Arin hadn't slept for 43 hours.
Not because of exams.
Not because of stress.
But because the last time he slept—
Someone died.
He didn't know the man.
He had never seen him before.
But he watched him die.
In a dream.
The man had been running.
Not jogging.
Running.
His shoes slapped against wet pavement.
His breath came out in broken gasps.
The alley was narrow.
Dark.
A flickering streetlight buzzed overhead.
Arin remembered that sound.
He remembered the broken wall on the left.
The overflowing trash bin on the right.
The small puddle near the exit—
Reflecting a shadow that wasn't supposed to be there.
The man turned.
Fear in his eyes.
As if he could see Arin watching him.
And then—
A hand shot out from the darkness.
Grabbed his shoulder.
Dragged him back.
The scream didn't last long.
Arin woke up at exactly 3:17 AM.
Sweating.
Shaking.
His heart felt like it was trying to punch its way out of his ribs.
"It was just a dream," he whispered.
But his voice didn't sound convinced.
Morning came too fast.
His body felt heavy.
Like sandbags were tied to his arms and legs.
Still—
He forced himself to go to Taekwondo practice.
Routine meant normal.
Normal meant safe.
On the way there—
He saw a crowd.
Police tape.
Flashing lights.
People whispering.
Phones raised.
Something pulled him closer.
Curiosity.
Or fear.
He didn't know which.
And then—
His blood turned cold.
It was the same alley.
Same broken wall.
Same trash bin.
Same flickering light.
Even the puddle was there.
And lying on the ground—
Was the same man.
Dead.
In the exact same position from his dream.
Arin stepped back.
His breathing went uneven.
This wasn't coincidence.
This wasn't déjà vu.
This was impossible.
That night—
He didn't sleep.
He sat on the edge of his bed.
Lights off.
Phone in hand.
Watching the time pass.
11:58 PM.
12:46 AM.
1:39 AM.
His eyelids burned.
His head throbbed.
But he refused to close his eyes.
2:58 AM.
His vision blurred for half a second.
Just half.
That was enough.
His phone vibrated.
He froze.
Slowly…
He looked down.
No app icon.
No notification banner.
Just a black screen.
With white text.
[Sleep Detected]
Next Death Scheduled: 06:41 AM
Victim: Unknown
Cause: You
"I didn't sleep," he whispered.
His voice cracked.
"I didn't."
The screen flickered.
New text appeared.
Resistance Noted.
Reality Syncing…
The lights in his room flickered.
The air felt heavier.
For a split second—
He wasn't in his room anymore.
He was standing in the middle of a road.
Rain poured down.
Headlights cut through the darkness.
And someone—
Was standing frozen in front of an incoming car.
He blinked.
Back in his room.
Gasping.
His phone vibrated again.
Victim Identified
His hands trembled.
Slowly.
Painfully slowly—
He looked at the name.
Riya Malhotra
Time of Death: 06:41 AM
Riya.
She sat two benches ahead of him in class.
She complained about math.
She laughed too loud.
She once asked him how to throw a proper roundhouse kick.
He never answered properly.
He thought he'd have time.
"No…"
He checked the clock.
4:12 AM.
That meant—
Two hours and twenty-nine minutes left.
If the dream was real—
She would die.
If the system was real—
He was the cause.
Arin stood up.
His legs were weak.
But he forced them steady.
Taekwondo training kicked in.
Control your breath.
Control your body.
Control your fear.
He grabbed his jacket.
Opened the door.
Didn't even think about consequences.
Because if he was the reason she would die—
Then he would break reality itself before letting that happen.
As he stepped outside—
His phone vibrated one last time.
Warning:
Interference will accelerate collapse.
Sleep is inevitable.
Arin looked up at the dark sky.
For the first time in his life—
He was afraid of closing his eyes.
And somewhere—
Far above—
Something was waiting for him to do exactly that.
End of Chapter 1