The path to the storage grounds was quiet, lined with dusty trees and crumbling walls. Tenny walked ahead, light on his feet, while Kaelen trailed behind, scanning every corner like a shadow might leap out and catch him.
"You know," Tenny said, glancing back, "you overthink everything."
Kaelen didn't respond immediately. He kept his eyes ahead, focused on the faint outline of the storage grounds in the distance.
"Because thinking keeps us alive," Kaelen muttered.
Tenny chuckled. "And maybe living a little keeps us sane."
They reached the edge of the grounds, slipping behind a stack of old barrels. Voices floated over—girls laughing softly, the occasional scrape of wood, the rustle of fabric.
Tenny crouched low, peering through the narrow gaps between the barrels. His grin stretched wider.
"There," he whispered. "See? No harm in just looking."
Kaelen stayed back, his body tense. He glanced through the crack, seeing only flashes of movement, laughter that didn't belong to their world.
"This feels wrong," Kaelen muttered.
"It's just looking," Tenny repeated, his voice low and easy. "We're not hurting anyone."
But Kaelen's jaw was tight. "It doesn't feel right."
Tenny didn't answer. He only watched, eyes alight with curiosity and a hunger for something more than the daily grind of their lives.
Suddenly, It happened too fast.
A shadow fell over them, long and looming. The soft shuffle of feet, a cane tapping against the dry earth. Kaelen stiffened, and Tenny's grin faltered into a grimace.
"What do you think you're doing here?"
The voice was old but strong—lined with years of authority, like the edge of a worn blade that still cut sharp. Kaelen turned slowly, his stomach sinking.
An old woman stood there, back straight despite the slight tremble in her hand that gripped a slender cane. Her face was carved with deep lines, skin like worn leather from years beneath the sun. Her eyes were sharp, bright as flint, and they pinned the boys where they stood.
Tenny opened his mouth first, his voice quick but light. "We—we were just passing by."
The woman's gaze flicked from Tenny to Kaelen, settling on him like a weight. "Passing by?" she echoed, her tone cold. "You pass by by creeping behind barrels? Watching girls as they work?"
Kaelen swallowed, his throat dry. "We didn't mean anything by it," he said, though the words felt weak even to him.
The old woman took a step closer, the soft tap of her cane echoing. "Didn't mean anything?" she repeated, and there was iron beneath her words. "Do you think rules were made for your amusement? Do you think I don't know the kind of trouble boys bring when they linger where they shouldn't?"
Tenny lifted his hands in a loose gesture, his grin forced. "No trouble, I promise. We were just curious, that's all."
"Curious?" The woman's laugh was low and humorless. "Curiosity is the mask trouble wears, boy. And it always comes with a price."
Kaelen could feel the heat rising up his neck, the weight of guilt pressing down. "We didn't touch anyone," he said quietly. "We were just... looking."
The old woman's eyes narrowed. "And do you think looking costs nothing? You think it's harmless to leer at those who have no choice but to be here, working, struggling?" She leaned on her cane, her gaze never softening. "This isn't a game for you to watch. These girls carry burdens you'll never understand. And you stand there, hiding like rats, peering at them as if they're a spectacle for your entertainment?"
The words hit like stones, sharp and true. Kaelen lowered his head, shame burning in his chest.
Tenny tried again, his voice tighter this time. "We didn't mean disrespect. We just... wanted to see."
The woman's expression twisted slightly, something colder passing through her eyes. "And what did you expect to see? A show? Something to laugh about later when you tell stories with your friends?"
"No," Kaelen said quickly. His voice cracked, but he pressed on. "No, it's not like that. We didn't mean harm."
"Intentions are easy," the woman snapped. "Harm comes even when you don't mean it."
There was a heavy pause, thick as storm clouds.
"You boys think you're clever," she said after a long moment. "But you're foolish. And fools pay a heavy price in this place."
Kaelen opened his mouth, then closed it again, words failing him.
"If you value the little freedom you have," she continued, "you'll turn around and forget you ever thought to come here. If I see you near this place again, if I so much as hear a whisper of your names, it won't be a warning you get next."
Tenny's grin had vanished. He nodded stiffly, his eyes cast down. "We understand."
Kaelen forced himself to meet her gaze, though it felt like holding onto fire. "We're sorry."
The old woman said nothing at first. She only watched them, eyes dark and heavy with something Kaelen couldn't quite name—disappointment, maybe. Or something deeper.
Finally, she stepped aside, the scrape of her cane sharp against the ground. "Then go. And remember, boys who don't learn to stay in their place often find themselves wishing they had."
The words struck deep. Kaelen didn't wait. He grabbed Tenny by the arm and pulled him back, the heavy silence wrapping around them like chains.
But as they turned to leave, Kaelen cast one last glance back. The old woman stood there, still and unmoving, watching them go. Her eyes were hard, but there was something else, too.
---
The boys walked in tense silence, the old woman's words still echoing in their minds. Neither of them spoke, each caught up in his own thoughts.
Kaelen's steps felt heavier than before, as though shame clung to his heels. He kept seeing the old woman's sharp eyes, how they'd pinned him down, exposing his guilt.
Tenny kicked a stone across the dirt path. "We got caught," he muttered, his voice low. "Just our luck."
Kaelen didn't respond. There was no point.
"We should've been quicker," Tenny continued, his voice edged with frustration. "Or maybe gone around the long side."
Kaelen glanced at him, frowning. "You were the one who said the short route was safer."
Tenny shot him a look. "I didn't think she'd be there!"
Kaelen sighed. "Does it matter now?"
Tenny grumbled under his breath, but they both knew it was pointless. What was done was done. They just needed to get back without more trouble.
The narrow path out of the place was curved sharply, and Kaelen, walking ahead, didn't see the figure rounding the bend until it was too late.
The collision was sudden, jarring. Kaelen stumbled, his shoulder slamming into someone. He reached out instinctively, his hand grasping an arm to steady them both.
The girl gasped, a sharp breath that echoed in the tense air. She staggered but didn't fall, her body rigid under his grip.
Kaelen opened his mouth to apologize, but the words stuck.
Her eyes—wide, dark, and filled with something he couldn't quite place—locked onto his.
But she wasn't looking at him.
No.
She was looking through him.
Frozen. Pale. Her gaze distant, unfocused. Like she wasn't here at all.
Kaelen's heart skipped. He loosened his grip, unsure. "Sorry, I didn't mean—"
The girl didn't move. Didn't blink.
Tenny stepped closer, frowning. "Hey... you alright?"
Still nothing.
Kaelen's hand hovered in the air, unsure whether to reach out again or step back. The girl's lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.
And then—
She shivered. A subtle tremor, like a cold wind had brushed over her. Her eyes flickered, confusion clouding them as she seemed to snap back to herself.
She blinked, and for the first time, really looked at them.
Kaelen watched her closely. The confusion, the fear—it was there, but she hid it quickly. Too quickly.
"I—I'm sorry," she said, her voice tight, too controlled. "I wasn't looking."
Kaelen frowned but nodded. "It's... alright. My fault too."
But she was already stepping back, shaking her head slightly as though clearing it of something unseen.
"No harm done," she said quickly, avoiding their eyes. She took another step back, her movements stiff, awkward.
"You sure you're okay?" Tenny asked again, his brow furrowed.
"I'm fine," she said too fast, too sharp. "Just startled."
But Kaelen wasn't convinced. There was something wrong. Something about the way she kept glancing past them, like expecting to see something—or someone—else.
And then, she was turning, walking away before either of them could say more.
Her steps were brisk, hurried. Almost like she was running from something.
Kaelen watched her retreating figure, unease coiling in his stomach.
"Strange," Tenny muttered, watching her go.
Kaelen didn't answer.
"Who was that?" Tenny asked after a pause.
Kaelen shook his head. "I don't know."
But her face was already burned into his mind. The way her body froze, the way her eyes stared straight through him.
Like she'd seen something terrifying.
Something he couldn't understand.
"Could be one of those girls who got crazy as a result of long-suffering", Tenny said
I agree, Kaelen responded...
---
Sena stood still, her breath shallow, the lingering shadow of the vision pressing against her thoughts. She blinked, hoping to shake off the haze, but the image clung stubbornly—vivid and strange. A boy standing in darkness. A circle surrounding him, marked with symbols that meant nothing to her but pulsed with a strange weight. His heart had been clear like glass, and inside it, countless glowing gems shimmered like stars. They were the only light in the vision, casting an eerie glow across the void.
She swallowed hard, her gaze dropping to the dirt beneath her feet. What... was that? The moment still felt unreal, like a dream that had clawed its way into waking life. But it couldn't be real. She wasn't... special. She didn't have powers. She wasn't like those people from the upper sides who claimed strange abilities.
So why had she seen it?
The boy. That boy in the vision. His face had been hidden in shadow, but his build—the shape of his shoulders, his stance... It felt eerily similar to the one who had just bumped into her. That boy. The one who'd apologized so quickly before vanishing like a shadow.
But no. That couldn't be. She shook her head, biting her lip. It's not him. It can't be. There were many boys with that same frame, same height. Why would it be him?
Still, the question gnawed at her.
Who is he?
And more than that—what had just happened? Why did the moment he touched her send that strange vision crashing into her mind?
Sena rubbed her temple, as if the pressure could force clarity to come. What did I just see? Why now? What does it mean?
The symbols in the circle—it was like they were trying to say something, but she didn't understand the language. She didn't even know if it was a language.
And the heart… the gems. Why were they inside the boy? Why were they the only light in that suffocating darkness?
Sena glanced back over her shoulder, as if the boy might still be there, lingering in the shadows. But the path was empty, quiet.
What just happened to me?
Her pulse quickened. Questions spun like a storm in her mind, none with answers. The world felt unsteady, like the ground beneath her feet could split at any moment.
Why did I see that?
And what scared her the most wasn't just the vision, but the fact that part of her didn't want to forget it. Part of her wanted to know more. To understand. To find that boy.
Not because she thought it was him in the vision. No. She wasn't that reckless.
But because maybe, just maybe, finding him could explain what had just torn through her mind.
---
Right in Kamau's mansion, on the 5th floor, Kato's room was as cold as the rest of the estate. Stone walls, a single window, a bed that felt more like a cage. He sat on its edge, staring at the darkened glass. Outside, the world lay beyond reach, and yet his mind wandered there—into the slums, into the lives he wasn't supposed to care about.
He remembered the faces. The ones who looked at him with fear, with hatred, but also with a kind of hope. The hope that maybe, just maybe, someone like him would care.
But what could he do, really? A son born into power, yet chained by it?
The door creaked open behind him, soft and hesitant. Nyasha.
She stepped in, her shadow stretching across the floor. For a moment, she just stood there, watching him. Watching her brother who refused to bend, even as the world tried to break him.
"I brought this,"