Reiji Moriyama, your typical high schooler, had just returned from another dull day of school. As he stepped into his silent, empty apartment, a cold, eerie stillness brushed against his face. He sighed and entered without a word. Tossing his bag onto the bed in his room, Reiji made his way to the kitchen. The clatter of cutlery and utensils echoed through the quiet space like distant sounds in a long-abandoned dungeon.
He prepared a simple meal—instant noodles, the usual—and sat down at the small dining table. "Thanks for the food," he muttered, picking up his chopsticks and digging in.
As he ate, his thoughts drifted—like they always did—back to the morning that changed everything.
It had been a beautiful day. Birds chirping. The voices of his parents downstairs. Just another ordinary morning. Upstairs, Reiji was looking in the mirror when he heard his mom call out:
"Reiji, you'll be late if you don't hurry up!"
He hurriedly grabbed his bag and rushed downstairs. His father was seated in the living room, watching the morning news.
"Good morning, Dad," Reiji said as he passed by.
His father responded with a soft grunt—more acknowledgment than a response.
In the kitchen, his mother was almost done cooking.
"Good morning, Mom."
"Did you sleep well, dear?" she asked, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.
"Yeah, I did," Reiji said as he took a seat at the dining table.
She poured a cup of coffee for his father and handed it to him. He sipped silently, eyes fixed on the television. Reiji paid it no mind, as that was how things were at home. Reiji shovelled his breakfast into his mouth—trying to beat the clock.
The news anchor's voice cut through the room like a blade.
"A high school student was found dead in a locker this morning. Authorities are investigating what appears to be a case of extreme bullying that ended in tragedy."
The room fell dead silent.
"How horrible..." his mother whispered, her hand rising to cover her mouth.
His father remained calm, but a shadow passed across his face.
"Hmmm..." he murmured, eyes still locked on the screen.
Reiji felt his appetite fade. What he felt wasn't sadness or pain; it was disgust. Utter disgust.
"Hmm..." Reiji said as he closed his eyes, stood up, and prepared to leave for school. But then he felt his mother's trembling hand holding the end of his sleeve.
He looked toward his mother—her face pale, her eyes glassy as if she could cry at any moment.
Please, Mom… don't look at me like that. It's not like I'm going to die today, Reiji thought to himself.
"Reiji..." her voice was soft, shaking. "I know you're not being bullied. But if you ever feel in danger—truly threatened—please... promise me you'll run. Run, and don't loo—"
She was cut off by a sharp voice:
"What are you teaching our boy? How to be a coward?"
His mother hesitated, then turned to face his father.
"A coward? Did you not hear the news? I'd rather have Reiji alive and afraid than brave and dead."
What my mom said was true. I suffer from severe bullying at school. To be honest, I never thought my mother knew what was happening. I never told her or Dad because of our situation at home. I just didn't want to bother them with unnecessary things. They are doing enough as is. If they keep pushing themselves, I really don't want to think about what could happen to them. They are all I have. I can't lose them.
His father exhaled heavily, breaking Reiji's inner dialogue. He walked toward Reiji and knelt on one knee in front of him, steady and serious.
"Reiji, it's okay to run," he said. "If it's the only way to survive, then run. But remember—there will come a time when running seems like the smartest option... and yet, standing your ground will mean everything. There are moments when what you're fighting for matters more than the logic or reason behind running away."
Reiji, confused by his father's words, tried to grasp what he meant.
"You'll understand that one day, Reiji," his father said, probably knowing Reiji was struggling to piece his meaning together.
Reiji nodded slowly, still trying to grasp the weight of his father's words. He looked back at his mother. The fear on her face had softened, replaced by something calmer—resolve maybe? Resolve for what? Either way, relief washed over Reiji. Knowing his mother wasn't worried was enough for now.
He picked up his bag and walked out the door.
Off to school.
The scene cuts abruptly.
Reiji stands frozen, staring at the horror before him.
"M-My house…? It's on fire? What… happened?"
His voice trembling—shaking, bitter, and hollow.
Smoke billows into the sky. The flames dance like twisted spirits, devouring what little remained of his home.
Reiji dropped to his knees, his scream tearing through the sky.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
His body convulses; he snaps back into reality. His breathing ragged.
But then—silence.
His head began spinning. His vision blurred. He gripped the edge of the table for balance, but his knees buckled beneath him.
"W-What's going on…? I can't… move... Am I… dying?"
No… I can't die like this… Why? Why is this happening to me? Reiji could not grasp why this was happening. It was all too sudden and abrupt.
What was the point of me being born in the first place…? I had no purp—
His mind went blank.
Darkness.
It was complete darkness. It wasn't just darkness… it was nothing. An endless void of nothingness. The silence of nothingness so deep, even the quietest room paled in comparison.
Reiji's consciousness drifted in the void, weightless, disembodied. No limbs. No breath. Just thought.
"Where… am I? What happened? Did I actually… die?"
He tried to move—but there was nothing to move. No arms. No legs. No body.
"So this is death, huh? Makes sense I can't feel anything."
He looked—or tried to—in every direction. Nothing. Just endless, swallowing black.
"It's like I'm floating inside… nothing."
Then suddenly, a voice echoed across the void. It was strange, yet felt warm to Reiji—like he had just met with a long-distant companion.
"Welcome back, Master. I'm so happy to see you again. I've waited so long for your return—"
"Wait—what? Who are you? Where am I? What do you mean 'welcome back'?" Reiji snapped.
The voice cut off. A pause. Then, softer—uncertain.
"Master…?"
"I'm not anyone's master," Reiji said sharply. "I don't even know who you are. I can't see you—or anything, for that matter!"
A long silence followed. Unsettling. Heavy.
Then the voice, almost trembling:
"You… don't remember me? But… why? Master… how could you say something like that…?"
Reiji, still dazed, tried to make sense of the voice.
"Can I at least see you?" he asked.
"Light, come," the voice commanded.
Suddenly, Reiji could see again. It was as if the void itself became light. The light felt no different from the nothingness; it was still nothing, but a different form of nothing.
In front of him stood a girl, small in stature, hair whiter than snow, her blue teary eyes were bluer and more beautiful than any shade of blue any human could comprehend, her face streaked with tears.
So radiant that no person could resist, no human could look away, she was crying but it looked more adorable than any thing the human mind could conjure, so graceful that reiji instinctively reached out to pat her head—only to stop mid-thought.
"...Oh yeah. No body," he muttered.
Still, he tried to offer comfort. "Hey… I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to upset you or anything. Just… what is this place? Where am I?"
The girl wiped her eyes with tiny fists.
"You're my master," she sniffled. "You said you were bored and wanted a vacation. You wanted to explore the human world."
Reiji blinked.
"Wait, what? I said that? But… I am human. Why would I want to explore something I already—"
He hesitated.
"...What exactly was I bored of?"
The girl's tone shifted. Sharp. Loud.
"You're not human, Master. And you got bored of ruling the world."
"HUHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?" Reiji was confused. He couldn't understand what this little girl was saying.
"M-Me?! Rule the world?! Are you sure you've got the right guy? I'm just a high school student. I don't even know anything about leading or ruling anything, let alone the world."
The girl burst into tears again—louder this time.
"Okay, okay!" Reiji tried waving his arms instinctively before remembering again that he had no body. "You're right. I'm your master. Totally. I remember you too... uh… uh…"
He trailed off, searching for a name.
"I'm not a little girl, you know," the girl muttered. "You don't have to lie to make me feel better."
"Right, sorry about that. Wait—you're not a little girl?"
She glared. Then grabbed him.
Reiji's entire being ignited. Pain seared through him like his very soul was being burnt to ashes.
"GAHHHH—how!? How are you even touching me?! I don't have a body!"
"It's rude to ask a lady her age!" she shouted. "And don't call me little!"
"Okay! Okay! I get it! No more comments! Just let me go—it freaking hurts!"
She released him with a huff.
"For your information, you're much older than I am. My name is Seleneira. You used to call me Sel. Stick with that."
"Alright, Sel. Nice to meet you again. I'm Reiji—"
"No, you're not," Sel said.
"...Huh?" Reiji said, confused.
"You're not Reiji."
"No, my name is Reiji! That's what I've always been called!"
"I said no, it's NOT!"
"Then what is it!?"
"I'm not telling you."
"Why not? Are you sure I'm your master? Because I sure as hell don't feel like it."
"You are my master," Sel said firmly. "But something's wrong. You've lost your memories."
"Oh yeah? You think?"
"I don't think, I know. But memory loss shouldn't even be possible for someone like you. Not unless… unless you did it to yourself."
Reiji was stunned.
"I chose to forget?"
Sel folded her arms. "It's the only explanation. But why would anyone willfully erase memories of being you?"
The scene shifted.
A dark shadowy figure lounging lazily.
"Sel… I'm really bored."
Back in the void. Sel murmured, "Yeah. He really did say that… But wiping his whole memory? That's way too extreme."
"Hello? I'm still here, you know," Reiji cut in. "You're really sure I'm your master?"
"Yes, I'm sure," she said. "Listen—if I'm right, it seems you've been reincarnating over and over without your memories. You probably sealed them away somewhere."
"Wait. I've been reincarnating? Like… legit reincarnating? I thought that was just a novel fantasy trope?"
"It's real. And it's why we're stuck in this mess."
Reiji paused.
"Wait… if a god forgets everything about himself, isn't that kind of a big deal?"
"Yes," Sel said grimly. "If your memories had truly been destroyed, reality itself would collapse. All the worlds. Me. Gone."
"WHAT!? Please tell me you're joking—" Reiji said in a panicked voice.
"Calm down," Sel said. "Clearly, you're still alive. I'm still here. So is the rest of the world. Which means… your memories weren't destroyed. They were probably just locked away."
"'Probably' locked? So… you don't know?"
"Keep panicking and I'll burn you again."
"Hey! I'm panicking for good reason! This could be the end of everything!"
"If that were true, we wouldn't be talking right now," Sel said. "So breathe."
Reiji exhaled.
"Okay… you've got a point."
Sel nodded.
"We need to find where your memories were sealed. There's only one place they could be. The Archive."
"Nice. Let's go there now and fix this!" Reiji said, already trying to walk into the void.
Sel held up a hand.
"We can't."
"Why not?"
"Do you even know where the Archive is?"
Reiji blinked.
"...No. But you do, right? You've been there."
"Yes. But knowing where it is doesn't mean we can just go."
"Why not? Don't I own the place?"
Sel groaned.
"The Archive exists on a higher plane than this one."
The Archive, One of the many realms that are beyond everything. Beyond existence and nonexistence. One of the many realms that are even more absolute than this one."
"So what's the problem? Why can't we just go there!" Reiji said, still not grasping what Sel was trying to say.
"Were you not listening? You can't exist in that realm. Not in your current state. I also can't go there—not anymore. You've lost a majority of your powers. Right now, you don't even possess nearly what you once had."
Just as Sel finished speaking, the void began to tremble—subtle at first, then violently. The infinite realm was shaking, more than any earthquake ever experienced.
"No… This can't be happening," Sel muttered, her voice trembling.
"What's going on? Is this supposed to happen?" Reiji asked, confusion twisting into dread.
Sel backed away, eyes wide with terror.
"No… no, no. This is bad. Really bad. The void—no, the world is reacting to you. They're being drawn to your presence."
"Drawn to me? Why?!"
"Because you are you. The world only exists because of your essence. You left a piece of yourself behind to sustain it… but now it has sensed you again. And they want more. If they reach you in this state you'll die—and so will everything."
Reiji froze, panic clawing at him. If he had a face, it would have contorted into pure horror.
A voice echoed in his mind—his mother's words from long ago:
If you are ever in danger—in fear—don't try to be strong. Promise me you'll run. Run and don't look back.
Reiji began to tremble.
"…We need to run. We need to run. Run… I'm scared… we need to run, run, run—"
The intense trembling of the void was shattering what little stability he had left. His soul was beginning to fade—no, more like it was trying to balance between sanity and utter insanity. The void had begun taking what was left of Reiji.
Sel, probably knowing what was going to happen, tried to reach him.
"There's no time—you need to reincarnate again or—Reiji?"
Silence.
He was gone.
Vanished.
Sel stood frozen, winded.
"What just happened? Where is he?" Sel couldn't understand what had just happened.
"No, this can't be happening. Not again… not again. I can't let this happen again, I WON'T LET IT.. NO MATTER WHAT!"