Chapter 1: The Demon Who Fell from the Sky

"I wanted to die."

That's the only thought in my mind as I sat on the edge of a tall building, a cigarette burning slowly between my fingers.

The wind was cold, whispering in my ears like a lullaby and below me, the city glows with life, cars flowing through the streets like veins full of light, people rushing about their lives.

I was a ghost in their world. Unseen and unmissed by everyone.

I took a final drag from the cigarette, held it in, and exhaled slowly. The smoke curled upward and disappeared into the night.

I stood, my toes just over the edge.

Then I stepped forward.

It feels like floating.

Like I was finally free.

But just as gravity took hold, everything came rushing back, like my mind refused to let go without one last punishment.

In that moment, I remembered the sound of metal crashing, I was just six years old.

Blood on shattered glass. My father's lifeless hand is still clutching the steering wheel. My mother’s body slumped in the front seat.

My big brother… he held my body until the paramedics came. His eyes were shut and never woke up.

I woke up days later in a hospital bed, a sharp pain tearing through my right cheek and the scar stayed with me.

My grandfather, the only guardian I have. He looked me with pity eyes and yet he forced to smile at me.

“Nagi, do you want to live with me?”

He took me to his house. He lives alone and is only accompanied by a white dog named “Shiro”. He was the one who taught me how to tie my shoes, to eat vegetables, to live again.

He smiled at me with that old, gentle face, until…

I was fourteen years old, my grandfather laying in the hospital bed, weak and old.

I sat and held his fragile hands.

“Nagi, I’m sorry I couldn’t see you grow up.”

That was his last word before he took his last breath.

I was in high school. I have no friends and have no intention of looking for it.

My classmates whispered when I entered the room. Called me creepy. A freak.

"What's with that dead face?"

“That scar looks like something from a horror movie.”

It doesn’t bother me.

I got a part time job. My boss scolded me every day.

“Pay attention, Kawamura!”

"You look like a corpse! Customers don't like that."

I said nothing. Just stared ahead. What else was there to say?

One day when I’m back from my part time job.

Then… there was Shiro.

My grandfather’s dog. My only family left. Ten years by my side.

He didn’t wake up. He just laying lifeless when I opened the door.

I buried him in the garden behind the house.

That night, I lit my first cigarette.

I don’t remember the last time I’ve been smiled and cried.

My face became just another mask, not from strength, but from emptiness.

“How much time has passed?”

“Am I still alive?”

When I opened my eyes, my body was upside down and the pavement was inches from my head, yet I wasn't falling.

The time had stopped.

All I can see was a man with black messy hair, red-dead eyes, dark under-eye bags, pale skin, and a noticeable vertical scar running from the right side of his chin to his cheek. He gives off a quiet, almost ghostly aura.

Yup, that’s me in the reflection mirror of the building.

“No, no... You can't die like this. Life was precious, you know?” a voice said.

It echoed from everywhere and nowhere. I can’t move my body. I can only search the voice using my eyes.

I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. A child or an adult. Or neither of them.

"How about this?" the voice continued.

“I'll send you to another world. A place where you can have anything you want.”

Another world? What does that even mean?

I wanted to scream. To say, “Just let me die already.”

But my throat wouldn't move and my voice was frozen too.

“That settles it.” the voice said cheerfully. "Then... see you."

The night city faded into white, like paper burning in reverse.

My body floated upward, past the clouds, weightless and cold.

And then…

The white peeled away. I was falling again.

But now the sky above was unfamiliar.

Below me sprawled mountains, forests, cliffs, a world I didn't know.

No. This isn't right.

I'm really going to die now... even if it's in another world.

BOOM.

I crashed into the land like a meteor.

Blood splattered across the land, painting the ground in a grotesque arc. The villagers scattered, some shielding their children, others running for cover behind crates and carts.

I opened my eyes slowly. The sky above was bright, unfamiliar.

“It hurts for a moment, but why am I still alive?”

My body moved on its own. I pushed myself up to my feet, brushing dust from my clothes. No broken bones. No shattered spine. Not a single cut.

Just the faint scent of smoke lingering in my hair and the stunned silence of a crowd that had just witnessed something impossible.

“Impossible...”

“He stood up...!”

"Monster! He's not human!"

The screams returned, sharper this time, edged with fear.

I blinked slowly, taking in my surroundings. A rural village, primitive but organized. Wooden homes with sloped roofs. Dirt paths. Chickens clutching nervously behind fences. It was nothing like Tokyo.

More villagers gathered, murmuring and pointing, their faces twisted in terror.

A path opened in the crowd as a man stepped forward, a middle-aged, with a lined face and a leather worn from years of use. His eyes swept the bloodstained ground, then landed on me.

“Chief,” someone said, panicked. "He fell from the sky and didn't even get hurt! He must be a devil!"

The man's brow furrowed. He examined me with cautious eyes.

"Who are you?" he asked, voice firm but uncertain. “Where did you come from?”

I looked at him with my usual expression, flat, dull, and unaffected.

“Kawamura Nagi,” I said. “I'm from Tokyo.”

A gasp spread through the villagers like a ripple in water.

"Tokyo?" someone shouted. “There's no place called that in this world!”

I stayed silent, my hands resting calmly at my side. Inside, my thoughts were slowly unraveling.

So, it's true. I'm really in another world.

A man in the crowd suddenly rushed forward, wielding a pitchfork. His face twisted with hatred and fear.

“Die, demons!”

I didn't move. If this is how it ends, then so be it.

STABS

The metal pierced my side with a sickening crunch sound. A sharp pain exploded through my ribs, and blood burst from my mouth. I staggered slightly, but I didn't fall.

The villagers gasped. The pitchfork was still embedded in my body. I looked down at it, then back at the man, who had dropped the handle and backed away in horror.

“Again? Why can’t I die?”

The village chief's face had shocked. "What are you? Human or demons?" he whispered.

“I'm...”

I paused while removed the pitchfork from my body. Blood gushed everywhere and my wound healed up instantly.

“…Humans?”

The word slipped out without emotion, but the reaction was instant. Once again, the villagers recoiled, whispering, confused and terrified.

The chief raised a hand and silenced the murmurs.

"For now," he said, voice low, "We'll let him stay. I'll take responsibility."

“But Chief—”

“That's final.” He commanded.

There was tension in the air, heavy and unspoken. But no one dared to argue. They parted again, and the chief gestured for me to follow.

I was led to a small wooden shelter at the edge of the village. It wasn't much, but it had walls, a roof, and a bed.

Inside, I sat on the bed, alone again. I looked at the blood still on my clothes. Touched the place I'd been stabbed, and it doesn’t hurt anymore.

Night fell quietly over the village.

The wind outside had calmed, but inside the small storage hut, I remained seated, staring at the floorboards. My thoughts swirled, disconnected. I couldn't die. I didn't understand this world. And I had no idea what I meant to do.

Then—

Knock. Knock.

The door creaked open.

A woman enters, framed by the moonlight. She had long black hair that shimmered like silk, and eyes of deep violet, elegant and looked dangerous. Her nightgown clung loosely to her form, the same black shade as her hair.

“So,” she said with a cool, practiced smile, “you're the one who fell from the sky.”

I blinked at her slowly. I didn't respond.

She stepped inside, closing the door behind her. “I'm Tiana,” she said. “The adopted daughter of the village chief.”

She approached with graceful steps, her presence too confident.

“The chief said I should... welcome you.” Her smile sharpened at the corners. "And pleased you…”

Her fingers brushed the edge of her robe, slipping it off her shoulders. It fell to the floor without a sound, leaving her in a thin white garment covering her round chest and her waist to thigs.

I made a slight movement, but, a small needle pierced my neck, causing me to fall onto the bed. A sharp chill spreads through my veins.

"Don't worry, it'll be quick." She whispered while leaned closer to my face.

She got on top of me, some of her hair slipped into my face and she began to opened my shirt.

"Tell me, do you worship the god of the underworld, or are you from the underworld?"

"What do you mean?" I replied.

She moved to my lower body to stripped my pants. "I heard you can't die. It's the power of immortality, and that kind of power, only belongs to something from the underworld.”

“A god… maybe that’s the one who responsible for bringing me here.” I sighed, "I'm not from this world, I'm from Tokyo."

“Huh… That’s odd.”

She was shocked, his expression contorted as she looked down at my lower body.

"I know you're confused, but believe me. I'm also wondering why I'm here."

"No, that's not it. Why aren't you turning on?" she said, her face bewildered.

The numbness in my body began to fade. I sat up slowly, brushing her aside with no aggression, just indifference.

I reached for my clothes and put my shirt back on. "It's cold, you know?"

A few moments passed in silence. Tiana had slipped her dress back on, the fabric rustling softly as she sat beside me. Her shoulder brushed against mine, bare skin to skin, as if seeking warmth or safety.

“Tell me,” She said, her voice quieter now. "How did you get here? Who are you, really?"

I didn't look at her. My gaze stayed on the dim wooden wall in front of us.

"My name is Kawamura Nagi. I tried to commit suicide by jumping from a height. As my head almost hit the ground, I heard a voice, and the next thing I knew, I appeared above this village."

Tiana stared at me for a long moment.

"So, you're not from the underworld? Not a messenger of one of its gods?”

I shook my head, indicating I didn't know anything.

Then she touched my hand, and I felt it trembling.

“Then… please help me,” she whispered.

I finally turned to her. Her face was pale, her eyes glittering with tears that welled up and rolled down her cheeks.

“The people of this village have gone mad. They worship the god of the underworld. That's why the village chief told me to satisfy you, because he thinks you're a messenger from that god."

I tilted my head.

"Let's escape. I can't run alone. But with you, maybe..." She looked at me with tears streaming down her face.

She grabbed my hand tightly, my body was carried by her hand, and we left the hut.

The village was quiet, dimly lit by flickering lanterns hanging from crooked wooden posts. Our shadows stretched across the dirt paths. We had only made it a few steps when we heard the sound of shouting behind us.

At the head of the group was the village chief, his face twisted in fury and betrayal.

"Tiana! What are you doing?! I've been taking care of you for ten years, and this is what I get in return?! You have to obey my orders!"

It reminded me of my part-time job at a convenience store, where I was dealing with a customer.

“It'll be 650 yen.” I said.

The customer avoided my eyes, hastily dropping coins into my hand. I counted the change and handed it back.

“Here’s the change.”

She took it quickly and rushed off. No, thank you. No eye contact.

From the counter behind me, my boss sighed angrily.

“Kawamura!” he barked. "How many times have I told you?! You can't act like that in front of customers!"

I didn't respond. Just stared past him, expressionless.

"Do you even hear me?! One more time and you're fired!"

The memory faded.

I stepped in front of Tiana, placing myself between her and the villagers.

“L-Lord Nagi,” the chief stammered, suddenly pale. "Forgive us... Please grant me your guidance and let our village be seen by Lady Serania. I believe you... you must be her messenger..."

I took a slow step forward.

“I dare you,” I said, my voice hollow and sharp, “to open your mouth again.”

He flinched.

“I'm disgusted by what you've done.”

In the village chief's gaze, the irises glow crimson in the dark, twin points of burning red, like embers hidden in the night.

In that moment, the chief's body trembled. Sweat poured down his face. His lips parted as if to speak, but no words came. Only silence and fear.

I averted my gaze, the last traces of firelight from the village flickering behind us.

Without a word, I stepped onto the dirt path beyond the gate. Tiana followed closely, her footsteps soft on the gravel.

"Are you okay?" she asked, breaking the silence. Her voice was gentler now “You looked really scary back there.”

I kept walking. "Yeah. I just remembered someone I used to know."

Eventually, we arrived at the crossroads.

To the left, the path dipped toward a dense forest — shadows tangled thick among the trees.

To the right, the road climbs a hill, where the moonlight falls more freely.

"Which way should we go?" I asked,

I turned at her—

—and then everything shattered.

A flash of silver swept across my vision.

A sharp, wet sound.

The world spun. The stars blurred. The sky turned upside down.

My head hit the ground a few feet away with a dull thud. I could see my body still standing and blood gushing from the neck like a fountain before it collapsed to its knees.

Tiana stood above the corpse, a small curved blade in her hand, a crimson blood dripping from the tip.

She smiled, not with regret, but with pure satisfaction.

“I didn't tell you, did I?” she said sweetly. “I worship the Celestial God.”

Her violet eyes glowed faintly under the moonlight, no longer seductive, but cold.

"A demon like you has no place in this world. You should've stayed dead."

She wiped the blade against her robe, turned on her heel, and disappeared down the left path without another word.