Arou and Akari arrived in front of the classroom almost at the same time as several other students.
The classroom door was already open, and the atmosphere inside was still fairly lively. Some students were chatting, while others were busy with their phones or opening their books.
Arou entered first, then walked toward his seat.
Akari followed and sat in the chair beside him.
"It's still early," Akari said softly.
"Yeah, the teacher isn't here yet," Arou replied while placing his bag under the desk.
Arou looked around the classroom. Several classmates glanced at him, but no one made any excessive comments. The atmosphere felt lighter compared to the previous days.
Haru turned around from the seat in front.
"Hey, Arou," he greeted briefly.
"What is it?" Arou replied.
"Yesterday's assignment went well, right?"
"Yeah," Arou answered.
Haru nodded in satisfaction, then returned to talking with Duri.
Duri briefly turned around and said, "If we have another group assignment, your house is a good place to work."
Arou only nodded quietly.
Akari opened her textbook.
"You look calmer today," she said without looking at him.
"Maybe because not much happened this morning," Arou answered honestly.
Several other students began entering the classroom. Chairs shifted, bags were placed down, and the conversations gradually became quieter.
Not long after, the teacher entered the classroom.
"Good morning," the teacher said.
"Good morning, Sir," the entire class answered almost simultaneously.
The lesson began as usual. The teacher wrote on the board, explaining the material in a flat but clear tone.
Arou paid attention, occasionally taking notes. There were no strange events, no disturbances. Everything felt… normal.
Akari occasionally glanced at Arou's notes.
"I didn't really understand this part earlier," she whispered softly.
Arou pointed at his notes. "This part means this."
"Oh… I see," Akari nodded slightly.
The class period passed slowly.
For Arou, that day felt simple—not special, but not difficult either.
And for the first time in a long while, he felt that the classroom was no longer a place that made him want to leave quickly.
The bell rang, signaling the change of class period.
Arou took a quiet breath and closed his book.
"So far… today has been pretty ordinary," he murmured.
Akari smiled faintly. "Sometimes, ordinary things are the most comfortable."
Arou did not reply, but this time, he agreed.
After school, Arou and Akari walked side by side toward home.
Their steps were slow, and the afternoon felt peaceful.
"Today was pretty comfortable, huh?" Akari said.
"Yeah," Arou replied briefly.
A few steps before reaching home, Arou suddenly slowed down.
His hand rose and pressed against his temple.
"Arou?" Akari stopped. "What's wrong?"
Arou's head felt heavy, and his vision began to blur.
"I… feel dizzy," he said softly.
Arou's body lost its balance and leaned to the side.
Akari quickly caught his shoulder, holding Arou up so he would not fall.
"Arou, listen to me," Akari said in panic.
But Arou's eyes had already closed. His body went limp, completely relying on Akari for support.
Akari struggled to support Arou, then shouted toward the house.
"Airi! Lumina! Help!"
The front door immediately opened.
Airi came out first, followed by Lumina and Shi.
"What happened?" Airi asked.
"Arou suddenly fainted," Akari answered quickly.
Priscilla followed from the living room, while Hikari ran from the kitchen.
"Father?" Hikari's voice trembled.
Nora, who had been sleeping on the sofa, immediately woke up.
She jumped down and stared seriously at Arou.
"Let's take him to his room," Lumina said.
They helped support Arou and carried him into his room.
Arou was slowly laid down on his bed.
His breathing was still steady, but his face looked pale.
Akari stood beside the bed, staring at Arou without saying a word.
Meanwhile, the others remained silent, feeling the same thing—
Arou fainting was not an ordinary incident.
In the real world, Arou's room was silent.
Airi, Lumina, Shi, Akari, Priscilla, Nora, and Hikari waited around the bed.
No one spoke. They only stared at Arou, lying unconscious.
Hikari sat closest to him, gripping the edge of the blanket.
"Father…" she whispered softly.
Arou opened his eyes.
But he was not in his room.
Only darkness surrounded him.
The air was filled with thin white smoke that moved slowly, as if breathing.
The ground beneath his feet felt empty, as though it did not truly exist.
Arou walked slowly.
Every step felt heavy.
"What place is this…?" he murmured.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in front of him.
Its body was vague, like a shadow that constantly changed shape.
"Hello, Arou."
Arou flinched.
"Who are you?"
The figure laughed softly.
"I am Chaos."
Arou's heart began beating rapidly.
Before he could react, a voice whispered from within him.
Zata: Arou… he is a being created from the loneliness you have felt all this time.
Arou froze.
"What… do you mean?"
Arou stared at Chaos, holding his breath.
"What are you going to do to me?"
Chaos smiled faintly.
"I will take over your soul and body."
Arou clenched his fists.
"I don't know what your purpose is… but I won't let that happen."
He stared at Chaos with determination.
"And this time, I will fight you."
Chaos laughed loudly.
"Hahaha… fight me? Do you think you can win?"
"What do you mean…?"
In an instant, the world around them changed.
The darkness and white smoke disappeared.
What remained was the sight of a ruined city.
Buildings had collapsed, gardens had withered, the ground was cracked, and the sky was split apart by dark light.
Arou was stunned.
"What is this…? This is… the city from my dream…"
Chaos stood among the destruction.
"Hahaha… that's right. I destroyed your dream."
Arou swallowed.
"And… the ones who were inside it?"
Chaos turned around, then calmly mentioned their names.
"Nova. Shion. Rei. Arthur. Feeth."
Arou's body trembled.
"No… that's impossible…"
"Your friends," Chaos continued, "are completely gone."
Arou fell silent, his thoughts in chaos.
"How could all of this happen…?"
Chaos laughed again.
"And now, I will take over your body—and then destroy your real world."
Arou lowered his head.
Inside his heart, he spoke.
So… the reason they came to my world…
Zata: Correct.
They came to stand guard.
If you lose, they will fight Chaos.
If you win… you will lose them.
Arou clenched his fists tighter.
His eyes slowly lifted, staring at the destruction before him.
"Then…"
"I cannot lose."
Arou ran toward Chaos.
There was no weapon in his hands.
No complicated plan in his mind.
Only one impulse—to fight.
"Aaah!"
Arou's fist flew toward Chaos.
But before it could hit, Chaos's body became vague.
The punch passed through empty space, as if it had never existed.
"What…?"
Arou did not stop.
He attacked again, one punch, then two, then again and again.
Yet every attack simply disappeared, erased from existence.
Chaos merely stood still.
"Hahaha… futile," he said calmly.
Chaos raised his hand slightly.
Instantly, Arou's body was thrown backward, crashing into the cracked ground behind him.
In the real world—
Arou's body on the bed suddenly trembled.
Blood slowly flowed from the corner of his mouth.
"Arou!"
"Why is he bleeding?!"
Lumina quickly stood up.
Akari covered her mouth, her eyes widening.
Airi immediately approached the bed, holding Arou's body still.
"This isn't an ordinary fainting…" Nora said with a serious expression.
Shi and Priscilla remained silent, while Hikari tightly held Arou's hand.
"Father… wake up…" Hikari's voice trembled.
There was no answer.
In the dream world—
Arou tried to stand.
His body felt heavy, every breath pressing against his chest.
Chaos walked closer.
"Attacking me with your bare hands… you're truly stubborn."
Arou forced himself to stand.
"I… won't give up…"
Chaos smiled faintly.
"Then I'll show you the difference between us."
Chaos raised his hand, then wrote in the air.
Black letters appeared, spinning and forming a sentence.
Arou was severely injured.
As soon as the sentence was completed—
Pain shot through Arou's body.
He fell to his knees, gasping for breath.
Wounds appeared on his body, not because of a physical attack, but because of the story itself.
"In this world," Chaos said softly,
"I am the one who decides what happens."
Arou gritted his teeth, enduring the pain.
His hand trembled, but the light in his eyes had not disappeared.
"I… don't care…"
"If this is a story you wrote…"
He stared at Chaos with the strength he had left.
"Then I'll write my own ending."
Chaos laughed softly.
"We'll see, Arou."