Symphony

Prologue (Arc 1)

Shuichi Saihara's P.O.V

A bright, almost blinding light was in front of us. Maki Harukawa, Himiko Yumeno, and I, Shuichi Saihara, were the survivors of this awful, tragic killing game. All of our sacrifices and all of our choices lead to this very moment. All of the tears, all of the heartbreaks we can't take back. All of the regrets I have, I can't let them hold me back. I have to keep moving forward. For Kaede, for Kaito, for everyone. I can't be afraid anymore.

"We've come this far. We can't stay here forever," Maki stated as she started walking towards the light. Himiko and I trailed behind, stepping into the light.

When I stepped into the light, for a moment, I was filled with hope. I could finally escape this nightmare! Then, nothing. It was completely dark. I had this feeling of dread, of worry. I was alone. I tried feeling my surroundings, but I couldn't grasp anything.

Where was Harukawa?

Where was Yumeno?

I ended up walking for what felt like an eternity when I saw a dot of light in front of me. I immediately headed towards the light. What greeted me there was a field. Blue skies, flowers, nothing out of the ordinary. It felt safe. Too safe. I walked cautiously, trying to see if Maki or Himiko would show up.

A mysterious figure suddenly showed up behind me. I ran, trying to get away, but everything felt like it was slowing down, and soon I wasn't able to run. The mysterious figure looked almost like me, but they seemed to have bad intentions. Navy hair that almost looked black, pale yellow eyes, they looked almost identical to me, apart from their clothing.

"You must be wondering why I look so much like you, right?" the mysterious figure asked. I nodded, cautious about my movements.

"Well, to put it simply, I am a reflection of yourself. I don't actually have an identity, I'm just mirroring your interpretation of what the 'mysterious figure' is to you."

How did they know I thought of them as a 'mysterious figure'? Well, now's definitely not the time to wonder about small stuff like that. "What are you getting out of trying to talk to me?" I inquired.

"One thing. Entertainment. Not just by talking to you, but in general. I know that deep down, you want to save all your classmates that have died. You want to Restart. You want to prevent it from happening. The murders, the deaths, all of it. You especially want to save Kaede Akamatsu, am I correct?"

I stayed silent. It was true. I didn't want anyone to die, and if I had the power to prevent it, I would have. "How would this bring you entertainment?" I asked.

"Watching you try to save everyone would be very entertaining."

Wait. Do they-? No, it's impossible. You can't just do something like that so easily.

"Did you forget? I'm not human. What may be impossible for you is not impossible to me. If you wanted, I could send you back before the killing game had begun. All you need to do is ask, and I'll do as you wish. But, may I warn you, use this opportunity wisely. There is a very low chance you'll get this opportunity again," The figure stated.

I wasn't surprised that they knew what I was thinking, but, there had to be a catch, right?

"Is there something else I need to know?" I asked, staring at the figure for an answer.

"I'll let you figure that out. I don't need to answer every one of your questions. But I'll say one last thing. Your actions will change how the game goes. Depending on your actions, you can change everyone's fate, for better or worse."

I took that to heart and finally agreed on resetting the past.

The next thing I knew, everything went dark once again.