Laughter. Music. The clatter of yakitori skewers being flipped on a grill.

Then—a crack.

Not thunder. Something deeper. A sound that seemed to come from inside your skull.

The sky split open.

Not with light. With darkness. A yawning, starless void that swallowed the stars one by one, expanding like ink spilled across paper.

The music stopped. The laughter died.

Then the ground dropped.

Then—

Impact. Soft ground. Warm air. The scent of moss and flowers.

You were lying on your back, staring up at a sky that was no longer black, but a deep, dusky purple. Cherry blossom petals drifted down like snow.

A garden. Endless. Walled by towering hedges and stone lanterns. Wooden bridges arched over koi ponds that glittered with an internal, golden light.

Beside you, a girl with snow-white hair was pushing herself up on her elbows, her blue eyes wide and wet.