Chapter 1 – Morning Before the Change
Eryon opened his eyes. Sunlight fell through the window. The alarm on his desk rang. He stretched slowly. The room smelled faintly of coffee. He could hear birds outside. Today felt normal, just like any other day.
Before he could think, his mother called, "Eryon, breakfast is ready!"
"I'm getting up right now, Mom," he said.
He looked through his closet to pick some clothes and got dressed. Then he washed his teeth and face. After that, he went downstairs to get breakfast and grabbed his backpack.
"Morning, son," his mother said.
"Hey, Mom. What's for breakfast?"
"Bacon, sausage, eggs, and pancakes for you."
"Thanks, Mom. Aren't you going to say anything to Dad?"
"Oh, hey, Father. Sorry for that."
"No need for an apology, son. Are you sure you're ready for breakfast?"
"You know it's going to be good. Mom's cooking can probably feed the whole world," Eryon laughed.
"Yeah, for sure. But hurry, you're going to be late for school. What time is it?" his father asked.
"6:30," Eryon said.
"Oh shoot! The bus gets here at 7:00. It's an 8-minute walk — I need to hurry."
It took him about 15 minutes to eat. He grabbed his backpack and left the house.
At the bus stop, he saw his friend Mike.
"Hey, what's up, Mike?" Eryon asked.
"Hey, Eryon. What'd you do over the weekend?"
"Nothing really, just relaxed and played some video games."
"Same, bro. You saw the new Ghost of Tsushima?"
"Yeah, man. It's nice. I played all night and I'm only 55% done."
"I know, right?" Mike laughed. "But hey…"
The bus arrived. Eryon got on and saw his other friend, Liam.
"Yo, Liam! You saw the new—"
"The new Mystery Kids Gone?" Liam interrupted.
"Oh, right. But did you see the new Ghost of Tsushima?"
"Yeah, it's great, but I don't know if it's better than the first one."
"Who knows, man," Eryon said.
"Hey, Liam, you have a new girlfriend, right?"
"How'd you know?"
"In the group chat. Who sent you?"
"Henry, of course. He knows everything."
Henry was always like that — rich parents, but he never had his own money. His parents only gave him money for good grades.
School was almost over. Only three weeks left, so Eryon wasn't too worried.
Time passed. 5th period came and went. After school, Eryon was finally heading home.
But right before he could say anything, everything turned black.