I didn't know how long I lay there.
The rooftop floor was cold beneath my back, and my chest rose and fell like I had just run for my life.
The night sky above me looked normal again—too normal.
"Was it… a dream?" I whispered.
I sat up slowly.
The moment I moved, my body froze.
I felt it.
Something was different.
My senses were sharper.
I could hear distant cars on the street below, the hum of electricity from the school building, even the soft whistle of the wind far away.
That had never happened before.
I clenched my fist.
Power surged through my arm—warm, controlled, alive.
"What is this…?" I breathed.
Then the voice returned.
"Awakened state stable."
I spun around. "Who's there?!"
No one.
The rooftop was empty.
"System interface online."
A faint blue light appeared before my eyes, floating in the air like a screen only I could see.
My heart pounded.
Name: Kaito
Age: 14
Status: Awakened
Compatibility: Unknown
Core Power: Locked
"Locked?" I muttered. "What does that mean?"
The screen flickered.
"Power access requires synchronization."
Before I could ask another question, a sharp pain shot through my chest.
I gasped and dropped to one knee.
Images flashed in my mind—
shadows moving, energy flowing, a symbol burning bright.
Then it stopped.
The pain vanished as suddenly as it came.
I stood there shaking, sweat running down my face.
"So this is real…" I said quietly.
I wasn't ordinary anymore.
But somehow, that realization didn't make me happy.
It scared me.
What if someone found out?
What if this power hurt someone?
What if I lost control?
A distant siren echoed through the city.
I looked at my hands again.
"They ignored me before," I whispered.
"But if they see this…"
I tightened my fist and the energy faded, sinking back into my chest.
"No," I decided. "Not yet."
I couldn't tell anyone.
Not my teachers.
Not my classmates.
Not even my family.
I took a deep breath and headed toward the stairs.
Tomorrow, I would go back to school.
Same uniform.
Same classrooms.
But inside—
Everything had changed.
And somewhere in the darkness, unseen eyes were already watching me.