As the blinding light faded, I gained a clearer views of my surroundings. It was a spacious medieval castle chamber with stone walls. All the windows were closed. The flicker of torchlight danced along the rough surfaces, and etched into the floor beneath my boots was a wide magic circle. It pulsated with a dull, reddish light.
Brushing the dust from my palms, then from the sleeves of my long black coat, my body shifted, the weight of my pack tugged at my shoulders. There was over twenty kilograms of carefully packed tools and weapons inside, all rattling with the slightest movement.
I did a quick check. Coat, boots, gear, weapons, everything was still in place. There was nothing missing.
Good.
Also, I was already aware.
I wasn't alone.
Around the circle, arranged in a wide ring, stood a dozen of cloaked figures, their hoods pulled low so I couldn't see their faces. Each of them held a staff, wooden and weirdly shaped.
As they chanted, their voices rising and falling together, but the words… I couldn't understand a single thing.
Still, it was obvious who they were. These were the ones who had summoned me.
However, I wasn't the only one they'd brought here.
"W-where am I?"
It was a girl's voice.
As I turned, I saw a girl who looked around fifteen or sixteen years old. Just a few steps away from me, she stood trembling, barely holding herself together. Her legs shook beneath a pleated navy-blue skirt, and with each quick, panicked breath, her black ponytail quivered behind her. Her hands clutched the hem of her dress so tightly that the fabric bunched in her fists.
Then my gaze dropped to the small badge pinned to her chest. It caught the flickering torchlight, just enough to make out the name: Sakura High.
I recognized it instantly. Because that school was only a few blocks from my old apartment. Every afternoon, I'd see students in that uniform spilling out into the streets, laughing, crowding around convenience stores and ramen shops.
Next to the girl, there were two other people, both looking just as lost, just as scared.
The first was a boy wearing a plain white T-shirt and black shorts, his red hair a wild, tangled mess. He was muttering in disbelief.
"What the heck is going on!? You've got to be kidding me… Is this real!?"
Next to him stood a shorter boy with darker skin and black hair, dressed in what looked like a blue pizza delivery uniform. He was patting himself down frantically, as if expecting to find a gaping hole in his body.
"Holy crap! I'm still alive!?"
All three looked about the same age and were Japanese. Their shocked, panicked reactions were completely expected. After all, they'd just been ripped from their world without warning, vanishing in a blinding flash of light, only to wake up in a completely different place!
Meanwhile, my heart was just like theirs, pounding relentlessly, thunderously. My arms trembled as the emotion surged through me.
But what coursed through me wasn't fear.
It was joy.
Pure, unfiltered joy.
A dark, glittering excitement curled in my chest like fire, impossible to contain, almost maddening in its intensity.
Because after everything, after the years of clawing forward, after enduring every trial fate had hurled my way, finally, I had arrived.
"Anna…"
I spoke my little sister's name softly.
As the ritual ended, the summoning circle's glow faded into darkness.
***
Twenty years ago. 2065.
Akihabara, Tokyo — the beating heart of otaku heaven.
The colorful neon signs above us buzzed. Maid cafés lined the sidewalks, with cute girls in frilly outfits and animal ears posing and calling out. Nearby, arcades blasted catchy tunes, and shop windows overflowed with anime figurines.
Back then, I was just a twenty-year-old Canadian, taking my twelve-year-old sister, Anna, on a long-awaited shopping trip to Akihabara. As she walked, her sneakers tapped out a restless rhythm on the pavement, her ponytail swinging like a metronome behind her.
This trip meant everything to us. It was a dream finally come true, our big chance to make memories we could hold on to.
Anna called, grabbing my sleeve.
"Jack! Jack, c'mon, look at this!"
She pointed eagerly toward a nearby display window, and as she looks at me, her blue eyes sparkled behind her bangs, reflecting the neon lights.
"It's a limited-edition Miku figure! We have to get it! Please! This is the last one!"
I laughed, stumbling a little as I tried to keep up.
"Anna, that's what you said at the last three shops! My wallet's on life support!"
"Pleaseeee!"
"Alright! Just one more figure!"
"Yaaay!"
Ahhh. Damn it!
Anna was too cute. There was no way I could say no to that face!
And just like that, we bounced from figurine shops to claw machines to themed cafés, and so many other places.
It was, without a doubt, one of the happiest days of my life. Like a fun little bubble, I was floating upward, my heart full of joy.
But then, all of a sudden, the bubble popped.
The dream turned into a nightmare.
And happiness… turned into pain and grief.
***
On our way home, Akihabara faltered.
At first, it was subtle. Conversations dulled, and the distant chime of arcade music faded into a murmur.
Then, without warning, a violent gust of wind howled through the streets.
I shivered, my breath escaping in a ghostly plume.
"Huh? It's… cold?"
Impossible.
It was the middle of summer, there was no way it should be this cold. And yet, the temperature had dropped sharply, the air thick with an eerie, unnatural chill.
And not only that, snow began to fall. Soft, silent flakes landed on my clothes.
I stared at them, confused more than ever.
This doesn't make sense. Something's wrong!
But before I could make sense of anything, Anna's scream tore through the frozen air, sharp with terror.
"JACK! HELP!!!"
My heart lurched.
I spun around, and my blood ran cold.
Beneath Anna's feet, a circle of glowing runes had materialized, seared into the pavement, pulsed with a golden light so intense it burned into my vision.
Oh no!
I reacted instantly.
"Anna! ANNAAA!"
I dropped everything and lunged toward her.
I moved forward, sneakers scraping against the pavement, arms reaching, desperately, franticly. Every part of me screamed to move faster, to get to her, to pull her out.
But then—
SLAM!
Something invisible slammed into me.
Hard.
It felt like hitting a steel wall at full speed. My body jolted back, the breath ripped from my lungs. I stumbled, barely staying upright, pain flaring in my shoulder.
Still, I stood back and reached out, but then my hands pressed against something solid.
A barrier.
"NO!"
I shouted, pounding my fists against it.
"ANNA!"
But it didn't move!
I hit it again, and again, and again. My fists thudded against it. I kicked it, I slammed my shoulder into it, I clawed at it until my knuckles split open, smearing my own blood onto it.
But still… nothing.
It didn't crack.
It didn't even fucking flinch!
Meanwhile, Anna stood inside the circle, frozen in the glow. Light crawled up her legs in thin, golden tendrils, curling like chains.
Then she started to flicker.
Her image stuttered, as if reality itself couldn't hold onto her. One moment she was solid, the next she glitched, like a corrupted video file, blinking in and out of existence.
Her eyes locked onto mine, wide and terrified.
Her mouth moved, slow and soundless.
I read her lips.
"Jack… help me…"
Just that. Just a fragile, trembling plea, and my soul was shattered. I cried, pressing both palms flat against the barrier.
"I'm here! I'm here, Anna! I'm right here! Hold on!"
But it didn't matter.
Because no matter how loud I screamed, no matter how hard I fought, that damned barrier held.
Then the light surged. A blinding flare of gold burst from the circle, erupting outward in a wave of searing energy. It blinded me for a moment, a high-pitched screech ringing in my ears.
And then—
Silence.
The light vanished. The magic faded.
And so did she, so did Anna.
I lowered my arms.
Where the circle had been, where Anna had stood, there was only empty pavement now.