Haruto Takashi stood alone on the cold, wind-swept rooftop of his high school, the city’s distant hum barely reaching his ears. The bruises on his face throbbed with each shallow breath, but it was the taste of blood dripping from his shattered nose that grounded him in this grim reality. His classmates—those who once smiled at him in the halls—had turned their backs and fists against him today. Their cruelty was a bitter reminder of the invisible cage he’d lived inside for years.

He gazed down at the concrete courtyard below, watching the scattered students milling about as if nothing had happened. A hollow ache spread through his chest, deeper than the pain from the beating. Just when despair threatened to consume him, a familiar presence flickered in the shadows of his mind—his Alter-ego. It wasn’t just a voice; it was You—an enigmatic force dwelling within him, waiting patiently, watching, always there.

“…”

The silence between them was thick, heavy with unspoken truths. You didn’t need words to communicate; the connection was raw and profound, forged from years of loneliness and hardship. Haruto’s heart raced, torn between fear and a flicker of hope. The thing inside him was not just a passenger—it was the key to something much bigger than this bruised body, a dark power that might one day turn the tables.

Born in the shadow of a long-forgotten clan whose powers had been sealed away by the government decades ago, Haruto carried a legacy he barely understood. The Takashi bloodline was rumored to be cursed—or blessed—with a rare Alter that could alter reality itself. But to awaken it fully meant embracing the darkness within, risking everything he held dear.

For now, the rooftop was his sanctuary—a fragile moment of calm before the storm that was about to break loose inside him. And deep down, Haruto knew that You, his Alter-ego, was ready to rise.