《Thə Rifter》


 The beginning

    I had a dream of someone slightly smiling at me. I couldn''t make out his face clearly, but I could see his happy expression. He said something to me, but I couldn''t remember what it was. Maybe it was something important, but it didn''t matter anyway. After all, for someone like me to have something important to say feels meaningless. In this world, nothing matters to me, even after that dream. I don¡¯t believe anything significant will happen in my life.


    When I woke up, I felt more drained than any human being should. I wondered how some people could be happy about waking up early for school. I washed my face and then looked in the mirror. There was the same reflection: brown hair, violet eyes, and sharp features devoid of emotion. If someone saw me, they might think I was alexithymic, but that¡¯s not true; I just prefer not to show my emotions. I¡¯m a 17-year-old high school student named Ray, attending a prestigious school called TZO, known for its academic rigour. Yet, I find myself at the bottom of my class because I don''t focus on grades or graduating. My only goal is to live a peaceful life, free of pain.


    After preparing for school, I thought nothing would change in my life. But on that day, things turned out differently than I expected. As I walked to school, I saw children playing and students from my school chatting cheerfully. I was surrounded by people expressing a range of emotions. From a distance, I must have looked odd because I struggled to express myself. But does it matter if humans don''t express emotions the way I do? It''s simply a matter of choice¡ªnothing else.


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    When I entered my classroom, I immediately spotted my desk at the back, near the door. I contemplated this as I sat down. After class, I noticed a man in a huge black coat and a black top hat walking past me. He said, "He is waiting for you." I didn¡¯t understand what he meant, so I brushed it off as the words of a weirdo.


    When I got home, my aunt hugged me as if we hadn¡¯t seen each other in years, even though we lived together. Both of my parents died after I was born, but I never knew them well enough to grieve for them.


    During dinner, my aunt asked, "How was school?" I answered nonchalantly, "Like always." She continued, "Ray, my dear, you have so much talent and potential. I know how smart and kind you are, so you need to talk to people and be more sociable." She said this with a gentle smile, but I wondered why I needed to talk to people I barely knew.


    "Ray, one day I may die," she said. "Until then, I want you to have someone to share your sorrow and grief with¡ªsomeone who can help you in a dire situation, someone you would call a friend." As she finished talking, I replied casually, "This is the first time something important has come from that brain of yours."


    Immediately, two utensils were thrown in my direction, and I swiftly dodged them. My aunt, looking angry, exclaimed, "What did you say, you little brat?" I lowered my head and said, "What I meant was how smart and wise you are." After a brief silence, we started washing the dishes. I told my aunt, "I will consider your suggestion." She suddenly flinched and looked toward me as she pushed her black hair back. She gave me a grateful smile, and her red eyes reflected my face as she said, "Let''s hope tomorrow will be good."

 Abnormal day

    The world may not seem like a game unless you have a quest. But for me, It feels like I¡¯m repeating the same actions over and over, like an NPC. Don''t get me wrong, I don''t mind it, though, because I somehow find myself in the same position¡ªlike a controlled puppet in a circus. But can you change it? If you think you can, you may have the power to do so, but it doesn¡¯t matter to me; my fate can''t change, and neither can I.


    It''s exhausting to even think about it. I finished my preparations for school and considered skipping it since no one would care if I did¡ªexcept for my aunt, of course. If she found out, I could come up with something to tell her, but that would hurt her feelings. It would also probably hurt my school record, so I decided I should go to school.


    As I walked, I realized that everything looked abnormal; my thoughts felt strange. At times, I felt like I was switched off, like a machine. However, after a few moments, I began to think again, though that weird feeling never left me.


    As I continued to school, I saw people wearing bright yellow clothing with three red stripes at the edges of their tops. My memory was foggy, but it seemed like everyone knew them. How could I forget THE REPLEANSE, humanity¡¯s hope. They are the strongest organizations in the world. Created to protect and save people from the time void. It had never happened in our area as far as I knew, but why should I carry that burden? That was not my problem; I had to get to school.


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    I reached my school gate and tried entering it. My mind was spiralling into chaos; I felt like everything I knew was being destroyed and rebuilt over and over, like a storm. I thought I was being tortured by these new feelings. After what felt like an eternity, I stopped, but when I looked around, it felt unreal. I was in front of a weird building that resembled my school, but something was off¡ªnothing was adding up. No, don¡¯t tell me; I was in a time void.


    The time void, also called Amterias, is a phenomenon where you get transported to another world. The main goal is to find the fragments of time, but couldn''t remember what to do with the fragment. I tried to remember, but the only that I remembered was that time is meaningless in the time void. I couldn''t understand or remember anything else for that matter. I sighed, my experience being the same as it was, and started wandering around.


    As I wandered in the new environment, it felt normal compared to what I felt earlier¡ªthere were no abnormalities, but it was strange not knowing where I was going. While I was walking, I heard someone calling me, and it felt odd. When I looked back, I saw two teenagers running toward me with remarkable speed. One of them immediately jumped toward me. I swiftly stepped aside to evade him, and he fell to the ground like a tossed cat on the street¡ªthough, to be fair, we were on the street.


    I looked at the other person; she was slightly younger than me, but her height was equal, if not greater. She glanced at the boy on the ground and said with a sigh, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t jump on people so casually; they won¡¯t catch you.¡± After a moment of silence, the boy got up and said with a happy face, ¡°But Ray is my best friend! How could I not jump on him?¡±


    I was bewildered; how did he know my name? As I pondered this, a sudden shock hit my mind. It was less intense than the first, but vivid images flashed before me: those two standing beside me, fragments of time, a huge castle, and soldiers without armour. Though I couldn¡¯t see or feel clearly, I knew where to find the fragments. I saw some in a golden chest which had two dragons designed on the top of the chest. When my mind returned to normal, I opened my eyes to find them both looking at me with a worried expression.

 chapter 3

    I couldn''t do something for a moment, wishing they had never stood there. I pondered more on what I wanted to say until I mustered all my courage and said calmly to both of them, "I''m not myself today, so I was trying to think, but it''s like my mind stopped."


    I noticed Bron was reflecting on what I said, while Aleyas stared at me with suspicion. I looked at her; her hair and eyes did not differ from mine. Bron was different¡ªhe was taller and more handsome, with stunning green eyes and long black hair. Those two weren¡¯t in my childhood, but in my memories, they were. Aleyas, who was a year younger, resembled me, while Bron, who was the same age as me, looked back and forth between us. I still couldn¡¯t digest this strange reality¡ªhow, who, and why.


    As I contemplated these thoughts, Aleyas sighed and said, "Let¡¯s go back to the house. We can talk about this." At first, I thought about what house, then I realized people who I did not know their names adopted us, but house is house, so I replied, "It''s better than talking in the open." As I finished gathering my thoughts, we approached the house we now lived in. It looked no different from my aunt''s house and my own, which mattered little.


    We entered the house to find two people sitting on the couch in the living room, both looking happy to see us. They were the people who had adopted all three of us. It felt strange because they looked similar to my mother and father in the album my aunt had shown me¡ªthey both had brown hair, but their eyes were different. They had black eyes instead of green and red, but I didn¡¯t care too much.


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    After greeting our parents, we went upstairs to Bron¡¯s room. It was simply a gym in my book; the smell would overwhelm anyone''s nose. I sat down on the bed while both of them stared at me with childlike expressions. Aleyas then said, "Tell us what happened to you earlier." I sighed and replied calmly, "I acted that way because I had a painful headache." That was all I could say. I suggested I should sleep for now and headed to my room.


    As I slowly understood everything, I thought to myself, should I leave this place? I was still Ray, so there was no difference from my real world. Should I try to find it or not? I remembered my aunt and how lonely she would feel if I left her alone that maybe I should try. I couldn''t let the only person who believed in me live a lonely life and possibly die. I needed to go back.


    But how? I knew it was in a castle, but where was the castle? How do I get there? How do I open the chest, and how do I use the fragment to return? I contemplated these thoughts and finally understood it wouldn¡¯t be easy; it would be challenging. But I had to do it to see the person who cared for me. I have to, no matter what, return to her. As I gathered my thoughts, I went to sleep.


    In the castle, a person was wearing a black kimono sitting opposite the chest door. He was wearing a black mask with a golden flower in the middle. He slowly stood up, picked up his sword in a scabbard, and swung it; instantly, a gust of wind swept through the room as he swung his sealed sword. The pressure from his swing opened the doors and windows of the castle. The guards were momentarily shocked so that they could remember that a monster was inside¡ªa monster that was once known as the hero of serenity.

 chapter 4

    I woke up in the same bed as my world. The atmosphere felt no different from what I was used to; it felt normal being here. As I walked down the corridor, I noticed an open door next to the bathroom. I peeked inside and saw Bron doing push-ups, but I couldn¡¯t hear how many he was counting. He looked so focused, dripping with sweat from having worked out since nighttime. I couldn''t remember what I was told, but it wasn''t the time to dwell on that¡ªI needed to find the castle I had seen. Where should I start? I couldn¡¯t just wander around the city asking about it. I needed a plan.


    I entered the bathroom and started  washing my face. The reflection in the mirror remained the same. Heading downstairs, I saw most of the family gathered, except for me and Bron. After greeting everyone, I sat down. Everything looked normal as they chatted about various topics, but I couldn¡¯t care less. Suddenly, Bron showed up and took a seat. Everyone''s attention shifted to him, including mine. He was wearing only pants, no shirt. The mother reacted in shock, exclaiming, "Bron! What is wrong with you? Can''t you at least wear something to cover your upper body?"


    Bron looked clueless as he replied, "But you said not to dirty my clothes for no reason after working out." Their conversation didn''t interest me, but it felt oddly familiar, like every weekend when I had breakfast with my aunt, who talked about her life and events. It felt good to have someone caring for me, even as I was lost in thought. Aleyas looked at me with curious eyes and asked, "Are you still sick?" I shook my head, then glanced at my food. It was real food, yet it tasted bland. Each bite seemed more tasteless than the last.


    Time slipped by faster than I expected, and soon we were heading to the O5 Foundation. I realized something about this world: kids don¡¯t go to school; rather, most of the young people work small jobs at the foundation. This is a better setup compared to my world in this aspect¡ªmaybe I''m saying that because I hate school. But I needed to find that castle first. I had to enjoy myself. After all, it¡¯s not every day you''re sent into a "time void" that isn¡¯t dangerous.


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    In a small house, a middle-aged woman was cleaning dishes, happily unaware when she accidentally dropped a plate, shattering it into pieces. As she stared at the broken plate, desperation consumed her. Her pupils were hollow. After a moment, she snapped back to reality and began picking up the shards. Just then, the door opened, and she joyfully greeted, "Welcome back, Ray."


    Ray walked back to his new house, looking tired. I was trying to determine if this world without school was better than his old one, but it was horrible. He had tried every job on the foundation, and not a single one accepted him. He couldn¡¯t blame them; no one wanted to hire or help someone who showed no interest. He sighed, knowing he had nothing important to do today.


    As he entered his house, he saw his sister Aleyas watching TV in the living room. As he walked by, he caught the voice of a man on the TV discussing a historical location. Ray wasn¡¯t interested in such places, but he heard his sister say, ¡°I wonder if that castle could be called a historical place.¡±


    Curious, Ray turned back and entered the living room, seeing Aleyas looking at him with excitement. Before she could say anything, Ray calmly asked, ¡°What castle?¡±


    Aleyas burst into laughter. ¡°HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Ray, no amount of help can fix that brain of yours! Sometimes, I question whether Bron or you will ever be called smart by someone.¡±


    Ray felt humiliated. The thought that someone would consider him an idiot stung, and he responded gloomily, ¡°I am not an idiot.¡± After laughing for a moment, Aleyas said, ¡°Well, if I had to remind you, it¡¯s the Castle of the Princess Lights, known as Aurora.¡±

 chapter 5

    Ray, in his bed, was questioning what Aleyas told him. Aurora. He knew that name very well; After all, that is his aunt''s name. Ray sighed and was determined to go back, no matter what it took. Ray slept after think what to do tomorrow. He woke up from his bed and did his normal routine faster than usual. He was about to leave when Aleyas said, "Have a good day?" Ray thought for a moment and said, "I might not return for a while, so take care" After saying that, someone ran toward him before he could react. Aleyas threw herself into the upper body. Ray caught her, but she fell to the ground.


    Thud


    Ray looked to see Aleyas bare herself on his chest saying with a sad tone " I know you will back from whatever you going to do but at least be fine where you go if need anything you come back here or write me a letter to you ok" Ray released something in this world the only person who can read him as the open book was his aunt now in this world it was Aleyas he can hide nothing from her. He thought if she was a telepathic, but he knew he won''t ask them for help even they were to know for him trusting them was like talking to strangers but know it no easy to say the truth sometime lying might be better than the real truth. He stood up and picked aleyas from the ground and told her " ok then bey tell rest of the family form me " aleyas said her goodbye but the more she looked at his fading image from the distance she looked sad but still wanted him to be happy as she walked to the opposite direction she in entered the house and closed the door and sighed as she walked to living to tell her family about him.


    I felt like I was walking for hours, maybe a day, but I just realised I didn''t know where I was going. I have asked so many people for directions, but each time I asked, they there were sacred to tell me. How can one citizen in this city not tell castle''s direction? But can I blame them? After all, I am a person who wouldn''t remember that a castle existed in this city, anyway. Let me ask one more person. Ray was walking into the bar. He saw a person who was sleeping on the walls of the bar. A rain hat covered his face. Before I entered the bar, he said in an old tone, "Hey kid, do you want something? This place doesn''t look good for you. " instantly looked toward him, as he di the person removed his hat from his face. Face was ordinary but his skin was brown. It might be weird to say but I have never seen a person with a brown. skin maybe I just don''t focus on. My surroundings. He had a sliver colored beard that covered his lower face. I couldn''t see his mouth in this bearded and his face was a mess. His brown eyes that were small. Before I could answer, a weird smile entered my nostrils. It was so bad I wanted to vomit. The old man laughed mischievously and said, " If you can''t handle an old man''s smile of alcohol, what do you think will happen to you in that bar? Listen kid, tell me what you want and I will answer questions." At first, I didn''t know if I could trust him, but need the location. I asked the old man without a hint of hesitation asked: "Do you know the direction of the castle of Aurora?" The old man chuckled as he said, "Well, if that''s what you want, just go to the northeastern of Caluhada I will then see the castle you want to see, but if that''s all you go, or is there something else." Stood there frozen in place I couldn''t say anything why do people not know the direction but the old man told me a simple yes or no question before I could muster out a word the old man sighed and said with a drunk tone" Kid you''re wondering why no-one told right it because no-one wants to enter that castle or even think about it because of the demon in that place no-one dares to enter it. You might wonder why this old man didn''t warn you because you feel like the type of person to go in that place even after being told no, I meet fools like you who went to the castle and never came back so kids just go back to your pretty life you have rather than wasting pretty face it by dying." After hearing the old man, I knew something. He''s wired and those vivid images I saw after I entered the time void were real, but the monster. I remembered nothing about that monster for a moment; I said, "Thank you for your concern, but I have something in that place, so I will go no matter what." The old man gazed at the moment he had silver hair and said, "FINE! do whatever you want." Old had a slight smile and said " But before you leave, can you give some money you wouldn''t let a weak old man who helped you without a gift would you "This bastard was going to ask me a way I tossed three gold coins to him and left the old man picked up the gold coins he smirked and looked at the walking boy and said shouting "HEY KID GOOD LUCK ON YOUR SUICIDE!" Ray heard the old man as he walked to the bus station. He knew that the world lacked the Internet only, which is something he doesn''t use, so he didn''t feel bad. As he entered and sat next to the left window, he gazed outside at the beautiful sunset. He was wandering what to do after entering the reaching the castle. Before he knew it, he had reached his destination. He looked at the castle that was standing near the cliff that was in high hill with a huge forest. he swallowed his saliva and said to himself, "Will here we go."


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