One day remained before the first official day of school.
That afternoon passed slowly, almost lazily, as if time itself had decided to take a break.
The sky was covered in soft layers of gray-white clouds. Not heavy enough to feel oppressive, yet not clear enough to feel bright. A gentle breeze drifted through the air, cool and refreshing, rustling the leaves of the tree standing in front of the boys' small house.
The wooden door creaked open.
Creak…
Duke stepped outside, stretching his arms high above his head before letting out a long breath.
"…It's peaceful today."
He inhaled deeply, letting the clean air fill his lungs.
For a moment, everything felt… still.
After everything that had happened over the past month….the brutal survival test, the chaos, the blessings…this kind of quiet felt almost unreal.
Too rare.
Too fragile.
Then…
his gaze shifted.
Under the large tree in front of the house… someone was there.
Duke narrowed his eyes.
"…Kai?"
He stepped down from the porch.
"Hey, Kai!"
Kai turned his head, slightly surprised.
"Hm? What is it?"
As Duke walked closer, the scene became clearer.
Scattered across the ground were pieces of wood, nails, and simple tools. A hammer lay nearby. Several planks had already been assembled into a rough structure—something that vaguely resembled a table, though still unfinished.
Duke raised an eyebrow.
"…What are you doing?"
Kai didn't look up. He picked up the hammer and continued working.
Clack. Clack.
"I'm making a table and chairs," he said casually.
The steady rhythm of hammering filled the air.
Duke crossed his arms.
"…And why?"
Kai paused for a brief second and glanced around.
"The shade here feels nice," he said simply. "If the three of us could sit here together… I think it'd be pretty great."
Duke stared at him for a moment.
Then let out a short, dry laugh.
"…You're an idiot."
He shook his head slightly.
But then his tone shifted.
"…You're worried, aren't you?"
The hammer stopped mid-air.
Silence.
Kai didn't respond immediately.
"What do you mean?" he asked after a moment.
Duke turned away, taking a few slow steps, but continued speaking.
"I know you don't like stepping out of your comfort zone," he said. "But this isn't our old world anymore."
His voice was calm, but firm.
"The only realistic thing we can do… is accept it and keep moving forward."
He paused briefly.
"…one more day."
Kai said nothing.
He lowered his head again and resumed hammering.
Clack. Clack. Clack.
The sound came faster now.
Sharper.
As if he was trying to drown out something else entirely.
Duke watched him for a few seconds, then exhaled quietly.
"…I'm heading back inside."
Before he could leave—
Kai spoke.
"Where's Mike?"
Duke answered without turning back.
"He went to work."
"I told him to buy some stuff on the way back. He'll probably be late."
Kai gave a small nod.
"…Got it."
Duke walked back inside.
The door closed behind him.
And just like that…
the outside world fell silent again.
Only the wind…
and the sound of hammering remained.
A while later….
Kai stopped.
He set the hammer down and let out a long breath.
Sweat ran down his cheek, dripping slowly to his collar.
He leaned back against the tree, letting his body relax.
From where he sat, he could see the sky clearly.
Clouds drifted lazily across the vast expanse above.
So wide.
So distant.
It made him feel… small.
Kai closed his eyes for a brief second, then opened them again.
Worried?
A faint smirk appeared on his lips.
"…Don't make me laugh."
His mind drifted.
Back to the library.
Back to that moment.
And the headmaster's voice echoed faintly in his memory.
"I wish you all a bright future."
Kai stared at the sky.
"…School, huh."
"I wonder what we'll even learn…"
One more day…they would step into the academy for real.
A place full of unknowns.
New lessons.
New people.
And things that could completely change their lives.
Kai slowly raised his hand toward the sky.
From his perspective, it almost looked like he could grab the clouds.
"…Beautiful."
His voice was quiet.
"This peaceful view…"
"…feels familiar."
And then….
a memory surfaced.
Three students.
Standing on a rooftop.
Looking up at the sky just like this.
Day after day.
Kai's eyes softened.
"…I miss that."
He lowered his hand.
His gaze shifted to his palm.
"…Speaking of that…"
"I still don't even know how my blessing works."
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"…Control force, huh."
"At least tell me what 'force' even means."
He let out a quiet breath and shook his head.
"…If only it were something simple."
He tilted his head slightly.
"…like snapping your fingers."
He looked back up at the sky.
The clouds continued drifting, slow and indifferent.
Without thinking…
Kai raised his hand again.
His thumb and middle finger pressed together.
Click.
He snapped.
….
….
Boom.
The sound was small.
Not loud.
Not explosive.
But enough…
to completely shatter the silence.
Kai froze.
His eyes locked onto the sky.
The cloud above him…or rather, what used to be that cloud…was gone.
A massive gap had been carved through it, as if something invisible had pierced straight through the air.
The wind trembled.
The space itself seemed to distort for just a split second.
Kai stood there.
Motionless.
His brain… hadn't caught up yet.
Then…something else hit him, A strange feeling.
Unfamiliar, Yet deeply familiar at the same time.
Kai slowly looked down.
His hand…
was shaking.
A droplet fell.
…tap.
Blood.
His eyes widened.
He raised his hand in front of his face.
The tips of his fingers…were torn open.
The skin had been peeled away, exposing raw flesh beneath, as if something had ripped through it violently.
Blood dripped down, one drop at a time.
Kai couldn't move, His heart started pounding, mind went blank.
"…What…"
His voice came out hoarse.
"…the hell…?"