"Kai…"
The voice continued to echo inside Kai's head. Along with it came the image of someone who looked exactly like his mother, standing beneath the rain the previous night. Everything kept replaying in his mind like a nightmare with no end.
"Kai…"
"…Kai…"
Kai frowned slightly, his hands unconsciously tightening around the blanket.
"No… go away… please…"
"KAI!"
Kai jolted awake, breathing heavily. His head throbbed violently, sharp pains shooting through his temples as he instinctively clutched his head.
Duke and Mike were sitting beside his bed, both wearing deeply worried expressions.
Kai blinked several times before looking around the room.
"I… when did I get into bed…?"
Duke looked at him, his voice serious.
"You… don't remember what happened last night?"
Kai froze.
He tried to recall everything, but his memories only surfaced in scattered fragments. He remembered the rain. He remembered the voice repeatedly calling his name. He remembered the figure standing beneath the tree and his mother's face.
But everything that happened afterward was gone, as though someone had simply erased it from his memory.
Kai slowly shook his head.
"What… happened?"
Mike sighed before speaking.
"Duke and I were sleeping when we suddenly heard someone screaming outside. We ran out and found you unconscious on the grass. Your eyes and nose were bleeding like crazy."
Duke continued.
"We had to carry you back inside."
Kai instinctively touched the bridge of his nose. A dull pain still lingered there.
His eyes wandered around the room as if searching for something. He looked exhausted, as though he hadn't gotten a proper night's sleep in days.
Duke called out softly.
"Hey… Kai."
Kai turned toward him.
Duke took a deep breath before speaking.
"I need you to be honest with us. Something's going on with you, isn't it?"
Kai was slightly taken aback before forcing a weak smile.
"Nothing's going on… I just went outside to get some fresh air last night and I guess I caught a chill or something and passed out."
Mike immediately shook his head.
"Kai… we've been friends with you for almost ten years. Stop lying. You've never been good at it."
Duke stared directly at Kai.
"You're hiding something from us, aren't you? If you are, then just tell us."
Kai lowered his head and let out a quiet sigh. A bitter laugh escaped his lips before quickly fading away.
"Of course…"
He remained silent for a few seconds before continuing.
"I've been secretly experimenting with my power these past few days… and I've figured out a few things."
Mike and Duke exchanged confused glances.
"You mean you've been experimenting with your Blessing?" Mike asked.
"The ability to control forces or whatever it is, right?" Duke added.
Kai nodded slightly.
"Yeah… I realized that it allows me to control practically any kind of force that exists."
Duke frowned.
"Any kind of force? What exactly do you mean?"
Kai glanced toward the bedroom door, which was still open.
"See that door?"
Mike and Duke turned toward it and nodded.
"So?"
Kai slowly raised his hand toward the door.
Immediately, the door began to close on its own, as though an invisible force were pushing it.
Mike's eyes widened.
"You… you just closed it?"
Kai nodded.
"Yeah. I used a pushing force on the door to make it close."
Duke fell silent for a moment before asking,
"Does your Blessing have any limitations?"
Kai let out a mocking laugh.
"Limitations…?"
The smile quickly disappeared.
He looked down at his hands before slowly speaking.
"I'm the limitation."
Mike and Duke both looked confused.
Kai continued.
"I can only use this power for extremely simple things. If I try to push beyond what my body can handle, my own Blessing will crush me first."
Duke immediately remembered the time Kai had returned with both arms covered in bandages.
"So that time when you showed up with both your arms covered in bandages…"
Kai nodded.
"Yeah… I pushed it a little too far."
He gave a bitter, self-mocking smile.
"Last night was the same."
Mike spoke softly.
"Kai…"
Kai lowered his gaze toward the floor.
"I feel like this Blessing doesn't just affect my body…"
"…it affects my mind too."
Mike and Duke fell silent.
Kai continued.
"I've started hearing voices that aren't there."
"I've started seeing things that nobody else can see."
"I don't know what's real anymore… and what isn't."
He gave another bitter laugh.
"Figures… no matter where I am, no matter what happens… I'm still just a useless piece of shit."
The room fell silent.
Neither of them said anything for several seconds.
Then Duke stepped forward and placed a hand on Kai's shoulder.
"So what if you are?"
Kai looked up at him.
"What do you mean?"
Duke smiled.
"You, me, and Mike survived that goddamn forest. You're still alive right now. If all that couldn't break you, then this won't either."
Mike stepped forward as well, placing a hand on Kai's other shoulder.
"Exactly. I believe you'll figure out how to overcome this and make use of that power."
Kai looked at his two friends.
For the first time in a long while, he felt the weight in his chest ease, if only slightly.
A small smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Thanks… guys."
Duke laughed loudly and slapped Kai on the back.
"Alright. Cheer up. Let's go get some breakfast, then get ready for school."
Kai nodded.
"Yeah."
Inside that small room, in the middle of a strange and unforgiving world, Kai still had no idea where his future would lead him.
His Blessing remained an enigma. The voices still haunted his mind.
But at least for now, he knew one thing—
He didn't have to face it all alone.