“Wake up!”

Something shook me hard.

“Wake up!”

I groaned and forced my eyes open.

“I’m up… I’m up,” I muttered.

The first thing I saw was a girl standing over me.

Pink hair. Bright eyes. Way too lively.

She smiled the moment I looked at her.

“Finally. I thought you were dead.”

I pushed myself up slowly, holding my head.

…I should be dead.

That thought hit harder than anything else.

The last thing I remembered was a nuke going off.

And yet here I was.

Alive.

I looked around.

Small room. Wooden walls. Simple setup.

Not my world.

Definitely not my world.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“The name’s Erin,” she said with a grin. “What about you?”

“Ren,” I said. “Nice to meet you… I guess.”

I stood up and checked my body.

No burns.

No damage.

Like nothing ever happened.

Yeah… something was wrong.

“Where did you find me?” I asked.

“In the street,” she said. “You were completely out cold. I thought you were one of the bandits.”

I let out a small laugh.

“Bandit, huh? No. I’d rather fight them.”

She studied me for a moment.

“You don’t feel like a bad person,” she said.

I looked at her.

“That’s a risky judgment.”

She shrugged.

“I’m usually right.”

I walked over to my gear and started putting everything back on.

“So what gave it away?” I asked.

“The bandits all look the same,” she said. “Leather jackets. Devil face on the back. And they all have a tattoo.”

“What kind of tattoo?”

“An albatross.”

I paused.

“A bird?”

She nodded.

I laughed.

“They really went from freedom… to devils.”

She blinked.

“…Yeah, that’s weird now that you say it.”

I adjusted my jacket and looked at her.

“How do I look?”

She smiled.

“Like a ninja from an old story.”

“I’ll take it.”

As I moved around the room, I noticed a table filled with pictures.

I walked over.

“Who are these?”

Erin’s expression changed instantly.

“…People from the village,” she said quietly. “The bandits killed them.”

I didn’t say anything.

I picked up another photo.

A woman.

“Your mom?”

She smiled, but her eyes watered.

“Yeah. She was strong.”

Her hands tightened.

“She fought back when they came.”

She looked down.

“I couldn’t.”

I grabbed another photo.

A small boy.

“Younger brother?”

Her face lit up… then dropped.

“They took him.”

I felt something twist in my chest.

“They say he’s alive,” she said. “But I don’t believe it.”

I knew that look.

The kind people make when they’re trying to believe a lie.

She grabbed my sleeve.

“I can’t do anything on my own,” she said.

Her grip tightened.

“But you can.”

Her voice shook.

“So please… don’t walk away.”

I stayed quiet.

I just got out of a war.

I died.

I should have stayed dead.

And yet…

Here I was.

Again.

I tightened my grip on my sword.

“Fine,” I said.

I looked her in the eyes.

“If this world wants a fight…”

My voice steadied.

“Then I’ll give it one.”

Erin slowly reached for my hand.

“HELP! THEY’RE TRYING TO KILL ME!”

We both froze.

Then I smiled.

“Guess I don’t have to wait.”

“Let’s go.”