The morning sun was a stark contrast to the oppressive darkness of the midnight meeting.
Kael walked toward school, his thoughts a tangled mess of ancient treaties and modern mysteries. Suddenly, a heavy hand clamped onto the back of his neck. Kael winced, spinning around.
"What are you doing, bro? That actually hurts!"
Tatsuka was grinning at him, his violet eyes dancing with a playful light that didn't quite reach the depths of his pupils. "Don't worry so much, Kael. Just checking if you were awake."
Behind him, Shiya was waiting quietly. Kael's irritation vanished as he waved his hand. "Shiya!"
"Hi, Kael," she replied softly, a faint smile touching her lips.
Tatsuka watched the two of them with an unreadable expression. "Did both of you forget I was standing here?"
"We're sorry!" they replied in unison, feeling a strange surge of nerves under Tatsuka's gaze.
As they reached the school gates, Kael adjusted his bag. "So, it's April 1st. New session, new start."
Shiya tilted her head, her eyes scanning Kael's face. "Kael... how old are you now, exactly?"
"I'm seven," Kael answered, curious. "Why do you ask?"
She looked down at her shoes, her voice trailing off. "No... nothing."
### The Silent Disturbance
Suddenly, a raspy voice vibrated inside Kael's skull—a frequency only he could hear.
*"Kael! Stay alert. I'm sensing something unusual... a presence. Not quite a demon, not quite a shadow. Something... else."*
Kael kept his face neutral, responding through telepathy. *"What do you think it is?"*
*"I'm not sure,"* Dark Smiler replied, sounding uncharacteristically confused. *"It's like a void where mana should be."*
Kael looked at the road ahead, his eyes hardening. *"The Treaty... do you think it's been broken? Or are they just deceiving the Gods while they search for their lost Lord?"*
As they stepped into the classroom, Kael felt the weight of a dozen gazes. He was used to the stares—his shock of white hair and golden eyes were impossible to ignore—but today, the attention was split. Beside him, Tatsuka stood with vibrant blue hair and violet eyes, looking like a prince of some forgotten realm.
Shiya had already taken a seat on a middle bench, staring straight ahead and avoiding eye contact with anyone. Kael and Tatsuka moved to the row in front of her.
The teacher entered and wrote **Session 2057-2058** on the board. She glanced at the trio—Shiya, Tatsuka, and Kael—the three anomalies sitting in a perfect line.
"Shiya, is something wrong?" Kael whispered, leaning back toward her desk.
She jumped slightly, her hands clenching. "Why do you think that?"
"You're not looking at me," Kael said softly. "Not directly."
"It's nothing," she insisted, but her eyes remained fixed on her notebook.
### The Shadow on the Roof
The school day ended without incident, but the walk home felt different. When Kael finally reached his street and found himself alone, he looked up.
A shadow was perched on the edge of a rooftop, staring down at him with an intensity that made the hair on his arms stand up.
Dark Smiler manifested in his physical form, his hood pulled low. He kept his head bowed, hiding his void-like eyes from the world. "Kael... that shadow wants something from us."
"But why?" Kael asked, his brow furrowing. "What could a shadow want?"
Dark Smiler looked up, his voice grim. "Shadows only want one thing: a host. They seek out humans who possess their own latent power. They want to feast on what's inside you."
"What power do I even have?" Kael muttered, but he didn't get an answer.
He reached his house and went to his room, glancing out the window. His heart stopped. The sky was pitch black—not the black of night, but the black of a vacuum. No stars, no moon. It was a void. Yet, when he ran to the window in the next room, the sky was perfectly normal, painted with the colors of a setting sun.
"Cursed... what is this?"
Dark Smiler manifested again, staring at the localized darkness. "I don't know. This is a first for me."
"Then who was it?" Kael asked, his voice shaking.
"Who knows?" Dark Smiler replied darkly.
### The Intruder
Later that evening, the front door opened. Tatsuka walked in as if he owned the place.
The moment Tatsuka stepped over the threshold, Kael noticed the window in his room instantly returned to normal. The void vanished. Kael, lying on his bed, watched this with wide eyes.
"Dark Smiler! Look at that! The moment he arrived, the sky changed!"
Dark Smiler's voice was sharp with shock. *"There are more creatures in this world than even I understand, Kael. Things far beyond your current knowledge."*
Tatsuka entered Kael's room, his eyes scanning the space. For a split second, his gaze locked onto the spot where Dark Smiler was sitting. Tatsuka closed his eyes and opened them again—Dark Smiler had vanished back into Kael's soul.
"Hi, Tatsuka," Kael said, trying to act natural.
Tatsuka raised an eyebrow, his gaze lingering on the empty chair. "Was there someone else in here with you?"
Kael nodded slowly. "Yes..."
"Who was he?" Tatsuka asked, his voice low. "And where did he go? How did he vanish like that?"
Kael stood up and placed a hand on Tatsuka's shoulder, a light, cryptic smile playing on his lips. "Bro, first of all, let's sit down. Why did you come over so suddenly?"
Tatsuka sighed, relenting for the moment. "So you're not going to tell me. Fine."
As Tatsuka turned to walk toward the living room, Kael remained standing in the center of the room. He watched his friend's back, and for a fleeting second, the warmth left his face.
His golden eyes shifted—the light in them died out, turning into two cold, calculating orbs of pure power. The transformation lasted only a moment, but in that moment, the "child" was gone.
The game had truly begun.