A warm, electric breeze swept over Ren's skin, rousing him gently from sleep. His lashes fluttered as he opened his eyes to a sky swirling in impossible hues—lavender melting into rose gold, threaded with streaks of glowing teal. The beach he lay upon shimmered, grains of glassy sand humming faintly beneath him, as if resonating with some unknown melody.
He sat up slowly. "Where... am I?"
The city before him rose from the water like a dream painted in lights. Towers shaped like coral reefs spiraled into the sky, suspended bridges drifted between them, translucent and alive. Hovercraft zipped by in elegant curves, their wake leaving shimmering trails in the air. AquaCelestia.
He stood shakily, dusting off the luminous sand clinging to his clothes. Every movement was met with the gentle hum of the environment—as if the entire world here was tuned to a song only it could hear. Ren turned in circles, trying to understand the unreal beauty around him. Yet with it came confusion and dread. This wasn't Japan. This wasn't 2025. And it sure as hell wasn’t Earth as he knew it.
Suddenly, a sharp whir buzzed behind him. Ren spun, eyes widening as a levitating orb no larger than a basketball floated near. It blinked. "Unregistered biological presence detected. Initializing communication."
"W-what?" Ren backed away, but the orb zipped in front of him.
"Subject appears human. Garments: anomalous. Location breach detected. Initiating secure escort."
Before Ren could object, a flash of light enveloped him. He vanished from the beach, transported into the heart of the city.
---
The chamber he arrived in was blinding white, with holograms circling the room’s perimeter. A sleek, androgynous figure entered, clad in shimmering fabric that shifted color with each step. They stared at Ren with intrigue, one brow arched.
"You're not from here."
Ren tried to speak but no words came. He was ushered into a seat as scanners passed over his body.
"Biological integrity intact. Temporal displacement confirmed. Very rare. You’re from the past, aren’t you?"
"...I think so," Ren whispered.
The figure smiled. "Welcome to AquaCelestia. The year is 2325. You’ve drifted forward exactly 300 years."
---
Hours passed. They explained what they could—he’d been found near the city’s border, the lullaby still on his recorder triggering a resonance that apparently registered as an ancient "musical key." The city was one of the last human civilizations, floating above oceans that now blanketed most of the planet. And music? Music was more than expression here—it was currency, communication, and even combat.
That night, he was given a glass chamber in the artist’s quarter, floating atop the still waves. Ren tried to sleep, but anxiety gnawed at him. He wandered onto the balcony, drawn to the strange lights.
---
It was there, under a crescent moon surrounded by constellations he didn't recognize, that Ren first encountered Kai Virell.
Kai stood with his back to Ren, shirtless, skin aglow in the moonlight. His body was lean and toned, a symphony of motion and stillness. He was humming something low, hypnotic.
Ren froze.
Kai turned. His eyes—an ethereal shade of silver—locked with Ren’s. "You’re the boy they found in the ocean."
"Yeah... I guess."
Kai took a slow step forward, gaze never wavering. "You smell like time. Like something I used to know."
Ren's breath caught. "Do I?"
"Yes." Kai’s voice dropped. "And you sing in your sleep. That lullaby... I’ve heard it before. When I was a child."
Ren’s heart pounded. "That’s impossible."
"Maybe. Or maybe fate is stranger than we think."
There was a silence. Heavy. Charged.
Kai closed the distance. His fingers brushed Ren’s collarbone, slow and deliberate. "You don’t belong here. But you’re here. And so am I. Maybe that’s enough."
Ren’s lips parted to reply—but Kai silenced him with a kiss.
It wasn’t sweet. It was desperate. Confused. Electric.
Ren moaned softly, unsure if he was losing himself or finding something he never knew was missing. Their bodies pressed together, heat building with every breath. Kai’s hands roamed Ren’s chest, teasing over the thin fabric of the shirt provided by the agency. Ren's body trembled, a rush of sensation washing through him like a tidal wave.
He let out a sharp gasp when Kai's hand slipped beneath the hem of his shirt, fingers dancing across his abdomen.
"I shouldn't want you like this," Kai murmured, kissing down Ren's neck. "But your voice—your music—it's like you were made for me."
Ren tilted his head back, surrendering. "Then take me. Just for now."
And under the neon moonlight of a world reborn, two souls, unstuck in time, collided.
---
Later, tangled in the silken sheets of the floating suite, Kai whispered against Ren’s ear. "Tomorrow, we start training. The agency thinks you’re a musical anomaly—a key to saving us."
Ren blinked. "Saving you from what?"
Kai pulled him closer. "From silence."
And somewhere in the distance, the city hummed its eternal lullaby, echoing across the waves.
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