The sun peeked over the skyline of Shenzhen, casting its early morning light on the illuminating cityscape below. Tall glass LED-lit skyscrapers blinked to life, their holographic advertisements and neon signs painting the streets in hues of colorful lights and text. The city buzzed with life, a symphony of people and machines moving in perfect harmony as the Republic’s capital of innovation and progress began another day.

Akito Tenkai stood at the window of his small apartment, gazing out at the city he had called home for as long as he could remember. The gentle hum of the city’s electric vehicles and the distant chatter of the morning crowd below filled the air. His reflection, a young boy of fifteen, stared back at him, dark hair slightly tousled, and brown eyes wide with a mix of excitement and nerves. Today was the first day of high school—a new chapter in his life.

“Akito, are you ready?” came a soft voice from behind.

He turned to see Yuzuki Solace, his caretaker, standing at the doorway of his room. Her long black hair was neatly tied back, and she wore a simple yet elegant dress, the kind a nurse might wear when she wasn’t on duty. Yuzuki had been everything to him—mother, father, and friend. She had taken him in when he was just a baby, after his parents... well, that was a part of his past he didn’t remember, nor did he question. Yuzuki never spoke much about it, and Akito never pushed.

“Yeah, I think so,” Akito replied with a small smile, though his stomach churned with anxiety.

Yuzuki smiled back, her eyes warm and reassuring. “You’ll be just fine. It’s a big day, but you’re going to make some great friends. I’m sure of it.”

Akito nodded and grabbed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. The two of them walked out of the apartment, descending to the streets below where the city’s pulse was stronger. The streets were crowded with people heading to work, students in uniform making their way to school, and the occasional vendor setting up shop. The technology around them was cutting-edge—autonomous buses glided silently along their routes, drones hovered above delivering packages, and towering skyscrapers displayed news updates and advertisements on their digital facades.

The school was only a short walk away, and soon enough, the massive gates of Shenzhen High School came into view. The building was a modern marvel, sleek with glass walls that reflected the morning sun, and a sprawling campus that buzzed with the energy of students, both new and returning.

Yuzuki squeezed Akito’s shoulder gently. “You’re going to do great, Akito. I’ll see you after school, alright?”

“Alright,” Akito replied, taking a deep breath. With one last reassuring smile from Yuzuki, he turned and walked through the gates.

The first day was designed to be an orientation—no classes, just a day for students to get to know the campus and each other. Akito found himself among a group of other first-years, all of them wide-eyed and curious about their new environment. A senior student was assigned as their guide, a tall girl with short-cropped hair and an easy smile.

“Welcome to Shenzhen High,” she said, her voice carrying easily over the murmur of the crowd. “My name’s Mei, and I’ll be showing you around today.”

The tour took them through the sprawling campus—state-of-the-art classrooms equipped with interactive holo-boards, a massive library with a digital archive that seemed to go on forever, and training facilities that looked more like something out of a sci-fi movie than a school. Akito couldn’t help but be amazed. This wasn’t just any high school; it was a place where the future was being shaped.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

As the day went on, Akito began to relax. He chatted with a few of the other students, finding them to be friendly and just as eager to make new friends. One boy, Ren, a lanky kid with glasses, shared his love for robotics, and soon the two were deep in conversation about the latest advancements in AI. Another, a girl named Hana, had a passion for history and regaled them with stories about the Republic’s rise and the union of East Asia.

By the time the school day ended, Akito felt a noticable sense of belonging starting to form, as friends from school would proceed to often come over to play games or hang out in the coming weeks, and he'd spend much of his time or days hanging out with his new peers or forming bonds.

Maybe high school wouldn’t be so bad after all...

However, regardless of how well his days went, hed often awaken with severe panic attacks and stress, crying to Yuzuki about nightmares that would pop in once in a while.

These nightmares revealed visions of westen europe in flames. German soldiers battling against the soviets, the crimson red banner over france, and a family being killed after hiding what appeared to be an object underneath a basement.

The nightmares would appear often, at always repeating, as famine, war, the blood of soviets and germans spilling over france whilst firery waves covered entire neighborhoods along the constant sound of gunfire.

Each nightmare, always ending the same way, with the same events, a Spañiard soldier being given a basket with a child inside, instructed to hide it before the germans came, only for more blood to be shed, but tne baby, remaining hidden underbeath a basement, was later to be found by the soviets.

These night terrors however, were only for a few times a week, however, theyd modly be forgotten after spending some time with friends. And weeks would come to pass. His days for the most part filled by the joys and laughter of spending time playing at the arcades or being invited to amusement parks with friends.

As the last bell rang, signaling the end of their first two weeks in school, Akito waved goodbye to his now established friends and made his way home, his mind buzzing with the excitement of the day once more.

But that night, unlike the others, new visions began to emerge.

The dream began as a whisper, a murmur of voices he couldn’t quite make out. Then, suddenly, he was plunged into a world of chaos. Fire and smoke filled the air, the sound of explosions reverberated through his skull, and the ground beneath him shook violently. He saw faceless figures fighting, buildings crumbling, and the sky itself seemed to be tearing apart, revealing the words of PROPHECY PROPHECY PROPHECY PROPHECY!

Akito’s heart raced as he stumbled through the carnage, his senses overwhelmed by the terror around him. He wasnt himself, no, he witnessed something in the mirror and saw the face of a broken child in scars or blood.

And then, just as quickly as it had started, the scene shifted. He was in a dark room, cold and empty, and yet he felt the presence of something—something watching him, something waiting.

He awoke with a gasp, his body drenched in sweat, his breath coming in ragged gasps. But the terror wasn’t over. As he opened his eyes, he realized he was floating above his bed, the objects around his room—books, clothes, even his lamp—suspended in mid-air. Lightning crackled around him, arcs of energy snapping through the air.

“What’s happening to me?” he thought, panic rising in his chest.

The door to his room burst open, and there stood Yuzuki, her eyes wide with shock. “Akito!” she cried, rushing to his side.

But she couldn’t reach him; the energy around him was too strong. Akito felt himself slipping, the world around him starting to fade as the energy intensified. And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. Akito collapsed onto his bed, the objects in the room clattering to the floor around him.

Yuzuki was at his side in an instant, her hands on his shoulders, her voice calm but urgent. “Akito, are you alright? Talk to me.”

He nodded weakly, though he felt anything but alright. “I... I don’t know what happened.”

Yuzuki’s expression was one of deep concern, but there was also something else there—something she wasn’t telling him. “We need to get you to the hospital. Now.”

The next few hours were a blur. Yuzuki rushed him to the hospital, where a flurry of nurses and doctors took over. They ran tests, asked questions, and spoke in hushed tones just out of earshot. Akito tried to focus, but his mind was foggy, and the events of the night replayed over and over in his head.

As the night wore on, a new figure entered the room—a tall man in a dark suit, his face stern, his eyes sharp. He introduced himself as an officer of the KGB, "russia?" Akito thought. Alongside that, his voice low and authoritative.

“Akito Tenkai,” the officer began, “what happened tonight is of great interest to us. Youre not alone here, i have plenty of others who pass the sniff test. Whatever you experienced today has also happened to your classmates as well. We believe you may possess abilities that require further study.”

Akito stared at the man, his mind racing. Abilities? What was he talking about?

“We have a facility in the Hubei province,” the officer continued, “where we can help you understand and control these abilities. It’s a remote location, but it’s the best place for you right now.”

Akito’s heart pounded in his chest. What was he supposed to say? What was happening to him?

The officer waited, his expression unreadable. “The choice is yours, but I strongly advise you to consider our offer.”

The room was silent, the weight of the decision hanging heavily in the air. Akito looked at Yuzuki, searching for answers, however, she, aswell was silent, her eyes filled with concern