The instant he opened his eyes, a sense of panic filled his body
But here he was, at the entrance of the majestic golden gates of Celestia Academy, just as he had always been.
He shook. He didn't know what was happening, but a single thought ran through his head: I must go home.
Without thinking, he turned back and ran.
The trees, the road, the world outside him dissolved into a blur as his feet drummed against the earth. Quicker. Quicker. All he wanted to do was escape this place as far as possible.
But then—he realized a terrible thing.
He wasn't running quickly. He was traveling at an impossibly fast rate.
Buildings, forests, whole landscapes sped by him like a blur. He should be tired, but his body didn't feel it, felt weightless, rather.
How… am I going so fast?!
Before he could even comprehend it, the far-off glow of his city dawned on the horizon. He had traveled more than 80 kilometers in a matter of minutes. It was humanly impossible.
And then—blinding headlights.
A deafening horn.
A huge crash.
Darkness.
Ryo gasped as he found himself opening his eyes once more.
The golden gates of Celestia Academy towered before him. Once more.
His breathing became ragged, his heart pounding against his chest. He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to make sense.
I just died… but I'm here again?! Again?!
His mind was screaming for answers, but all he could manage was stumble towards a bench in the academy garden and sit down. His hands were still trembling.
Nothing made sense. He had died twice. And both times, he had come back to this same moment.
His eyes swiveled every which way, looking for anything—anything—that might tell him what was going on. That's when he saw him.
The instructor who had told him that he didn't fit in here.
But this time, the reaction was not like before. The instructor didn't call him a stranger, simply saying, "What are you doing here? The entrance ceremony is beginning soon. Move on."
Ryo stood there stiff as a plank. What
That is not what he had told him the last time. No, the last time, he had stated flat out that Ryo shouldn't be here. But now, it was as if they had just met.
His spine grew cold.
Had the teacher… forgotten? Had time somehow reset?
His mind whirled as he approached the ceremony hall. And then, more things started to feel off.
The sky was a bit darker than he recalled. The bell chime that announced the ceremony was a bit off-pitch. A student stumbled over a loose stone, but this time, no one responded.
Each little discrepancy sent shivers through him.
Is this actually the same timeline…? Or is something altering each time I die?
By the time they finished with the ceremony, Ryo could hardly recall the words that were spoken. It all seemed so unreal, as if he was dreaming but could not wake up.
He was given a dorm room by the academy, and the moment he got his key, something occurred to his mind:
I just have to make it through this night. Tomorrow, when classes begin, I'll sort things out.
Still in a daze, he walked the students to the dormitory. But as he turned into the hall toward his room—
A hand closed around his wrist.
Ryo tensed.
Before he could move, a voice—low and unrecognizable—spoke behind him.
"Wait."