A/N: Finally, the prologue chapter is here, and I have no words or comments until you guys start reading this, and how everything started, so I hope you enjoy the beginning of the story that leads to the main story of TO THE SHINING YOU, the fanfic story of .hack//Link.
In a quiet corner of the school, a 9-year-old glass girl sat on a stool in the teacher’s room, her small legs swinging slightly above the floor. Her glasses, too large for her delicate face, slid down her nose as she winced at the antiseptic’s sting.
Her teacher dabbed at a scrape on a glass girl’s knee with a cotton ball, concern etched in her features.
“Are you alright?”
The teacher asked her gently, her voice filled with genuine worry.
She adjusted her glasses, “I’m fine, sensei,” and replied with a smile. Despite the sweat beading on her forehead, her expression remained steadfast. “I just fell, that’s all.”
The teacher’s brow furrowed. She noticed that her students got various injuries almost daily at school. Bruises on her arms, and scrapes on her legs__ each day seemed to bring a new mark.
“Are you sure you’re not being bullied? You can tell me if something’s happening.”
The girl glass shook her head vigorously, her ponytail swaying with the motion.
“No, sensei. I promise I’m not being bullied. I’m just… clumsy, that’s all.”
The teacher’s heart ached as if there was more to her story, but now, she sighed and felt relieved that nothing had happened to her in the school.
“Alright then, please be careful when you return to class.”
The glass girl hopped off the stool, and her smile never wavered.
“I will, sensei. Thank you for taking care of me.”
With that, she gave a small bow and exited the teacher’s room.
She walked through the hallway back to her classroom. Her footsteps echoed softly against the tiled floor. The hallways were mostly empty now as the student returned to their class when the bell rang.
When she reached her classroom, she slid the door open and stepped inside. The familiar scent of chalk and old wood greeted her, mixed with the faint chatter of her classmates. She moved to her desk at the back of the room and sat down, her eyes instinctively drifting towards the window. The sky was a soft, pale blue, with fluffy clouds lazily drifting by.
“Look who’s here.”
Her classmates made an eye on her, their gazes sharp and mocking, they whispered and giggled amongst themselves.
“Is that her again? Argh, look at her she just sat there, staring at nothing like a weirdo,” one of the girls sneered.
“Yeah, she’s so creepy. I don’t know why she even bothers coming to school,” another chimed in, her voice dripping with disdain.
“Look at her, sitting there like she doesn’t care. She probably thinks she’s too good for us,” a boy added, snickering.
“Should we do something before she gonna hear us?” the girl asked, as she looked at her.
“Nah, relaxed she’s not gonna hurt us anyway, besides, there’s no way she can do that anyway” the girl smirked confidently.
“Yeah right,”
They laughed and laughed, continuously mocking her down. A burst of laughter erupted behind her, however, there was no reaction from her, she continuously fixed her gaze on the sky outside and pretended that she couldn’t hear them, focusing on the clouds and the way they drifted, free, and unburdened.
To her, it’s just another usual routine day that she received at school, so she got used to being mocked almost every day.
The sky was painted in hues of orange and pink, the sun beginning its descent as the school day came to an end. Students either headed home or found places to unwind, their laughter, and chatter filling the air.
The glass girl carrying her bag, walked along the riverside, a path where she often took from school. The riverside was a popular spot, with office workers, families, and couples strolling along, enjoying the tranquil scenery.
But for her, the beauty of the scene went unnoticed. Her eyes remained downcast, her thoughts elsewhere. She moved through the crowd like a ghost, unseen, and unseeing, until something caught her eye.
“Hm?”
A little girl walked hand in hand with her older brother, their faces bright with joy. They laughed and talked, their bond evident in every gesture. The girl’s laughter was like sunshine, pure, and infectious, and her brother’s protective affection was palpable.
The sight triggered a memory deep within her, a time when she too had someone to walk with, someone who made her feel safe and cherished. That moment felt like a distant memory now, overshadowed by the gloom that had settled over her life. Her eyes, once bright, now reflected only tiredness and despair. The memories, though cherished, were tainted with a sense of loss and longing.
As she watched the siblings, a pang of sadness gripped her heart. She missed those times, the warmth of companionship, and the simple joy of being with someone who cared. Yet, the weight of her current loneliness seemed insurmountable. It was as if those happy moments had vanished in the blink of an eye, leaving her to wander through her days in a fog of emptiness.
The little girl’s laughter echoed in her ears as she walked past them, the sound fading into the background as she moved further away. The glass girl didn’t look back. She kept walking, her pace steady, her expression unchanging. The riverside, with all its life and beauty, remained just a backdrop to her silent journey.
And so she walked away, as usual, passing by the siblings who continued their joyful conversation, their voices a stark contrast to the silence that enveloped her. The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows on the path ahead, as her solitary figure merged with the twilight, her heart heavy with unspoken sorrow.
“I’m home”
The glass girl called out as she stepped through the door, her voice echoing slightly in the empty apartment. There was no response, just the familiar silence that greeted her every day.
The apartment was modest, filled with the usual furniture: a sofa, a dinner table, a TV, and various family pictures lining the walls. It looked like any ordinary home, but to her, it felt like a well-decorated shell.
She dropped her bag by the door and let out a long sigh.
Walking over to the dining table, she saw a note from her foster parents. It was the same routine message she had grown accustomed to:
The food is in the fridge.
You can fry it up yourself if you want.
“Again,”
She muttered under her breath, crumpling the note slightly before tossing it back onto the table.
This wasn’t her first time coming home to an empty apartment. Her foster parents starting working late four months ago and began paying no attention to her, leaving her to fend for herself most evenings.
The fridge was always stocked with meals they had bought for her, and she had learned to prepare them independently, especially when she was still in elementary school.
“I’m hungry,” she whispered to herself, though she knew it wasn’t just food she craved.
She made her way to the kitchen, opening the fridge to find a neatly packaged meal waiting for her. She pulled it out, not even bothering to check what it was. It didn’t matter. The routine had numbed her to any excitement or anticipation about dinner.
As she heated the food, the apartment remained eerily quiet, save for the hum of the microwave. The silence was something she had grown used to, a constant companion in her solitary evenings. She moved through the motions mechanically, setting the table for one.
When the microwave beeped, she took out the food and sat down at the table. The warmth from the meal did little to chase away the cold emptiness she felt inside. She picked at her food, her appetite dulled by the monotony of her daily life.
She longed for warmth, companionship, for the simple joy of sharing a meal with someone who cared. But those desires seemed distant and unattainable, like a dream she had stopped hoping for.
Finishing her meal, the glass girl cleared the table and washed the dishes.
The apartment, filled with familiar furniture and decor, felt as empty as ever. The routine was comforting in its way, a series of tasks that kept her occupied and distracted from her loneliness.
She glanced at the clock, knowing her foster parents wouldn’t be home for several more hours.
Her room was a chaotic sanctuary, filled with stacks of books ranging from programming guides to hacking tutorials. Motherboards, monitors, keyboards, and Chim-Chim Dolls cluttered her desk, a testament to her unique interests. It was unusual for an elementary school girl to have such an eclectic mix of items, let alone the knowledge to use them.
Scattered among the electronics were notebooks filled with meticulously written keywords, clues, phone numbers, and snippets of information. Her handwriting was precise, her understanding advanced far beyond her years.
In her pajamas, the glass girl sat before the computer screen left by her brother. The room was dark, the only light coming from the monitor casting a faint glow. She navigated through news sites, forums, and databases with practiced ease, her fingers flying over the keyboard.
The first keyword she typed was “Jyotaro Amagi.”
The search results were numerous, filled with updates and speculation. She opened web articles and videos individually, taking detailed notes in her notebook. Her focus was intense, her eyes scanning every word, her mind piecing together fragments of information.
And then she typed the second keyword “CC Corp”
She trawled through social media conversations, forums, and news reports, following every lead related to Jyotaro Amagi. Despite her efforts, the search yielded nothing substantial.
“No catch, huh,” she muttered, her voice tinged with frustration.
She leaned back in her chair, feeling a wave of tiredness wash over her. The disappointment was palpable, but it did not dampen her determination. Her eyes, sharp and resolute behind her glasses, reflected her resolve to continue the search.
Undeterred, she dove back into her work. The room remained dark, illuminated only by the soft glow of the monitor. The hours slipped by unnoticed as she sifted through data, her mind racing to connect the dots.
The night wore on, and still, she did not rise from her chair. The world outside her window faded into the background as she remained engrossed in her task. The determination in her eyes never wavered, her focus unbroken.
In the quiet of her room, the only sounds were the soft clacking of the keyboard and the hum of the computer. The search for information consumed her, driving her to continue despite the growing fatigue. And so, she pressed on, alone in the dimly lit room, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts and possibilities, never stopping, always searching.
She typed the third keyword, “The Fire Incident at CC Corp.”
The rooftop is serene, a gentle breeze rustling through the stillness. No students frequent this place now, except for her. She sits alone, enjoying the lunch she bought from the mini-market with the meager money left by her foster parents. She relishes the solitude, savoring the peace, until…
“Hello,” a voice disrupts her quiet.
She stops eating, her gaze shifting to a group of her classmates approaching. A surge of fear crosses her face, and anxiety grips her as she recognizes the four girls from her class.
“Is there anything I can help you?” she asks timidly.
“Oh, come on, no need to be so formal. We’re friends, right? We should share the food. Am I right?” The girls nod in agreement, but the leader, a gal with a commanding presence, steps forward.
“Sorry, but this is the only food I have now. I don’t have any food left to share,” she apologizes, shyly clutching her bento.
“HUH? YOU SAY, YOU DON’T WANT TO SHARE WITH US?!” The gal girl’s tone turns hostile, echoed by her friends’ disgusted expressions.
“N-No, that’s not what I mean,” she protests, waving her hands in denial, but it only aggravates them.
“YOU!!” The gal girl kicks the bento from her hands, sending it flying. “N-NOOO!” Shock and fear paralyze her, rendering her weak and motionless.
“Hold her!” the girl commands and her friends promptly grab her, tying her hands behind her back.
“Wh-What are you guys doing? Please stop!” she pleads, but her fear grows as the gal girl reaches for her notebook.
“Oh, what is this?” The gal girl smirks, grabbing the notebook.
“Please no, it’s mine! I’m begging you, don’t open it!” she cries, doing everything she can to stop her.
But the gal girl doesn’t listen. “Too late,” she says, flipping open the book.
“NOOOO!!” she screams.
They read through her notebook, their expressions shifting to shock and disgust as they struggled to understand the contents.
“Please… no,” she sobs, tears streaming down her face.
“WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? DO YOU THINK THIS IS A JOKE?” The gal girl shouts, enraged.
“This looks too complicated to even understand,” another girl comments.
“What is she even writing about, is she even elementary school?” another sneers.
Their disgust turns into glares of contempt as they focus on her. She sobs, repeating her desperate plea. “Please… this is the only notebook I have, all I’ve worked so hard for. Please, I beg you.”
The moment her tears hit the ground, an awkward confusion brews among the girls. One whispers to the gal girl, “So, what should we do?”
“Ugh, I don’t even understand this worm book, but whatever, I might just burn it,” the gal girl replies.
“?!” The words hit her like a storm. “Please don’t do that, DON’T!!” she begs, struggling against her restraints as the lighter near her precious notebook. Slowly, the flame emerges, inching closer.
The delinquent girls laugh mischievously, enjoying her despair as the fire consumes the book. She watches in horror, her hard work and the clues she painstakingly gathered turning to ash. Everything she worked for, was gone in an instant.
As the last embers die, her face contorts in a mix of horror, despair, and hopelessness. The girls laugh at her suffering, their satisfaction evident.
“Nice work,” one says.
“Of course it is,” another replies.
“Now she got what she deserves,” a third one adds.
“Yeah, it would be much better that someone idiot like you never even existed here,” the gal girl sneers.
“I bet your family can’t even help you anyway, lol” the second one adds.
Their laughter echoes cruelly, and anger and hatred begin to simmer within her. She clenches her teeth and fists, feeling the heat of their mockery.
“What? Wanna fight back? Yeah, like hell you would!” the leader taunts, her laughter ringing loudly.
Realizing her powerlessness and weakness, the only thing she could do was grab her bag and run.
“Oh, she ran,” one girl remarks.
“Yeah, what a nerd,” another scoffs, their laughter trailing behind her as she flees.
She ran, ran, ran along the riverside, tears streaming down her cheeks and falling to the ground. Anger and sadness mixed within her, her teeth clenched in a desperate attempt to hold herself together.
People saw her dash past and wondered why a student was running so frantically before school had even ended. But she ignored them all, focusing only on her escape.
She ran and ran, each step filled with desperation, oblivious to her surroundings, until she reached her apartment. She sprinted up the stairs, not stopping until she was inside her room. No one was there to greet her, no one to show concern. She threw her bag to the floor and then began hurling chairs, books, and even her dolls in a frenzy of rage and sorrow.
Panting heavily, she jumped to her bed and punched it with her fist. “Why?” she screamed, hitting the bed over and over.
“Why, why, why, why, WHY, WHY, WHY, WHHHYYYY?!!”
With each punch, her tears flowed more freely, her body trembling from the pain and suffering that cut deep into her heart. She felt as though she was living in the worst moment of her life.
“Jyotaro Onii-chan,” she sobbed. “Onii-chan, where are you? Why did you leave me? I don’t like being here. I don’t like my foster parents pretending to be my real parents. I don’t like my friends at school. I don’t like being here, I don’t like it, every single bit.”
She clenched her fists tighter. “I wish they would just disappear. I DON’T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM, I WISH THEY JUST DISAPPEAR. I HATE THEM, I HATE THEM ALL. I HATE BEING HERE, I HATE EVERYTHING.”
Her screams echoed in the empty apartment, a cacophony of despair, anger, sadness, and hatred, toward everything she had lived for, every bully she received, every hopelessness, and every loneliness she had felt.
She cried out, feeling utterly alone, with no one to comfort her.
“IF THERE’S ONLY ONE WISH, JUST THIS ONCE”
“I WANT TO MEET YOU AGAIN, ONII-CHAN…”
and then slowly she panted her breath, trying to get a hold of herself once again until all things calmed down.
And slowly she whispered, “I miss you, onii-chan,” a small whisper that she knew and was aware would never come true, but a little small wish that was the only thing that she could ease all the pain in her heart, even though it was all useless, she closed her eyes while in tears, believing her wishes would never come true… until…
*CLICK* *BZZZT* *TING*
Suddenly, her wish seemed to be answered. Her computer suddenly turned on by itself, and the sound of an email notification filled the room. She looked up at the monitor through her tear-stained face and stood up from her knees.
An email from an unknown sender appeared on the screen.
“A-An email?”
The moment she opened it, everything in her life began to change forever.
TO BE CONTINUED
NEXT CHAPTER: The Year Had Passed
A/N: Hi, how’s your day reading? You might not know who’s glass girl is in the prologue chapter, but as you go far deeper to the ending, you finally know who she is and what she is going through.
Although I know, I can’t go far detail beyond what happened before this prologue story immediately started or even explain it in detail, I want to make sure to show you all what kind her past looks like and how much pain she experienced in several occasional and how exactly her character leads to .hack//Link.
With this prologue chapter released, all 6 chapters of TO THE SHINING YOU web-novel fanfic stories will be released simultaneously.
I’m truly grateful for making it this far, and I’m sorry for anyone who has been waiting for the update for so long. Hopefully, the final chapter, epilogue chapter, and secret chapter can finally truly begin in the work making, however, I’m still not sure about the release date.
I once again thank for everyone reading this story and I truly apologize for this late.
See you later.
P.S. Oh yeah, I almost forgot, if you read THE FEELINGS (Saika One-Shot Story) Fanfic, there are certain sections stories that where Jyotaro left her sister and I hope after you read that, and along with the whole story, you might find yourself feel connected with the story and how it goes.
Okay then, see you later.
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