A pause was needed, he mentioned, when sound came from overhead by the entrance. The chime had sounded just before his words began.
"I'll be back shortly."
Arian nodded slightly.
With each step, the old wood beneath Benjamin's feet whispered faintly. Away from Arian's table he went, direction set toward the shop's opening. At the threshold, peace settled on his features once more. His expression softened just as silence filled the space behind him.
"Welcome to my shop," Benjamin said warmly. "Is there something you're looking for?"
Though the doorway stayed out of sight, sound carried without effort. Blocked by a full bookshelf rising beside him, vision failed. Yet every word reached his ears as if spoken nearby. Position mattered less than what voices revealed. Distance meant nothing when speech traveled unbroken.
Stillness filled the space between seconds.
Then someone spoke.
A girl.
Softness marked her voice, clarity followed close behind. Flowing water came to mind - silent, steady across worn rock. A stillness lived there, not forced, simply present.
"Do you know where the boy who entered your shop earlier went?"
A slight tilt came to Benjamin's head. It shifted without warning, just a fraction off center.
"The boy?"
"Yes."
A silence came next.
"His name is Hoshino."
Arian froze.
Fingers pressed hard against the chair's rim.
Hoshino…?
His name appeared that way.
Frost traced the length of his back. A chill rose behind his ribs.
What makes her recognize who I am?
A soft laugh escaped Benjamin without warning.
"Oh."
"So you're a friend of Arian?"
A quiet voice spoke the word yes.
A soft curve formed on Benjamin's lips. With that familiar gesture, his eyelids lowered, as they tended to do whenever warmth touched his face.
"Well, you're in luck."
"He's actually - "
Something flashed.
A thin streak of light.
Speed made recognition nearly impossible for Arian. The motion vanished before awareness could follow.
It crossed his mind, briefly, that perhaps it never happened. A moment later, the thought slipped away.
Then -
CRACK.
An abrupt noise tore through the interior of the store.
A sudden rupture split Benjamin's skull open.
Blood sprayed across the wooden counter.
Across the floor.
Along rows crowded with volumes.
Broken pieces lay apart from one another, spread unevenly through the space. Each segment rested where it had landed after the fall.
Forward he fell, though his stance held just briefly prior. The stillness broke fast.
THUD.
The object landed on the surface with force.
Arian's brain stopped.
His breath vanished.
Strength faded from his legs.
Floor met him fast when the chair lost its hold.
"What…?"
His voice trembled.
"What… what is happening…?"
What he saw would not settle into thought. His vision stayed ahead of understanding.
Foot by foot, a shiver running through him, his gaze shifted to the doorway.
It was there she appeared before him.
A figure appeared, motionless. There she remained.
Beautiful.
Unnaturally beautiful.
A strand of bangs fell beside one eye, while the rest swept upward into a tight hold. The height of the knot drew attention just above her crown, where strands stayed secured without slipping free.
Stillness settled in her stance. Quiet filled the way she stood.
Still.
Yet there was a quality to her being that seemed profoundly off.
Fear moved across Arian's skin like cold water. His breath slowed without warning. Every muscle tightened at once. The air around him seemed heavier than before.
He had not yet spoken when -
Another flash appeared.
A single beam repeats itself. This glow appears once more. Light travels again through space. It moves just as before. The path stays unchanged.
Faster than his eyes could follow.
THUD.
A sudden impact hit his right thigh.
Nothing came at first. He waited.
A sudden burst of agony tore across every nerve. Pain arrived without warning, sharp and unrelenting.
"A - AAAAAAAH!"
Arian screamed.
A cry ripped out - sharp, unfiltered fear. His voice cracked under the weight of panic. From somewhere deep, a sound emerged, ragged and trembling. It echoed, sudden, breaking the silence without warning.
He looked down.
Inside his ribs, air stopped moving. A pause filled the space where breathing should be.
A gap existed. It appeared without warning.
A gap, precise and terrible, punched straight through the middle of his right leg.
Out came the blood, fast. It spilled without delay.
Warm.
Too much.
His vision blurred.
Shaking took his fingers when they closed around the ground. Tremors ran through them while gripping began.
The agony refused to be endured.
"AH - !"
Backward he pulled, slow and heavy. Desperation moved his limbs.
Sliding forward, his hands soaked in blood on the wooden planks beneath. The weight of each movement pulled harder than before. Across the grain of old flooring, fingers gripped where traction remained. Blood slicked every reach, making progress slow. Under dim light, crimson streaks marked paths already taken.
"I - I don't want to die!"
Sound broke in his throat, then tears followed.
"I don't want to die!"
Inside the shop, a slow step came from the girl. A quiet movement marked her entry.
"I don't want to die!"
Quietly, her steps moved across the ground. Stillness followed each one.
"I don't want to die!"
Unhurried.
Arian's breathing became frantic.
His hand moved without sight, stretching for the close shelf.
What his hand closed around came without thought.
Books.
He threw them.
One after another.
Before they reached her, the books lay scattered on the floor without purpose. Each one rested where it fell, untouched, out of order.
Yet he continued to toss each one without pause.
"No!"
"I don't want to die!"
Water filled his eyes, spilling over without warning. A quiet tremble followed each drop as it moved downward.
Shaking took hold of him completely. Every muscle moved without control.
Slowly -
His gaze rose upward slowly.
Only then did the features come into view. A moment passed before recognition settled.
Her eyes.
Bright crimson.
A deep red that almost seemed to glow.
Yet it was not that which startled him most
Was her expression.
She was crying.
Falling nonstop, tears traced wet paths along her face.
That thought escaped Arian completely. It simply would not settle into clarity.
Why…?
What causes her tears?
Her gaze met his without turning away.
A shiver passed through her red eyes.
A slight tremor passed through her lips.
Then she spoke.
"…I finally found you."
Another tear slipped down, then another followed slowly behind it.
"…Now rot in hell."
With quiet motion, she lifted each hand upward. One after the other, they rose into the air.
Her fingers moved carefully.
Forming a large triangle shape in the air.
Between her hands -
Out of silence, light started to appear.
Bright.
Violent.
Blinding.
The air inside the shop seemed to vibrate.
Air moved lightly through Arian's lungs. Breathing slowed without force. Each intake grew quieter than before.
A sharp thudding filled his ribs, steady yet uncontrolled. The rhythm pressed outward, impossible to ignore.
Stillness broke when he attempted motion.
Attempted escape by dragging body forward.
Yet movement did not come from his hurt limb.
A widening glow appeared ahead.
Brighter.
Then -
Everything vanished.
-
A sudden chill met Arian's skin. The wind moved quietly across his features.
Awakening came without warning. The stillness broke as his gaze lifted into focus.
Each breath came slowly, filling the quiet space between moments.
Uneven.
He slowly looked around.
The street.
The same buildings.
The same sky.
The very same location.
The rhythm of his pulse grew harsh and fast.
From habit, his fingers found their way to the outer edge of his leg. The motion required no thought.
No wound.
No blood.
Nothing.
Yet the ache remained, faint but present, deep within his limbs.
Arian's breathing trembled.
"…Did…"
From his lips, a hushed sound emerged.
"…Did I go back in time again?"
Frost-laced breath entered Arian's chest with each inhale.
Stillness held him for moments. Then came motion.
After that, everything turned.
Violence gripped his gut, twisting without warning.
A sudden wave of sickness made Arian lurch ahead, hands dropping to his legs.
"Ugh - "
Faster than his hands could move, sickness rose - spilling across the cobbles below. The moment broke under its own weight.
His body trembled.
Shaking ran through his fingers when he dragged the fabric across his lips. The motion slow, deliberate, as if time had thickened around the gesture.
Despite the moment passing, his heartbeat refused to slow. Quiet moments stretched ahead, yet rhythm within remained erratic.
It stayed clear, far clearer than it should have. A moment repeated itself without permission.
The pain in his thigh.
The crack when Benjamin's skull split open.
The girl's crimson eyes.
Arian swallowed hard.
"…What the hell…"
The sound of his speech had little strength.
His breathing uneven.
Downward went his gaze, settling on his hands. His fingers came into view as he watched them closely.
Still shaking.
"…Is this… my ability?"
For a short while, his eyes remained fixed on the earth below, mind working.
A notion, odd in shape, took place within him.
"…Return by death."
A silence came before he spoke. His voice moved without force into the air.
"…Yeah."
"If I die…"
"I return."
Arian released a breath that trembled slightly.
"…Return by death."
It seemed right somehow.
Yet another thought unsettled his mind.
His eyebrows slowly furrowed.
"That girl…"
Words she had spoken returned inside his thoughts.
At last, your presence became clear.
Arian's expression stiffened.
"…What did she mean by that?"
Before this moment, she was unknown to him.
It did not cross his mind that he might be wrong.
Still, the way she spoke suggested her search had lasted years.
A shiver moved across him. His skin responded first.
His gaze fell once more upon the unsteady fingers before him.
Stillness held the pavement nearby, much like before. Quiet steps moved forward, despite the moment just past.
People walked by.
Occasionally, one would find an ordinary person among them. Normality appeared now and then.
Others were not.
Faint figures emerged into view. Arian saw each one distinctly at last.
Few wore the soft signs of beasts upon their heads.
Some had tails.
Some looked almost human except for strange features.
It slipped past his thoughts almost unnoticed.
It left him unsteady.
"…What am I doing…?"
Breath began to move quicker without warning.
Falling into place was the truth, sudden and uninvited. Then silence followed.
The girl.
She was coming.
Soon.
Very soon.
"…I need to run."
Fear began to grow within. The weight of dread settled slowly.
"She'll come again."
"And she'll kill me again."
Movement started in his legs even as thought lagged behind.
Footsteps began as Arian shifted direction. Away moved the figure, pace quickening without delay.
Fast.
With each step forward, his breath came harder amid the press of bodies. The crowd tightened around him, making air scarce. Though moving slowly, effort showed in every inhale. Each movement forced a deeper pull for oxygen. Despite the pace, strain marked his rhythm.
"Move - !"
There was contact when he moved through the crowd.
Humans.
Beastmen.
A shape stands, high and slender, crowned with curved points. Horns rise above its form, part of a still silhouette against the sky.
Someone with wolf ears.
Each time, impact followed impact while he pressed forward. Movement brought contact, repeated without pause. Against resistance, collision occurred once more. Forward motion meant meeting opposition yet again. Contact happened repeatedly during progress.
"Sorry!"
"I'm sorry!"
Yet progress continued without pause.
"I need to live…"
Mid-stride, his voice shook. Running did not steady it.
"I need to live!"
His chest burned.
"The pain…"
From habit, his fingers slid toward the muscle of his leg.
The injury did not appear at that location.
Yet the ache lingered within his thoughts.
"…Death hurts."
His voice cracked.
"Death really hurts."
Breathing quickened, uneven. Suddenly, each breath came faster than before.
"I don't want to feel that again."
He kept running.
Through the street.
Through the people.
Into the unknown streets of a distant town.
Then suddenly -
It came into his mind suddenly.
Arian slowed.
His steps faltered.
"…Wait."
His eyes widened.
A thought of weight appeared within him.
Benjamin.
The shop.
Before it began. Just then, silence held still. Time paused without warning. Everything waited, unseen. Not yet moved. Still quiet.
A chime rings out. From silence, a note rises. Then stillness again follows.
The girl asking for Hoshino.
His heart skipped.
"…Mr. Benjamin."
His body froze.
"She's going to kill him."
Again, the picture appeared inside his head.
Benjamin's gentle smile.
Stillness settled across his face as eyelids lowered. A quiet moment arrived without sound or gesture. The air around him seemed to pause, matching the ease of that shut gaze.
His voice.
You will learn reading, followed by writing. Instruction begins soon after arrival. One skill builds on another, slowly. Focus stays clear throughout each step. Progress comes through steady effort. Lessons continue until ability improves.
Becoming a teacher has long been a quiet certainty within me.
Arian remained centered on the pavement, air pulling sharply into lungs. Breathing came hard beneath a sky without sound.
"…But…"
He hesitated.
"…Why should I save him?"
It was clear Benjamin had no memory of the man.
To Benjamin, meeting had never happened before now. This moment marked what stood as their initial encounter.
If Arian Left Right Now
He remained untouched by events. Stillness followed where change might have been expected. Nothing arrived to alter his state.
He could escape.
He could live.
"…He won't even know who I am."
Arian's breathing slowly steadied.
Yet a different recollection surfaced within his thoughts.
Benjamin standing behind the counter.
Smiling warmly.
She proposed instructing him in literacy without charge.
Explaining magic patiently.
Kindness shown freely, expecting nothing back. A quiet gesture, yet complete on its own.
"…He's a good person."
Fists began to form as Arian's hands drew inward. Slowly, tension built through his fingers.
"He helped me."
"He said he would teach me."
The weight pressed down inside his ribs.
"…People like that…"
His voice lowered.
"…don't deserve to die."
A different feeling struggled with dread, just for an instant. Within him, tension met resistance. Something unfamiliar rose where panic had held sway. Not quite courage, yet not surrender either. For one breath, hesitation gave way to another force.
Then -
Arian turned.
Forward motion returned to his legs.
But this time -
From that point onward, the path turns backward.
Toward the bookstore.
Toward the location of Benjamin's death.
Once more, his breath came deep when the running began.
"I have to hurry."
Fear pulsed through him, each beat echoing behind his ribs.
"If I'm too late…"
Into his thoughts came once more the sight of Benjamin falling to the ground. The memory arrived without warning, sharp at its edges. There it was - the moment replayed, silent yet loud inside his head. Each time, the shape of that fall remained unchanged. From nowhere, the scene returned: limbs folding into stillness on the floor.
Arian ran faster.
Faster.
"I have to save him."
Arian ran.
Every breath felt like fire while the crowd thickened ahead of him. Though feet dragged at first, speed returned amid voices rising behind. Some figures wavered off balance when he slipped by. Confusion settled on faces left in his wake.
Yet Arian kept moving.
Ahead stood the bookstore.
The same wooden sign.
Once again, that tight opening. It remains unchanged.
Where Benjamin fell, not long before - at least according to what Arian held clear. There, time seemed stitched tight around that moment.
Blood thundered through his chest.
Perhaps it will work out. Time may allow.
A sudden pause marked his arrival at the doorway, though he had moved quickly just moments before. Motion gave way to hesitation as the frame of the shop came near.
Frozen by the exit, a pair of figures waited close to the entrance.
Quiet words passed between them.
Right away, Arian knew who they were.
Those two individuals again, identical to earlier.
"…I'm telling you, someone from the lord's family was definitely killed."
"That's impossible. The lord's family has powerful guards."
"I heard it from a soldier - "
Arian moved on without pausing for words.
The discussion repeated without change.
Which meant -
Still ahead lay the instant when the girl would appear. The hours had not folded into that point.
Firmly, the door swung wide under Arian's hand.
Ding.
The bell rang.
Behind the counter within the shop, Benjamin arranged a pile of books. The space held quiet focus as he sorted each one carefully. A soft light fell across his hands while pages shifted under deliberate movements. Order emerged slowly beneath his steady attention.
He looked up.
"Welcome to my - "
It was then that Arian noticed the man - his gaze grew still, fixed upon the figure before him.
"Mr. BENJAMIN!"
Confusion made Benjamin blink. His eyes opened wide, slowly.
"You're alive…!"
Arian stood still, tension leaving his shoulders. The air seemed lighter now, somehow. Relief arrived without warning, filling the space where doubt had been. His breath slowed, then steadied. What came next remained unclear, yet that moment held clarity.
"Thank God…"
A slight turn of the head came from Benjamin.
"…Do I know you?"
Arian froze.
"…Ah."
He hesitated.
"…No."
A look of mild confusion crossed Benjamin's face.
Close by, Arian moved forward without delay.
"We're in danger."
Benjamin blinked again.
"…Danger?"
"Yes!"
Arian's voice shook with urgency.
"We have to leave. Right now."
Benjamin frowned slightly.
"I'm in danger?"
"Yes!"
A sudden tightness filled Arian's chest, each breath shallow under the weight of rising panic. The rhythm in his ribs grew fierce, pulsing like distant drums behind his thoughts. Air slipped away just as fear took hold, leaving him suspended between seconds. Movement slowed while awareness sharpened at the edges.
"There's no time to explain!"
The hand closed on the countertop's rim.
"Please, Mr. Benjamin!"
"We need to go!"
Stillness filled Benjamin's gaze as he looked on. Silence held his words back.
The silence arrived slowly. A stillness settled between the shelves.
Arian's chest tightened.
Please believe me…
Only silence followed, then came a slow breath from Benjamin.
"…Very well."
Arian blinked.
Benjamin shrugged lightly.
"You look serious enough."
From the counter, he moved off.
"I'll close the shop, and then we'll leave."
Arian's eyes widened.
"No - !"
The voice caught before it left his mouth.
Forcing Benjamin was something he could not do.
Were a person to burst into his store yelling of threats, Arian would doubt them just the same. Though quick warnings seem urgent, belief does not follow noise. Without proof, even loud cries feel hollow. Suspicion rises when voices spike without reason. He knows panic carries weight, yet truth demands more than volume. Trust builds slowly, especially when chaos knocks first.
Benjamin walked calmly toward the door.
The wooden sign turned under his hand. A quiet shift broke the stillness.
Closed.
Outside, the door clicked shut behind him. The key turned once.
Arian remained at his side, tension present. Quietly waiting, she watched what unfolded next.
"Hurry!"
They started running.
Footsteps rang out on the pavement, each step meeting cold rock beneath. The sound moved forward, sharp against stillness. Stone held echoes longer here than elsewhere. Movement left traces in the air, brief but clear.
It was clear he moved with an ease that did not match his appearance. A man expected to stand behind counters showed speed where none was anticipated. Though dressed without flair, his stride carried purpose. Few would guess such agility came from one so ordinary in manner. His performance defied what the eye first assumed.
Some paces on, words came with each exhale.
"…Is this a prank?"
Arian moved his head from side to side without delay.
"No."
"I'm serious."
His eyes moved toward the man. Benjamin looked his way.
Mid-sentence, silence took hold
A sudden gleam split the stillness above. The sky brightened without warning. Light moved fast across the open space. It flashed once, then faded behind motionless clouds.
A heavy noise struck the structure near their position.
Stone exploded outward.
Fragments fell, dust scattering along the pavement. A sudden hush followed the descent of debris through still air.
Benjamin stopped instantly.
"What - ?!"
Arian's face lost its color suddenly. The sudden change stood out clearly.
"…It's her."
Another flash appeared.
A flash follows. Light appears again, separate from before.
Forward it moved in their direction -
But missed.
The impact landed on the road just past their position.
Stone shattered.
Fleeing followed shouts from those close by.
A third flash.
A fourth.
One after another cuts the sky, swift as a beam fired without sound.
Yet each one missed entirely.
They struck walls.
Roofs.
The ground.
Arian's eyes grew a little wider.
"…Her aim is bad."
Benjamin looked shocked.
"You call that bad?!"
A alley appeared between buildings, thin enough to walk through single file. Arian noticed it first.
"There!"
"Let's go!"
Into the narrow passage they moved.
As Arian moved ahead
A force hit his right leg.
THUD.
Arian collapsed instantly.
A sharp sensation tore into his leg's upper part.
"A - AAAAAAH!"
From his throat came a cry that filled the air down the road.
The agony grew beyond measure.
Shaking took hold of him, fierce and sudden. A quiver ran through his limbs without pause.
His right thigh -
Once more, an opening appeared.
A sudden flow of blood moved slowly along the outer side of his leg.
Arian pressed his jaw shut, air thinning with each moment. He stood at the edge of motion, lungs resisting. Each breath came slow, then slower still.
"MR. BENJAMIN!"
His voice cracked.
"RUN!"
Benjamin froze.
"…What?"
"RUN!"
Arian shouted desperately.
"Just go!"
Benjamin hesitated.
His fists tightened.
"…I can't."
Arian's eyes widened.
With a sudden motion, Benjamin took hold of his arm.
"We're leaving together."
Just as Arian started to object, he was yanked upward by Benjamin.
Afterward, a sudden surge of power allowed him to hoist Arian upward - resting now across his shoulders.
Arian gasped.
"Wait - !"
Benjamin started moving.
Fast.
Into the alley he moved, Arian in his arms.
Footsteps rang out, caught within tight stone sides.
Arian saw shapes melting into gray. Pain dragged each breath deeper than the last.
A single drop fell where the rock lay cold. The red traced a slow path downward. From above, silence followed each fall. There it pooled, thin and darkening.
After several seconds -
Benjamin slowed.
There, beyond the narrow passage -
Someone stood there.
Blocking the exit.
Arian raised his eyes, faintly at first. Slowly, he gazed upward, with little strength behind it.
Then silence filled the room as his heartbeat ceased.
It was her.
The girl.
A strand of deep chestnut flows upward, secured at the crown. Its weight shifts behind, following the curve of the neck. This length stays bound without slipping free. A single band holds it - simple, unbroken.
Crimson red eyes.
Frozen trails traced her cheeks without sound. Still falling, yet untouched by motion.
Quietly she stood, there by the alley's far edge.
Waiting.
Watching them.