Episode 1: A Normal Life... Or So It Seemed

The morning sun cast its golden glow over the city, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. The streets buzzed with life—students walking to school, workers rushing to their jobs, the usual rhythm of everyday existence. Among them was a boy who blended into the crowd like any other ordinary person.

His name was Kaito.

At first glance, Kaito seemed like a normal high school student. He wasn’t the top of his class, nor was he the strongest. He had a few friends, kept a low profile, and went about his life like everyone else. Nothing about him stood out. And yet, there was something… something strange that even he couldn’t explain.

Lately, he had been having dreams. Not just any dreams, but vivid, eerie dreams that felt too real. He would wake up drenched in sweat, his heart pounding, unable to shake off the feeling that he had just witnessed something that wasn’t meant to be seen.

That night, the dream returned.

Darkness. He stood in the middle of a ruined battlefield. The sky was crimson, the air thick with the scent of blood and ash. Around him lay bodies—some human, others… something else. In the distance, shadowy figures loomed, their eyes glowing with an unnatural light.

A voice echoed in the void.

"You will soon understand."

Before he could react, the ground beneath him cracked open, and an enormous, skeletal hand burst forth, reaching for him. Just as it was about to grab him—

He woke up.

Gasping for breath, Kaito sat up, his body trembling. His room was dimly lit by the faint glow of the streetlights outside. It was just a dream… or was it?

The feeling lingered. The smell of blood, the weight of fear—it was as if he had actually been there.

Shaking his head, he tried to push the thoughts aside.

"I need to get ready for school."

By the time he stepped out of his house, the world seemed normal again. The bustling city, the chatter of students, the honking of cars—it was just another regular day. But Kaito couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching him.

**The Unseen Presence**

As he walked to school, he noticed subtle things—people glancing at him and quickly looking away, whispers in the air that stopped the moment he got closer. Was he imagining it? Or was there something lurking just beneath the surface of his so-called normal life?

The day passed as usual, yet the unease never left him. In the classroom, he stared at the clock, watching the seconds tick away, feeling as though time itself was playing a trick on him.

And then it happened.

During lunch break, a sudden chill ran down his spine. The noisy cafeteria became eerily silent. The students around him froze, their movements sluggish, as if trapped in slow motion.

Then, a voice—low, guttural, whispering directly into his ear.

"You are not supposed to be here."

Kaito spun around, but there was no one there.

His breath quickened. Was he losing his mind? Or was something truly happening?

**The First Encounter**

That evening, as he walked home, the sun dipped below the horizon, and the city lights flickered to life.

But something felt… off.

The streets, usually filled with people, were unnaturally empty. The air was too still, too quiet. His heartbeat drummed in his ears as he turned a corner—and stopped.

A man stood in the middle of the road, his face obscured by a mask. His presence alone was suffocating, an unseen force pressing down on Kaito’s chest.

"Kaito," the man said, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable weight.

Kaito’s body tensed. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

The man took a step forward. "It doesn’t matter who I am. What matters is that your time of ignorance is over. You have been chosen."

"Chosen? Chosen for what?"

Instead of answering, the man raised his hand. In an instant, Kaito felt an unbearable pressure around him, as if gravity itself had doubled. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, struggling to breathe.

Panic surged through him. His vision blurred. Was this it? Was he about to die without even understanding what was happening?

Just as darkness began to consume his vision—

Something awakened.

A surge of energy erupted from within him, shattering the invisible force that had been holding him down. The masked man took a step back, tilting his head in curiosity.

Kaito stared at his own hands. He could feel it—something powerful, something terrifying, something that had always been there, buried deep within him.

And for the first time in his life, he realized—

He was not normal.

**To be continued…**

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