(1st POV)
I feel my heart pounding in my chest as I follow my mom down the narrow hallway of our house. My legs are moving faster than my brain, my thoughts all jumbled up. What's going on? Why are these people here? And why does it feel like the air's thick with danger?
[Warning: The entity approaching has an unknown level of power. Caution advised.]
The system's voice is like a cold bucket of water, snapping me out of my haze. Great. This is exactly what I need right now—more reason to panic.
"Mom," I whisper urgently, but she doesn't even glance back at me. Her expression is hard, focused. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was preparing for something big.
Did she know this was going to happen?
I swallow hard, trying to keep my mind clear. But as I glance out the window again, my breath catches in my throat. The silver-haired man is almost at the door. His presence sends chills up my spine.
I've seen people like him in stories, in anime and fanfics—heroes, villains, the kinds of characters who could snap their fingers and change the world. And I'm pretty sure this guy isn't the hero.
"Seo," my mom says suddenly, her voice low and urgent. "I need you to listen to me very carefully. This is important. Do exactly as I say, no questions."
I nod, my throat dry. My mom's always been the calm one, the one who handles everything without a hitch. But this? This feels different. The stakes are higher, the air more dangerous.
"Pack a bag," she continues. "We're leaving. Now."
I grab the nearest bag I can find—my school backpack—and shove it full of whatever I can grab. Clothes. Snacks. My favorite comic book. Everything feels oddly... normal. Like this is some sort of drill. But I can't shake the feeling that whatever's coming, it's going to change everything.
I barely finish packing when the door bursts open.
"Seo Kwan," a voice calls out, smooth and commanding. It's the silver-haired man.
I freeze. He's standing there, tall and intimidating, his eyes scanning the room like he's looking for something—or someone.
"Your mother," he says, voice dripping with disdain, "She's been a thorn in my side for too long."
I feel my breath catch in my throat. What does he mean by that?
Before I can ask, my mom steps forward, blocking me with her body. Her eyes are narrowed, and her stance is steady, like she's been in this kind of situation before.
"Move, Xin Sheng," she says, her voice cold and firm. "You're not welcome here."
The man—Xin Sheng, apparently—smirks, but it's not a friendly one. It's the kind of smile that makes your skin crawl.
"I've been patient," he says, his voice almost a whisper, but I can hear the threat in every syllable. "But I'm done waiting."
A sudden, overwhelming sense of dread fills the room, and I can feel it in my bones. The tension is so thick it's suffocating.
"Mom," I say, my voice barely above a whisper. "What's going on?"
She doesn't answer at first, her gaze locked on the man in front of her. Then, she turns to me, her face softening for a split second before hardening again.
"Seo, listen to me," she says, her voice low. "You're not just any ordinary boy. You were born into a world of power, of secrets. But you don't need to know all that right now. What matters is that we need to leave. We can't stay here any longer."
"But—"
"Not now," she interrupts, her voice a warning. "We're out of time."
The silver-haired man's smile widens, his eyes glinting with malice. "So, you're finally ready to face the truth."
Before I can even react, my mom grabs my arm and pulls me toward the back door.
I barely have time to think before we're outside, the cool night air rushing past us. My heart is still racing, my mind struggling to process everything that's happening.
"Where are we going?" I ask, trying to keep up with her hurried pace.
"We'll be safe," she says, but I can hear the uncertainty in her voice. "We need to get to the rendezvous point. They can protect you."
"Who?" I ask, but she doesn't answer.
We reach the end of the alley, and that's when I hear it—the sound of footsteps, multiple ones, closing in behind us. My eyes dart to the street, where more figures appear, shadows moving with purpose.
I stop dead in my tracks. "Mom, who are they?"
But she doesn't have time to answer. She pulls me along faster, her grip tight around my wrist. I can hear the sound of breathing close behind us, growing louder.
Suddenly, I feel a strange pull, like something's calling me—no, like someone's watching me. The familiar sensation from earlier creeps up again.
The system's voice buzzes in my mind.
[Warning: Unknown energy signatures detected. Host is not in a safe environment.]
I barely process it when a figure steps out of the shadows ahead of us. It's another man, but this one is different—dressed in strange robes and carrying a staff. He looks at us with an unreadable expression.
"Seo Kwan," he says, his voice low, but full of power. "You've come a long way. But your journey is just beginning."
I glance at my mom, who's now standing in front of me, protecting me once again.
"Who are you?" she demands.
He doesn't answer right away. Instead, he smiles softly, like he knows something we don't.
"We'll talk later," he says cryptically. "But for now, you need to trust me."
And just like that, the world around us shifts. Time seems to slow, and the atmosphere grows heavier.
I don't know who this guy is, but if he's anything like the rest of them, we're in deeper trouble than I thought.
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