"Kai! Go grab some ingredients from the store," his father called out from the kitchen as Kai descended the stairs. Kai groaned. "Now? I just woke up." His father shot him a look. "Unless you want dinner to be just rice and air, I suggest you hurry up."

Sighing, Kai snatched the list from his dad's outstretched hand. "Fine, fine. Be back in a bit."

Outside, in the evening air, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jacket, he set off to the nearby convenience store. The streets were calm, with only a few pedestrians here and there. A routine trip: there would be nothing special today.

At the store, he had picked up the items from the list: some vegetables, seasoning, some meat, and he had paid at the cashier. He stepped out with the bag in his hand when a bright flash of light zipped across the sky.

"What the—?"

Before he could react, a glowing orb shot straight at him, slamming into his chest with incredible force.

"Ugh-!"

The impact threw him backward, crashing onto the pavement. His vision became blurry, and his head spun. For a few seconds, everything went black.

Then-gasp!

He opened his eyes and found him sprawled on the ground with the grocery bag not far away. His heart was racing, and tingly sensations ran up and down his skin.

"What… the hell just happened?" he muttered to himself as he sat up and glanced around. The street was empty—no sign of the orb, no sign that anything unusual had even happened.

Shaking his head, he rubbed his chest. "Weird… Maybe I imagined it?"

Shrugging, he grabbed the bag and dusted it off. There was no point in thinking about it. All he wanted right now was to get home.

That night, while Kai slumbered peacefully in bed, his body began glowing with a faint golden sheen, a soft light pulsating in waves. The light flickered—brightening, dimming, and then brightening again—while some kind of invisible metamorphosis was taking place within him.

The next day, amidst a sea of chatter, clinking trays and clattering utensils echoed in the school canteen. Kai stood in a line, waiting for his lunch. A sigh slipped from his mouth as he reflected on yet another day in the life, just another lunch hour.

"Well, look who has arrived!" A devilishly sneering voice emanated from behind.

The reflex was automatic: Kai stiffened. He knew it by heart. Tap, tap, tap behind him: Derek, Jake, and Mark. They were the reason why his life could be miserable, anywhere, anytime.

As Kai traversed the aisles, just putting on his bravest face to reach an empty table, Derek extended his foot, sending Kai tumbling to the floor. Kai's lunch tray flew out of his hands, and its contents splattered all over the floor, causing quite a ruckus.

Laughter erupted from the canteen.

"Way to go, Ciphera. Can't even walk straight!" Jake laughed with deadly amusement.

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"Guess that's what happens when you don't use your powers," Mark jeered, chuckling along with the rest.

Hot flames of humiliation graced Kai's cheeks as he clenched his fists, stomach twisting. This was getting much too familiar. He was done with this already: the comments, the ridicule. It was always the same.

But somehow, this time... It did feel different.

"You think you really can stand above me?" Kai whispered, fury lining every syllable.

"Look at this," Derek continued, coming closer. "He's really upset. Maybe we should teach him some more."

At the moment of Derek's push, something snapped inside of Kai:

A furious howl burst forth, echoing like a guttural sound from the jaws of some beast. His body was shaking with some energy he knew he had never felt before. His eyes radiated brilliant golden light, glowing fiercely bright.

Before he could take in what he was implying to himself, a fist flew across, connecting with Derek's chest. It sent Derek backward to a table some meters away.

The whole canteen fell silent.

Kai stood there, chest heaving, gazing in disbelief at the spot where Derek had fallen. That was not meant to be. He hadn't even thought about it. It just… happened.

Derek groaned from the floor, yet as for the other two bullies, they were buckling mad. They came charging toward Kai from two sides, powered up—literally—by their ability, Super Strength.

"You're gonna regret that, Ciphera!" Jake snarled at him, fist glowing with energy.

Mark came charging in for a punch aimed at Kai's face.

Kai stood there, still stunned, and closed his eyes.

He braced himself for an impact, but nothing happened.

Kai opened his eyes in confusion. The punches weren't going through.

His heart raced, pumping adrenaline through his system. He didn't know what was out, and yet suddenly, his body reacted out of instinct. Fast and hard, he retaliated.

His fist collided with Jake's chest, sending the bigger boy crashing across the room. Without a second thought, Kai spun toward Mark, who had tried to grab him. Another punch landed, this time hurling Mark into a wall.

The entire canteen was deathly quiet, almost as if time had warped. The two bullies who had pounded on him for so long were on the ground unconscious, and now their bodies lay sprawled like ragdolls.

Kai stood there breathing heavily, looking at the scene before him. The shock in the room was evident. No one dared to stir or speak. Even the teachers who had ignored everything stood glued to the spot.

But Kai could hardly hear their gasps. His mind was swimming. What just happened?

He was unable to grasp all of it. He had just knocked out three ability users, while he had no real power to boast about.

His heart raced as he tried to avoid his schoolmates' eyes and stepped back. He reflexively grabbed his things and dashed out of the canteen, traversing the hallways.

He finally stopped in the deserted gym, far, far away from everyone. The sound of his shoes on the floor echoed within the emptiness.

Kai tripped and sat down on the floor, his mind racing. He stared down at his hands.

"What... What just happened?"

Why did he get powers out of nowhere? Why? And why did he react that way?

His mind reeled with these questions, but he couldn't derail to find an answer- all he knew for sure was that whatever world he thought he knew had just changed.