kind of person who apologized even when it wasn't his fault. Too kind for his own good.
No matter what kind of world it is, people like him are always the first to break—not because they're weak, but because they're too kind to survive in it. And the worst part is, there are so many people like him around us… relying on that kindness without even realizing it.
Zekai placed the items on the counter. The moment Aron looked up and saw him, his expression brightened immediately.
"Mr. Zekai… good morning!"
"Huh… morning."
Aron started scanning the items, fingers moving quickly.
"Haven't seen Marcus Grandpa lately. Is he okay?"
"Hm. He went to Linoria. Some kind of performance."
"Oh… I see."
Aron glanced at the screen.
"Sixteen credits."
Zekai reached into his right pocket.
Nothing.
He checked the left. His fingers touched something unfamiliar.
He pulled it out. A black-and-red tarot card box.
He frowned slightly.
'I've never seen this before.'
Without thinking too much, he placed it on the counter.
Next to it, a glass of water trembled slightly.
Zekai noticed. The surface rippled. For a brief moment, he looked around.
Zekai's eyes shifted to it. Then around the store.
'An earthquake?'
'No.'
Everything else was still. The water rippled again.
Not enough to spill. Not enough to notice. Just enough… to be wrong.
Something tightened his chest.
"…Huh."
He reached back into his pocket again, deeper this time. Something larger was there—but not what he was looking for.
No money.
'Damn… seriously? Where did it go?'
He looked up at Aron, a faint awkward smile forming.
"Aron—"
Before he could finish, Aron already understood. Without hesitation, he pulled money from his own pocket and placed it on the counter, finishing the transaction as if it was nothing.
He handed over the items.
"It's fine, Mr. Zekai. You can give it later."
Zekai paused for a moment.
"…Thanks."
Aron smiled.
"Take care. Eat on time."
Zekai gave a small nod and walked out.
"Have a good day."
✦ Act 3 — Watchers ✦
As he stepped outside, the cool air brushing against his face, something suddenly clicked in his mind.
He glanced down at his coat.
"This… isn't my coat."
It was Marcus's. Both of their coats looked similar, so he must have worn it by mistake.
Then his phone buzzed. A notification.
He opened it.
A V-Tube news clip started playing.
> "—continuing coverage from Linoria."
"Authorities confirmed six more deaths overnight."
"All victims were previously convicted criminals."
Behind the reporter, an evidence board appeared. Photos were connected with red strings. At the center — a single letter, drawn large enough to fill the body.
H.
> "The confirmed total has now reached one thousand and twenty-two victims."
---
Zekai lowered the phone slightly. His expression didn't change.
'One thousand and twenty-two… How does one person even do that?'
It didn't make sense. And yet, it was happening.
He locked his phone and stepped toward a pedestrian crossing.
That's when he noticed them.
A group of people. Black coats. Sunglasses.
Standing apart from everyone else. They weren't talking much.
They were looking at the sky.
Then—At their watches. Then back at the sky again.
Zekai frowned.
'What are they doing…?'
'Did they escape from a mental hospital or something?'
'…No.'
Something else was off.
'Why are they looking at the sky?'
Zekai watched them carefully.
They repeated the same motion again. One of them whispered:
"Countdown started."
"Be ready."
Zekai's eyes shifted to their watches. Orange light flickered.
He narrowed his eyes.
'Countdown…?'
'Are they waiting for something to fall?'
'A meteor?'
He almost scoffed.
…Or—
'Are these people some kind of hidden protectors?'
His thoughts kept branching. Then one clear thought cut through everything:
'People don't calmly wait for disasters. They run.'
The signal turned green. People began crossing. Zekai moved with them, but glanced back once more.
There were more of them. Across the road. Doing the same thing.
"…What a bunch of fools."
He continued walking. Halfway across—
"Mr. Zekai! Wait!"
He turned.
Aron was running toward him, holding the black-and-red tarot box.
"You forgot this!"
Before Zekai could respond—His phone rang.
[ Call from: Marcus Grandpa ]
Wondering why he would call at a time like this, he answered it. But at that exact moment—Someone collided with his shoulder. The impact twisted his body slightly.
His phone slipped from his hand. And something else fell from his pocket.
A black stone card. It hit the asphalt.
Aron slowed to a stop mid-run.
Zekai hadn't picked it up yet but he had already stopped moving.
His eyes locked onto it—not because he wanted to, but because something inside him did.
From where Aron stood, Zekai was staring at empty ground — completely still, like something had paused him.
A thin red line ran across its surface like a crack in dried blood.
"Tick."
The sound was faint. But for a split second—It felt like the entire world paused.
Zekai's breath caught.
The air felt… wrong. Like something had just begun.
✦ End of Chapter 1 — The One Who Watches the World ✦