Aaron stared at the flickering screen of his TV, watching a fantasy anime where the protagonist, with glowing eyes and incredible powers, saved the world from destruction. His mind drifted off, imagining himself in the hero's shoes.
"What if I woke up one day with powers like that? What if the world started to collapse and I'm the one who saves it? I could be the hero, the one who turns everything around…"
He leaned back, a smirk playing on his face.
"Yeah, that's the dream. Powers out of nowhere, saving the world. That'd be amazing…"
Suddenly, he slapped his own face, as if to snap himself out of the fantasy.
"No, no, no. What the hell am I thinking? I'm not some jerk hoping for the world to collapse just so I can get powers. That would be messed up."
He sighed, rubbing his face. But then, almost as if speaking to himself, he muttered,
"But... it would be nice if I had powers suddenly. Just... just a little bit of power, you know?"
Before he could spiral further into his thoughts, his mother burst into the room, arms crossed and an angry frown on her face.
"Sleep already, Ari! You've got your first day of high school tomorrow, and you don't want to be late." Her tone softened slightly. "Come on, Ari, get some rest."
"Ari—a nickname used by his closest ones. To everyone else, he was simply Aaron."
Aaron gave her a weary but fond smile as he pulled the blanket over his head, trying to hide the blush that crept up.
"Alright, alright. Goodnight, Mom."
As his mom left the room, Aaron's thoughts began to swirl again.
"Powers... saving the world... maybe one day…"
He turned off the TV, catching a glimpse of his mom's eyes watching him through the small gap left in the doorway. She gave a soft smile, a mix of love and worry in her gaze, before finally closing the door completely.
Aaron rolled over, letting out a sigh, and finally let sleep take him.
But just as he was drifting off, a strange vision flickered behind his eyelids a flash of brilliant light, hazy and unclear. In the center of it, he thought he saw the faint outline of a girl or perhaps a statue, blurred and indistinct, like a dream he couldn't quite grasp. His heart clenched unexpectedly, a heavy sense of connection pulling at him, as if he knew this figure, as if she or it was calling out to him.
Just as he strained to get a clearer look, the vision shattered like glass, fading into darkness.
Before he could process the strange sensation, he was jolted awake by a sudden weight on his chest.
"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Lily's cheerful voice rang out as she jumped onto his bed, giggling. "Come on, Ari, you're gonna be late for your first day of high school!"
Aaron blinked, disoriented, the remnants of the dream slipping away like sand through his fingers. He rubbed his eyes and muttered, "Just a stupid dream..."
"Lily—his energetic younger sister, with silver hair that shimmered in the morning light was always the one to bring him back to reality. Only a year younger, she had a boundless energy that never seemed to run out, and she was always there to break his deep thoughts with her antics. Despite her constant chaos, Aaron couldn't help but smile."
With a sigh, he forced a smile for his sister. "Alright, alright, I'm up, Lily."