Volume 1 Chapter 1 — Fate

The final note of the song faded into silence.

Yoko stood beneath the stage lights, surrounded by countless white feathers.

She could hear the audience screaming.

She could see Naoki staring at her in disbelief.

And Minoru...

He was looking at her as if he had seen a ghost.

"Why?"

"Why does this feel so familiar?"

Yoko's heart was pounding.

She didn't know the song.

At least, she shouldn't have known it.

Yet her body had moved on its own.

Her voice had known every note.

Her feet had remembered every step.

"I've never practiced this song..."

"Then why can I sing it?"

A strange warmth filled her chest.

For a brief moment, Yoko felt as though she had returned to a place she had once called home.

Then the silver light appeared again.

"What is happening...?"

Yoko reached toward the stage.

"Someone... please..."

The light became brighter.

And then—

Everything disappeared.

Yoko opened her eyes.

Darkness.

Silence.

She stared at the ceiling.

"...My room?"

She slowly sat up.

Her breathing was unsteady.

She looked at her hands.

They were trembling.

"The concert..."

"The stage..."

"The song..."

She touched her chest.

Her heart was still beating rapidly.

"I was there..."

"I was really there."

Yoko closed her eyes.

"But how did I get home?"

"I don't remember leaving."

She looked around her room.

Everything was exactly where it should be.

Her schoolbag.

Her books.

Her desk.

Nothing seemed strange.

Except her memories.

She pressed both hands against her head.

"Why can I remember the song?"

"Why could I sing it?"

"And those wings..."

Her voice became quieter.

"...Were they real?"

She remembered the audience.

The lights.

Naoki.

Minoru.

Then she remembered the mysterious voice from her dreams.

"The Illusion has returned..."

Yoko's expression became serious.

"No."

"I can't believe this."

"Dreams aren't real."

"Illusions aren't memories."

She lowered her head.

"But..."

"What if they are?"

A painful silence filled the room.

Yoko looked at her reflection in the window.

"What am I?"

She whispered the question to herself.

"Who am I supposed to be?"

A knock came from the door.

"Yoko?"

It was Aoi.

"Are you awake?"

Yoko quickly wiped her eyes.

"Yes."

The door opened.

Aoi looked at her daughter with concern.

"You woke up early."

"I'm fine."

Aoi smiled gently.

"You don't look fine."

Yoko hesitated.

Mikaru appeared behind him.

"Did you sleep well?"

Yoko looked down.

"...Not really."

Mikaru sat beside her.

"Another strange dream?"

Yoko was silent for a moment.

Then she nodded.

"Yes."

"But this time..."

"It wasn't just a dream."

Aoi and Mikaru exchanged a concerned glance.

"What happened?" Aoi asked.

Yoko took a deep breath.

"I was at the concert."

"I suddenly appeared on the stage."

"I don't know how."

"And then..."

She looked at her parents.

"I started singing."

Mikaru gently asked:

"Did you know the song?"

Yoko shook her head.

"That's the problem."

"I've never heard it before."

"But I knew every word."

"Every movement."

"Everything."

Aoi frowned.

"Maybe you heard it somewhere without realizing it."

"No."

Yoko immediately shook her head.

"I know what I heard."

"I didn't learn it."

"I remembered it."

The room became quiet.

Mikaru gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yoko..."

Yoko looked down.

"I'm scared."

Aoi's expression softened.

"Why?"

"Because I don't know where these memories came from."

She clenched her hands.

"What if they're from before I came to this family?"

Mikaru didn't answer immediately.

Yoko continued.

"I don't remember my real parents."

"I don't remember where I came from."

"And now I'm remembering things that haven't happened..."

Her voice trembled.

"How is that possible?"

Aoi gently held her hand.

"Whatever your past is..."

"You are still our daughter."

Yoko looked at him.

Mikaru smiled.

"You don't have to solve everything today."

Yoko's eyes became watery.

"...Thank you."

After her parents left the room, Yoko remained sitting on her bed.

She looked toward the window.

The morning sun was slowly rising over the seaside town.

She thought about the concert again.

Then about Naoki.

Her face became slightly red.

"Naoki..."

She remembered how kind he had been.

How he had helped her.

How she had believed she had fallen in love with him.

"Maybe that's why I became involved in all of this."

But then another image appeared.

Minoru.

His hand holding hers.

His voice.

"I’ve got you."

Yoko froze.

"...Why him?"

She placed a hand over her heart.

"Why does my heart react whenever I remember Minoru?"

She shook her head.

"No."

"I think I love Naoki."

"That's what I believe."

"Then why..."

Her voice became almost a whisper.

"...why do my memories keep bringing me back to Minoru?"

She didn't have an answer.

And she wasn't ready to accept one.

Outside, television reporters were already discussing the mysterious girl who had appeared during Asterion's concert.

Yoko didn't know it yet.

But the entire country was beginning to search for her.

And before the day was over...

Her ordinary life would be gone forever.

End of Chapter 1