Ryosuke walked through the streets of his neighborhood, his bag slung over his shoulder, his body weighed down by the exhaustion of travel. The shadows of the evening were stretching out, and the lights in the neighboring houses flickered on one by one. He glanced at his watch: just past 5 PM.
As he approached his street, a familiar voice interrupted him.
"Hey, Ryosuke!"
He looked up and saw one of his high school buddies coming towards him with a grin. Alongside him were three more friends he knew well.
"Where've you been, man?" his friend asked, catching up to him. "We've been gaming at my place all day. You should've come! It was epic."
Ryosuke cracked a smile. If only they knew, he thought. I just lived through what you guys were playing.
There was a brief silence as he searched for something to say without raising too many questions.
"Ah, sorry," he finally said. "I was tied up. Maybe next time."
Tomoya nodded, a bit disappointed. "No worries, man. Next time you gotta join. It was amazing, I swear."
Ryosuke gave a casual wave and continued on his way as his friends headed in a different direction.
Finally, he arrived at his house. He entered quietly, trying not to make too much noise, but the voices coming from the living room betrayed the presence of his family.
"Ryosuke, is that you?" his mother called from the living room.
"Yeah, it's me," he replied, slipping off his shoes at the entrance.
Peeking his head around the doorframe, he saw his mom sitting on the couch, a cup of tea in her hand, while his little sister sat next to her, engrossed in a TV show.
"Where were you this morning that you're just getting back now?" his mom asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and concern.
Ryosuke shrugged. "Just went for a walk... around the neighborhood."
"Doesn't look like it was just the neighborhood," she replied, frowning. "You know it's not safe, Ryosuke. There are risks, especially with everything going on these days. You really need to be more careful."
He nodded. "Yeah, I know, I'll be more careful, Mom."
He headed toward the kitchen but paused at the door to ask, "Is there anything to eat?"
Sayuri burst out laughing, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I almost ate your plate, but luckily, I thought of Yuri, or else your dinner would've been gone!"
She held up their little kitten, and Ryosuke couldn't help but chuckle as he shook his head. "Nice save, Yuri. You just rescued my dinner."
He grabbed a quick plate from the kitchen before heading upstairs to his room.
Once inside, he dropped his bag and stretched out long and hard.
His bed, with its soft blankets, suddenly seemed like the most inviting thing in the world. He collapsed onto it with a sigh of relief, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.
It had been a long day, but strangely satisfying. His thoughts briefly drifted to the Scourge he had faced, the territory he had expanded, and the moment he trapped the creature in the black pearl. A small smile tugged at his lips at the memory.
A truly satisfying experience, he thought. He didn't know exactly why, but there was a thrill in knowing he had taken down something so powerful.
His eyelids began to grow heavy. But before he drifted off to sleep, a thought crossed his mind: he needed knowledge. He had understood his power and had even tested it, but he felt limited by his lack of knowledge. He needed to learn more to fully harness his abilities.
But for now, all of that could wait. Ryosuke closed his eyes, finally letting the fatigue take over.
The next morning, Ryosuke woke to the sun already high in the sky.
It was Sunday.
He stretched lazily in bed, savoring the peaceful quiet around him.
But he knew that even though his body craved rest, his mind wasn't fully at ease. His thoughts kept returning to what he had discovered the day before: his power, as impressive as it was, was bound by his own understanding of the world around him. He lacked knowledge.
Though his strength seemed vast, he had no idea how to fully tap into it. It frustrated him. How could he hope to unlock his full potential without understanding the laws governing the elements he wielded?
TO BE CONTINUED!
Next Chapter: Becoming a Mad Scientist