(1st POV)
I wish I could say I was handling this whole "mysterious enemies chasing me through the night" thing like a pro. You know, cool, calm, collected, the kind of kid who just shrugs off life-threatening danger and casually sips on a smoothie while plotting world domination. But no. I'm pretty sure my heart is beating out of my chest like a drumline from hell, and I'm not even sure my legs are still attached to my body at this point.
Mom's still by my side, pulling me forward, but now she's even more tense than before, her eyes flicking over every shadow as if expecting someone—or something—at every corner.
"Stay close," she orders, her voice lower now, more urgent. Something about it sends a chill straight to my spine.
I nod, though I'm not sure how much longer I can keep up the pace. My lungs are screaming, and my legs feel like they're about to give out. Then, of course, my stupid shoes decide to betray me and trip me up. I'm sent crashing forward, palms skidding across the rough asphalt.
Before I can even groan in frustration, Mom's hand is on my back, steadying me. She doesn't say anything—just a quick squeeze of reassurance—and then we're running again, like we never stopped.
I'm not sure what exactly we're running from anymore. The creepy staff guy? The silver-haired freak? Or is there something bigger lurking in the shadows?
The world feels so much heavier tonight, and it's not just the sprinting. It's like... everything's changing around me, and I'm barely holding on. The weight of my mother's protection is suddenly so much more real, like I can feel it deep in my bones, even though she's been hiding this whole other side of her for who knows how long.
[Host's vitals stable. Current threat level: High.]
Thanks, system. You're real comforting right now.
We round another corner, but I don't recognize this alley. The buildings are taller, the streetlights dimmer, and the air feels... wrong. My skin prickles, a sense of unease crawling over me like a second skin. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I glance up at Mom, but she's not even looking at me anymore—her gaze is fixed on something ahead.
Suddenly, there's a loud crash from behind us, and my heart skips a beat.
I turn just in time to see two figures, moving fast—so fast they almost blur in the dim light. One's the silver-haired guy, Xin Sheng, and the other is someone I don't recognize, tall and imposing with a cloak that swirls like it has a mind of its own. I swear the air around them feels colder, heavier.
"Mom!" I gasp, stumbling back. "What's happening?!"
She doesn't answer right away. Instead, she moves with that same urgency, pulling me toward a narrow alleyway on the left. "This way," she hisses, voice strained. "We can't let them catch us."
But I'm not sure how much longer I can keep up. I'm five years old. I shouldn't be running like this. I shouldn't even be involved in whatever the heck is happening.
Before I can even process my thoughts, the air crackles again. The strange energy from before pulses, like it's building up, gathering force. And then—just as I'm about to ask what the hell is going on—time seems to slow.
The world goes still.
[Warning: Distortion detected.]
I feel it, deep in my bones. A pressure, a pull, something ancient, powerful, and far too familiar. The air around us begins to shimmer, and I know, I know, something is about to happen.
"Get down!" Mom yells suddenly, shoving me to the ground just as a blinding flash of light erupts from ahead.
For a split second, the world is pure white. I can't see, I can't breathe—everything is swallowed by this unbearable brilliance. And then—
Darkness.
---
I wake up on my back, staring up at a sky I don't recognize. It's not the city skyline. It's not even the usual stars I see on a clear night. This sky is... different. Bigger. Infinite.
My head throbs, and the world spins a little as I try to sit up. Everything feels wrong, out of place. I look around, and the first thing I notice is the deep silence. No streetlights. No sounds of the city. Just... stillness.
And then I see her.
Mom's crouched beside me, her face grim. But she's not alone. Standing in front of us, blocking our path, is a figure—a man, with a strange aura. His robes glow with an eerie light, and he holds a staff. Not like the one from before, no. This one is more... ancient. Powerful.
He looks down at me, his eyes unreadable. "Seo Kwan," he says, voice deep and timeless. "You have crossed into a different path. The path you were never meant to walk."
I can feel the tension in the air, thick and suffocating. My pulse quickens, and I want to ask a million questions—What does he mean? Where are we? Why do I feel like I'm standing on the edge of something I'm not ready for?
But before I can speak, Mom moves, stepping in front of me once again. "You are not taking him," she says, and this time her voice is harder than I've ever heard it.
The man tilts his head, his lips curling into a faint, knowing smile. "Do you think you can stop what's already begun?" he asks.
I don't understand his words, not really. But something inside me, something that's been quiet for so long, stirs.
There's a deep ache in my chest, a tugging, like something has been unlocked. A power that wasn't there before, or maybe a memory—something from another life, another time. Something that feels... familiar.
Mom's hand is on my shoulder again, grounding me. "Stay behind me," she commands, but I can feel the pull of whatever is happening in the air.
[Host's power signature detected. Unauthorized energy spike.]
I don't know what that means, but it doesn't matter. I feel it. The change. The shift. Whatever I've become, whatever my mother has kept hidden from me, it's coming to light.
And this time, I'm not sure I can hide from it anymore.
---