Ren woke up in his own bed, and for a moment he thought yesterday had been a dream.
Then his ribs hurt when he breathed.
Memory rushed back. The Door opening. Vareth walking through them like they were nothing. Buildings collapsing. Fear spreading across the city.
Ren slowly sat up, groaning.
Morning light filled his room. Outside, traffic moved like normal. People walked to work. A dog barked somewhere down the street.
Normal life.
Except the sky still had a massive black Door floating above the park.
Ren stood and walked to his window.
The Door remained open, dark inside, silent.
A reminder.
He checked his phone.
Hundreds of notifications.
Group chats exploding. News alerts. Rumors everywhere.
And a message from Kaito.
turn on the news NOW
Ren hurried downstairs.
His mom sat at the table watching TV, face pale.
Aiko Sato, a woman in her late 30s with short brown hair and tired eyes, looked up.
"Ren… this is bad."
On the screen, a government emergency broadcast played.
A serious-looking official stood at a podium.
"We have confirmed communication with the entity known as Vareth."
Ren's stomach tightened.
The official continued.
"The entity confirmed the rules of the Doors."
Footage shifted to recorded audio.
Vareth's voice echoed calmly.
"Ten rulers. One year. Fail, and your planet ends."
The broadcast returned to the official.
"We must clarify something important."
The man swallowed.
"The one-year deadline applies to defeating all rulers. Not just the first."
Ren froze.
Aiko covered her mouth.
The official continued.
"If we spend too long fighting one, humanity will run out of time."
A countdown appeared on screen.
Time remaining: 362 days
Ren whispered, "Oh no."
Aiko looked confused. "That's still a long time, right?"
Ren didn't answer.
Because he understood something normal people didn't.
It took months or years for fighters to grow stronger.
And Vareth was already beyond them.
His phone buzzed again.
Kaito calling.
Ren answered instantly.
"You saw it?" Kaito said.
"Yeah."
Kaito sounded stressed. "Some analysts are saying each Door could take months. We don't have months."
Ren grabbed his jacket. "Training spot. Now."
He left before his mom could question him.
The city felt quieter today.
People still moved around, but conversations all sounded worried.
Everyone had seen the countdown.
The future suddenly had a timer.
Ren reached the abandoned warehouse where they trained.
Kaito waited there, pacing.
Bruises still marked his face.
A few seconds later, Mika landed beside them.
She looked calm, but Ren saw tension in her eyes.
Kaito spoke first. "We're screwed."
Mika crossed her arms. "Not yet."
Ren leaned against the wall. "If every Door takes too long, Earth dies."
Mika nodded. "Which means we can't waste time."
Kaito ran a hand through his hair. "But how do we beat Vareth in weeks? He destroyed us without trying."
Silence followed.
Ren stared at the floor.
Then Mika spoke.
"He's learning."
They looked at her.
Mika continued, "He's not destroying cities. He's studying Earth."
Ren frowned. "So?"
"So," she said, "he wants us to improve."
Kaito blinked. "Why would that help us?"
Mika replied calmly, "Because if he wants a real fight, we have time to grow."
Ren slowly understood.
"He's waiting for us to become stronger."
Mika nodded.
Kaito frowned. "That still doesn't solve the time limit."
Ren clenched his fists.
"Then we grow fast."
Training started immediately.
No joking around. No warm-ups.
Full power sparring.
Ren attacked Kaito with everything he had. Kaito countered, launching Ren through stacked crates.
Mika jumped in, forcing both of them to react at once.
Fights blurred together.
Punches. Blasts. Dodges.
Hours passed.
Sweat soaked their clothes. Bruises multiplied.
But Ren noticed something.
They were sharper already.
Fear forced growth.
They stopped near sunset, breathing hard.
Kaito collapsed onto the ground. "I'm dead."
Ren laughed weakly. "You're always dead."
Mika looked toward the city skyline.
"Someone else will open the next Door soon," she said.
Ren nodded.
If humanity rushed all Doors at once, chaos would explode.
But if they waited too long, time would run out.
Both options were bad.
Ren looked at his hands.
"We beat Vareth fast," he said. "Then we move to Door Two."
Kaito sighed. "Easy plan. Hard part is not dying."
Ren smirked slightly.
They flew back toward the city as the sun set.
People below still lived their lives.
Kids played.
Couples walked.
Stores stayed open.
But everyone glanced at the sky sometimes.
At the Door.
At the timer now shown on every news channel.
Ren landed near his home.
Before going inside, he looked upward.
The Door remained open.
Waiting.
Somewhere, Vareth walked freely on Earth, confident no one could challenge him yet.
Ren clenched his fists.
"One month," he whispered.
They needed to defeat Vareth quickly.
Or the rest of the Doors would be impossible to clear in time.
And Earth would die before they even reached the final ruler.
Tomorrow, training continued.
No more wasting time.
The countdown had started.