Volume 1: THE PROPHECY
Chapter 1: The Beginning of Ending
The world was ending again.
Fire bloomed across the night sky, swallowing buildings in silence. Distant screams bled through smoke as enormous shadows clashed overhead—two shapes locked in a war that felt ancient, violent, and final. Stone cracked. Steel shattered. People ran in all directions, their faces twisted in fear.
But the boy stood still.
No one noticed him. Not even once. They brushed past him like he wasn't there at all—like he didn't belong to this world.
He slowly looked up.
The sky tore apart as the two beings collided. Their power surged through the air like thunder in slow motion.
And then a shape—massive, jagged—fell from the sky, heading straight toward him.
The world turned white.
The shrill cry of an alarm clock ripped through the illusion. Rei opened his eyes.
6:39 a.m.
He stared at the ceiling, blinking slowly, as the memory of the dream faded into daylight. His room was dim. The fan hummed above. His hair stuck out in every direction.
He muttered, voice hoarse and flat, "Same dream… again."
Downstairs, his mother called out in a voice much louder than necessary. "Did you wake up yet? You're going to be late! Come eat something!"
Rei didn't respond. He pulled himself from bed like a reluctant ghost, dragging his feet across the floor. He brushed, dressed, and left the house with the same lazy expression he wore every morning.
"See you," he muttered, grabbing his bag. The door clicked shut behind him.
The walk to school was quiet.
The streets were still damp from last night's rain, leaves sticking to the edges of the pavement. Birds flitted past power lines. The world looked almost peaceful—except for the dull throb in Rei's chest, that familiar unease.
He paused near the tall tree by the river.
The breeze stirred its leaves gently. He stared at the bark, frowning faintly.
"…Why does this tree feel familiar?"
The moment passed.
He checked his watch.
8:49 a.m.
His eyes widened slightly. "…Damn."
He broke into a sprint.
Eigen Gate School.
The building loomed ahead—tall, pale, and solemn behind its black iron gate. The name itself sounded like a threshold to something—Eigen Gate—an academy with more history than answers. It had been built by Shigure Eigen, but now it was ruled by his son: Principal Raizen.
As Rei stepped past the gate, a strange weight settled in the air.
Something about the ground beneath him felt… off. He slowed.
A quiet whisper in his mind:
You shouldn't be here.
But outwardly, his expression didn't change. He gave the faintest smirk. "I'm so excited," he mumbled dryly.
Classroom 12-A felt like a warzone.
A cricket ball bounced off a desk. Someone was drawing on the whiteboard with ketchup. Laughter echoed from all corners. It didn't feel like a classroom—it felt like a rehearsal for chaos.
Rei walked in unnoticed and sat near the window. He leaned his chin into his hand, gazing absently at the sky.
Then—
A drop of sweat hit his cheek.
He blinked.
A boy was squatting beside him, trying to catch a cricket ball. His dyed blue-white hair stuck to his forehead. His eyes were sharp but mischief-glazed.
Rei recoiled slightly, uncomfortable.
Why is he so close?
Before he could say anything, the classroom froze.
Every sound stopped. Movement halted midair.
Rei sat upright, eyes narrowing.
And then, it came again.
A voice—low, cold, and ancient—whispered directly into his skull.
"The prophecy has awakened."
The room darkened. Shadows stretched unnaturally across the floor. From every corner, hands began to crawl—ghostly black limbs reaching toward him, fingers sharp, twitching.
Rei couldn't move. He was trapped.
And then—
"What's your favourite food?"
The teacher's voice snapped him back.
Rei jerked upright and shouted, louder than he meant to, "Holy sh—!"
Everyone turned to stare.
A pause. The chalk fell from the teacher's fingers.
"…I meant sorry," Rei mumbled, slowly sitting down again.
The rest of the class passed like a slow fever.
Lunch break. Canteen.
Rei sat alone, hunched over a mostly empty tray, lost in thought. Whispers floated around him.
"That's the guy who shouted in class." "What's his deal?"
Rei ignored them. He was still thinking about the voice. The dream. The hands.
It wasn't just a nightmare. Not anymore.
A voice interrupted his silence.
"Mind if I sit, Mr. 'Holy-Shout'?"
Rei looked up. The same boy from earlier—the one with blue-white hair—grinned and sat without waiting for a reply.
"I'm Itsuki," he said casually. "And I think I know what happened to you."
Rei didn't reply.
"I had the same dream," Itsuki added. "The fire. The voice. The hands."
Rei's gaze sharpened.
"…You heard it too?"
Itsuki nodded, suddenly serious. "It's real. And I think this school has something to do with it."
Rei stood up, but Itsuki followed, walking beside him like an unwanted shadow.
"C'mon, don't act like it's normal. Something's off here. What if there's something under this school? Sealed away? A demon? A curse? An ancient toothbrush?"
Rei gave him a dry look.
Itsuki grinned. "Hey, I make jokes when I'm scared. It's how I cope. If I die investigating this, at least tell my story with dignity."
"I'll flush your spirit down the toilet," Rei muttered.
Itsuki laughed. "Fair enough."
They turned a corner and walked straight into someone.
Literally.
A tall man stood before them, silent. His long hair was streaked with white and pink. His eyes—cold green, emotionless.
Itsuki backed up. "Ah. Hello, wall... person... tall... wall man."
The man stared down at him.
"Do you often insult people's height as a greeting?" he asked in a calm, flat voice.
Rei didn't react, but something in him tensed.
Then the man cracked a smile, sudden and sharp.
"Shigure Raizen. Principal. Welcome to Eigen Gate."
He looked between them, still smiling.
"Watch your backs, boys. Some things in this school aren't asleep anymore."
He walked past, his coat brushing the hallway floor.
Rei and Itsuki exchanged a glance.
"What was that?" Itsuki whispered.
Rei said nothing.
A little later, three senior students blocked their path near the stairs. "Fresh meat. That was you yelling in class?" one of them said.
Before Rei could answer, a cup hit the guy square in the head.
All eyes turned.
A girl stood nearby. Short black-blonde hair, green eyes, hands taped like a fighter. She wore a café uniform shirt under a black jacket.
"You seriously picking fights during lunch?" she said. "That's pathetic."
They glared. "Stay out of this, coffee girl."
She dropped her bag. Five seconds later, the bullies were on the floor groaning.
Itsuki blinked. "I think I just fell in love."
She turned to Rei.
"You saw them too, didn't you?"
Rei's eyes narrowed. "…The hands?"
She paused. "…I was talking about the one who grabbed me. But… dream hands?"
Rei slowly explained. The voice. The prophecy. The dream. The same vision.
She looked at both of them.
"…You should come with me," she said. "I live above a café down the street. My grandmother… she told me stories. About this school. About things sealed away."
Itsuki raised an eyebrow. "What kind of stories?"
The girl shrugged. "She said once… she saw a door. Underground. A huge black door with a giant lock. And she swore—she heard something breathing behind it."
She looked at Rei.
"Still want to know the truth?"
Rei nodded once. "I'm Rei."
She smirked. "Yuki. Let's go."