Authors Note: The first chapter is a prologue and explains how the characters get each individual power. very important to read.. you can skip if you wish to but I do not recommend. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Dream

I wake up in a place that should not exist.

There is no sky, no ground—just an endless, suffocating void. The air is cold, seeping into my bones, and the silence is absolute. My breath comes out in weak, trembling puffs.

Then, something moves.

A slender figure approaches from the darkness. It's human-shaped, but wrong. Its body flickers, like a dying shadow, its presence pressing against my mind.

"Fear not," it says.

Its voice is neither male nor female—soft yet hollow, like a whisper traveling through an empty space.

I take a step back. My body refuses to stop shaking.

"Who are you? Where am I?!"

No response. The figure simply raises a hand and places its palm on my forehead.

Pain.

A sharp, searing sensation rushes through my skull. It's like my brain is being torn apart, rewired from the inside out.

I scream.

Memories flash before me—every moment of my life playing at once, a film reel spinning too fast to comprehend. I see myself as a child, as a teenager, moments I had long forgotten. But then—

A memory I don't remember.

A ruined city. Buildings reduced to rubble. A sky choked with smoke. Corpses everywhere.

"It had to be done," I hear my own voice say. "I was the only one who could do it."

Then—darkness.

I jolt awake, gasping for breath, my heart slamming against my ribs.

It was a dream. Just a dream.

But my hands are still shaking.

Morning comes, but the unease doesn't fade. I get ready for school in a daze, barely aware of the world around me until my phone vibrates.

Mika: "Hey, Nachar! Hurry up or we're gonna be late!"

I sigh, grabbing my bag before heading out. At the bus stop, Mika is already there, grinning like always.

"Yo, Nachar. You look like crap."

"Rough night," I mutter.

"Lemme guess—nightmare?"

I glance at him, startled. How did he know?

"I had one too," Mika says, his voice dropping. "And dude... I swear, I dreamed about this conversation."

I stare at him. Is he messing with me?

"Yeah, right," I scoff. "Nice bluff. I never should've told you about it."

"No, I'm serious!" His expression is tense now, his usual joking tone gone. "If you don't believe me, then let's test it. Say something—anything. I'll guess your next sentence."

Fine. I'll humor him. I take a breath and—

At the exact same time, we both say:

"My name is Mika, and I'm an idiot."

A chill runs down my spine.

"What the hell?" I take a step back. "How did you know that?"

"I told you," Mika says, eyes wide. "I've seen this before."

Suzume arrives just in time to catch the last part of our conversation. She frowns. "What are you two talking about?"

Mika still looks shaken, but he quickly switches back to his usual attitude. "Nothing, nothing. Just proving to Nachar that I'm a psychic genius."

"A genius at being an idiot, maybe," I mutter.

Suzume shakes her head, but then pauses. "Actually... I had a strange dream too."

A weight settles in my chest.

Sarah and Zai arrive a few moments later, and when we bring it up, they all say the same thing.

We all had the same dream.

Sarah hesitates before speaking. "In my dream, I could... feel what everyone else was feeling. It was strange. Everyone was glowing with happiness, but—" She glances at me. "One of us wasn't."

"Who?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

She points at me.

Mika bursts out laughing. "Damn, Nachar, you got some hidden trauma or something?"

"Shut up."

Sarah shakes her head. "It's not like that. It wasn't sadness, or anger, or anything else. It was just... nothing. Like you didn't have any emotions at all."

I don't respond.

Zai speaks next. "My dream was different. I was talking to someone—a man dressed in white. I couldn't see his face, but somehow... I knew what he looked like. He had no mouth, but I could still hear him clearly."

I frown. "What did he say?"

Zai's expression darkens. "He betrayed me."

Mika laughs. "Damn, bro. Even your dream self is getting backstabbed."

But Zai doesn't laugh.

Suzume is the last to speak. She hesitates, gripping the straps of her bag. "In my dream... anything I touched, I could see its entire history."

She takes a deep breath. "And... it's still happening."

Silence.

Then—

"SHIT! WE MISSED THE BUS!" Mika yells.

We walk the rest of the way to school, and even though the conversation shifts, my thoughts stay locked on the dream.

Why was I the only one who appeared blank to Sarah? What was that city of ruins? Why can't I shake this feeling that something is missing?

My head pounds.

I slam my hands against my desk the moment I sit down. The classroom clock ticks loudly.

Suzume leans over. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I lie. "Just couldn't solve the equation."

Mika grins. "Then let's forget about equations—it's LUNCH TIME!"

We gather at the cafeteria, but the conversation doesn't stray far from this morning.

"I think I can hear people's thoughts," Zai suddenly says.

Mika rolls his eyes. "Bullshit. What's Sarah thinking about?"

Zai doesn't even hesitate. "She's wondering why she's feeling so many emotions at once."

Sarah gasps. "How did you—?"

"See?" Zai looks shaken himself. "Something happened to us."

Mika leans forward. "Then let's test it. Let's see if we really have powers."

He closes his eyes and concentrates.

"You see that guy coming from the kiosk?"

We nod.

"He's gonna slip and fall. Three seconds."

One.

Two.

BAM.

The guy crashes onto the floor.

Mika's face pales. "What the hell...?"

Suzume hesitates, then touches Sarah's hand. Her body tenses. Her eyes widen.

Sarah's expression shifts. "What... what did you see?"

Suzume doesn't answer. Instead, she whispers something into Sarah's ear.

Sarah stiffens. Her hands tremble.

"It's real," she whispers.

They turn to me next.

"What about you, Nachar? What's your power?"

But I don't remember.

And then—I do.

That faceless figure. The weight of its palm on my forehead. The voice whispering—

"Fear not."

I know exactly what my power is. But I won't tell them. Not yet.

Mika grins. "We could change the world with these powers!"

They all agree. They start talking about saving people, helping society.

How naïve.

Pathetic.

They don't understand what real power is.

I smile and nod.

"Yeah. Let's change the world."