"Hey, guys! Before we go any further, let me introduce myself—I'm Krishna, the most handsome guy in the world! Hahaha... Okay, maybe that's a bit much, but hey, if I don't hype myself up, who else will?"
"So, I wanna tell you a little bit about my life, which, to be honest, is kinda unique. On the outside, I might look like an ordinary teenager, but trust me, there's a lot people don't know about me."
"Since I was a kid, I've been used to living on my own. My mom and dad passed away when I was still little, so yeah, you could say I'm an orphan. I don't have many memories of them—just random fragments that sometimes show up in my dreams. And to be real, the older I get, the blurrier their faces become in my mind."
"But hey, life goes on, right? I grew up with so many unanswered questions. Who were my parents, really? Why do I always feel like there's something off about me? And most importantly... why does it feel like something is missing in my life?"
Flashback
The heavy rain poured down on Zyphoria, drenching the streets and forming puddles everywhere. Thunder rumbled in the gray sky, occasionally flashing through the glass windows of the towering buildings.
Inside the warm kindergarten classroom, the school bell rang loudly—a signal that the lessons had ended for the day. The children began lining up obediently, though some were already fidgeting, eager to go home. Outside, parents stood waiting, holding large umbrellas, ready to pick up their little ones.
"Alright, kids, line up neatly. No pushing, okay?" the teacher's gentle voice reminded them.
The children followed with bright smiles, some giggling excitedly as they anticipated seeing their parents.
In the corner of the room, a young boy stood still by the window. Krishna. He pressed his small palm against the misty glass, his eyes scanning the outside world.
But what he saw wasn't real.
Through the foggy rain, Krishna spotted the shadow of a woman. Her figure was blurred, but he knew—he knew her. Long hair swaying in the wind, a warm smile that always made him feel safe.
His eyes widened, his body trembled. His breath caught in his throat.
"M... mother?" His voice quivered, barely audible.
His heart sank. He knew it was impossible. His mother was gone. But why... why could he see her so clearly?
Suddenly, a small hand tapped his shoulder.
"Krishna?"
Krishna jolted. He turned around instantly, his heart still pounding.
In front of him stood a young girl with short bangs, her face showing a hint of concern.
"Why did you startle me like that?" Krishna asked sharply, his irritation more from lingering confusion than actual anger.
"Sorry... I didn't mean to..." The girl, Lira, lowered her head slightly. "I just wanted to return this to you."
Krishna looked at her, then at the small object in her hand—a star-shaped keychain.
"Oh, this..." Krishna took the keychain, gripping it tightly. For a moment, a small smile appeared on his lips. "Thank you."
Lira nodded gently, smiling sincerely.
"You're welcome, Krishna."
A woman's voice called from afar.
"Lira, sweetheart, let's go home!"
Lira turned toward the voice.
"Mama!" she called out before running toward the woman standing by the gate.
But just before she could leave, Krishna suddenly called out.
"Lira!!"
The girl turned around, confused.
"Give me your hand!" Krishna demanded.
Lira frowned. "Huh? Why?"
Without waiting for an answer, Krishna grabbed Lira's hand and placed the star-shaped keychain back in her palm.
"It's yours now," Krishna said with certainty. "Think of it as a gift from your superhero. A sign that you were the first person he saved. Hahaha!"
Lira's eyes sparkled as she gazed at him, touched by his words.
She clenched the keychain tightly, then beamed.
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, Krishna."
In the distance, her mother's voice called out again.
"Come on, sweetheart, let's go home."
"Coming, Mom!" Lira replied.
Before leaving, she turned back to Krishna and waved her little hand.
"Krishna, I'm heading home first, okay? Bye!"
Krishna just stood still, watching Lira's figure grow more distant.
The rain was still pouring heavily. The shadow of his mother had disappeared.
Yet, for a reason he couldn't understand, Krishna's heart felt a little warmer.
When all the other students had gone home with their parents, only Krishna remained, sitting silently at his desk. His gaze was empty, staring out the window, watching the raindrops soaking the schoolyard.
The teacher, who was still tidying up some books on her desk, glanced at Krishna and let out a small sigh. With gentle steps, she approached the little boy, who seemed lost in his own thoughts.
"What's wrong, dear? Where's the person picking you up?" she asked while softly patting Krishna's head.
Krishna remained silent. His hands clenched into fists on the table, as if he was holding something back in his chest.
The teacher crouched down, bringing her face level with Krishna's. "Do you want me to take you home?" she asked again, her tone full of concern.
Krishna swallowed hard. The rain outside grew heavier, making the atmosphere feel even lonelier.
Before Krishna could answer, hurried footsteps echoed closer to the classroom. A middle-aged man appeared at the doorway, slightly out of breath.
"Excuse me, Ma'am." The voice was deep yet warm.
Krishna turned around, his eyes lighting up the moment he recognized the figure.
"Krishna, let's go home, son!" called the man—Takashima.
The teacher smiled upon seeing him. "Oh, you're Krishna's father?" she asked.
Takashima chuckled softly. "Yes, that's right."
The teacher nodded. "Alright then, I'll take my leave. Excuse me, Sir."
"Thank you for looking after Krishna, Ma'am," Takashima said politely.
After the teacher left, Takashima approached Krishna and crouched down in front of him.
"Sorry, Krishna, I was a bit late picking you up," he said with a guilty tone. "But your brother is waiting for you outside."
Krishna's eyes widened instantly. Without a second thought, he jumped off his chair and dashed out of the classroom.
"Krish?! You came too?!" Krishna exclaimed excitedly.
Outside, a boy leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets. The moment he saw Krishna, he grinned.
"Hehehe, Uncle brought me here," Krish replied casually.
Krishna hopped in excitement. "Krish! I can't wait to continue our game from yesterday! I always win! You and Srada always lose when playing against me! Hahaha!"
Krish snorted. "I only lost to you once, Krishna."
Krishna grinned widely. "Yeah, but even if it was just once, I still won! You're pathetic!" he declared, folding his arms across his chest.
Krish narrowed his eyes before suddenly—THUD!—he pulled Krishna into a tight embrace, almost knocking his younger brother over.
"Ow, ow!" Krishna winced.
Krish laughed heartily. "Hahaha, let's go home, my brother!" he shouted, roughly ruffling Krishna's hair.
Krishna grimaced but quickly retaliated with a small punch to Krish's stomach.
"Hahaha!" They both burst into laughter.
But before heading home, Krishna suddenly stepped into the middle of the rain-soaked field. He tilted his head back, closed his eyes for a moment, and let the raindrops fall onto his face.
After a few seconds, he turned around, his eyes burning with excitement.
"Hey, Krish!!" he shouted.
Krish raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Krishna raised his hand into the air. "Whoever gets home first is the winner! The loser is a loser!" he challenged with a wide grin.
Krish squinted. "Hah?! No way I'm losing to a kid like you!"
"Prove that you can win!!" Krishna immediately dashed off.
"KRISHNA!!!" Krish yelled in protest. Without a second thought, he took off after his little brother.
Krishna only laughed loudly as he ran, leaping over puddles without a care that his clothes were getting soaked by the rain.
Takashima, watching the two boys' antics, could only sigh with a small smile. He picked up Krishna's forgotten bag from the bench and slowly followed behind them.
Under the pouring rain, the two brothers ran like any other children—free of burdens, free of fear, with nothing but laughter and pure happiness.
Unbeknownst to them, the world around them was slowly changing... and one day, they would realize that their joyous childhood was merely the calm before the storm.
~~~~~~~
"Listen up, guys! While they're still around, respect and cherish your family, okay? Not everyone is as lucky as you. Me? I can only be grateful to my guardian angel—Uncle Takashima. If it weren't for him, I'd probably be a stray kid on the streets, begging on sidewalks, or worse—some low-level gangster."
"Oh, and one more thing... I have a twin brother. His name is Krish. But honestly, I still have doubts about whether we're actually twins. Every time I look at his face, it feels like I'm staring at a total stranger who just barged into my life. Uncle Takashima says we were born only an hour apart. Seriously? Just one hour! And yet, I'm supposed to respect him. Respect, bro! Like he's some senior who was born centuries before me. Man, isn't that just ridiculously feudal?!"
"And Krish... bro, he's the full package of a wannabe cool guy. Smart? Yep. Popular? Of course. Teachers' favorite? Big time! But in my opinion? Meh. Just average! I don't get why people admire him so much. If you knew him better, trust me... he's insanely annoying. Acting cool, acting like a hero, acting handsome. Sometimes, I just wanna yank his hair out, but... yeah, I don't wanna get kicked out of the family registry."
"Oh, speaking of important people, there's one more you guys should know about. Her name is Srada. If anyone asks, 'Krishna, is she your girlfriend?' My answer? Hahaha... well, you figure it out. But one thing's for sure—she's totally my type! Beautiful, caring, funny. Basically, the kind of girl who makes you forget you were ever forced to respect your older brother just because he was born a mere hour before you."
"Ew, you're so full of yourself, KRISHNA! Sorry, guys, but he's NOT my boyfriend! He's just an annoying brat with too many dreams!" Srada snapped, glaring at him.
Krishna immediately put on a confused face. "B-but you once said—"
"EH, WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP!?" Srada cut him off before he could finish.
Krishna could only grin sheepishly. Meanwhile, Hamada, who had been listening the whole time, burst out laughing.
"Alright, alright, you two sound like little kids fighting over candy! Remember, we're here to greet our most HANDSOME and BEAUTIFUL friends so they can get to know us better, right?" Hamada said, acting all wise.
Krishna smirked mischievously and glanced at Srada. "Hear that... OUR LOVELY PRINCESS~" he teased, winking.
"UGH! EW! WHATEVER, I'M OUT!" Srada pouted and stormed off, leaving the two behind.
Hamada shook his head. "See? That's on you. Can't you go a single day without pissing her off?"
Krishna laughed. "Hehehe... bro, that's not my fault! She just gets mad too easily!"
Then, he turned toward the screen.
"Alright, guys! I've got a little exclusive sneak peek just for you—since you've been patiently listening to my nonsense. But hey, don't blame me if this makes you even more curious, okay?"
Krishna leaned back casually, flashing a grin.
"So, my uncle? He's no ordinary guy. He's a martial arts master with his own dojo. So, of course, Krish and I have been training since we were kids, right? BUT WHAT REALLY TICKED ME OFF WAS... WHEN I WAS JUST 9 YEARS OLD, HE MADE ME CLIMB A CLIFF!?"
Krishna clutched his chest dramatically, shaking his head.
"Bro, SERIOUSLY!? A nine-year-old kid scaling a cliff like some ninja fresh outta the mountains!? If I fell, I'd have gone viral on social media first!"
He chuckled before crossing his arms.
"But y'know... no matter how insane his training methods were, I learned a lot from my uncle. A whole lot. And without him, I wouldn't be who I am today."
Krishna stood up and adjusted his collar.
"Alright, that's enough spoilers for now! For the rest of my story, leave it to the most handsome author in the universe—Aa Ali! So don't go anywhere, stay tuned, and I'll see you in the next episode! Ciao~"
Krishna pointed at the camera with a mischievous grin as the screen faded to black.
To be continued...