"Who am I, and why do I tend to do this to myself often?"
...
An 18-year-old boy with black hair would randomly wake up on the ground, as he was in the middle of a fight.
???: (panting) "...There's no way."
??? would stare at the boyfriend, who was quicker and stronger than him, as they sent an uppercut into his stomach, causing ??? to vomit from the impact.
The Boyfriend would rush forward, mounting on ??? to send multiple punches straight for them, before landing a final strike to the temple, knocking ??? out
??? would get knocked out, as he would reveal his name as "Astral Yuki", who was known as a ladies' man, but he was quite lackluster when it came to style & fighting, as we see him slowly get himself up.
Astral: (sighing) "... Maybe I should stop going after women who have a significant lover..."
Astral would wince in pain as he rubbed the back of his head while walking out of the alleyway.
Astral would sigh as he thought to himself, "Maybe I should try to fight back to protect my pride, I guess..."
...
Astral: (upset, still in pain) "... She should've let me be friends with her, but I understand that she had a boyfriend, but she never told me..."
Astral would walk home until something unexpected happened as a girl fell from the sky and dropped on him, causing him to be startled as he saw something with pink hearts in his face, causing his nose to bleed.
Astral: (eyeing the girl, worried) "Hey, are you okay?" he began to poke her face, realizing she was hurt, and then carried her to his house so she could get patched up.
...
We would fast forward to about 5 to 6 hours after, inside Astral's room, as the girl was still unconscious, causing him to worry about her as he panicked around in his room until her eyes suddenly began to open up.
Astral: (concerned) "Yo, you okay?"
The Girl eyed Astral with a scared look, as she activated her trident called "Krion", eyeing Astral with confusion.
???: (confused) "Who are you and where am I exactly... I remember falling from the sky above after the battle against those beasts..."
Astral would walk up slowly, calming her down by asking: "Could you tell me your name... at least?"
The girl hesitated for a moment, while gripping her trident; "...My name is Elyra. Guardian of the Seventh Celestial Tide."
Astral stared at the girl in front of him, causing his face to turn red from her overwhelming beauty.
Elyra stared at him for a moment as she began to blush from his staring before she gave a brief neutral expression.
The room settled into an uneasy, deafening silence.
Outside, the evening rain lightly tapped against the window, while the city continued as though nothing unusual had happened.
Astral scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"So…" he began nervously. "Guardian of the… Seventh Celestial Tide?"
Elyra gave a small nod.
"It is my title."
"...Right."
Another silence.
Astral wasn't sure whether he was supposed to believe any of this or assume he'd hit his head harder than he thought.
"...You said you fought beasts?"
"They crossed into your world."
"...Crossed?"
"The barrier between realms is weakening."
Astral blinked.
"...You're serious."
"I do not joke."
Her expression never changed.
Astral slowly sat back down in his chair.
"...Well…"
"...That explains absolutely nothing."
For the first time…
A tiny smile appeared on Elyra's face.
"...I suppose it doesn't."
Several quiet minutes passed.
Astral handed her a warm cup of tea while looking through a nearby first aid kit.
"You've got some nasty cuts."
"They will heal."
"Yeah, but infection's still a thing."
"...Infection?"
"...Never mind."
She watched him carefully.
Unlike most people she had met…
He wasn't asking about her appearance.
He wasn't trying to impress her.
He simply treated her wounds with surprising care.
"...You're strange."
Astral laughed.
"I get that a lot."
As Elyra adjusted the bandages around her arm…
Her expression suddenly stiffened.
The room became unnaturally quiet.
A faint ripple spread through the air.
Almost like the atmosphere itself had shivered.
Her eyes immediately darted toward the bedroom window.
"...Impossible."
Astral looked over.
"What?"
"...The Veil…"
She whispered.
"...It's weakening again."
Far beyond the city skyline…
A single crimson light flickered for only a second…
…before disappearing into the night.
Astral never noticed it.
But Elyra did.
Someone else had crossed over.
The next morning…
Astral was already making breakfast.
"...You can stay here for now."
Elyra looked confused.
"...Why would you help someone you've only known for one night?"
Astral shrugged.
"...Because you're clearly lost."
"...And because if what you're saying is true…"
"....you've literally got nowhere else to go."
Elyra lowered her gaze.
"...Thank you."
Astral suddenly froze.
"...Wait."
"...If you're staying here…"
"...You'll need an identity."
"...Identity?"
"...Yeah."
"You can't exactly tell people you're a celestial guardian from another realm."
She tilted her head.
"...Why not?"
"...Because people would call the police."
"...Police?"
Astral sighed.
"...This is gonna take a while."
A montage followed.
Astral began to explain everything: smartphones, the internet, money, cars, television, and human customs.
Elyra remained completely expressionless…
…while somehow making every situation unintentionally hilarious.
She tried bowing to a microwave.
She saluted the refrigerator.
She even apologized to automatic doors whenever they opened.
Astral could only laugh.
Later that afternoon…
Astral sat in front of his laptop.
"...Lucky timing."
"What is?"
"My university starts its new semester tomorrow."
Elyra looked over.
"...College?"
"It's basically higher education."
"...A place where people become stronger?"
"...Sort of."
"...Mentally."
A light bulb practically appeared over Elyra's head.
"...Then I shall attend."
Astral immediately shook his head.
"It doesn't work like that."
"...You need records."
"Identification."
"Paperwork."
"Enrollment."
"...Human stuff."
She frowned.
"...Then I cannot accompany you."
Astral quietly thought for a moment.
His playful attitude completely disappeared.
He opened several government websites before quickly typing away.
Application forms.
Temporary residency requests.
Exchange student registrations.
Language certification exemptions.
Emergency international documentation.
He pieced together legal loopholes, scholarship recommendations, and an accelerated transfer program intended for displaced foreign students.
Nearly an hour later…
He leaned back.
"...Done."
Elyra blinked.
"...Done?"
"I found a program."
"The university accepts emergency international transfers under special circumstances."
"I had to bend a few rules…"
"...but technically everything's legal."
"...Mostly."
She stared at him.
"...You accomplished all of that…"
"...Within one hour?"
Astral shrugged.
"I'm pretty good at research."
"...Never really had anyone to use it for."
For the first time…
Elyra looked genuinely impressed.
"...Your intellect exceeds many tacticians I served alongside."
Astral laughed awkwardly.
"...Yeah…"
"...Too bad intelligence doesn't help when you're getting punched."
Across the city…
At the prestigious Seiran University…
The evening breeze swept across the rooftop as students slowly made their way home.
A lone girl with long silver-black hair sat against the chain-link fence, quietly reading a worn novel while the chatter below faded into the background.
She turned another page.
Then…
Her hand stopped.
A faint pulse rippled through the air.
Her crimson eyes slowly lifted toward the distant skyline.
"...A Celestial…"
She closed the book with a soft thud.
"...In this city?"
A subtle smile curved across her lips.
"...How unexpected."
She rose to her feet, slipping the novel into her bag before gazing toward the horizon.
"...Looks like Seiran just got a little more interesting."
Without another word, she disappeared through the rooftop door.
Elsewhere, near the front entrance of Seiran University…
A young couple walked side by side beneath the orange glow of the evening sun.
The girl let out a relieved sigh.
"...I still feel kind of bad."
Her boyfriend glanced over.
"About that guy?"
She nodded.
"He wasn't a bad person…"
"...Just… persistent."
"I told him I already had someone I loved, but he kept trying to get closer."
Her boyfriend sighed.
"I know."
"...I probably hit him harder than I should've."
The girl gently nudged his shoulder.
"You definitely did."
"...He looked like he could barely stand afterward."
The boyfriend scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"If he would've backed off after I warned him…"
"...none of that would've happened."
A brief silence settled between them.
The girl looked down at the pavement.
"...I just hope he learns from it."
"...He deserves someone who actually chooses him."
"...Not someone who's already taken."
The boyfriend nodded.
"...Yeah."
"...Maybe getting knocked down is exactly what he needed."
As the two disappeared into the crowd…
As the last traces of daylight faded over the city, an unseen presence silently watched from afar.
A pair of glowing eyes emerged from the darkness of a nearby alley…
"...So…"
"...The threads of fate have begun moving."
[END OF CHAPTER 1]