Hello everyone! I'm xsora123, and I'm thrilled to share my story with you.

Life is full of unexpected twists and challenges. Sometimes, it feels like the world around us is crumbling, and the choices we make can shape our destiny in ways we never imagined. But no matter how dark the path may seem, there’s always a glimmer of hope waiting to be found.

This story is born from my imagination and passion for storytelling. It’s about courage, loss, and the unbreakable will to move forward even when the odds are stacked against us. Through every battle, heartbreak, and revelation, I hope this story reminds you that, no matter how tough life gets, there’s always a way to keep going.

Thank you for being here to experience this journey with me. Your support and encouragement mean the world. Let’s dive into a world where dreams collide with reality, and the choices we make can either break us or make us stronger.

Welcome to my story.

PROLOGUE

In the darkness of day, the sky was covered with thick, swirling clouds—so dark they seemed to swallow the whole world. The air felt heavy, and the silence was deafening.

A young boy walked alone through the silence.

Though he looked youthful, his eyes told a different story. They carried the weight of countless memories, filled with pain and regret. His expression was empty, as if he had seen too much for someone his age.

As he moved forward, the sky above him suddenly cracked—like a tear slicing through reality itself. Sharp, jagged lines of light spread across the sky, as if the world itself was breaking apart. Dust and ash swirled around him, and with each step, his body seemed to weaken.

His skin was slowly decaying, fading into particles that the wind carried away. He could feel it—his own existence slipping away, piece by piece. His hands trembled as they started to dissolve, but he kept walking, driven by something even he couldn’t understand.

“This… this isn’t what I wanted…” he whispered, his voice fragile and shaking. His words seemed to vanish into the empty air.

With each step, his legs grew heavier, and his heart ached. He collapsed to his knees, hands sinking into the dusty, cracked ground. Buildings around him were crumbling, streets were empty, and the life that once thrived here was now just a memory—lost to choices that couldn’t be undone.

“I never meant for this to happen…” he murmured, his voice barely audible. His vision started to blur as his body continued to fade.

All he wanted… was a chance.

As the last fragments of his being began to disappear, he closed his eyes. Just before the darkness took him completely, a faint blue glow appeared in his eyes—a final spark of hope in a world that had lost everything.

"Thank you for diving into the world of this story. As you move from the prologue to Chapter 1, keep an open heart and mind—because every journey begins with a single, unforgettable step."

“Hey, wake up, Kaede! Don’t sleep at work or I’ll fire you!” His boss slammed the work documents onto Kaede’s desk, making him jolt upright.

Kaede blinked, trying to shake off the heaviness that clung to his mind. He had been working at Dorata Company for three years now, but despite his best efforts, he hadn’t received a raise. No matter how hard he tried, it was never enough. It felt as though all the bad luck in the world had piled up on his shoulders, holding him down.

His boss wasn’t any better. He didn’t like Kaede—mostly because of the look in his eyes. Those dull, lifeless eyes that seemed to lack any spark of energy. Day after day, Kaede dragged himself through the motions, constantly tired, sleep-deprived, and completely worn out.

At 27 years old, Kaede was just another office worker, barely scraping by. He had graduated from High School but never went to college. He couldn’t afford it, his family rarely support him and that's why he had to start working right away to help himself live. Before he found his job at Dorata, he had juggled various part-time jobs, all while living alone in an apartment—an apartment he’d had since high school. It had been almost 12 years, and it was the only place he could call home.

Kaede had once been full of dreams. As a child, he had been bright and cheerful. He loved science, especially astronomy. Music was another passion of his, and he enjoyed singing whenever he could. In high school, he had many friends, but now? Now, he was alone. His selfish actions had driven them all away, and he hadn’t realized how deeply he had hurt the people who cared about him.

The one person he regretted losing the most was his best friend. She had always been there for him, even when he made mistakes. But his selfishness and bad personality had torn them apart. She tried to protect him, to cover for his faults, but in the end, people started to turn on her too. They bullied her, and in the end, she left—moving to another country to escape the painful memories Kaede had left behind.

“Hey, I said wake up, you little piece of crap!” His boss smacked him on the head, pulling Kaede back to the present.

“Sorry,” Kaede mumbled, his voice barely audible. He had become all too familiar with the feeling of shame. His past mistakes still lingered, haunting him. He couldn’t seem to escape them.

With a sigh, Kaede forced himself to get back to work, his mind clouded with regrets. The day dragged on, each minute blending into the next. By the time the workday ended, Kaede felt like his body was about to collapse from exhaustion. He didn’t even bother with food or water—his body was too tired, his mind too foggy.

He stumbled out of the office, his steps slow and unsteady. His body shook, and his vision blurred, but he pushed on. Every step felt heavier than the last.

“What is it? ...Ouch, my head hurts!” he muttered under his breath, his hand clutching his forehead as a sharp pain shot through his skull.

He kept walking, trying to ignore the ache in his head. His feet carried him toward a vending machine, where he paused to buy a cold drink. He sat down on the bench next to the machine, opening the bottle with trembling hands. The cool liquid slid down his throat, but it didn’t bring him the relief he so desperately craved.

As he stared up at the orange sky, his eyes began to burn with unshed tears. He couldn’t hold them back any longer. The weight of everything—the regrets, the mistakes, the loneliness—crushed him.

“I don’t want to live like this,” he whispered, his voice barely audible, but full of pain.

After finishing the drink, Kaede pushed himself up and continued walking, the pain in his head only growing worse. His body felt like it was ready to give up. He took another step—and then, suddenly, his knees buckled. He collapsed onto the pavement, unable to stand.

In the midst of the pain, a strange whisper echoed in his mind. The words were broken, distorted, but Kaede heard them clearly.

"Ka_d_!" Echoed Voice

“What???!!” Kaede exclaimed, his heart racing with confusion. He looked around, but no one was there. He pushed himself up, trying to shake off the strange voice in his head.

But the pain in his head was too much. His vision spun, and before he knew it, he collapsed again, this time in the middle of the road, completely helpless.

Kaede collapsed to the ground.

People nearby noticed and rushed to help him, but they were too late.

While unconscious, Kaede's memories began to flash before his eyes. In his mind, he muttered:

"Is this... the end of me?"

Tears welled up inside him—not from pain, but from overwhelming regret. He hadn't done anything he truly wanted in life. Everything felt wasted. He never got to say sorry to his best friend. He never told his parents he loved them. All the sad and bitter memories surged through his mind as his heart began to slow. Despite being half-unconscious, he could still hear people around him yelling:

"Are you okay?! Hey, wake up!"

"Someone call an ambulance!"

"I never said sorry to my best friend... I never told my parents I loved them. Haha... what a weird reaction from me. Is this what people think before they die? Weird, huh..." he thought bitterly, buried under the weight of pure sadness and regret.

"If only I had a second chance… or some power that could change me. I want to do things right. I want to change. I want to fix my mistakes."

He felt himself falling deeper and deeper into a dark void in his mind.

"I don't want to die! Please... help me! There's still so much I want to do. If only... if only I had another chance..."

And just as he was about to fade completely, he saw it—

A hand.

A woman's hand reached out from the darkness. His eyes widened as he instinctively reached back. The moment their hands touched, everything inside his mental world began to distort—glitching, shaking violently.

A voice whispered, glitchy and broken:

"Don't... do... the... same... m__t_k_... ag_in..."

Before he could respond—

RIIING!

The alarm clock blared.

Kaede opened his eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling. Confused, he sat up slowly.

"Huh...? I'm... home?" he muttered.

He remembered collapsing—his headache, the strange voice, the darkness.

"Was that... just a dream?" he asked himself.

But then his eyes caught the time.

"7 A.M.?! I'm going to be late!"

Panic hit him like a truck. He rushed to the bathroom, took a quick shower, got dressed for work, and bolted out the door. On the train, his eyes were dead again. He knew what was waiting—another scolding, another exhausting day.

Meanwhile, at the station, a high school girl noticed him and raised an eyebrow.

"Wait... Kaede? Why is he isn't wearing a uniform?" she whispered to herself, puzzled. "Is something going on with his family again?"

The girl continued walking toward her school as Kaede arrived at what should've been his workplace.

Only... something felt off.

"Huh...? Why does this place look different?" he mumbled. "Did they renovate it already?"

He walked inside, confused. The interior wasn't what he remembered. Nothing was familiar. No sign of his office. No familiar coworkers. Just... unfamiliar faces.

Then, a man approached him.

"Hey, kid. Why are you here? You need something?"

Kaede turned toward him, eyes blank. "Huh? What do you mean kid? I work here."

"What? I've never seen you before. You look like a high school student. Are you new or something?"

"What do you mean...?" Kaede's confusion turned to slight irritation. Kaede try to explain it.

"This isn't Dorata Company, you know. What are you talking about?" the man said, now clearly annoyed. "This is Medira's Company. Are you out of your mind?"

Kaede looked around again. He blinked. Nothing looked right. This wasn't Dorata. This wasn't what he knew. It wasn't even close.

Before he could gather his thoughts, the man shoved him outside.

Stunned, Kaede stared at the unfamiliar building. His heart pounded.

"What's going on...?"

He decided to just go home. "If this really wasn't Dorata... maybe i'm already get fired?" said to himself

He spend the rest of the day in the park near his working place, after hours later

He walked to the train station, boarded the train, and got off near his apartment. It was only about 500 meters away.

As he walked, still dazed, someone ran up behind him—fast—and suddenly jumped onto his back. A pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"Hey! What's up? Something wrong?"

He turned around slowly—eyes wide in disbelief.

"Huh...? Why... are you here...?"