Amari had thought so hard about what he'd seen that he eventually fell asleep.
When he woke up the next morning, he ran outside, desperate to see if the force field was still there.
It was.
The shimmering dome stretched over the village, and the hole remained—right above the school.
Amari frowned. Maybe… maybe that hole appeared when the monster destroyed the school.
But then another thought struck him. Am I the only one who can even see this?
He hurried into the village, approaching a few of the townsfolk. "Do you… do you see it? The force field around the village? And the hole above the school?"
They gave him confused looks. Some whispered to each other. Others turned away as if he was insane. Not one person said yes.
His chest tightened. So I really am the only one who can see it…
Then, out of nowhere, a voice cut through his thoughts.
"Are you crazy?"
Amari spun around. The mysterious man from before was standing there, his expression sharp.
"You want people to know about your powers? About your eyes?" he snapped. "Idiot!"
Amari clenched his fists. "So what?"
The man stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Your eyes are rare. They only come from one family. And one of your family members… was from that family."
Amari's mind swirled. Family? He shook his head. "That's… hard to believe. I've been here my whole life, surrounded by these people. They all feel like family to me."
The man's eyes softened slightly. "I get what you're saying. But listen—we can't talk about this out here. It's too dangerous. Let's go back to your house."
"Dangerous?" Amari asked, his voice rising.
"I'll explain later," the man muttered, already turning.
Once they arrived back at Amari's house, Amari couldn't hold back anymore. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, DANGEROUS?!"
The man finally met his eyes. "If people knew about your eyes and your powers, they'd come for you. They'd try to kill you. And I think that's exactly what that monster was trying to do."
Amari's breath caught. "Wait—people coming after me? Why? And how would that monster even know about my powers if I didn't unlock them until now?"
The man shook his head. "I don't know. But…" He leaned in, his voice deadly serious. "That force field—you can see it, can't you?"
Amari nodded. "Yeah. Can you see it too?"
"Yes. Only people with powers can." The man's gaze hardened. "I heard that thirteen years ago, someone placed a powerful barrier around this village. It was meant to keep a special baby safe."
Amari's heart pounded in his chest. "A… baby?"
The man nodded slowly. "And I think… that baby was you."
Amari staggered back, his mind reeling. "What is going on in my life right now…?"