The classroom clock had been mocking me for the past twenty minutes. Each tick stretched longer than the last, as if time itself had decided to move through molasses just to torture every student trapped in fourth period calculus.

  I let my forehead rest against the cool desk, eyes half-closed. Through the window, spring sunlight painted golden rectangles across the scuffed floor. Someone's pencil tapped an anxious rhythm three rows over. The teacher's voice droned on about derivatives—or was it integrals? Honestly, at this point, math was just elaborate background noise.

  *Leon.*

  I didn't move.

  *Leon*

  A sharp finger jabbed my ribs. I jerked upright, nearly knocking my textbook off the desk.

  "Ow! What the—"

  Alice glared at me from the next seat over, brown eyes narrowed in that particular way that meant I was about to get lectured. Again. "You're drooling on your notebook. During class."

  I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Sure enough—damp. "The teacher said we could take a break."

  "A five-minute break to review problems. Not a nap." She crossed her arms, somehow managing to look both disappointed and smug. "Weren't you the one who said you wanted to save people someday? Can't save anyone if you fail out of high school."

  A snicker came from behind me. Kait leaned forward on his chair, grinning like he'd just witnessed something hilarious. "Still going on about that hero thing, huh? What are you gonna do, Leon—rescue cats from trees?"

  "Shut up," I muttered, heat creeping up my neck. "I'm serious about it."

  "Oh, we know you're serious." Milly, sitting one row over, twirled her pen between her fingers. "That's what makes it funny. You say it with such a straight face."

  "It's not funny! Someone has to—I don't know—*do* something, right? Help people who need it. That's what heroes do."

  The words came out more defensive than I intended. Around me, a few classmates exchanged glances. That look. The one that said *he's doing it again.*

  Kait clapped me on the shoulder, his grin widening. "Tell you what, oh great saviour—start by saving your grades. That math test last week? Brutal, man."

  Laughter rippled through the nearby desks. Even Alice cracked a reluctant smile, though she tried to hide it behind her hand.

  I slumped back in my chair with a groan, arms folded across my chest. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up."

  But honestly? I didn't really mind.

  They'd heard me say this stuff a hundred times before. *I want to be someone who helps people. I want to make a difference.* It sounded childish, I knew that. Naive. Like something a kid would say after watching too many superhero movies.

  And yet... I couldn't stop myself from meaning it.

  There was something about the idea—about being the kind of person who could stand between someone and danger, who could say *don't worry, I've got this*—that felt right. Like a puzzle piece I hadn't found yet, but knew existed somewhere.

  Even if no one else understood.

  The bell rang, sharp and final. Chairs scraped against linoleum as everyone scrambled to pack up.

  Alice slung her bag over her shoulder and fixed me with an expectant look. "Come on. Shopping district. There's a new accessory shop I want to check out."

  I blinked. "Why do I have to come?"

  She raised one eyebrow. A dangerous eyebrow. "Are you refusing my invitation? "

  "...No ma'am."

  "Smart." She smirked and headed for the door. "Let's go."

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  I grabbed my bag and followed, already resigned to my fate.

  ---

  The shopping district after school always felt like stepping into a different world.

  Narrow streets lined with vendor stalls, their colorful awnings flapping in the breeze. The smell of roasted chestnuts mixed with caramel and grilled corn, warm and sweet. A busker sat on a bench near the fountain, strumming a battered guitar, his melody weaving through the chatter of the crowd.

  Students in uniform mixed with office workers still wearing their badges. A mother crouched down to tie her daughter's shoelace while the little girl clutched a balloon shaped like a bear. Everywhere I looked, life was just... *happening*. Normal. Comfortable.

  Alice walked ahead of me with that confident stride she always had, ponytail swaying with each step. I trailed behind, hands shoved in my pockets, half-listening as she talked about some new band she'd found online.

  "You're not even paying attention, are you?" she said suddenly, glancing back.

  "I am! You said something about... music?"

  She sighed. "Hopeless."

  We passed a stall selling handmade jewellery—braided leather cords with tiny charms dangling from them. Alice slowed, fingers brushing over a bracelet with a silver sun emblem etched into the centrepiece.

  "These are nice," she murmured.

  I leaned over her shoulder. "You thinking about buying one?"

  She hesitated, then picked up two—one with a sun, one with a crescent moon. "Actually... I was thinking we could get matching ones."

  Something tightened in my chest. "Like... friendship bracelets?"

  Her cheeks flushed slightly, but she kept her gaze on the jewellery. "Yeah. Something to remind us we've been through everything together. You know—before life gets complicated and we end up in different places."

  The words sat heavy between us for a moment.

  "Then pick one for me too," I said quietly.

  She glanced up, surprised. Then smiled—soft and genuine in a way that made my ears burn.

  We paid the vendor and kept walking, Alice sliding her bracelet onto her wrist immediately. I fumbled with mine for a second before getting it on.

  "Remember when we tried to sneak into the school library after hours?" Alice asked suddenly, grinning.

  I snorted. "You mean when *you* nearly got us both suspended?"

  "*Me?* You're the one who broke the door hinge!"

  "I was trying to be quiet!"

  "You were about as stealthy as a freight train." She laughed, shaking her head. "I'm amazed we didn't get caught."

  "Pure luck. And your ability to lie to teachers with a straight face."

  "That's called *charm*, Leon. You should try it sometime."

  We bantered back and forth as the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the cobblestones. For a moment, everything felt easy. Familiar. Like it always had been.

  Like it always would be.

  ---

  We were near the fountain plaza when Alice stopped walking.

  "Leon."

  Her voice had changed. Quiet. Tense.

  I followed her gaze downward.

  On the cobblestones, something glowed.

  A circle. No—a symbol. Intricate lines of red light pulsed between the cracks in the stone, shifting and writhing like veins beneath skin. The patterns were geometric but wrong, twisting in ways that made my eyes ache if I stared too long.

  "What... is that?" I whispered.

  The air changed.

  It happened all at once—like someone had flipped a switch. The noise of the crowd faded into a distant hum, muffled and far away. The fountain water stopped mid-flow, droplets hanging suspended in the air. Even the light seemed dimmer, filtered through some invisible haze.

  A vibration thrummed through my chest. Low. Deep. Like a heartbeat coming from beneath the earth itself.

  "Leon—" Alice's voice cracked.

  The circle flared brighter.

  Instinct screamed at me. I lunged toward her, hand outstretched. "Alice! Grab my hand!"

  Her eyes went wide. She reached for me—

  Our fingers brushed.

  Clasped.

  Held tight.

  The red light erupted into blinding white, swallowing the plaza whole. I felt the ground vanish beneath my feet. Felt Alice's hand in mine—warm, trembling, real.

  And then—

  Nothing.

  ---

  Narrator's Interlude:

  On that day, two friends vanished from their world without a trace.

  No witnesses could explain what happened. The red circle burned itself into the cobblestones and then faded, leaving only scorched stone and unanswered questions.

  In the days that followed, search parties combed the city. Missing person reports were filed. Parents wept. Friends gathered in confused, helpless vigils.

  But Leon and Alice were already gone.

  They had been pulled into a world of magic and monsters, kingdom and ancient powers that stirred in the dark. Their paths would diverge in ways neither could predict. Their bond would be tested by forces beyond their understanding.

  This is the story of a boy who dreamed of saving people—and the girl who stood beside him.

  Their choices will shape a fractured world.

  And this... is only the beginning.