The school bell rang in the distance as I sprinted through the gate, half out of breath and running on maybe three hours of sleep.
"Kiro! You're late again," a familiar voice called out behind me.
I turned to see Steven jogging to catch up, his uniform perfectly ironed and his backpack slung over one shoulder like it weighed nothing. Lucky him.
"Yeah," I said, forcing a smile, "My part-time shift ran long. Again. But don't worry—I've got instant noodles and energy drinks in reserve."
Steven frowned. "You're going to burn out. I thought your parents were covering your school fees. Why work yourself to death?"
I slowed down, the smile fading from my face. "They are. Sort of. My parents, and a few people from the village—they all pitched in to get me here. Some gave up more than they should've. I owe it to them to make this count."
Steven didn't say anything at first. He just looked at me for a second, then sighed.
"I get it. Just… don't forget to take care of yourself too."
I gave him a nod. "Thanks. Now come on—before the teacher locks us out again."
---
As class began, the teacher's voice faded into the background, blending with the dull hum of the ceiling fan and the occasional shuffle of papers. My mind was focused on only one thing—sleep.
I fought it at first. Blinked hard. Shifted in my seat. But each second felt heavier than the last, and soon my head sank onto the desk.
Just a second, I told myself. Just a blink.
Then—a sharp whisper broke through the fog.
"Hey, man. You're in big trouble."
I peeled one eye open to see Steven crouched slightly beside me, trying to stay hidden from view. His voice was urgent.
"The teacher's staring right at you."
I shot up straight in my seat—too late.
"Kiro," Mr. Han said, voice like cold steel. "Care to repeat what I just explained?"
My mind scrambled. "Uh… photosynthesis?"
Laughter rippled through the room.
"This is literature," Mr. Han said, deadpan. "See me after class."
I stared down at my desk. Steven nudged a candy toward me. I gave him a half-hearted nod.
When the bell finally rang for recess, I braced for punishment. But Mr. Han just gave me a long, tired look and said, "Go."
Outside, I slumped onto a bench. Steven joined me, handing over a bottle of water.
"You've gotta sleep, man."
"I know," I muttered. "But I can't stop. Not when so many people gave up so much for me to be here."
He didn't argue. Just looked out across the courtyard and said, "Why don't we play? The boys are already out there warming up."
I shook my head and waved him off. "Nah. You go ahead. I think I might just eat and watch some podcast shows."
Steven gave me a look. "Let me guess—the one from that weirdo who thinks witches are real?"
"Yeah," I said, cracking a smile. "You know that stuff's not real, right?"
"Sure," he said, grinning. "But he is funny."
"Exactly."
Steven stood, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Alright then. I'm heading to the field. Try not to fall asleep again."
I gave him a lazy salute, then pulled out my phone.
---
"Oh, the guy's live," Kiro thought, tapping on his phone. He plugged in his earphones and leaned back on the bench as the stream began.
The screen lit up with the familiar face of Raymond, wild-eyed and talking fast.
> "I told you guys! Witches are real—and now they've struck again! And no, this isn't like last time with a few people missing here and there. This is a full-scale massacre."
The chat exploded.
> user124: Witches again, bro? Can't you come up with anything new? I just watch 'cause you're funny.
memeLord: Yeah same. If it's a 'massacre' how come I haven't heard anything about it?
skylineGhost: You said it's a village… what village? Does this place even have a name?
Raymond waved a hand at the screen.
> "Chill, chill, I'm getting the report now. There's some network lag on my end…"
> user007: Yeah, yeah. Lame excuse. I actually almost believed you this time.
Raymond looked down at something off-screen, then back up.
> "Wait. The name's coming in… It's… Ashton Village. Located east of Termival. Ashton Village."
Kiro froze.
> Wait… Ashton Village?
That's… that's my village. That's where Mom and Dad are.
A cold shiver crawled down his spine.
> No. No, no, no. It can't be. He must be lying—just another stunt for views.
With shaking fingers, Kiro typed in the chat:
> Kiro: You're joking, right? That can't be real.
Raymond stared directly into the camera.
> "You don't believe me? You think I'm lying? Then check KTV News. They're already reporting it—labeling it a 'terrorist attack.'"
Time slowed. Kiro could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears.
> No… it's just a joke. A bad one. It has to be.
He exited the app and opened KTV News. A paywall blocked the full article, but he didn't even blink. He tapped to pay and scrolled.
There it was.
"BREAKING: Village East of Termival Reduced to Rubble in Suspected Terrorist Attack."
Images loaded: collapsed homes. Fires. Smoke. Aerial footage showed the shattered remains of what was once his home.
Then—words painted in red across the center of the village:
"They didn't put up much of a fight."
His breath caught. His mind went blank.
The feed cut off.
He knew.
This wasn't terrorism. This wasn't fake.
Whatever it was—it was real.
---
Kiro jumped to his feet. The world around him blurred.
The prefect called out, "Hey, Kiro! Mr. Han wants to—"
But Kiro didn't stop. He shoved past them all, straight to his classroom, grabbed his bag, and bolted out of the building.
His legs moved on instinct. His thoughts were scattered.
> It's a prank.
The news is in on it.
It's all fake. It has to be.
He didn't stop running until he reached the train station.
And even then, the only thing on his mind was one thought—
> Mom… Dad… please be okay.