It exerted a magnetic pull on me, drawing me in as if it possessed its own gravity.
A searing headache flared as I reached for the necklace that had fallen from my chest to the floor. A war raged in my skull: one part of me desperate to claim the necklace, the other terrified to touch it. The internal conflict was a physical agony.
And besides, what was this necklace anyway? I had no idea when or where I had obtained it... or how long I had even been wearing it.
"Guh! Ugh... gh..."
My hands shook violently. I felt a cold sweat break across my skin as I finally managed to scoop the necklace up. The moment I held it, the headache intensified.
It was a bizarre sensation, as if something deep inside me were trying to burst out. Even as I buckled under a pain so intense it should have left me writhing on the floor, my eyes remained fixed on the pendant.
What is this? What’s happening? What am I...?
"...Ku...ro—agh!"
The moment her name slipped unconsciously from my lips, the dam burst. A torrent of information—memories I hadn't realized were missing—flooded into my mind like a raging river.
"...That’s right. I was with Shiro-san. Where on earth am I...?"
—Kaito-kun! Please, you have to answer me!!
"Kuro!?"
—Kaito-kun! Thank goodness... I finally reached you.
The voice echoing in my head was unmistakable. It was Kuro. I felt a surge of relief as she spoke, her tone a frantic mix of anxiety and comfort.
—Kaito-kun, listen carefully. You’re trapped in a virtual world created by Shiro. You have a thirty-day time limit.
"Thirty days!?"
I whirled around to look at the calendar on the wall. The realization hit me like a physical blow. The calendar was a countdown... which meant I had less than twenty-four hours left!
—If you don’t escape before the time runs out, you’ll lose every single memory of the year you’ve spent in this world!
"What...?"
My memories? Everything since the day of the Hero Summoning... wiped clean?
So that was the price of failure. A nagging feeling tugged at the back of my mind, suggesting there was more to it, but I didn't have the luxury of time. I had to get out of this virtual world, and I had to do it now.
—Based on what the Earth God told us, the only way to escape is to go to a place where you can clearly recognize that world as a fabrication.
"...A fake? Clearly?"
—It’s just a theory, but... I’m certain it’s a place related to your parents.
My breath hitched.
...I see. It finally made sense. This was my "Ideal World." A world where my mother and father were alive, and where the people I loved—Kuro, Isis-san, Alice, Lilia-san, Sieg-san, Fate-san—all existed. Even if these versions of them were technically different people, I loved them with all my heart.
It was exactly as Kuro suspected. This world was anchored by my own "distortions"—the desperate, buried wish that my parents were still alive.
"I understand! I’ll head for the first place that comes to mind."
—Right... please, Kaito-kun. You have to... come back...
"Kuro? Kuro!"
—Shi... noticed... Kaito... kun... do... your...
With a final crackle, her voice vanished. Shiro-san must have detected the intrusion and severed our connection.
I didn't have a second to waste. I had to move.
I threw the necklace back over my head, grabbed a few essentials, and sprinted down the stairs.
I paused for a split second to glance into the living room, but neither my mother nor my father was there. My father should have been home for the holidays, and a prickle of unease ran down my spine.
I burst out the front door, only to stop dead in my tracks as I looked at the sky.
"What... what is this? The sky... it’s black."
The blue sky was gone, replaced by a solid, lightless void of jet-black, as if someone had painted over the heavens. Yet, it wasn't night. The world around me was as bright as midday, but the sky above was an abyss.
Furthermore, despite being a residential district on the eve of the new year, the streets were deathly silent. I couldn't sense a single soul.
I understood then, by sheer intuition. Up until now, this virtual world had been designed to keep me from noticing the truth. But because I had remembered—because I had seen through the lie—the world was dropping the facade.
The "Second Stage" had begun.
"Fine by me!" I muttered, clenching my fists. "I’m getting out of here. I’m not letting my memories of Kuro and everyone else just disappear!"
As if responding to my resolve, the doors of several houses in the neighborhood swung open simultaneously.
"What? Huh...?"
Dozens of jet-black humanoids began to crawl out of the homes. They looked like people wearing lightless, full-body tights; they were human in shape, but clearly not in nature. They emerged in swarms, shuffling toward me with slow, rhythmic steps.
"Wait, wait! Whoa!"
There was no world where these things were friendly. I immediately pivoted on my heel and bolted down the street.
What are those things!? Why are there so many of them!? They're slow, but they're everywhere! Are they zombies? Since when did I become the lead in a zombie flick!? Seriously, more of them are coming out of every house I pass!
So this is the Second Trial? When exactly did my life turn into a horror movie!?
???: "Shallow Vernal-sama, that’s just cruel! Giving Kaito-san a trial that requires physical stamina and combat power... that’s downright devilish! Just how pathetic do you think Kaito-san's fighting skills are!? Do you have no heart!?"
Serious-senpai: "...Well, finding a protagonist who’s gone over 600 chapters with only one proper fight—and a loss at that—is pretty rare, honestly."