November 10th, 2xxx

"The streets are as crowded as ever, huh?"

"Please. This isn't nearly as full as it could be. Come back in five hours or so."

"Won't all these people be asleep in five hours?"

"So they will."

Though looking confused, it took the boy in the black sweater mere moments to think and come to a conclusion as to what his female friend had meant. Everyone he saw at that point would be asleep, naturally - all the regular old people we see every regular old day.

This story isn't about those regular old people, nor does it take place during regular old days.

• Chapter 壱 (One) - Red Sludge

Night quickly fell. Quicker than in most other places, I'd say. There's barely any space for our weak old sun to shine when the sky is filled with more litter than the asphalt.

I'm Crag. Crag Arman, and I'm a 17-year-old guy in a black sweater sitting with his back against the counter of some abandoned electronics shop on a dark street corner. I have an apartment a couple blocks from here, in some run-down ancient building I bet even the government officials have forgotten about. I'm well aware of how much it sounds like I'm a drug addict but really, I barely even drink.

This shop really does feel a lot like home. It's been a sort of meeting place for me and a couple friends for a few years now. Old broken monitors and beat-up cables litter the shelves and the floor, and a single door at the back leads into... a world of wonder.

Nah, it's really nothing beyond a storage room. The only couple working computers in the whole store are hidden right here. They belong to each of my friends, since I've never been big on computers. I'm more of a real world kinda guy. Those two, on the other hand, are crazy attracted to these shining bright screens. One of them once hacked into the city's goddamn energy controls just to shut off the power to my apartment and make me come outside for a party.

I've... got some damn weird friends, if you ask me. I've got my own weird aspects, though.

Well, I should probably get back outside. Kanon'd flip shit if she thought I went back home-

"Who the hell are you talking to?"

"Oh."

"What's with the disappointed tone? No need to wait anymore, let's get moving!"

So said the dark-haired girl with a single blue lock slipping out of her ponytail. Kanon Doctrine, my long time nothing-more-than-a-friend. She's been around for as long as I can remember. I frankly don't understand how we're friends, but I don't regret it one bit.

And no, she didn't shut off the power to my apartment. That's a whole other story. Just forget about it.

We headed out of the shop right after.

"So? Where do you plan on taking me so I get the shit beat out of me again?" I had to ask her.

"Oh, come on. You didn't really get hurt."

"So my eye didn't really go dark purple for a couple days and I didn't really have to get a back tooth implant? I'm not going back there."

"We're just going to the usual old alley. Darry's waiting for us."

Darry. Darinell Wye, as he hates being called. Now that's the kinda guy to shut off the power to your apar-

Wait, no. I wasn't supposed to talk about that again. Boring story.