Rain fell again that night, steady and cold.
The streets shimmered under the glow of neon signs as I ran, heart pounding, the message still burning in my mind:
You shouldn't have interfered with Ren.
Let's see if you can protect Airi this time.
The words felt like a hand closing around my throat. Someone knew about me—about what I'd changed.
But who?
By the time I reached Airi's neighborhood, the rain had soaked through my jacket. Her house sat quietly on the corner, lights dim. Everything seemed normal, too normal.
I crouched behind a fence, scanning the street. No suspicious cars, no shadows moving. Still, something felt wrong.
Then I saw it—fresh tire marks cutting through the wet road, stopping just before her gate.
Someone had been here.
I slipped my phone out and typed a quick message.
Ryo:Stay inside tonight. Lock your doors.
Airi:What? Why?
Ryo:Just do it.
No reply after that. I exhaled slowly, eyes never leaving the house.
If they touched her again—if history tried to repeat itself—I'd burn this entire city to the ground before letting it happen.
The next day, school buzzed with rumors. Someone had broken into the gym late last night—equipment smashed, graffiti sprayed across the walls.
When I saw the message written in red paint, my blood ran cold:
"You can't change fate, Ryo."
No one else seemed to understand it. To them, it was just vandalism. But to me—it was a warning.
"Hey, you okay?" Airi's voice pulled me back. She stood beside me, holding her books close to her chest. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
I forced a small laugh. "Maybe I have."
She frowned. "You're hiding something. I can tell."
I didn't answer. How could I tell her I'd died once before, and that this world was starting to twist around me again?
As she turned to leave, I caught her wrist. "Airi… if something ever happens—anything strange—you tell me first. Promise me."
She blinked, surprised. "Ryo, what's going on?"
"Promise me."
After a moment, she nodded. "Okay. I promise."
Her skin was warm against mine. Too warm. For a second, I swore I saw a flicker of something in her eyes—recognition, confusion, fear.
Then she pulled away, shaking her head like she'd just woken from a dream. "Sorry. I—I'll see you later."
And she walked off.
I didn't go to class that afternoon. Instead, I went back to the alley where I'd met the man in black.
The air still smelled of smoke. No one was there. But on the wall, something new had been carved—a symbol: a circle with three lines crossing through it.
I'd seen that mark before. In my past life, it had been painted on the walls of every abandoned building Kaito used as a hideout. It wasn't just a gang sign. It was something older.
A group called The Cycle—a rumor whispered in the underground. A cult that believed life and death were loops meant to be rewritten.
Could they be the ones behind this rebirth?
I turned, sensing movement behind me. "I know you're there."
The stranger stepped out from the shadows, same black coat, same unreadable smirk.
"Persistent," he said. "You're not supposed to remember the mark."
"I don't just remember it," I said coldly. "I destroyed the people who wore it."
He chuckled. "And yet here you are, repeating your story."
I stepped closer. "Who are you really?"
He tilted his head. "Names don't matter. What matters is that you've disrupted the balance. The Cycle keeps order. You—you're the error."
"Then fix me," I spat.
He grinned. "Oh, I don't fix errors. I erase them."
Before I could move, he flicked something toward me—a small metal disk. It landed at my feet and pulsed once with a sharp blue light.
The world twisted. For a moment, everything spun—my vision fracturing into shards. I saw flashes: fire, screams, Airi crying, Kaito's laughter. Then nothing.
When I came to, the alley was empty. The symbol on the wall was gone.
I stumbled out, gasping, clutching my head. My memories were still there—but something felt… different. Like a piece of me had been scraped away.
That night, Airi called. Her voice trembled. "Ryo… something's wrong."
My chest tightened. "What happened?"
"I don't know. I was walking home, and for a second—I saw you."
I frowned. "I am here."
"No, I mean—another you. Standing across the street. Same uniform. Same face. He smiled at me and then disappeared."
A chill ran through me. "Airi, listen to me. Don't go anywhere alone. Not until I find out what's going on."
"Ryo…" her voice cracked. "I feel like I know that face from somewhere. Like I've seen it before—in another life."
The line went silent for a moment. My throat went dry.
Another life.
She remembered. At least, part of her did.
Sleep didn't come that night. Every sound outside made my muscles tense. I sat by the window, a knife on my desk, watching the city lights flicker.
The stranger's words echoed again: You're the error.
If there were others like me, some trying to control fate itself, then my rebirth wasn't an accident. Someone had sent me back—for a reason.
But who? And why Airi?
My phone buzzed again. Another message from that same unknown number.
Round two begins, Ryo. Protect her if you can.
I stared at the screen, jaw clenched. The rain outside grew heavier, lightning flashing across the city.
Fine. If fate wanted a fight—then it would get one.
I slipped my knife into my pocket and stood up.
Somewhere out there, the man in black was watching, and Kaito's family was still moving in the shadows.
But I wasn't just a boy anymore. I was death rewritten.
This time, I would make fate bleed.