[ＳＴＡＲＴ ＯＦ ＡＲＣ １－ ＲＥＤＷＯＯＤＳ]
[The Karawei Farm, Darrilyn, Piasu, Ryomania, May 6th, Tuesday, 4:07 AM, 2025]
That night however, something strange happened.
I had another false awakening, as back then when I was five. At least that's what this felt like.
Wind howled, carrying with it a crimson mist that stung my skin. The same mist I saw coming from that strange business man on the road.
I blinked, disoriented, as the oppressive mist swallowed me whole. I couldn't see two feet in front of me.
James Karawei: "Where am I? Am I... dead?"
This wasn't my room, nor anywhere I recognized. My heart pounded in my chest, each beat echoing like a drum in the silence.
I looked down at my body—naked, but... wrong. No private parts, nothing. Just smooth, featureless skin, like a mannequin stripped of its humanity.
My breath hitched. This had to be a dream. It didn't feel like one.
James Karawei: "What the heck...?"
I muttered as I began walking forwards.
The red mist swirled around me suddenly, thick and suffocating, carrying with it the metallic tang of blood, and something I couldn't describe... It suddenly dispersed revealing the landscape around me.
The ground beneath my feet felt unstable, shifting like quicksand. It was sand, some sort of black-sand with a wet oily substance mixed in.
There were mountains in the distance, glowing red lights and more mist emanated from them and came down into the place I was standing on, it was some sort of crater or perhaps dip in the ground.
The mountains were made of a mix of ash and stone, at least it looked like it. I bent down to pick up some sand, and threw it forwards in frustration.
James Karawei: "What's the meaning of this?! Let me out of here!"
I shouted into the void; no response.
I took a step forward again, my bare feet sinking into the ashy, oily, sandy ground. Each step felt heavier than the last, as if the mist itself was resisting me.
That's when I heard it—a voice, soft and almost imperceptible, echoing from the depths of the crimson haze.
???: "Be not afraid, he will not harm you. I am with you."
And the mist evaporated suddenly. Revealing the entire landscape and... something else.
The Eye: "Ah... there you are my dear boy!"
The absence of the mist revealed a giant eyeball, its pupil red, glowing and unblinking. It was a menacing sight.
Mist circled around it far into the distance. I glanced around now that everything was visible.
James Karawei: "You've got to be kidding me." I said, irritated, confused, scared.
Its voice was melodic, almost soothing, but also deeply disturbing, and loud. It echoed off the mountains.
It felt gentle, yet was very threatening. My heart sank at its sight.
The Eye: "Look at you, all grown up now... Oh you have no idea how amazing it feels James, to be in complete control, to have nobody dictate your life. I'll say, everyone should be in control of something. Even you, isn't that right?"
I stepped closer on pure instinct while my mind told me to run, and its pupil narrowed like a predator sizing up its prey.
James Karawei: "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?! WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" I screamed at it in panic, I tried backing away but my legs wouldn't budge.
The eye crinkled as it laughed—a deep, gut-churning laugh that shook the entire realm.
The sound reverberated through my bones, making my teeth rattle. I stumbled backward finally falling onto the ground.
The Eye: "My dear boy, do you not remember me? I've sensed 'it' deep inside you. That's why I'm here, Taured changed you in more ways than one. You've grown James. You're 15 now. Practically an adult! You've matured to the point where I can see it with my eyes. You're definitely the one."
I stomped even closer suddenly with newfound anger, trying to look defiant as I placed my hands on my hips.
My voice trembled, but I forced myself to sound brave.
James Karawei: "How do you know about Taured? What, are you my subconscious? Get me out of here, you creep!"
The eyeball came dangerously close to me.
It was the size of a mountain—no, more like five mountains piled together in a massive, incomprehensible heap. Girth, length, size—it was all impossible to describe. It was surprisingly eldritch for a dream, this didn't feel like a dream anymore.
It was uncomfortably real.
And despite it not having a mouth I could feel warm breath on my chin.
Its pupil dilated, and I could see my reflection in its glossy surface.
I looked small, insignificant, like an ant staring up at a magnifying glass.
The Eye: "James, you may not know me yet, but you will, soon enough. A thousandfold, my dear boy! I promise that much after everything that happened. You see, little Zuzu wasn't supposed to come after you yet, she disobeyed me, but I've taken care of that. You don't have to worry about anything... You just have to walk the path."
The eyeball laughed again, and the entire 'dream realm' trembled under its vibrations. The ground beneath me cracked in two, and I felt myself slipping.
I quickly jumped to the right side and I tried to steady myself, but the mist was too thick, too heavy. I was losing my footing.
The Eye: "Oh, and I'll send someone to pick you up. Or 'the holy weapon', whichever one of you is easier to grab a hold of. You see James, you're very very special. I'm sure you've noticed it by now. Ever since you were little you were just a bit smarter than everyone, a bit stronger, faster, tougher. You will not run from me though. You cannot escape me. You never will..."
That pissed off.
I dashed forward, fist raised to smash it down into the eyeball, but before I could reach it, an eerie sound filled the air. A force I couldn't understand flung me backward.
The world spun as I tumbled through the void, the air cracked around me with the sound of glass shattering ringing in my ears. Red glowing glass shards suddenly flew out all around me, the air around me showed red cracks, as if reality was breaking.
James Karawei: "AGH! LET ME GO! NO!!!"
I thrashed around in mid-air as I got flung backwards, stretching my hand out towards the eyeball as it turned into a humanoid figure, but I couldn't make it out.
The mist was in my way again as I was headed towards one of the mountains at an incredible speed.
The glass shards followed me as they poured out of the strangers newly formed hands.
As I flew further away from the figure, the red mist enveloped me. I reached the 'edge' of the dream and felt the barrier of the dream shatter as I was flung into an endless void—an eternal abyss with no end in sight.
The stranger muttered something that rattled everything. It all seemed to stop. I involuntarily shut my eyes as memories flooded my brain. And then I saw the eye again, in my mind. Glass breaking sounds as the dream realm shatters.
The Eye: "Anything Goes..."
The phrase hung in the air as a strange, spectral music echoed from all around it, the entire realm sung.
James Karawei: "You damn bastard! Who are you?! Coward! Let me fight you! Agh—"
I waved my hands frantically as I fell into the void, desperately trying to grab onto something—anything.
Suddenly, a strange, rainbow-glowing orb flew out of my chest, lighting up the entire realm. It was very familiar. As if I had seen it before.
Then... strangely enough...
I woke up.
[The Karawei Farm, Darrilyn, Piasu, Ryomania, May 6th, Tuesday, 5:11 AM, 2025]
I clutched my head in my hands as I opened my eyes, the beautiful chirping of birds could be heard in the distance.
I sat up, still dazed from the dream. For a moment, I thought I saw a figure standing over my bed, their face obscured by a mask.
They almost reminded me of the strange business man.
But when I blinked, they were gone. I sighed and rubbed my eyes.
James Karawei: "What the heck was all of that about? Ugh..."
I fell back onto my pillow, staring at the ceiling for a moment before hearing a loud noise that startled me.
It was my phone ringing, which was somehow on my nightstand. I never took it with me to Taured.
The caller ID read 'Cathy A.'
I sighed and answered the phone, immediately I heard—
Cathy Ariston: "JAMES WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT THIS MEANS?! ARE YOU OKAY, WHAT HAPPENED, WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL?! DO YOU EVEN—"
I closed the phone, seeing thirty other or so missed calls.
James Karawei: "Guess I'm a heavy sleeper."
I yawned and put it in my pocket, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and getting up.
James Karawei: "Too early for this crap..."
I went out of the bedroom to wander around the house.
Jasmine just up and left yesterday, without even showing me around.
Then again this was my house.
I stumbled out into the hallway, finding the bathroom. I decided to brush my teeth, the mundane task making me feel slightly better about my lack of memories.
Time passed as I had gone through the usual morning routine, despite forgetting it all my body knew where everything was.
Happy-O's were always my favorite cereal.
I was still annoyed by that dream—I couldn't make sense of it no matter how hard I tried. It wasn't just the eyeball or the void. It was the emptiness. The numbness. A part of me had been carved out and left behind in Taured.
I couldn't feel much after I woke up from the ice. Like a part of my mind was left behind.
What's stranger is the fact that the country, or at least the city of Eiswelt hadn't changed that much in five years. Not that I remembered what it looked like before.
Other than it being a wasteland. There was nobody trying to save the land, cause there were no people left. And apparently 'The Magi' were keeping anything out.
Thankfully I didn't see them if they were somehow around.
I shook my head to dispel the thoughts. I sat down at the dining table, eating the bowl of cereal I'd made.
James Karawei: "Man... this kind of sucks, huh? I wish I had someone who could at least cook me breakfast. I thought I knew how to cook..."
I chewed my food, but the thought lingered in my mind.
I was not satisfied.
Was it that dream? Maybe. But somehow, I felt like it was something deeper. Dreams, no matter how strange or vivid, don't make you get emotionless. Something did happen in Taured, and it must be related to that woman, 'The Storm'. But what?
I eventually finished eating, washed the dishes and got dressed for school. A casual blue t-shirt and some black sweatpants, nothing special.
I put on my backpack after rummaging through the wardrobe for a bit and stepped out of the house, the sunrise was stunning and the smell of the wheat fields surprised me a little.
Not pleasant but not unpleasant either. The air was fresh, it almost made me smile. Almost.
It took me ten or so minutes to walk to the main road, the property was huge.
My parents did use to be rich, but with time, taxes and debts... That money went down the drain.
Also whenever they did buy the property they got it for a cheaper price, the previous owner said The Redwoods in front of the house gave the entire land an eerie feel. Gave them a discount.
I always liked The Redwoods
They're not the same type of red woods as on your Earth, in fact it's just the name we neighborhood kids gave the forest due to the tree trunk color being red and the tree leaves also being a nice carmine shade. The official name for the forest is The Darling Woods, quite boring.
The trees themselves weren't huge or anything.
I made my way to the road and decided to walk along the left side of the road towards the city of Havok, but just then I heard something behind me.
It was Jasmine driving up the road with a motorcycle.
She waved to me before coming to a halt on the road and waving smoke away with her hand.
Jasmine Olson: "Oops, sorry about that! Heh. Morning Jamie, hop on! Let me take ya to school!"
I sighed and walked over to her.
James Karawei: "You do realize how early it is, right? I hope I can trust you... J-Jasmine, right?" I asked, a bit cautious.
Jasmine smirked and crossed her arms.
Jasmine Olson: "Yep, the one and only Jazzie! It's 5 AM, we'll get there in an hour since it's on the other side of Havok. Oakland Middle, that is. Buuuuut... We'll take the western road, to get there faster! And you've trusted me since kindergarten... I even helped you change so you're fine~"
I blushed and got on the motorcycle, gently grabbing her waist to which she made an "ooh~" sound and giggled.
James Karawei: "S-shut up... How did you even get a motorcycle?!"
Jasmine Olson: "Calm down, I'm just messing with you. Oh and this old thing was a gift from my brother, I'm old enough to buy, own and ride one and so are you Jamie! Don't tell me you forgot Ryomanian laws too..."
Before I could answer she revved up the motorcycle, we sped off into the sunrise and towards the city. The sign at the entrance of the city said "Welcome to Havok, home of the dragon king!"
An ancient saying from a long time ago, it somehow stuck even in the modern era.
Ryomania was and still is famous for the royal families throughout time that controlled the country.
The current king, King Henry II, was actually doing a great job at running the show.
Jasmine and I didn't talk much on the ride into Havok for a few reasons, her damn motorcycle was too loud, she didn't have a helmet on so she had to concentrate, and I wasn't in the mood anyway.
Her bike looked really cool though, yellow with black streaks, almost like a bee.
Eventually we rode up past Ariston Industries' center in Havok, they had a building like this in almost every city in the world! The only exception being war torn countries and closed off places.
The building stood menacingly in the center of the city.
I couldn't see the giant logo on the building since we took the main road but it had a giant red 'A' on it with a house symbol in the background.
School was on the west side of the city anyway.
The building gave me bad vibes, I'm sure the man in red and the android were connected with this corporation.
Reno definitely was. Not that I remembered her.
After an hour or so and a few minutes we made it to the other side of the city, the industrial area.
It was an absolute pain for us country kids to get to school but it was the best one in the city. I must've been enrolled here before I left for Taured.
Jasmine dropped me off at the gate and parked her bike somewhere in the parking lot of the school.
James Karawei: "Is this where you usually park? What's with all of these black cars?" I finally let go of her waist and hopped off the bike, gesturing to the six or eight cars in the parking lot.
All black.
Jasmine Olson: "Yep, where else would I park? As for the black cars, I dunno. Some sort of teacher-parent gathering?"
I didn't question it further, I said goodbye to her as she ran to the back of the school and I walked through the schoolyard, to the front of the L-shaped building.
Nobody knew me anymore, except my apparent friends. But I stuck out like a sore thumb. I was 15 now, 6'0 and around 198 pounds of pure muscle, that's about 90 kg.
I was special all right...
Other kids my age got out of my way as I kept walking, looking at me like a stranger.
I had reached the entrance to the right wing of the school and climbed up the steps, entering through it. I continued walking down the hallway, I had no idea what class I was in.
I bumped into a strange guy playing some random mobile game, he had three ponytails, a dark leather jacket, sweatpants and a black t-shirt underneath.
Jack Daniels: "Hey! Watch it dude, don't kill my vibe—"
His eyes widened as he turned around to look at me, he calmly put his phone into the pocket of his jacket. His jaw dropped.
James Karawei: "Sorry, I was lost in thought... Hey, why do you have three ponytails—"
He hugged me suddenly and laughed.
Jack Daniels: "No way! No way! James?! Dude I heard you were in town again! I was wondering when you'd show up... Damn you're huge, what the heck have you been eating? You gotta give me some of that."
He patted my shoulders and let go of the hug, smirking before shaking my hand.
Jack Daniels: "I'm your best bro, bro. You don't remember me? Jack Daniels! At least you remember the hair right? I know, stunning. Erika is so great at this stuff, last week she taught me how to... Oh right you forgot, yeah she's my sister. But anyway how've you been man?!"
He hugged me again, I didn't know what to do so I patted his back.
James Karawei: "Uh... hi? You're loud... And you smell like cheap cologne. But you didn't answer my question."
He grinned and began stroking his right ponytail. Ugh.
Jack Daniels: "Oh these puppies? It's my style dude. I don't like cutting my hair so I tied it up, simple."
James Karawei: "Cool. So... Do you know where my classroom is? Or I guess our classroom, bro."
I did not remember the guy but he seemed alright. Even if weird.
He elbowed my side gently and ran up the stairs.
Jack Daniels: "C'mon dude, last one there is a rotten egg!"
I sighed and continued walking up the stairs. There was something wet on the steps, but I kept climbing and then...
Out of the corner of my eye I saw something strange, so I stopped.
It was a beautiful white rose growing along the railing of the stairs, even the petals and thorns were white. It wasn't a normal rose, it was seemingly made of soap. And it was leaking suds and little soap bubbles.
I avoided it and the left side of the staircase from where it was growing.
Jack Daniels: "Hey! James! I know I beat you, but you don't have to sulk about it. Come up here dude!" Jack yelled up the staircase and I decided to ignore the rose.
James Karawei: "Hold on! I got distracted." I kept climbing the stairs.
The school itself was pretty empty, there were a lot of kids on the outside. But other than that it was pretty empty inside. Probably due to the fact that it was very early.
I got up to the top of the stairs.
Jack Daniels: "Is something wrong, muscly?"
I shook my head and followed after him down the hallway.
James Karawei: "I was wondering, when school starts. There's not a lot of kids inside."
Jack stopped and leaned closer.
Jack Daniels: "Well, it should start about now. My guess is they're all too lazy to come to school, I dunno though." He grinned and continued leading me down the hallway.
The halls weren't completely empty, we did see a student every now and then. But otherwise, empty.
There were more kids on the football field and in the schoolyard, but inside the school there was barely anyone. At least in the hallways, from what I heard by passing the classrooms, they were full.
James Karawei: "And how many students are there in the whole school?"
Jack glanced back at me and slowed his pace.
Jack Daniels: "Around 263... I think. There were over 263 students in the whole school, but y'know, kids graduate. The main building itself has, like, three stories and the schoolyard featured a lovely garden behind the school and even a giant football field as I said before. It's damn glorious!" He chuckled and gestured outside to the football field.
After a bit of walking, we reached the end of the hallway and stepped into class 2-B.
It was basically empty though, the only other person in class other than me and Jack was Cathy. She was wearing a white tank-top and some black leggings, possibly for gym class.
The moment we stepped through the door she looked up at us, she was sketching something in a notebook. Her eyes widened.
She dropped it the moment she saw me and ran up to me. She hugged me and began shaking, I didn't know what to do.
Jack Daniels: "Yeah... Cathy's been meaning to see you, after she heard you got back from that hellscape. Uh, she's Cathy Ariston. Me, Jasmine and Cathy used to be your friends before you left. Welp! Now you know everybody! Good luck! I'm gonna go listen to some tunes, you guys catch up."
He chuckled only to be met by Cathy's bloodshot eyes and growl. He slowly backed away.
She wiped away the tears from her eyes and looked up at me for a few seconds. Her voice choked.
Cathy Ariston: "I saw the news you a-asshole! I saw what happened in Taured... I thought... you'd died! F-f-fuck you! Why didn't you...? C-call... Shit..."
She sobbed even harder and clutched tighter onto me as if she was going to fall apart. Her knees wobbled and for a moment I thought she would fall down.
I put my backpack down onto one of the empty desks to my left.
James Karawei: "I'm sorry... here."
I then gave her a tissue, she snatched it from me and let go of my shirt. Stomping over to her desk, sitting down forcefully enough to push the chair back and resting her head on it, still sobbing.
James Karawei: "I'm sorry... I..."
I glanced at Jack again unsure of what to do, he gestured for me to drop it. He walked over and whispered.
Jack Daniels: "She'll be fine, she's like this with everyone... Kind of. Let me show you your desk."
He led me to the back of the class where my desk was. It overlooked the window, I sat down and looked out the window at the sunrise.
Jack sat right in front of me in the middle of the row and Cathy was up in front. Three desks on each row of the classroom, it seemed pretty small.
James Karawei: "Do you think I should go say something?"
I asked Jack without glancing over my shoulder. I still felt emotionless after Taured. But I felt something inside of me didn't want me to let her cry.
Jack Daniels: "Nah, if she was actually mad she would've beaten the crap out of you! She's punched teachers for less. It's funny but I guess she's just glad you're okay, maybe a little angry at herself? Who knows?"
He chuckled and continued listening to his music... Neither of them have asked me anything about what had happened yet. Guess there's time for that.
My mind kept drifting anyway, the weird business guy, 'The Storm', Taured, everything... And that dream this morning...
Honestly, I didn't even know what that dream was about, but it had me hooked. I wanted to know more. Who was that eye? What did it want? And I felt like I was a part of it...
James Karawei: "Interesting..." I muttered to myself as I looked down at the floor.
I sighed and turned back to face the front, I stood up and walked over to the desk by the door to grab my backpack and put it down next to my desk and opened it.
I forgot my books at home. I closed it and put it down against my desk. Cathy was still resting her head on her desk.
Sniffling.
Meanwhile Jack bobbed his head to his music. We were both bad friends to Cathy in retrospective, I should've comforted her. I couldn't.
I leaned back in my chair for a moment before standing up and walking out into the hallway. I wasn't the outgoing type anyway, not really. I was always more quiet, more shy, introspective.
If Jack never reached out to me in kindergarten I wouldn't have met Cathy or Jasmine or Jack, I would've been the weird quiet kid, probably.
I felt weird regardless due to 'The Fall of Taured', as many people world-wide called it.
The cool spring breeze sent a shiver down my spine as I leaned on the windowsill in the hall, looking out of an open window at the schoolyard.
My gaze landed on Jasmine's motorcycle parked outside the school gates, the city was quieter from up here.
At least that's how I felt. Going through the motions and all.
Jack walked out of the classroom headphones no longer on his head, his footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway. He grinned as he approached, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes a little.
Jack Daniels: "Yo, James, you alright? You ran away from our 'just sitting there' routine!"
Jack gave me a quick glance, his usual easy grin fading slightly. He walked up to me, a little hesitant, but still that boisterous energy bouncing off him.
James Karawei: "Yeah, just... looking out the window. You should probably check on Cathy."
Jack Daniels: "Nah, she's fine. Plus if I anger her enough we get to spar later!"
He smirked and leaned against the window to my left.
I looked out again at the bustling courtyard, not really paying attention to anything specific. I could feel Jack still standing there, maybe thinking I was brooding or just ignoring him.
But I wasn't. I was just tired of it all.
With no way to find out more, I had to just live my life.
Jack Daniels: "You know, I haven't seen you this quiet since we first met in kindergarten. What's the matter?"
James Karawei: "You remember that far back?"
Jack Daniels: "Every waddle and headbutt."
He leaned in a little, his voice taking on a more serious tone for a second.
Jack Daniels: "You spent five years in Taured, right? Bet that place was weird, huh? I don't watch the news but I heard what happened from Cathy, Erika, Jasmine... Wow, I just realized I don't know that many bros! Anyway, I had faith you wouldn't do anything stupid, like dying. You're faster than a tractor after all! Plus you're like REALLY buff now. So clearly something good came from the trip? Right?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, probably wondering if he'd hit a nerve. I wasn't really sure how to answer.
James Karawei: "It wasn't the greatest, if that's what you're asking. I mean, it's not like I remember anything anyway. I was frozen in ice for five years. I'm guessing Jasmine already told you about the guy in the red suit and the android."
I felt Jack pause, like he didn't know how to respond to that. It wasn't like they knew about it. No one did, not even me. For now.
Jack Daniels: "Yeah we talked last night. Sounds like the wrong crowd to me. Hopefully it's not one of those Iris terrorists. But really, you spent five years in some place, and you don't remember anything?"
He raised an eyebrow, like I was some kind of puzzle he couldn't crack.
James Karawei: "Yeah, that's right. I only know my name. James Karawei."
I couldn't help the bitterness in my voice. Jack caught it but didn't press further. Instead, he slapped me on the back, a loud chuckle escaping him.
Jack Daniels: "Well, whatever happened, it's good to have you back. Even if you're a little... different. Different is good though!"
I smirked a little, finally turning to face him.
James Karawei: "I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually. But this place? Still sucks."
Jack Daniels: "Hey, it's only your first day of high school! It's supposed to suck. You don't need to think too hard about it. Life gets better when you stop thinking about it."
I stared at him, not sure if he was being serious or just messing with me. But then again, that was Jack for you. He was always a bit of a philosopher when he wasn't making dumb jokes.
James Karawei: "I guess... I don't know. I just feel like there's got to be more to it. I guess we'll see."
I needed something to break it all apart. To find the truth. I had to.
Jack Daniels: "You're telling me, man. The world's full of weird and confusing stuff, but you gotta look at it with the right eyes. Otherwise, it's all just... noise. We'll see indeed."
I couldn't help but chuckle at that. Maybe he was right. Maybe I just wasn't seeing things the way I should.
James Karawei: "I guess. Maybe."
The moment was broken by the sound of something unusual—a gentle bubbling noise that made my skin crawl. We both exchanged a look and turned towards the sound.
Soap suds and bubbles popping and squeaking could be heard echoing in the hallway.
The floor was suddenly covered in a thin layer of water and soap bubbles, and from down the hallway, the sound of a running sink could be heard.
I looked up and saw the walls also covered in white roses, like the one on the stairwell, bubbles suddenly everywhere floating in the air. It looked almost grotesque.
A shiver ran down my spine.
A shiver ran down my spine. Jack's grin faded into an unsure smirk as I instinctively took a step back.
Something wasn't right.
Maybe it was the absurdity of the situation, or the sheer weirdness of it all.
Or the fact that we were so concentrated on talking we didn't notice the roses growing...
James Karawei: "What the hell is this? Where did this come from...?"
Jack looked at me, then back at the hallway, his usual boisterous attitude evaporating into uncertainty. His voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.
Jack Daniels: "Uh... I don't know, man. That's kind of weird."
Of course, something strange like this would happen to me—just when I thought my day couldn't get any more mundane.
A few smaller bubbles started slowly hovering towards us, the white vines of the roses stretching and growing as more of the blossomed—and the feeling of being watched intensified.
I could see Jack's hesitation, but it felt like the most normal thing in the world now.
After all, I've seen worse in Taured. Even if I didn't, my body remembered.
I glanced at Jack once more. He seemed to be processing this as much as I was, but neither of us knew what to do.
Then, as if on cue, one of the bubbles flew into the wall, not popping, exploding. The air pressure made a small hole in the wall, as if the wall had been shot.
We both exchanged a glance and then looked back at the wall.
It's just the absurdity of it all—how could we be having a serious talk one moment and then thrown into this... this surreal moment the next?
Jack just shook his head.
Jack Daniels: "Bro... I don't know what this is, but it looks serious... Should we call someone?"
I couldn't help but smirk, this was new, this was a lead, this was... Something exciting.
I felt like I was slowly getting back an emotion. But was I really? It was confusing. Although I knew that, even though everything felt so uncertain, something was about to change.
This was a dark omen. For all of us.