Disturbance..

After a while, Hikaru woke up again. It wasn't the middle of the night and he wouldn't listen to anyone when he made up his mind so they just let him be.

Hikaru refused to stand still for more than a few minutes at a time. He tugged at my sleeve, once, then again.

“Let’s play,” he said, pulling me.

“Now? Play what exactly?” I asked.

Before I could react, he stepped back, pointed at me dramatically, and grinned. “I’m the Grasshopper Man!!.. and You’re a evil villain that I'm going to destroy!”

“That’s ridiculous!” I said immediately.

He gasped, loud and theatrical. “You evil villain! I know it because you have long hair!!”

“Why would that make me a villain..”

“You always say that,” Hikaru continued. “And you always cheat when you’re the hero!”

“I don’t cheat.”

“You do! but you won't escape this time! Now I'm going to use my special attack!” he insisted, his voice rising.

He planted his feet and crossed his arms, clearly rehearsed from the costumed superhero TV show that he watches all the time. 

He kept attacking me with different names, I don't even know what I'm actually supposed to do anymore. Eventually my father laughed outright.

“Just go along with his act,” he said lightly. “You don’t have to win.”

I sighed. 

Hikaru narrated everything loudly—declaring attacks, dodging imaginary blasts, leaping off cushions. I chased him around, letting him escape more often than not. The space was too small for real movement, too crowded with furniture. Running around the living room like that felt strangely familiar. 

I used to be like Hikaru too. Grasshopper Man.. I used to act like I was that hero.

Ack!! Grasshopper Man!! I'll find you again and fight you next time!” I said in a dramatic way and laid down on the floor, mimicking a explosion.

My breath evened out. The tension I’d been carrying loosened without my permission. Hikaru’s laughter cut cleanly through everything. He finally sat down onto the floor, panting dramatically and declaring himself victorious, I dropped onto the couch beside him.

Hikaru beamed like he’d earned the win. 

My legs felt pleasantly heavy, tired in a way that made sense.

My mother stood and moved into the kitchen to prepare some salad for my dad.

Hikaru rolled onto his back beside the couch, arms spread wide. 

“Next time,” he said, staring at the ceiling, “I’ll still play Grasshopper Man and you'll be the villain!.”

“We’ll see,” I replied.

He grinned back.

At that moment, something disturbed me. It wasn’t a sound at first. 

It was demonic mana flow. It came from somewhere distant, closing in on us. 

The sensation of being dragged downward without moving, like sinking beneath deep water hit me. 

My body reacted before my mind did—muscles tightening, breath catching halfway in.

The sensation swelled rapidly, voices layering and bleeding into one another.

My fingers curled slightly against the couch cushion. 
My heart began to pound, hard enough that I felt it in my ears.

The image came uninvited. An opening where none should exist, a tear in space, jagged and unstable, its edges warping the air around it. My heart slammed against my ribs as the memory snapped fully into place. 

7 years ago in my past life before I regressed, this area was devastated by demons due to a sudden warp gate appearance. I had lost my family because of it.

The warp gate has appeared again. 

I sucked in a sharp breath. Hikaru looked up at me immediately. “Brother?”

I didn’t answer.

My hands had started shaking. The room felt suddenly smaller, the walls pressing inward in a way they hadn’t before.

It was too early...

The thought arrived fully formed, seconds later.

This warp gate has appeared earlier than i expected.

Warp gates didn’t appear randomly. They followed patterns. Signals of demonic mana pressure. Warnings that should have come first..

This one hadn’t. I remembered that clearly now.

The way no one had time to react properly because there hadn’t been enough information to justify panic when this disaster took place in my past life.

I swallowed hard, forcing my breathing to slow. My pulse refused to settle.

“Are you okay?” Hikaru asked, pushing himself up to stand.

“I’m fine,” I said. 

My mother called from the kitchen, asking if we were hungry for some salad. 

“Yes!” Hikaru shouted back. “I want some too!”

I managed a weak smile.

The memories of the tragedy sat at the front of my mind.

The warp gate had appeared before it was supposed to, and that meant something had already gone wrong, long after I had first touched the pendant.

I leaned back against the couch, closing my eyes briefly.

The house was still warm. Hikaru was still beside me. 

The danger I’d escaped wasn’t finished. It had only been delayed. I have to act fast now.