Beep. Beep. Beep.
The grating sound of my alarm clock dragged me from whatever faint dream I had been clinging to. Groaning, I slapped the snooze button and sat up in my cramped, dimly lit apartment. It wasn't much—peeling wallpaper, a creaky floor, and the faint scent of mildew in the air—but it was all I could afford.
Stretching, I moved toward the tiny bathroom, splashing water on my face to wake up. Before I could even think of breakfast, my phone buzzed loudly on the counter.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
I checked the caller ID. Great. One of my baby mamas.
"Hello?" I answered, my voice raspy from just waking up.
"Kaerith," her voice snapped back, sharp and no-nonsense. "You better not have forgotten it's your weekend to take care of him."
"I didn't forget," I lied, trying to ignore the knot forming in my stomach.
She didn't let me get another word in. "Make sure he eats properly, and if his stomach hurts, use the drops I gave you. Don't let him eat too much sugar. And, for the love of all that is holy, don't do anything stupid, dumb, or dangerous with him around. Eiji is very impressionable!"
"I got it, I got it," I assured her quickly. "I'm actually really excited to see him. I was planning to take him out—movies, ice cream, maybe even dinner. I've been making some extra money lately."
She paused, her tone softening slightly. "…Fine. As long as he's safe. But so help me, Kaerith, if you screw this up, your life will be hell."
She hung up before I could reply.
I checked the time. Thirty minutes until I had to pick him up. I rummaged through my closet, settling on the cleanest shirt and jeans I could find. It wasn't much, but I wanted to make today special for Eiji.
Thirty minutes later, my three-year-old son, Eiji, sat in the passenger seat, babbling excitedly as I drove toward the theater.
"Daddy, where have you been? Mommy says you were traveling! Did you go to see mountains? Or oceans?"
"Yeah," I said with a chuckle, weaving together lies as quickly as I could. "Mountains, oceans…even volcanoes. I was writing stories about them."
His eyes widened in awe, and my heart sank. The truth was far less glamorous, but I wasn't about to ruin his excitement.
We parked, and as we walked toward the ticket booth, Eiji tugged at my hand, asking endless questions. The line for popcorn was long, and while I scanned the menu, I accidentally bumped into someone.
"Excuse me," a light, cheery voice said.
I turned to see a petite woman with blonde hair tipped in pink. Her skin was tanned, and her big smile practically lit up the room.
"Sorry about that," I said quickly.
"Oh, no problem! Is this your kid? Oh my gosh, he's so freaking adorable!" she gushed, exaggerating every word.
"Uh, yeah. This is Eiji."
She clapped her hands together. "Oh! My name's Nozomi Yuzuki. What's yours?"
I hesitated, glancing at Eiji. "Kaerith Fetuoval Sulemoranis. It's a mouthful, so just call me Soleth."
Her eyes widened. "Wow! That's a name! Nice to meet you, Soleth. And you too, Eiji!"
Before I could say more, the popcorn vendor called her up. She waved and rushed off, leaving me standing there with a bemused look.
"Daddy, who was that?" Eiji asked, tilting his head.
"Just…someone nice," I replied, ushering him forward.
After the movie, we stopped for ice cream at a shop down the street. The line was long, and the summer heat made everything feel sticky. As we finally got to the front, the cashier gave me a wide grin.
"Kaerith? Long time no see! It's me, Citlali Solis!"
I stared blankly at her until the name clicked. Citlali—my childhood friend. She hadn't changed much: rosy pink eyes, snow-white hair, and fair skin that made her look ethereal.
"Of course I remember you," I said, laughing awkwardly. "How've you been?"
"Great! I'm actually going to a concert later. Hey, do you want to come with me? We could catch up. Oh, is this your little brother?"
I chuckled. "No, this is my son, Eiji."
Her jaw dropped. "Your son? But you're only 17! How—"
"Long story," I said quickly, cutting her off. "How much for the ice cream?"
She didn't press further, but her wide eyes said enough. I paid and led Eiji to a table.
Then when we got done with our ice cream we went to the library
I sit Eiji down at the children's reading area, where he can listen to a story being read aloud by the librarian. As he settles in, I decide to browse the shelves for something interesting.
As I turn a corner, I bump into a girl. Three girls in one day? Either this is fate, or I'm just incredibly lucky.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" I say, helping her up. She adjusts her bag and squints, clearly searching for something.
"Wait! My glasses," she says.
I crouch down, scanning the floor. "Don't worry, I'll help you find them." After a few moments, I spot her glasses near the edge of a bookshelf and hand them to her. She smiles in relief.
"Thank you so much. I'm Seo Haneul," she says, adjusting her glasses. "I'm just here studying for a school project."
"No problem. Need help finding the books you need?" I offer.
We end up chatting as I help her locate the titles she's searching for. Haneul tells me about her day and mentions a concert she's planning to attend later.
"It's for this new boy idol group—Aera. They're supposed to be amazing," she gushes. "My favorite is Fetu." Her face lights up as she talks about him, barely taking a breath.
I chuckle nervously, trying not to react. After all, I am Fetu.
After two hours of library time, I take Eiji to his mother's house. He's tired, so I tell her, "I'll pick him up again tomorrow. I've got to head to work."
Once I leave, I race to the stage, where my group, Aera, is preparing to perform. Sliding on my pink wig and adjusting my outfit, I transform from Kaerith, a struggling single dad, into Fetu, the charismatic idol.
The performance goes smoothly—until I spot them. In the audience, I see all three girls I met earlier today: Citlali , Haneul, and another from the Movie theater. But that's not all. Shady men linger at the back of the crowd, their eyes fixed on me.
As soon as the performance ends, chaos erupts. One of the shady men pulls out what looks like a sword.
"Kaerith! This way!" my director shouts, grabbing my arm and dragging me into a waiting car.
The car speeds off, but I can feel the danger closing in. "What's going on? Who are those people? Why does one of them have a sword?"
"Just shut up," my director snaps. "We're being followed. When I drop you off, find a car—any car—and drive as far away as you can."
"But I have responsibilities! A family to support!"
"Just do as I say!" he barks, swerving through traffic.
When he finally drops me off, I hijack a taxi—probably not the smartest move—and speed away. But as luck would have it, the three girls from earlier are in the car.
"What the—? What's going on?" they yell in unison.
I try to focus on the road while dodging their questions and explaining the situation. "Look, I don't know who those guys are, but they're after me, not you. When this car runs out of gas, get as far away from me as you can. I won't let anyone else get hurt."
The car sputters to a halt at the base of a mountain. I tell the girls to run, but before I know it, we're all climbing to the top of a temple. As we reach the summit, three men in suits are waiting for us, their swords gleaming in the moonlight.
The leader of the group steps forward, dragging the three girls by a rope. He grins at me and says, "Surrender, or they die."
I raise my hands in surrender, stepping forward slowly. But the moment one of them reaches for me, I grab his wrist, slam my knee into his ribs, and take his sword.
The fight begins. I fend off the second man with a flurry of strikes, but the third is faster than the others. He slashes at me with enough force to shatter my borrowed blade, sending me flying into the temple bell.
Dazed, I see something glowing in the distance. A white sphere flies toward me, and suddenly, my body moves on its own.
"Alchemy Sword!" I shout instinctively, slamming my hands to the ground. Materials around me gather and form a shimmering blade. My body feels electrified with power as I rush toward the third man.
We clash in a flurry of strikes, his blade grazing me a few times, but I press on. Finally, with a decisive swing, I sever his head.
As his body collapses, the glowing white sphere strikes me in the forehead. My vision fades, and I collapse into darkness.