Chapter 2.1

My jaw dropped.

The world beyond the large window looked like something straight out of the apocalypse.

Everything within sight was charred black. On a burnt hill stood the crumbling remains of what used to be a house.

Now it was just a pile of rubble and ash, burnt beyond recognition. If someone was trapped inside while it happened…

“N-no. This can’t be.”

I shook my head, staggering back.

As hard as it was to believe, this wasn’t just a world on the verge of collapse. It was already destroyed.

How am I supposed to survive here? None of this feels real.

“Help!”

If that was how the outside world looked, then the inside of this house couldn’t possibly be safe. Frantically, I grabbed the doorknob and twisted it.

Thankfully, it wasn’t locked. I burst into the hallway, throwing my arms over my head to shield myself in case the ceiling caved in.

“…?”

But something felt off again. Despite the disaster outside, the hallway I stood in was eerily peaceful.

The plush carpet, the vaulted ceiling, and even the grand staircase I saw as I ran straight past, all of it was completely intact.

Aside from the suspicious lack of people, the place looked like something straight out of a romance fantasy novel. Elegant, luxurious, and almost too perfect.

“This doesn’t make any sense…”

I needed to find someone, anyone, to explain what was going on.

“Hello?! Is anyone there?!”

I hurried down the stairs, shouting as loudly as I could, but no reply echoed back.

I was on the verge of tears as I reached the massive arched front doors. I couldn’t muster the courage to step outside.

Logically, staying here to figure out my next move was wiser than rushing out into whatever was waiting out there.

“What am I even supposed to do all alone in a place like this…?”

I collapsed in front of the entrance, sitting down hard on the floor.

Just moments ago, I’d been overjoyed, thinking I’d finally been transported into a romance fantasy world.

Maybe I should drag myself back upstairs and read the cursed diary again. It was my only clue.

As I rolled my stiff shoulders, ready to turn back—

Bang! Bang!

Someone pounded hard on the front door.

“W-who’s there?”

I scrambled to my feet.

Maybe it was someone who had survived outside and made their way back.

After resigning myself to never meeting another soul again, this felt like a sliver of hope.

My heart began to race as I rushed toward the door.

Bang! Bang! BANG!

“H-hold on! I’m opening it now!”

I wiped my damp eyes with the back of my hand and grabbed the doorknob. The moment I opened it, thud! Someone dressed in all black collapsed into my arms.

“Gah!”

The weight nearly buckled my knees. And with how solid this person felt… yeah, no way this was a woman.

“Hey! Are you okay? Wake up!”

The weight of the man was too heavy to hold. Grunting, I shoved him off me and repeated my question.

Still, no answer came.

Just then, a blast of scorching wind blew through the gap in the open door.

Reflexively, I looked up, and what I saw outside was even more horrifying than what I’d seen through the window.

“We’re screwed.”

Acrid smoke burned my nose, and the searing heat stung my eyes. I let out a deep, hopeless sigh and quietly closed the door.

I didn’t see anything. Nothing happened. Not to me.

“…Ugh.”

I stood numbly in the foyer, replaying the horrific scene in my mind, when a weak groan from below snapped me back into reality.

I slowly looked down at the man in black lying at my feet.

And then I saw it. Crimson red, spreading slowly beneath him like paint.

“Wait… is that… blood?”

Wouldn’t it be great if I just passed out right about now? The metallic scent hit me a moment too late, and my head started to spin.

“E-excuse me… are you okay?”

My nightgown was soaked in red from catching him.

I used it to wipe the blood off my hands, then crouched beside him. I gave his lifeless-looking body a few light pokes.

“H-hey! You’re not dead, are you?”

“Ughh…”

Why are his shoulders so broad? And why did his groan sound so desperate?

I checked him over warily, then hesitated before making the quick decision to grab a handful of his hair and turn his head.

“…Holy smokes.”

Just like when I first saw the state of the outside world, I completely froze.