Seat Zero

Everyone has a number above their heads. Only I can see it. That is rank - one's "ranking of existence" in the world. The lower the order, the easier it is to clear. Purge is not death. More completely than death - your name, your face, and all traces of your existence will disappear from everyone's memory. It's like you've never been here. My name is Lin Yun. On the day I was laid off, I discovered that my ranking was 1. Last place. Then I received a recording that my mother had left before she disappeared. "You see the numbers. You can change them. But every time you change them, you disappear a little bit," she said. My right middle finger is now transparent. Light can pass through. There is no shadow. I don't know when it will change until I disappear completely. But I know—— If you see it, you can't pretend you haven't seen it.