AN: Don't expect another chapter, unless I feel like writing. Read my profile page, it explains how I feel about writing on this site in general. Thank you. But you can probably expect me to write more, since I am enjoying BA right now so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


He was running. He had no choice, as the downpour of rain struck the ground with a heavy thumping sound, like a drum. His heartbeat echoed loudly, almost as if it was to the rhythm of the rain as sweat started to drip from his face, only masked by the heavy thunder and constant rainfall dripping all over his head. He had no choice, as the sounds of heavy footsteps in the water were getting more and more clear as the seconds flew by.

Not long after, the sounds of loud bangs could be heard, as tiny bullets darted past him at Mach speed. It was obvious he was being chased, targeted by someone, or something.

As the man peered in front of him, he could see a tall building labelled "Sanctum Tower".

"Sanctum." He thought to himself. "Must be a place of refuge."

And so he went. He bolted to the door, while bullets were ricocheting in the fray. He knew he could not get hit, for his body could not handle the impact of small rounds of solid metal, like any regular person.

"ERROR - Access Denied."

The man kept banging on the door, relentlessly. But the door did not budge. He had to find another way. He glanced to his right, only to see an ID scanner. Suddenly, he remembered he could feel a cord around his neck.

"I must have an ID card."

He reached out into his shirt, only to pull out an object that vaguely represented a key. He took it and showed it to the ID scanner.

"ERROR - Access Denied. You have [2] more attempts."

"Damn."

The man searched frantically, but he was running out of time. As he peered into the distance, he could see what was chasing him. Masked soldiers dressed in ghostly blue attire, iron-clad with menacing gas masks were closing in on him fast. As he was in the middle of checking his pockets, a vision suddenly appeared in his head.

"The box shall answer your prayers."

The man was deeply confused, but suddenly felt a realisation and pulled out a small box that was hidden in a compartment within his right sleeve. It had a label, which read:

"For those who seek the truth - the koan of Jericho shall be your shepherd."

He took the box and slotted the key he had found earlier, turning it clockwise before a gentle 'click' could be heard. He opened the box and discovered that it was almost completely empty, other than a small piece of folded up paper.

He unfolded the paper, only to find that it was just two words which read:

"Wake up."


He woke up, only to be gestured at by a girl he vaguely recognised.

"Hello, Sensei."

He looked in confusion.

"Who are you? And where am I?"

The man who was just in a battlefield, observed his surroundings only to find himself in a cosy bedroom. A girl with purple pigtails and a stern expression could be seen, staring at the man with sharp eyes.

"You overslept again."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Don't give me that! You were supposed to start sorting out your finances today! And you invited me to help you with your budgeting, but I had to let myself in after I had no response from knocking or ringing the doorbell approximately 34 times!"

The man called referred to as "Sensei" got out of the bed, and proceeded to walk around the room, before placing his hands on the girl's shoulders.

"You didn't answer my question."

The girl started blushing, locking eyes with Sensei for a split-second before glancing away in discomfort.

"W-W-What are you talking about?"

She pushed him away, in a hurried manner, before trying to regain her composure.

"Anyway, I think you are being way too sloppy with how you manage your spending. Meet me outside when you stop acting like you just woke up from a coma, please."

The girl then proceeded to walk out of the room, before closing the door with a gentle but calculated pull.

"What was that about..?"

Sensei began to get dressed. He decided to approach the setting with a business-casual approach. He ultimately decided to go for a button-up and some khakis, before combing his hair and meeting outside with the girl he met a few minutes ago.

As he approached the living quarters, he began to feel a sense of Déjà vu.

"Have I really been in this place before?"

The sensation of familiarity struck him, as he felt like something was missing from his mind. But he ignored it for now, as he didn't want to keep the girl waiting.


Upon arrival to the main area, he could see the girl he met before playing with what seemed like one of those children's toys, the abacus - if he could recall correctly.

"Um. Do yo-"

"Ehhh?!"

The girl panicked, before hastily dropping her activity and turning to face Sensei.

"Don't just come in here unannounced! At least try to announce your arrival.."

"But that was exactly what I was trying to do..." Sensei thought to himself, with a sigh.

"Anyway, I really would like to ask for your name, if you don't mind?"

"Are you being serious, Sensei?"

The girl's expression started to sour, as the question probably irked her the wrong way.

"Yes, I know this might sound bad, but I really feel like I don't... remember anything.."

The girl approached him with a neutral expression, walking with a casual gait before stopping to face him.

"Yuuka."

The two stood in place awkwardly, in full silence, excluding the sounds of the environment as the birds were chirping.

"Well don't just stand there!"

"Oh, so your name is Yuuka? Is that right?"

"Wow, I wouldn't have expected such a cute-sounding name.." Sensei eagerly thought to himself, before letting out an obvious grin.

Yuuka then realised the gravity of the situation and impulsively slapped Sensei with a pillow she found on a nearby sofa.

"You p-perverted idiot!"

She then stormed out of the room, towards the living quarters, presumably to calm down.

"Sheesh, didn't mean to piss her off that badly. Ah, well."

Sensei proceeded to take a seat onto one of the nearby sofas and stared at the glass ceiling above. The sky was all he could observe, along with white fluffy clouds dotting the light-blue ocean in the air. Some birds could be seen flying across the sky, upon closer inspection vaguely resembled hummingbirds.

"A good sign. Or so I should think."

He thought about his dream, the nightmare he had - before picking up a glass of water on the table in front and taking a sip.

"If this is truly my life, or how it was in some point of my life."

He placed down the glass gently.

"Then I'll gladly accept it. For now." He said, with a gleeful smirk on his face.