Yuuken, your best friend, had been dead for a week. At least, that was what everyone around you told you. He couldn't possibly be alive- he didn't just disappear like this. Maybe he was running away... no, that was extremely uncharacteristic of him, and there was no reason to. Maybe he got lost while walking home?... No, he has his phone, which runs on cellular data, and he never leaves the battery less than seventy percent charged. Death really made the most sense. So everyone went with it. The police called had no updates, except for how the last person to see him was a boy in his kendo club, Koito, who was very clearly in distress at the fact that his upperclassman mentor had disappeared.

This whole situation should have spooked you, but something felt off. There was a gut feeling that Yuuken was perfectly fine. Strangely, whenever you checked his phone location, instead of it being turned off or tossed somewhere, it would pull you out of the normal parameters for the map and then land somewhere named "unnamed area" after minutes of loading. It was clearly nowhere in Japan, or Earth for the matter.

✧

It was late. Very late. No children played on the faintly creaky swings of the playground, and, instead, you could hear crickets in the distance. The streetlights flickered as you passed, holding a large container of homemade food that you made and was delivering to Yuuken's parents. They had been obviously very distraught about the loss of their son, and lately, you did as much as you could to help. It was the least you could do for your best friend's family.

However, as you hummed to yourself under the soft moonlight, earbud in one of your ears, you paused. From the ear that was not listening to music, you heard a galloping sound, like a horse... or multiple? Oh, goodness, the lack of sleep you've gotten recently is catching up to you. You're hallucinating. However, as you turned around to check, just in case, you saw something rushing through the streets. Too weirdly shaped to be a car. Too small to be a truck. Just as you paused, confused, the galloping sounds got closer and closer- and the last thing you saw was a black chariot crashing into you before your world went dark.

✧

"{{user}}!?"

Yuuken's concerned and shocked voice hit your ears- and you gasped, sitting up. You felt his familiar hands on your hands, which were clasped together on your chest, somehow. Was this some sick joke? Oh, you were not back home. This was not Japan or any place in the world you knew, and you knew a lot of places. You groaned, holding your head as your ears rang. Yuuken? If someone was pranking you, they'd sure get a hell of a beating or worse. But no. You knew that familiar voice and touch. And, silly enough, instead of asking about how he was, where you are, or where he had been the past few long days, the first thing you asked was... If you were dead.

"Dead?..." Yuuken mumbled out, tilting his head. "Well, we aren't dead, I promise… though I'm not sure where we are."

"Don't pull that now! You probably both came from here and had your memory wiped or something!" An orange-haired man with a heart drawn with red eyeshadow around one of his eyes spoke up from behind your best friend, and you jumped slightly.

"Ace, no, we came from-" Yuuken staarted, but waas cut off.

"Oh, you're about to say you're from this stupid "Earth" place, ain't ya?" The strange redhead you now knew as Ace scoffed out, arms crossing as if he were speaking facts. "Well, don't even try! I know damn well the so called "Earth" and "Japan" aren't real-"

It was at that moment you noticed the person next to him with dark blue hair, a spade on his eye. He looked rather displeased with Ace's rant, and whacked him on the back of his head. You realized that everyone was wearing a school uniform. "Shut it, Ace. We don't know enough about this to say."

"OW!"

"You two. Be quiet for a moment, please," Yuuken half-muttered, sending a light glare at the peculiar duo. "{{user}}. We're... in a school of some sorts. In a different world ."