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 at the mirror when he heard his mom call out:
"Reiji, you'll be late if you don't hurry up!"
He 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 greeting.
In the kitchen, his mother stood at the stove.
"Good morning, Mom."
"Did you sleep well, dear?" she asked, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.
She poured a cup of coffee for his father and handed it to him. He sipped silently, eyes fixed on the television. Reiji sat down and started shoveling breakfast into his mouth—trying to beat the clock.
Then 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 community is in shock."
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. As he stood up, ready to leave for school, he felt his mother's trembling hand on his lap. He looked up—her face pale, her eyes glassy with fear.
Please, Mom… don't look at me like that. It's not like I'm going to die today.
"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."
His father exhaled heavily, walking past her. He knelt in front of Reiji, steady and serious.
"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 logic or odds. You'll understand that one day."
Reiji nodded slowly, 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. Relief washed over him.
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 trembles—shaken, bitter, and hollow.
Smoke billows into the sky. Flames dance like twisted spirits, devouring what little remained of his home.
Reiji drops to his knees, his scream tearing through the sky.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
His body convulses, he snaps back into reality. breath ragged. But then—silence.
His head spins. His vision blurs. He grips the edge of the table for balance, but his knees buckle beneath him.
"W-What's going on…? I can't… move... Am I… dying?"
The words barely leave his mouth before everything fades.
Darkness.
A silence so deep, it feels alive.
Reiji's consciousness drifts in the void, weightless, disembodied. No limbs. No breath. Just thought.
"Where… am I? What happened? Did I actually… die?"
He tries to move—but there's nothing to move. No arms. No legs. No body.
"So this is death… huh? Makes sense I can't feel anything."
He looks—or tries to—in every direction. There's nothing. Just endless, swallowing black.
"It's like I'm floating inside… nothing."
Then suddenly, a voice echoes across the void. Warm. Joyful. Strange.
"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 snaps.
The voice cuts off. A pause. Then, softer—uncertain.
"M-Master…?"
"I'm not anyone's master," Reiji says sharply.
"I don't even know who you are. I can't see you—or anything, for that matter!"
A long silence follows. Unsettling. Heavy.
Then the voice, almost trembling:
"You… don't remember me? But… why? Master… how could you say something like that… to me?"
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. In front of him stood a girl, small in stature, face streaked with tears.
He instinctively reached out to pat her head—only to stop mid-motion.
"...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 human civilization."
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 backed up, eyes wide. "M-Me?! Rule the world?! Are you sure you've got the right guy?"
"I'm just a high school student," he added. "I don't even know how to rule anything, let alone the world."
The girl burst into tears again—louder this time.
"Okay, okay!" Reiji waved 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—hold on. You're not a little girl?"
She glared. Then grabbed him.
Reiji's entire being ignited. Pain seared through him like molten iron.
"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."
"...Huh?"
"You're not Reiji."
"But—what? 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 one."
"You are my master," Sel said firmly. "But something's wrong. You've lost your memories."
"Oh yeah? You think?"
"I know so. But memory loss shouldn't even be possible for someone like you. Not unless… unless you did it to yourself."
Reiji stared, stunned. "I chose to forget?"
Sel folded her arms. "It's the only explanation. But why would anyone willfully erase memories of being a god?"
Scene Shift:
A dark throne. A shadowed 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?"
"One thousand percent," she said. "Listen—if I'm right, 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 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—"
"Calm down," Sel said. "Clearly, you're still alive. I'm still here. So are the worlds. Which means… your memories weren't destroyed. Probably Just locked away."
"'Probably' locked?" Reiji raised an eyebrow. "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 Scriptorium."
"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 Scriptorium 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 Scriptorium exists in the highest plane—a realm beyond everything and anything, beyond existence and nonexistence. A void even more absolute than this one."
"So what's the problem? We just go there!"
"Were you not listening?" Sel snapped. "You can't exist in that realm. Not in your current form. I also can't go there—not anymore. You've lost almost all of your power. Right now, you don't even possess a tenth of what you once did".
Just as Sel finished speaking, the Void began to tremble—subtle at first, then violently, as if infinite points across its endless span were shaking all at once.
"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 worlds—they're reacting to you. They're being drawn to your presence."
"Drawn to me? Why?!" Reiji's voice cracked, fear laced in every syllable.
"Because you're not human. You're a god—the god. The worlds only exist because of your essence. You left a piece of yourself behind to sustain them… but now they've sensed you again. And they want more. If they reach you in this state, they'll drain you dry. You'll die—and so will everything still running on your spark."
Reiji froze, panic clawing at him. If he had a face, it would've contorted into pure horror.
A voice echoed in his mind—his mother's words from long ago:
"If you ever feel true danger—real, primal 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—"
He was unraveling, the terror shattering what little stability he had left.
Sel reached for 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? Master? …Master? MASTER!"