My name is Aguri Tendou. I'm your average middle schooler. I go to school, get good grades, then come home every day. Except... until I wasn't able to come home.

It was all a blur, so I can't really explain it all that well. I was walking home from school, texting my best friend Malencia. Then, I remember crossing the street while texting her. The rest is hard to explain. There was a loud beep, and I could see the headlights of the car. I just froze. I was terrified. I remember feeling the impact, and the air rushing out of me. The last thing I saw was red splattering on black concrete.

It was almost like falling asleep. And like falling asleep, I had to wake up eventually. But when I did... it felt almost magical. My senses were sharper than usual. And I started to remember stuff that I don't think I even ever knew. I started to recall what it was like the first time I slept, and the first dream I had. And at the time, everything made sense. It made sense that I was in a library. It made sense that there were trees growing among the shelves. The magical light at the top of the room made sense. The people around me made sense. The crows flying around made sense.

And then... the final thing that made sense... was that I was dead.

And everything began to fall apart.

First came the shock. I couldn't believe I was dead, and I couldn't believe where I was. Wait. Where am I?

Next came the blame. I blamed Malencia for texting me when she knew I was walking home. I blamed Malencia for killing me.

And lastly, the shame. I was ashamed of myself. How could I blame my best friend? It's my fault. I should've ignored her texts. Or looked before I crossed the street. I should've moved away from the car when I saw it coming.

I heard books fall, and then a small "Oh!". Next came a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up. Standing behind me was a teenage girl. Probably around fourteen or fifteen. She was tall, with long, wavy brown hair. She wore a green dress that looked perfect on her. She looked so pretty. Wait. Was she dead too? Who is this girl?

She smiled at me. "I'm Hikari. Welcome to the Library of the Dead!"

"W-what?" I say, surprised. What the heck is the Library of the Dead? "I-I'm A-Aguri. And, uh, am I dead? Are you dead?"

The girl laughed. It sounded like a thousand bells ringing in my ear. Pretty, but kind of annoying. "Naturally."

"So... only four people in the whole world are dead?" I saw two other people other than Hikari and me.

Another annoying laugh. "Of course not. But we're the only ones that can forgive our deaths."

"Forgive our deaths?" Now I'm very confused.

"Yes, Aguri. If you can't forgive your death, you'll have to move on."

I think for a moment. Forgive my death. What the heck is that supposed to mean? Who do I forgive?

"Good luck, Aguri. You have three stories until you have to forgive yourself."

"W-what? Wait, what do you mean 'stories'?"

"Jijoh over hear will explain." Hikari motions to a girl sitting at a desk. She has dyed blond hair that's half braided to create a sort of crown, and is intently reading a book. She doesn't even look up.

I slowly walk over to Jijoh, hesitantly.

"Hi... uh... Jijoh?" I say.

She doesn't look up.

"Jijoh?" I say, a little louder this time.

She puts her bookmark in and looks up. "That's my name."

"Umm... yeah... anyway, I'm Aguri. Hikari said something about explaining... stories, I think? What does she mean I have three stories?"

"I'll show you. Grab a book, any book." Jijoh says.

I walk over to the shelves and grab a book with gold lining. It's called The Adventures of Reatlu. I walk back over to Jijoh.

"Okay. Now, do what I do."

I follow Jijoh to the center of the library, where that magical light is. It shines an eerie teal colour above us. Jijoh opens her book to the light, and then read the title aloud.

"Valkyrie's Destruction!"

The light shines a beam down to the floor, and Jijoh walks into it. She disappears. I scream.

I feel a hand on my shoulder. This time, it's a man. He has brown hair, and looks kind of scary. I scream again.

"Shh, quiet in the library. I'm the first member of the Library of the Dead. Call me Sir."

"Oh, uh, Sir, what's your real name?" I want to slap myself for being rude.

"I've forgotten. It's been such a long time." Sir says.

I gasp. I didn't realize that it was possible to be dead so long that you forget your own name! It scared me.

"Anyway, don't worry about Jijoh. She just entered a story. You have to go into three stories. After that, you must decide if you forgive your death or not. That will decide your fate."

I think for a moment. "Okay. So I just have to open up my book under that light?"

Sir nods. "And say its name."

I take a deep breath, then walk under the light. I open the book.

"The Adventures of Reatlu!" I shout.

I feel chills down my spine as the light shines down on me. Suddenly, wind blows through my hair. I smell salt.

"Just... what is this?" I murmur.