Blood sprayed across the ground as the monster's claws tore through him. The pain was unbearable, the fear paralyzing then silence. Darkness. Death.
Suddenly, his eyes opened wide.
"No way..." he whispered.
He was alive.
But instead of lying in a pool of blood, he was on his bed, staring at his phone screen. The scene had just ended it was an anime clip of a guy getting killed by a monster and coming back to life.
"That's cool," he muttered, eyes sparkling. "Do I have any superpowers too?"
Half-joking, half-curious, the idea stuck with him.
He stood up, stared at the mirror, and whispered, "What if I test it...?"
Dark thoughts swirled in his head. He acted on them.
But instead of dying he woke up. Startled, sweating, and breathing hard.
"I hope I'm not that idiot who actually tries that," he said, wiping his face. It was just a dream. A scary one.
The morning sun painted the sky with warm hues as he dragged himself to the kitchen. His parents didn't say much. A cold breakfast. A colder mood. As always.
He put on his worn-out school shoes, bag slung over his back. Outside, the world was awake, buzzing with noise and motion.
Then he saw her.
Walking just ahead. His crush.
She looked like she came from another world. He watched her for a second, heart pounding. But she didn't notice him. She never did.
At school, the routine nightmare began.
"You again? Still failing your tests?" his teacher scoffed. The whole class laughed.
He sat down, head low, pretending it didn't hurt.
Later, in the hallway, the bullies cornered him. Usual threats. Usual humiliation.
But something was different today.
He clenched his fists, teeth grinding. Then he punched one of them.
A moment of silence.
The next thing he knew, he was on the ground, fists and kicks raining down. He wasn't strong enough. But he didn't cry. Not this time.
His lip was bleeding. His shirt was torn.
But somewhere deep inside...
He smiled.
"At least I tried."
That was the first time something changed.