Akero Nanami sat alone in the last row. History class dragged on, the teacher's words passing him by like a quiet hum. His gaze was fixed on the window, watching the gray clouds hanging over the city. The day promised rain.
The classroom was filled with quiet murmurs and occasional giggles. A group of boys in the front rows were cracking jokes, girls were nudging each other and showing pictures on their phones. No one said anything to Akero. They didn't even tease him – they simply ignored him.
Sometimes he thought it might be easier if they at least teased him. At least they would notice him. This way, there was only silence between him and the rest of the world.
Just another ordinary day, he thought and sighed quietly.
When the bell rang, the students rushed out like a torrent, laughter and conversation echoing through the hallway. Akero waited for everyone to leave, slowly packed his notebooks, and headed home.
The city was already soaked with rain. The lights of street lamps reflected on the wet asphalt, and the smell of ozone and dampness filled the streets. His footsteps echoed softly as he walked down the narrow path.
His hood was pulled over his head, and his hands were tucked into his pockets. His head was full of thoughts. He remembered the scene from the classroom – that group in the front row, their laughter. Something tightened in his chest.
Why can't I have what they have?
He had always wanted to find someone who would understand him. Someone he could confide in. Maybe even… a girlfriend. Even that thought pained him, because he knew no one would look at "the quiet weirdo from the back row."
The rain started to fall harder. The sound of drops hitting the asphalt was the only companion to his footsteps. Then he noticed – the street was too quiet. No sound of cars, no barking dogs, no rustling wind. Only his feet.
Why can't I have what they have?
He stopped abruptly.
And then it happened.
In front of him, just a few steps away, the ground shimmered as if someone had stirred it from beneath the surface. A light, dark and cold, began to emanate from a crack that spread in the air.
A sound like a deep, metallic wail filled the space, and Akero remained frozen.
The rift opened, expanding into an unnatural oval, and a figure stepped out of it. Its body was enveloped in a dark cloak, its face hidden by shadow, and the only thing visible were its eyes – red, glowing like embers.
"So, you are Akero Nanami," the figure said in a voice that echoed like a whisper in an empty church.
Akero recoiled, but he couldn't escape. His legs felt like lead.
"Who… who are you?" he barely managed to utter.
The figure laughed, a quiet, dark laugh.
"I am Vorath, servant of a being known as the Unknown – the king of the dead. I have come from another world to inform you: my master will destroy everything you hold dear."
Akero felt his stomach clench. Images of his mother, father, his small apartment, everything familiar to him, flashed through his mind. Anger and fear mixed within him.
"Why are you telling me this?" he blurted out.
Something in Akero broke. Anger, sadness, loneliness – everything erupted. His heart began to pound so hard that it echoed in his ears.
And then, suddenly, time stopped.
The sound of rain disappeared. A drop of water that had fallen from the roof remained suspended in the air, shimmering in the faint light of the street lamp. Akero looked around in astonishment, his hand still raised, as if he himself had stopped the world.
It lasted only three seconds, but that was enough.
"I was not mistaken," Vorath said with a smile when time resumed. "The Source has awakened."
Vorath stepped closer. "Listen carefully. My master gives you a choice. You have ten years to grow stronger. Ten years to learn to use your power. When the time is up, you will fight him. Do you accept?"
Akero was silent for a few moments. He was breathing heavily, and his hood was soaked with rain. He knew he had no other choice.
If he refused… the world he knew would disappear.
Slowly, he raised his head, a new determination burning in his eyes."If that's the only way to save everything I hold dear... I accept."
Vorath laughed, his smile sinister.
"Excellent. See you, Akero Nanami. In ten years."
The rift closed and silence returned.
Akero remained standing alone in the middle of the street, his hand still trembling. He looked at it and for a moment it seemed to him that he saw a pale blue symbol on his skin that flickered and disappeared.
In the distance, through the rain, he could hear Vorath's laughter slowly fading.
That night, Akero Nanami knew that his life would never be the same again.