Morning Light
The morning sun poured softly through the curtains, washing the room in pale gold.
Kuhaku lay half-asleep beneath his blanket, pretending not to hear the faint footsteps outside his door.
The handle clicked.
Then—
"Onii-chan, wake up!"
Rin's small hands gripped the blanket and pulled with full determination.
Kuhaku groaned. "…Rin, that's illegal."
"You said that yesterday."
"It's still true."
She giggled, victorious, and darted out before he could retaliate.
He sighed and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. A soft breeze drifted in as he cracked open the window.
Petals swirled on the wind—pink, gentle, almost unreal.
He watched them scatter for a moment.
I should probably start waking up before she barges in next time.
⸻
Breakfast
The kitchen smelled of grilled fish and warm rice.
Aoi hummed quietly as she cooked; Daichi sat at the table with the newspaper, brows slightly furrowed.
Rin kicked her legs cheerfully while sipping miso soup.
"Morning," Kuhaku said, sliding into his seat.
"Morning," Aoi replied. "You overslept again."
Rin grinned. "He's hopeless!"
"I prefer the term 'strategically unmotivated,'" he muttered.
Daichi looked up from the paper. "You'll be late at this rate."
Kuhaku reached for his chopsticks. "If time wants to fight, it can start without me."
Aoi chuckled quietly.
Rin laughed loud enough to shake the table.
Daichi lowered the paper again, reading a small headline aloud:
"'Nationwide Power Fluctuations Reported – Energy Grids Under Maintenance.' Hm."
Aoi poured tea, unconcerned. "Probably the same system checks they do every few months."
"Yeah," Kuhaku said lightly. "Sounds like someone else's problem."
He didn't notice the faint hum in the lights above them—the same quiet tremor from Tower 07, two days ago.
⸻
The Ride
The air was cool and clear.
Kuhaku's bike tires whispered against the road as he coasted downhill, wind tugging at his uniform sleeve.
Cherry petals drifted past, gathering in corners like tiny pink snowdrifts.
A shopkeeper waved while opening his store; a delivery van rumbled by, trailing music from the radio.
He slowed, just a little.
Should I stop for bread again? …No. I'd never make it on time.
He smiled to himself and pedaled on.
The city looked alive.
Ordinary.
Perfectly at peace.
⸻
School Routine
The teacher's voice droned over the soft rustle of pages.
Kiana leaned forward on her desk, clearly losing the battle against boredom.
Mei sat perfectly straight beside Kuhaku, her handwriting neat and steady.
Bronya tapped her pen in exact rhythm with the clock.
Kiana sighed. "Ugh, how can numbers be so boring?"
Bronya didn't look up. "Because they reveal your inadequacy."
Kiana scowled. "Bratnya!"
"Accurate."
Mei sighed, hiding a small smile. "You two never change."
Kuhaku glanced between them, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"I'll handle what's left after you three finish proving who's right."
That earned him a brief laugh from Mei — the calm kind that felt like sunlight through glass.
The bell rang soon after, signaling lunch.
⸻
Lunch Beneath the Tree
The air outside carried the faint scent of earth and blooming grass.
They sat beneath the cherry tree as usual — Kiana in full storyteller mode, Bronya scrolling through her tablet, Mei neatly unwrapping her lunch.
Kuhaku ate quietly, listening to the blend of voices.
Kiana offered him a rice ball with too much confidence.
He accepted out of politeness.
Regretted it instantly.
Bronya deadpanned, "Edible rating: 3 out of 10."
Kiana pouted. "What?! That's an improvement!"
Mei sighed, shaking her head. "You two…"
Kuhaku smiled faintly, setting the half-eaten rice ball aside.
If every day stayed like this… I wouldn't complain.
The wind shifted.
He brushed a petal from his hair.
For a moment, the sky seemed… heavier.
No one noticed.
⸻
The Crack
The first sign was the hum.
A low vibration rolled through the classroom floor as everyone settled back into their seats after lunch.
At first, it felt like passing thunder.
Then the air grew still.
The fluorescent lights flickered once.
Kiana turned toward the window. "Hey… does the sky look darker to you?"
Kuhaku looked up.
The clouds had thickened, swirling in slow circles above the city.
The hum deepened—so low it rattled their ribs.
The teacher's chalk slipped from his hand, clattering to the floor.
And then—
A blinding flash split the horizon.
It wasn't lightning.
It was sharper, cleaner—like the world itself had cracked open.
The windows shuddered violently.
Desks scraped. Someone screamed.
Mei grabbed Kuhaku's arm. "Get down!"
He didn't think—just pulled her close and ducked beneath the desk.
The sound came half a heartbeat later—
not thunder, but something larger, deeper.
A tearing roar that made the air feel solid.
⸻
The Sky
From above, the clouds spun into a vortex, spiraling faster with every breath.
The city vanished beneath a blanket of shadow.
Lightning arced in jagged rings, but none of it touched the ground.
Somewhere in that spiraling dark, a single column of light burst downward—
pure white, burning through the clouds like a sword through glass.
A shockwave followed.
The city's skyline rippled.
Windows shattered in waves.
Cars skidded across asphalt.
The school's roof tiles exploded outward.
⸻
The Impact
For an instant, there was only light.
Then came the sound—
a deep, resonant BOOM that rolled for miles.
Kuhaku's vision went white.
The floor trembled under him.
He could feel Mei trembling too, her grip locked tight around his sleeve.
Something massive streaked past the window—glowing, descending—
and vanished beyond the horizon with a final thunderous echo.
Then silence.
No birds.
No wind.
Just the slow crackle of broken lights.
⸻
The world had stopped moving.
Dust drifted through the shattered air, catching the faint light still bleeding from the clouds.
Students stayed frozen under their desks, wide-eyed and breathless.
Kuhaku slowly looked up.
The sky outside the shattered window was no longer blue.
It pulsed faintly—alive, unsteady, as if breathing.
And just like that, the peaceful world ended… with light instead of darkness.
⸻
End of Chapter 1 – Part 5