It was the middle of the school day when Kenn first noticed it—something subtle, something that felt... wrong.
He sat in his usual spot at the back of the classroom, eyes cast downward over the textbook in front of him, though his mind was a thousand miles away. The hum of students around him, the sound of pens scratching paper, the faint murmur of whispers, all felt distant. Kenn wasn't antisocial, per se, but he preferred to watch rather than participate. There was a comfort in observing from the shadows, a way of understanding people without needing to interact with them.
His gaze flicked toward Lynn, who sat near the front, her long brown hair tumbling over her shoulders as she focused intently on the lesson. Kenn had always admired her calm, patient nature. She wasn't like the other students who wore their emotions on their sleeves—Lynn's demeanor was steady, unwavering. She was the one person he could count on to not be... unpredictable.
But then, the shift happened.
It started with a strange, tingling sensation in his chest. At first, it was faint—a prickle against his ribs, like the brush of a distant thought he couldn't grasp. Then, it grew, spreading through his body in a way that made him stiffen in his seat. His hands felt clammy, his breath shallow. The world around him seemed to sharpen, and then, with a sudden clarity, he felt it: an overwhelming surge of emotion—direct, raw, and undeniable—coming from Lynn.
It wasn't just any feeling. It wasn't love, or joy, or even sadness. It was a sense of desperation, tinged with something darker. Like a storm trapped beneath the surface, ready to break free.
Kenn's heart raced as his eyes snapped to her. Lynn was still focused on her notes, her face calm, her posture perfect—but the storm was there, just under the surface. It was as though he could see her thoughts, hear her fears without her ever speaking them.
The sensation was too much. He blinked, trying to shake it off, but it lingered. As if the world had shifted and now, he could see inside the hearts of others.
What is happening?
He glanced around the room. A boy in the front row, staring absently out the window—his thoughts, too, were loud and chaotic. Anxious, self-doubting, like he was constantly second-guessing every move he made. Beside him, a girl scribbled furiously on her paper, her emotions filled with frustration and resentment, as if her words weren't enough to escape her mind.
How... how can I hear this?
The pressure in his chest intensified, but the more he tried to block it out, the stronger the sensations became. He could feel the emotions of every student around him as if they were his own, crashing against him like waves.
And then, it happened.
A flash of red—sharp, striking. Kenn's gaze shifted toward the back of the room, where Yaoi sat. Her dark eyes locked onto his instantly, and the emotions that radiated from her were a twisted whirlwind of possessiveness and obsession. It was like standing in the eye of a hurricane, the force of it paralyzing.
She wasn't just angry. She wasn't just sad. She wanted something—something from him. Kenn's body tensed, a shiver running down his spine. There was something dark about the way she looked at him, something unsettling, and it made him wish he could disappear into the walls.
Kenn quickly turned back to his desk, his mind racing. The feelings—the thoughts—had to mean something. They couldn't just be... real. This isn't normal. He'd never felt anything like it before. His heart thudded in his chest as the realization hit him.
He wasn't just hearing their words anymore. He was hearing their emotions, seeing them, feeling them, all at once. It was as if he'd somehow become a living scanner, able to read the raw, unspoken layers of every person in the room. The noise, the chaos, it was unbearable.
"Are you okay?" Lynn's voice broke through the tumult of emotions, and Kenn's head snapped up, his breath catching in his throat. She was standing beside his desk, her brow furrowed in concern.
He nodded, but it felt like a lie.
"Yeah," he said, his voice sounding distant, even to himself. "Just... tired."
Lynn studied him for a moment, as if unsure whether to press further. She offered a small smile, her warmth like a balm on his fraying nerves. "If you need anything, just let me know. I'm here, okay?"
Kenn couldn't bring himself to say anything more, but her simple words, her genuine care, cut through the fog of his mind for just a moment. It wasn't enough to ease the heavy weight of everything he was feeling, but it was something. Something real.
And then, as she walked away, the storm inside him surged again.
What am I supposed to do with this?
***
That night, Kenn lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing. What had happened today? Was it some kind of freak accident, a strange side effect of stress or sleep deprivation? He didn't know. All he knew was that the emotions—the raw, unfiltered emotions—hadn't gone away. They lingered, pressing against his chest like a weight he couldn't shake off.
He tried to sleep, but every time he closed his eyes, the feelings came rushing back. Lynn's desperation. Yaoi's obsession. The girl's frustration. They were all still there, haunting him in the quiet of his room.
It wasn't just in his head anymore.
And as he sat up, looking at the time, he noticed something strange—an odd glow coming from his wrist. The bracelet, the one he had never noticed before, shimmered softly in the darkness, as if responding to the storm inside him.
He reached for it, hesitating for a moment before touching the cool surface. The moment his fingers made contact, a jolt of energy shot through him.
And then, the voice—soft, mechanical, and chilling—spoke:
"Quest activated. Scan the emotions of those around you. Complete the task, or face consequences."
Kenn's breath caught in his throat.
This wasn't just a gift.
It was a command.
And his life, as he knew it, was about to change forever.