Part 1
Manga, anime, and video games.
That was his refuge.
His world.
While other kids talked about exams and relationships, he lived between pages and screens—worlds where heroes found their way… and so did he.
But it hadn't always been that way.
Once, he tried to fit in. To laugh. To trust.
Until they betrayed him.
It wasn't a blade that wounded him, but silence. Distrust. Judgment without a chance to defend himself.
They cast him out for something he didn't do.
No one listened. No one wanted to listen.
Since then, he found shelter in Akihabara. Among shelves and display cases, he became someone else. A protagonist. Someone who mattered.
That day wasn't any different. A cold November afternoon in Tokyo.
His birthday.
No celebration. No joy. Just one exception: the latest volume of his favorite pirate manga was releasing.
"Just a quick trip," he thought.
He opened the door to his apartment, glanced down the hallway, and made sure his neighbor wasn't nearby. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone.
He stepped onto the street.
And then he heard it.
"Haruto."
A voice. His name, drifting through the city's noise.
He froze. His heart slammed against his chest.
A truck sped past. The wind grazed his face like a warning shot.
"Truck-kun almost sent me to an isekai…" he muttered, with a nervous smile.
He crossed more carefully and reached his usual sanctuary: ten floors of otaku paradise. He rode the elevator to the fourth floor, straight to the classics. Let himself browse a little before going for the main prize.
And then he saw it.
A different manga.
Old, but well-kept.
As if it had been waiting for him.
"Celestaris," the cover read, glowing faintly under the lights.
He picked it up. The pages were yellowed with age.
He didn't remember ever seeing it before—not in shops, not in catalogs.
The artwork was mesmerizing: massive moons, mystical landscapes, powerful creatures.
"The world of Celestaris, blessed by Mizuki, goddess of the moon… where heroes face the shadows dwelling in the hearts of men."
He felt a chill run down his neck.
The book was calling to him. Literally.
A flash.
White.
Unbearable.
The air grew heavy.
Everything around him unraveled.
He was falling, but not downward.
The world was breaking.
He tried to scream—
No sound.
The manga vanished.
Only a whisper remained.
Darkness.
Silence.
Tokyo no longer existed.
His body drifted aimlessly in a shapeless void.
What the hell is happening?
The air crushed him.
He tried to breathe—nothing.
He shut his eyes, searching for anything to ground him.
Then… a light.
Soft. Warm.
He opened his eyes.
He was somewhere else.
Asleep? No… this didn't feel like a dream.
Light filtered gently through the branches of massive trees. The air was fresh, perfumed with earth and flowers. The rustle of wind through distant leaves wrapped around him.
He sat up slowly, his body heavy, as if it didn't yet belong there.
And yet, something told him this world… was real.
The air was cool, thick with the scent of wet leaves and blooming flowers. The wind whispered like a lullaby, joined by the faint song of cicadas.
Haruto looked up.
Towering trees rose like living pillars.
The sky peeked through dancing leaves.
Everything seemed… too perfect.
"Where… am I?" he whispered.
Even his own voice sounded unfamiliar.
He tried to stand.
His legs trembled—caught between dizziness and disbelief.
Every part of him resisted the obvious.
This can't be real.
And then… he saw her.
A figure walking through the trees, so light the forest seemed to part before her. Her long green hair shimmered in the light, floating as if the wind itself followed her. Eyes the color of fresh leaves studied him with quiet curiosity.
Pointed ears.
She wasn't human.
"Welcome, traveler," said the girl. Her voice held something strange—something deeper. As if the forest itself was speaking through her.
Haruto couldn't make sense of anything. A dream? A hallucination? It all felt too real.
"This is the Forest of Mythara," she continued, reading his face like an open book.
His heart skipped a beat.
"Mythara? But I... I was in a manga shop. This doesn't make any sense. Are you sure this isn't a dream?"
The girl smiled, as if she knew more than she let on.
"If you're here, it's because Mizuki brought you."
Mizuki.
The name echoed in his mind.
The moon goddess.
The manga.
"I am Yuna Kazeharu, of the Wind Elf Clan," she said, giving a small bow. Then she extended her hand, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "And you... must be the traveler she sent."
Haruto looked at her hand, then at the forest… then back to her.
This can't be happening.
And yet, if it was a dream… He didn't want to wake up.
"I… I'm Haruto. Haruto Kibou," he said at last, taking her hand. It was warm. Reassuring. The moment they touched, something within him felt lighter. "And I think I could use a little guidance."
Yuna's smile grew—warm, sincere. Haruto felt the tension in his chest begin to dissolve. Her calmness was contagious.
There was something about her—
More than her beauty.
Her presence soothed him, as if this world… fit him.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Haruto," she said gently.
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
Their eyes met.
The forest fell silent.
"Come, follow me," Yuna said, turning with the graceful ease of someone who knew every step of the land.
Without thinking, Haruto followed.
The crunch of leaves beneath his feet was the only thing anchoring him to reality.
This isn't a dream, he kept telling himself.
With each step, the world unfolded: damp earth, hidden flowers, a silence full of life… and a growing unease in his chest.
What's happening to me?
"Um… Yuna, right?" he asked, just above a whisper.
She nodded, not stopping.
"You said the moon brought me here… does that mean—?"
"Mizuki, the Moon Goddess, watches over this world," she answered with serene conviction. As she looked upward, silver light filtered through the leaves, as if the goddess herself were listening.
"When this world faces danger… she seeks help beyond its borders."
Help? Me? Why me?
"And what does she expect me to do?" he asked, more doubtful than curious.
"I'm nobody special. I can barely handle my own life… What could someone like me possibly do?"
Yuna stopped.
She turned slowly. Her gaze was soft but steady—like she saw something in him that he had yet to see in himself.
"I don't know yet," she admitted. "But your arrival isn't an accident. Mizuki never acts without purpose. If you're here… it's because there's something only you can do."
The words hung in the air.
They didn't solve anything.
But they opened a door.
And though the chaos still churned inside Haruto… For the first time, he didn't feel completely lost.
"Maybe you'll find the answer in time," Yuna said, tilting her head slightly. "For now… you just need to believe. And prepare."
Prepare? For what? he thought.
Questions swirled inside him, one shoving the next, like the world was daring him to ask them all at once.
But he wasn't ready to hear the answers.
Not yet.