3rd August

The cloudy sky took over a cold blue hue. Empty streets were slowly starting to gleam. Moon still hanging in the sky… Quiet. Birds had already populated the vault of heaven… Heaven? Insects made ways from their burrows. You could even occasionally see one or two cars zooming by the desolate roads, late workers returning to their home… Home? Above one such empty road stood a crossing bridge, the cool morning air breezing over, on it stood one young man alone, Yuki Tachibana, his eyes as awake as a lark, no ounce of sleep depressing them... Loneliness? Except, this time, nothing disturbed his sleep, as a matter of fact, he didn't sleep to begin with.

It's been almost two weeks now since I haven't slept well… somehow, not sleeping at all feels better than having a messed up nightmare. No twisted dreamscapes, no chilling premonitions, just a gnawing emptiness that sleep wouldn't erase anyway.

First the nightmares… and then Naomi shows up…

And now I'm literally going to another dimension…

This is just crazy.

Maybe the sleep deprivation is finally getting to me. Is this some elaborate hallucination?

Yuki was doubting his reality, but the worn backpack on his shoulder felt real enough, the weight of the unknown pressing down on him.

He was alone. No goodbye from his close ones, no farewell from his friends. They wouldn't remember him anymore. A shiver ran down his spine. Had he made a mistake? Was this new life in Avalon worth the price of erasing his past? But to begin with… did he even have any friends? The question hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the isolation that had become his life. Was he trading one kind of emptiness for another?

Destiny? Is that what this was? Is this his… purpose? Such questions plagued his sleep. At some point he got out from his futon, packed the stuff he needed, and just left, leaving everything else behind. In the dread of midnight he alone walked among the stars. Although it had been hours, yet the sun wasn't up still. And it wouldn't be for a couple hours more.

Why did I decide to go to Avalon? Shouldn't I have at least thought about it before? I mean sure magic and all sounds amazing, but… is it?

Did I agree just because of Naomi?

NO, that can't be, I don't even like her… do I?

His palms clasped, fidgeted with his thumbs as he lent over the bridge’s railing. Looking down at the empty road, leading towards the horizon… until it's out of sight.

He released his hands and removed a picture from his pocket. It was the same picture that fell from his bag that day. His finger traced the small textureless details over it, each one unlocking an old memory. The dribbling of balls. The shouts of players. The cheerings by bystanders.

When did my life change? He thought, looking back up towards something far away, towards a bright red signboard near the road that said ‘CAUTION: Accident Prone Area’ It was bright enough to be easily spotted from the distance.

Yeah… that's when.

Maybe Avalon is the right place for me…

He flipped his wrist to take a look at his watch.

3:06 AM

What am I even doing this early? He thought to himself. I just walked down to this place aimlessly… without even realising that I was here.

He gazed down at the road below, a single car zooming past like a lone firefly in the predawn darkness. A spark of determination ignited in his eyes. Avalon, if it was real, was his answer. It was a chance, a leap of faith into the unknown. He had nothing left to lose, and perhaps, just perhaps, something extraordinary to gain.

He put the picture in a bag that hung to his back and walked down the bridge. You could tell he was far from the city by the bleak skyline visible in the distance. He started walking back towards civilization and perhaps… into a new life.

✳ ✳ ✳

6:30 AM

The sky was starting to get bright and the street lamps were all turned off by now. Yuki's forehead was covered with sweat, his small little walk proved to be quite the exercise, not just physical but mental too. Yet, he was not back home. Nien. He was far from his rented apartment, the place he used to call ‘home’ for the past 4 years. He was now standing in front of Naomi’s house. The two story bungalow posed intimidating due to his previous encounter with it. He could still remember his frantic condition as he tried escaping the neighbourhood that had turned into a horrifying labyrinth yesterday.

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And then there was its peculiar window. Its design was not like any other house around the area, standing outcasted in all ways possible. Now that Yuki looked at it closely he realised that the window’s position allowed it to view all of the neighbourhood. Interesting. He thought. It's finally time. Now nothing else matters.

Whatever happened before… has happened.

Now it's time for everything to change!

This is it! “Naomi! I'm here!” He called out.

Silence…

A few minutes passed as Yuki stood there waiting for some… any kind of response. “Huh? Why is she not coming out?” He quired.

He called out for her once again, and again it was met with silence. His temper slowly started to linger within. He removed his bag and placed it on the ground, to reveal his back was covered in sweat. “What is wrong with this girl? I haven't slept at all trying to get ready for this. So why is she not answering me now?” He thought to himself.

…

The morning had shed its initial shyness. The sun, now out of its dark velvet blanket, climbed higher in the sky, illuminating every corner of the streets with its warmth. Butterflies and bees danced around flowers collecting nectar. People started coming out of their abode following their daily routine and once again the clockwork called society had started running. But it had now lost a cog.

Yuki had been waiting outside Naomi's house for over 30 minutes now. He was growing increasingly frustrated and contemplated leaving. Just as he was about to give up, he heard a window creak open above him. Looking up, he saw a dishevelled Naomi in her nightgown, half-asleep, looked outside her window, completely oblivious to anything. A flicker of unease snaked down Yuki's spine. The bustling city around him felt a world away from the dazed girl in the window. Was this the person he was about to entrust his future to?

Yuki couldn't hide his annoyance, “OI, WHERE WERE YOU, I HAVE BEEN WAITING HERE SINCE 30 MINUTES.” Naomi, still groggy, turned her head towards the source of the sound. She stared at Yuki for a few seconds before realisation hit her, her eyes grew wide and her face glowed pink as panic washed over her. She instantly shut the window, leaving Yuki perplexed.

Why was she so surprised?

A few moments later, Naomi rushed out of her house, hastily dressed in a white t-shirt and apple green pyjamas. Her hair was a mess, scattered all over the place. She had clearly rushed to not keep Yuki waiting. However, his frustration was still palpable.

“Do you even know how long I have been waiting?”Yuki complained., trying to contain his anger.

“How long?”

“30 minutes, Naomi, 30 minutes!” Yuki tried not to sound angry but barely managed to do so.

Naomi had an obvious confused look on her face, “But why? Like I didn't say we have to leave this early in the morning.”

“What?”

“What?”

“………”

Both Naomi and Yuki were confused. After a short moment of awkward silence, realisation came to Yuki and he yelled in despair, “WHAT? I WASN'T SUPPOSED TO WAKE UP EARLY?” his sudden scream jolted Naomi, which led her to conclude that it would be wise to calm him down instead of messing with him.

“Uhh… well it's just b-better that you woke up early now i-isn't it… early bird gets the worm they say… n-now we can get your registration done quickly and then… you will have time to e-explore the place maybe.” Naomi stammered, trying to smooth over the situation.

Yuki was still trying to suppress his anger but his face clearly said otherwise, “Hmph, Fine, now just take me there…", Wait… now that I think of it, this is a good chance I can't miss. She always keeps messing with me, it's time I give some of it back to her. Yuki grinned. “...and, as a punishment for not letting me know earlier, you will have to carry my luggage.” he added, his voice laced with intensity.

“Uhh…” Naomi groaned, “...fine. But… where is your luggage?” She asked, looking around confused.

“Huh? Can't you see, it's right here!” Yuki pointed at his bag with conviction

“That's your luggage? I thought someone left their trash on the road!” Naomi chuckled but tried to contain herself. “What exactly is in that bag?”

“My clothes and some books.” Yuki stated matter-of-factly.

Naomi couldn't help but laugh, “Oh, that's all your luggage you decide to carry to a new world huh?” Naomi returned to her original tone. “Isn't that too much to take with you? We should call a moving company.” she teased.

“Shut up. If you don't want to carry it just say it.” Yuki groaned, maybe it is just impossible to mess with her.

“Ohh but Yuki, how can someone as small as me carry that?” Naomi dragged mockingly.

“I can never win against you.” Yuki muttered under his breath, “Whatever, let's leave now.” He said as he picked up his backpack.

“Wait, what? Leave where?” Naomi asked, visibly confused.

“For Avalon of course! Isn't that why I'm here?” Yuki retorted, to which Naomi just stood there placing her hands on her waist, stiff and pouting.

“What is it?” Yuki was perplexed.

“Are you blind? Can't you see what I'm wearing?” Naomi angst.

Yuki looked at Naomi top to bottom and again, “Oh… So what?” he asked, still confused.

Nomi raised an eyebrow. "You don't expect me to come like this do you? You boys can go anywhere with any clothing but I can't do that! I'm gonna go get changed." she stated, with a touch of annoyance. She turned and headed back into the house.

Yuki didn't even attempt to stop her. He knew it would be futile. He stood there, feeling baffled, waiting for her to return.

What did she mean by you boys? I thought that's how everyone was! Yuki started thinking about his own clothings. They were pretty simple as you would expect, his simple blue t-shirt with leaf pattern and brown cargo pants. He wore anything he found comfortable and didn't even think of colour combinations. He was wearing black and red sneakers with blue and white socks. As for accessories he simply had nothing. Maybe I'm just a simple and minimalist… no, I'm not. I just don't care. He thought while remembering his wardrobe, a lot of t-shirts, different kinds of pants and some belts that came with the pants…

As he was thinking deeply he didn't realise just how much time had passed, Naomi had already gotten ready and came back down. Her mustard yellow top cinched to her waist with whites running down all over. A brown skirt hung down to her knees and her choice of shoes, bellies with a slight heel, added a touch of sophistication and further accentuated her graceful posture. The small clover-shaped earrings that adorned her ears added a subtle sparkle, bringing attention to her face.. Yuki couldn't help but notice how her brown hair flowed effortlessly, framing her face in a way that perfectly complemented her outfit. Well, she does have a defined sense of fashion.

“Now, let's leave!” Naomi declared.

<9 - RestartーEpisode 1 - Fin>

image [https://i.imgur.com/4uDi2SP.png]