The Encounter
A flash of lightning that seemed to tear through reality itself lit up the surroundings. For a split second, all Katsu could see was blinding white.
When the light faded, the silence that followed was suffocatingly heavy. The air felt different. Bitingly cold. He didn’t recognize this place at all.
The area resembled an apartment hallway—narrow, with smooth walls—but it stretched far beyond what the eye could see. The decorative patterns on the walls repeated themselves endlessly, stretching into infinity.
Katsu brought a hand to his head, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"This... makes no sense."
Further down that endless expanse, a single door stood out, almost as if it were calling out to him. Katsu hesitated for a few seconds before taking his first step, as if terrified the floor might give way beneath his feet.
But before he could advance, a sharp screech echoed through the hall. Claws scraped against the floor like nails on a chalkboard. He froze, his heart now pounding in his throat, and slowly turned around. The sight stole his breath: a beastly creature with starving crimson eyes and teeth so razor-sharp they looked capable of snapping bones with a single bite.
The creature began to close in, its gaze locked onto him. The beast’s paws slammed against the floor in a relentless rhythm, closing the distance between them by the second.
Panic rooted him to the spot. But then, as if destiny itself had intervened, the door ahead swung open. A girl’s urgent voice rang out as she reached her arm toward him.
"Hurry, get in!"
Fueled by a sudden spike of adrenaline, Katsu sprinted. Every step felt like it took an eternity. The beast let out a deafening roar and lunged fiercely in pursuit.
The moment Katsu crossed the threshold, the girl slammed the door shut, locking the monster outside. She stood there for a moment, her forehead resting against the wood, her palm pressed flat against the door. Eyes closed, she whispered to it in a voice heavy with an ancient sorrow:
"I'm sorry..."
Inside the apartment, Katsu collapsed onto the living room floor, his legs trembling. The place was modern and cozy, yet an immediate sense of confinement washed over him—as if the entire world had shrunk down to just this room.
"What was that? Where am I? Who are you?" Katsu fired off, panting heavily as the room spun around him.
"Please, calm down. You’re safe now," the girl said, her voice laced with concern. Her eyes scanned him carefully, checking for injuries. "My name is Kira. What's yours?"
"I... I'm Katsu," he replied, slowly catching his breath, his voice cracking as he tried to piece things together. "Thank you... I thought I was going to die."
"You're safe here," Kira reassured him in a gentle tone meant to soothe his nerves.
Katsu swallowed hard, glancing back at the locked door.
"But... what was that thing? That monster?"
Kira sighed, her expression a mix of pity and sheer exhaustion.
"One of the many dangers of the hallway. They shouldn't be here... but ever since she arrived, nowhere is safe anymore."
Katsu frowned.
"She? Who?"
Kira hesitated, as if the words left a bitter taste in her mouth.
"We call her Kirai. At least, that's what I and... the other Kiras call her. She's different. Dangerous. She’s the one who brought the monsters into the hallway."
Katsu’s eyes widened in surprise.
"Other Kiras? I thought Kira was your name."
"It is. It’s the name of all of us."
"This is getting confusing. You mean there are other people in this building with the exact same name?"
Kira offered a small, sad, yet understanding smile.
"There is no building. Only hallways connecting worlds. And right now, you are in mine."
"Stop." He took a deep breath. "Worlds? I’m... I’m not in the mood for jokes. I just want to go home."
Kira shoved her hands into the pockets of her hoodie, struggling to find the right way to explain his new reality.
"Katsu, open the window and take a look. But please... don't freak out."
Katsu felt a tight knot in his chest at the request, but he walked over to the window. As he slid it open and looked out, he froze in utter disbelief.
Before him lay a vast cosmic void, deep and brimming with stars. The apartment seemed to be floating adrift in space—no ground, no sky, just sheer infinity.
"What? How?" he stammered, his gaze lost in the endless expanse. "The world, the planet... it's all gone! There's nothing out there!"
Kira tried to step closer, but he backed away sharply, his hands gripping the window frame.
"This window is fake, it has to be!" He let out a nervous, almost hysterical laugh. "It's a screen, a trick... it's impossible! Impossible!"
He kept repeating the word, frantically searching for wires or seams in the 'image', but all he found was the cold glass and the silence of the vacuum. Kira waited quietly until his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Please, calm down," she said, resting a light hand on his shoulder.
This time, Katsu didn't pull away. He let her guide his wobbly legs to the couch.
"Sit down. I’ll explain everything."
***
"Your world is fine. Where you are right now is somewhere else. You're in my world."
"Have I lost my mind?"
"Don't say that!" Kira clutched her chest, feeling a pang as if the suggestion physically hurt her. "I won't let that happen!" she added, her tone turning dead serious.
Katsu buried his face in his hands, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.
"Okay, I'll listen. Just explain what all this is, please."
Kira sat down beside him.
"This world is connected to others through the hallway. Each of these worlds is inhabited by a version of me; some are similar, others are completely different."
Katsu was listening, but his eyes screamed pure disbelief.
"Right... so, they're clones?" he asked, trying to rationalize her words.
"No, no. Some are entirely unique, both in looks and personality."
"And how many are there?"
"Countless," she replied with a slight shrug.
Katsu ran his hands through his hair, struggling to process the information. He pointed fearfully at the door.
"And how do I get home with that thing out there? By the way, is that wooden door even safe?"
"You don't need to worry about the beast. It’s not an ordinary door; as long as it stays closed, nothing can get in. And to travel, the door will connect to a new hallway, a different path leading to your destination." Kira stood up, trying to lighten the mood.
"But there’s no rush!" she said, a hint of anxiety creeping into her voice, as if she feared the silence that would follow if he stopped talking. "Would you like some tea? I can make some, it’ll be super quick. I have... I have lots of different herbs. We can talk more, you can tell me about your world..."
She was already heading toward the kitchen, her movements a bit too fast in an almost desperate attempt to normalize the chaos, when Katsu interrupted her.
"No! Thank you... but I want to go home. Now."
Kira stopped at the kitchen entrance, looking visibly deflated.
"The problem is... I still don't know how to reach your world... but I promise I’ll figure it out."
The Conflict
As they spoke, a dark mist began to gather in the center of the living room. The temperature plummeted, and the once-cozy room grew heavy with static tension. Within the fog, a silhouette took shape; it was clearly female, with contours strikingly similar to Kira's.
"What a pathetic scene." The voice was identical to Kira's, yet entirely devoid of warmth. "Offering him your tea and empty promises?"
The silhouette turned to Katsu.
"Don't feel special." Kirai tilted her head in a slow, predatory motion. "You aren't a guest. You are a piece I moved on the board. It was my effort that tore you from your world. You belong to me, and if you cooperate, I might just take you back."
"Don't listen to her, Katsu!" Kira yelled, anger flaring in her eyes. "She's a manipulative liar!"
The figure snapped her gaze back to Kira. The sheer disdain on her face felt like a physical slap.
"When will you realize that none of them will ever fill that silence, you fool? Hand him over. I have no patience for your pathetic charity."
The silhouette began to dissolve into smoke, lunging toward Kira just before vanishing completely. Yet, her ghostly voice remained, echoing off the apartment walls:
"Give me back what is mine. Now."
Dazed by what he had just witnessed, Katsu looked at the Kira standing beside him. She seemed to be wrestling with a mix of dread and anger, shaking her head over and over.
"No, no... not again."
"What the hell was that?" Katsu asked, his voice trembling with dread.
Kira took a deep breath, trying to steady herself.
"That... was Kirai," she explained, her tone filled with resignation.
A chill ran down Katsu's spine.
"She... she said she brought me here."
Kira nodded slowly. Her eyes were clouded with worry, reflecting a fierce internal battle.
"She has that ability, somehow. She manipulates the hallways, the worlds, and sometimes... she takes people. I don't exactly know how she does it, or why."
Katsu stared at the door leading to the hallway, which now felt like an even deadlier threat than before.
"What now? What do we do?"
Kira looked Katsu dead in the eyes, her gaze a potent mix of desperation and sheer resolve.
"I'm going to protect you. And together, we’re going to find a way out."