"When the light forgets its name…
it will awaken in mortal skin." ✨
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TOKYO, FIVE YEARS LATER.
Morning rain tapped gently on the window of a small apartment. The sky outside was gray, quiet, and still half-asleep.
Inside a dim room, a boy suddenly woke up with a sharp cry.
Sweat ran down his neck. His heart was pounding fast.
The dream still burned behind his eyes — chains, a bright light, and a voice calling from the dark.
The boy was Kento Kamitani — fifteen, sharp-eyed, and far too young to understand what was happening to him.
He sat up, breathing hard, his hand pressed over his chest. "That dream…" he whispered.
But before he could think, pain struck his stomach — deep and burning. He gasped and bent over, holding his side.
A low glow began to shine beneath his shirt. Trembling, he lifted it — and froze.
There, below his ribs, was a spiral mark — the same shape as the one Luminas had drawn in the heavens: seven thin rings of gold, turning faintly like slow-moving light beneath his skin.
His breath caught. The glow was soft but alive — almost breathing with him.
"Kento! You'll be late for school!" his mother called from downstairs, unaware.
He couldn't answer. The pain spread across his body like fire before slowly fading. He collapsed back on his bed, panting.
A few seconds later, his door opened. His mother stepped in — calm but alert.
Her eyes widened slightly when she saw him clutching his stomach. She moved closer.
"What happened?" she asked gently.
Kento hesitated, then pulled up his shirt again. The mark had faded — now only a faint shadow remained on his skin.
"I… I don't know," he said weakly. "It hurts so much."
She forced a small smile. "Probably something you ate, sweetheart," she said softly, brushing his hair aside.
"You should rest today. Don't go to school."
He nodded slowly, still shaken. "Okay…"
As she turned to leave, her eyes flickered toward his stomach again — just for a second. A trace of worry, deep and hidden, crossed her face.
Then she smiled again and closed the door. Kento lay there quietly, staring at the ceiling. The sound of rain returned, soft and distant.
But in the silence, the faint echo of a voice whispered through his mind — the same one from the dream.
"The seventh dawn begins…"
And though he didn't understand it yet, the spiral on his skin had already begun to shine again — faint, golden...and watching.
Kento lay back down, one heavy arm draped over his eyes to block out the dull morning light.
He tried to sink into the quiet — to let the soft tapping of rain pull him back into a sleep without chains or dying gods. But his thoughts buzzed like a swarm of bees, and the place beneath his ribs still pulsed with a faint, lingering heat.
The silence didn't last long.
The door swung open with a sharp click against the stopper, followed by loud, careless footsteps that clearly didn't understand the meaning of the word quiet.
"Hey, Kento! How long are you planning to play dead?" a voice called out, loud and nagging. "The bread's getting cold, Dad's already on his second cup of coffee, and if we don't leave in ten minutes, we're definitely getting a lecture from the gatekeeper."
Kento didn't move his arm. He just groaned and rolled onto his side, turning his back to the intruder.
"Go away," he muttered, his voice thick with sleep. "I'm skipping today. Tell the teachers I've been possessed by a lazy spirit or something."
"Skipping? You?"
The footsteps rushed closer, and before Kento could react, his blanket was pulled away. Cold morning air rushed over his skin like icy water.
"What the—!" Kento snapped, sitting up sharply. He shot a glare over his shoulder. "Give that back! I told you I'm cold — I'm staying in bed!"
Standing at the foot of the bed, the blanket bundled in his arms and a mischievous grin on his face, was Shido Kirishima.
Shido looked like he didn't belong to the gray morning at all. His dark blue hair stuck out in wild, uneven spikes, and his bright blue eyes were full of restless energy and playful confidence.
He had been Kento's friend since childhood — always there, always close. But years ago, that bond had turned into something deeper.
After Shido lost his parents in a tragic accident, the Kamitani family had taken him in without hesitation. Since then, they had lived as both brothers and best friends, sharing not just a home, but a life.
"You look fine to me," Shido said lightly, tossing the blanket onto the desk chair just out of reach. He crossed his arms over his Kami High blazer, narrowing his eyes as he studied Kento.
"Actually… you look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong? Did you have that 'end of the world' dream again?"
Kento jumped a little and quickly pulled his shirt down to cover his stomach. He didn't want to talk about the golden rings — not even with the person who knew him best.
"It was just a nightmare," Kento said quietly. "My head hurts."
Shido's teasing smile softened for a moment, a flicker of concern passing through his eyes. He knew when Kento was hiding something — and he also knew when not to push.
"Fine. Stay home and rot, then," Shido sighed dramatically as he turned toward the door. "But don't blame me when Hori asks why her boyfriend is acting like a shut-in. I'm not covering for you."
"Try not to miss me too much, 'Lazy Spirit.' I'll make sure to tell Hori you were crying for your blankie," Shido said with a mischievous wink.
With a loud cackle, he stepped out and slammed the door shut before Kento could even think of a comeback.
Kento huffed and sank back into his mattress. 'Finally. Some actual peace.' He let out a long sigh, ready to drift back into his thoughts — but when he reached for the blanket, his hands met nothing but cold, empty air.
He froze, his fingers moving quickly and nervously against the bedsheets. 'That idiot.'
He lifted his head just enough to see his blanket draped over the desk chair, sitting comfortably out of reach.
'I am not getting out of this bed. I refuse.'
Kento tried really hard, reaching his arm out as far as he could. His fingertips just touched the edge of the blanket. He clenched his teeth and his face went red as he stretched his toes to grab the corner. He almost slid off the bed while doing it.
He looked like a turtle stuck on its back, waving his arms and legs around, trying everything to pull the blanket over himself without getting up, just to stay warm.
'I'm going to kill him. I'm actually going to kill him. Shido, you absolute moron. I hope you trip in a puddle on the way to the station and your socks stay wet all day.'
Kento gave up on all the twisting and stretching. He flopped back onto the bed and let out an annoyed growl. He turned his back to the door, curled up into a small ball, and hugged his knees to keep in whatever warmth he still had.
CLICK.
The door opened again. Kento didn't even bother opening his eyes.
"You forgot something, didn't you, you blue-haired freak?" he yelled at the wall. "Come back here and pay for your crimes! Give me the blanket right now or I'm telling Dad you're the one who broke his favorite mug!"
Instead of Shido's usual sarcastic reply, a soft sound floated through the room. It made Kento's heart stop beating for a moment.
It was a laugh. But it wasn't Shido's usual loud and annoying one. This laugh was soft and pretty, like the clear sound of a bell or gentle morning rain.
Kento's whole face went bright red, like it was on fire. His eyes flew open, and he quickly twisted around to look, almost getting all tangled up in the sheets since there was no blanket.
Standing by the door, her hand pressed to her mouth as she tried not to let out another giggle, was Hori Tokisaki.
Hori carried a different atmosphere with her wherever she went. She was well-known at school — a known child actor from the entertainment world — yet she lacked any of the arrogance that usually came with fame. She was kind, observant, and naturally graceful.
Even in her simple school uniform she looked striking, her long, wavy blonde hair falling over her shoulders with soft bangs framing her face. But it was her eyes that stood out most — a rare, shimmering pink that always held a gentle warmth.
"I didn't know I was a 'blue-haired freak,'" Hori teased, her pink eyes sparkling. "And I definitely didn't know about the mug."
"H-Hori!" Kento stuttered, his voice turning high and squeaky. He sat up quickly, trying to smooth his messy hair. "I— I thought you were Shido! I didn't know you were there!"
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SNEAK PEEK LINES 💬
"Whoa, whoa! What is this? Are you two having a 'morning romance' scene?"
"Kh... dammit... not now... Urgh! Ah!"
— With love, one forehead poke away from collapse,
Sakura Shinomiya 💫