Chapter 1: The Last Ordinary Day
The morning sun streamed through the windows, casting golden rays across Haruki's small bedroom.
He blinked against the light and groggily rolled onto his side, grabbing his phone from the nightstand.
7:12 AM.
"Great... I'm gonna be late," he muttered, pushing himself out of bed.
Haruki Kurogane was seventeen, a second-year high school student, and—by his own admission—pretty average.
Black hair always a little messy, brown eyes that looked more tired than they should, and a habit of zoning out at the worst possible times.
He wasn't a genius, or a prodigy, or anything special.
But he had one thing that mattered more than anything: his mother.
Their life wasn't flashy, but it was peaceful. Haruki lived alone with her in a modest apartment in the heart of the city. His father had walked out years ago, but neither he nor his mother ever talked about it. They didn't need to.
They had each other.
And today, he wasn't going to school.
Today was special.
Today was their day.
"Haruki!" his mother's voice floated from the kitchen. "You're going to miss breakfast if you don't hurry!"
He threw on a plain hoodie and jeans, ruffled his hair into something that could pass for 'presentable,' and jogged to the kitchen.
There she was—Aya Kurogane.
She had the same messy black hair, the same tired but kind eyes. She was younger-looking than most moms he knew, always smiling even when things were tough.
"I'm ready, I'm ready," Haruki said, grabbing a piece of toast from the table.
His mother laughed, that light, musical sound that always made Haruki feel like everything was okay.
"You call that ready? You didn't even comb your hair."
Haruki shrugged. "It's part of my charm."
They ate quickly and headed out together. The city was alive with the usual hum of activity—people rushing to work, neon signs flashing, street vendors yelling out their morning deals.
It was nothing special.
It was normal.
And Haruki loved it.
They spent the morning shopping—groceries, a few new clothes for Haruki, some kitchen supplies his mom insisted they needed even though he was pretty sure they didn't.
At one point, Haruki even won a tiny stuffed panda for her at a claw machine. She giggled like a kid and hugged it tight, teasing him that she would treasure it more than anything.
"Maybe I should name it after you," she said with a grin.
"Better not. It'll probably break in two days," he joked back.
By noon, they were walking back through the city plaza, arms full of shopping bags, sunlight warming their backs.
They paused by a fountain where kids were splashing and laughing, their laughter rising into the bright blue sky.
The smell of street food drifted over—grilled meat, sweet pastries.
Haruki set the bags down for a moment and stretched his arms over his head.
"This has been a good day," he said, smiling.
His mother smiled back. "It has."
And then—
It happened.
Right in front of him.
One second, she was there—smiling, alive, real.
The next second—
Gone.
Not even a sound.
Not even a whisper.
The bags she had been holding hit the ground with a soft thud.
The stuffed panda bounced once, twice, and rolled to a stop near Haruki's foot.
Haruki blinked, stunned.
"Mom?"
He spun around wildly.
The plaza—the busy, crowded plaza—was silent.
Silent and empty.
The kids by the fountain were gone.
The vendors had disappeared.
The streets were abandoned.
A cold, prickling fear crept up Haruki's spine.
He stumbled backward, nearly falling over the scattered bags.
"Mom?!" he shouted, voice cracking.
He ran to the fountain, looking left and right, searching for anyone, anything.
Nothing.
No movement.
No noise.
It was like the world itself had been erased.
Haruki stood there, breathing hard, heart pounding against his ribs.
He picked up the stuffed panda with trembling hands, clutching it to his chest.
For a moment, he thought maybe he was dreaming.
Maybe he would wake up in bed any second now, late for school.
But then he saw it—
In the distance—
A piece of the sky, near the edge of the city, seemed to shimmer strangely—like static on an old TV screen.
And a chunk of land, buildings and all, simply... blinked out of existence.
Gone, like it had never been there.
Haruki's mouth went dry.
The world wasn't just losing people.
It was losing itself.
And he was alone.
Completely, utterly alone.
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[End of Chapter 1]
To be continued-