The heavy curtains blocked most of the afternoon sun, leaving the bedroom wrapped in a calm, muted twilight. I stirred beneath the blanket, letting out a long, lazy yawn before slowly opening my eyes. Every muscle in my body felt strangely refreshed, as if the deep sleep had washed away every trace of exhaustion. For a few seconds, I simply lay there, staring at the ceiling.
Memories of the previous day drifted back one after another—awakening my Prana, and enduring that relentless training. A faint smile touched my lips. Despite everything I had gone through, I had actually done it.
I reached toward the nightstand and unplugged my phone from the charger. The screen lit up instantly, and notifications flooded the display with missed calls, unread messages, school group chats, and random advertisements. My thumb lazily scrolled through the endless list until one familiar name caught my attention: Riya.
I tapped on her chat.
*"I've already gone into the Forest Dimension. There won't be any signal in here. See you later, loser."*
A chuckle escaped my lips. She was still as annoying as ever. Without wasting another second, I typed a quick reply.
*"Don't celebrate too early. Wait for me when you come out, we'll have a spar. Then I'll show you who's really superior between us."*
After sending the message, I couldn't help smiling to myself. Just yesterday, I would never have challenged Riya with this much confidence. But things were different now. The moment I awakened my Prana, something inside me had changed. It wasn't arrogance, but a quiet certainty. I genuinely believed I could become stronger. Much stronger.
I returned to the main screen and continued clearing my notifications. One message immediately stood out: *"Dear Student, You have been absent on Monday and Tuesday without informing the school. If you do not contact the school office immediately, we will be forced to inform your parents."*
I blinked. That didn't sound like something the school would actually send. Frowning, I checked the sender name and instantly burst into laughter. Our class monitor had written the message herself, even copying the formal language used by the school office.
I shook my head in amusement. She wasn't trying to scare me; she was giving me a chance to explain myself before the teachers actually contacted my parents.
I opened the chat and typed, *"Did the teacher ask about me?"*
Barely two seconds later, a reply popped up. *"Yes. She kept asking why you suddenly stopped coming to school, thinking you might be sick."* Another message appeared before I could respond. *"I told her I'd ask you myself, but you weren't answering your phone."*
Curious, I switched over to my call history and found nine missed calls, all from her. My eyebrows rose. Feeling a bit guilty that she had called that many times, I quickly returned to the chat.
*"Sorry. I got injured and ended up sleeping almost the whole day."*
The typing indicator appeared almost immediately. *"Injured? How?"*
I hesitated for a brief moment. There was no way I could tell her the truth. *"Nothing serious. Just got into a fight with someone on the street, but I'm completely fine now."*
Several seconds passed before her reply finally came. *"So that's why you're still sleeping this late. Good. At least I can tell the teacher something."*
I smiled faintly. She sounded relieved rather than angry. Almost absentmindedly, I glanced at the clock displayed at the top of the screen: 3:02 PM.
I rubbed my forehead. Seriously? I had slept for almost half the day.
Just as I was about to lock my phone, another notification popped up. *"Don't forget to bring your medical report, otherwise the teacher won't approve your leave."*
This time, I smiled more genuinely. *"Thanks. I'll bring it."* Thankfully, that wouldn't be a problem since I actually did have an official medical report. Granted, it definitely didn't mention getting beaten to unconsciousness by Skull Crusher during underground fighting match. But a medical report was still a medical report.
Sliding the phone into my pocket, I climbed out of bed. My legs felt surprisingly light, with no soreness or lingering pain left in them. I walked over to the window and grabbed the curtains, pulling them back with one swift motion.
Brilliant afternoon sunlight flooded into the room, forcing me to shield my eyes. Outside, birds glided lazily through the clear blue sky while a warm breeze gently stirred the trees lining the street. The peaceful scene stood in complete contrast to everything that had happened yesterday.
Taking a deep breath, I left my room and headed downstairs. The comforting aroma of freshly prepared sambar reached me before I even entered the dining area, and my stomach instantly growled. I guess I really did sleep through lunch.
As I stepped inside, I found Mom seated at the dining table. A translucent screen floated above her Veil Watch as she calmly read through several documents, occasionally swiping the holographic display with practiced ease. Hearing my footsteps, she looked up and a warm smile spread across her face.
"Finally awake?" she teased. "I was beginning to think you'd sleep until tomorrow."
I scratched the back of my head sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was that tired."
She stood up and walked over. "How are you feeling?"
I rolled my shoulders before flashing a confident grin. "Honestly? I've never felt better."
To prove it, I closed my eyes for a brief moment and summoned the familiar warmth stirring deep within me. Prana flowed through my body like a calm river, spreading from my core into every muscle and vein. A faint, almost invisible aura shimmered around me for a split second, making the air itself seem to grow slightly heavier.
I spread my arms dramatically. "As you can clearly see... I'm perfectly healthy."
Mom couldn't hold back her laughter. "You've only awakened your Prana for one day and you're already showing off."
"I learned from the best."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who would that be?"
I smiled innocently. "You and Dad."
She laughed again before gently flicking my forehead. "Flatterer." Then her expression softened. "I'm glad you're alright."
"You must be starving. What would you like to eat?"
"What did you make?"
"Idli and sambar."
My eyes practically sparkled. "No way! You only make idli and sambar when something special happens."
She smiled knowingly. "I remembered it's your favorite."
I immediately grabbed a plate from the cabinet and placed several soft idlis onto it. Mom filled a bowl with steaming sambar before setting it beside my plate, and the rich aroma of roasted spices instantly filled the room.
"There wasn't any special occasion," she said quietly. "I just thought... my son deserves something nice after awakening his Prana."
A warmth spread through my chest that had nothing to do with the food. "Thanks, Mom. You really are the best."
Her smile grew even brighter. "I'm happy you think so."
I sat down and eagerly took my first bite. Soft, warm, and perfect. After practically inhaling half an idli, I looked around the quiet house. "Where's Dad?"
"He left a while ago," Mom replied. "A client contacted him directly, so he went to their house."
I nodded as another thought crossed my mind. "Come to think of it, Dad's been getting a lot more clients recently. Way more than before. Why?"
Mom's smile slowly faded into a thoughtful expression, and she sat down across from me. "That's because... more people have started awakening their powers than ever before."
She folded her hands on the table, her tone becoming noticeably more serious. "Over the past few years, the number of awakened people has been increasing little by little. It isn't limited to superpower either ,Martial artists, magician, are also awakening naturally ."
She let out a quiet sigh. "Your father has been busier because families suddenly discover that one of their children has awakened, and most of them don't know what to do next."
I stopped eating for a moment. "So that's why."
She nodded. "Some awaken naturally. Others awaken after surviving extreme situations. And a few are simply... lucky. Every awakening is different."
A question that had lingered in the back of my mind finally surfaced. "If awakened people are appearing everywhere, how does the Veil Council manage to keep all of this hidden from ordinary people?"
Mom looked at me silently, leaving a few long seconds of silence between us. Instead of answering right away, she reached over and took a sip of water before setting the glass back onto the table.
"It was only a matter of time before you asked that," she said, leaning back slightly. "Alright. It's finally time for you to understand how our world truly operates."
I unconsciously straightened in my chair.
"The Veil Council," she began, "is the highest governing authority of the hidden world. They create the laws that every awakened individual must follow, settle disputes between powerful organizations, and regulate access to dimensions. They maintain order. And above all, they protect humanity."
Her voice remained calm, yet every word carried undeniable weight. "You've probably seen stories where the strongest people rule because they possess overwhelming power. Reality is different. Power alone isn't enough. You could be one of the strongest people alive and still never become a member."
I blinked. "Really?"
She nodded. "Every Council member has personally defended humanity countless times. They've stopped dimensional disasters and defeated creatures capable of wiping out entire cities. They've sacrificed more than ordinary people could ever imagine. They didn't inherit their positions—they earned them."
For some reason, those words made the Veil Council seem far more impressive than if she had simply called them the strongest. I slowly nodded. "So... how do they hide everything?"
A small smile appeared on her face. "The answer is simple. They don't hide everything. They control what people remember."
A chill ran down my spine. "What do you mean?"
She looked out the window. "Tell me. Have you ever watched the news report about a massive gas explosion? Or a chemical factory accident? Or an unexpected military operation?"
I frowned. "Of course."
She looked back at me. "Some of them are exactly what they claim to be. But some... aren't."
I stared at her.
"When monsters escape dimensions near populated areas, the Veil Council responds immediately," Mom continued. "Barrier specialists isolate the battlefield, evacuation teams remove civilians, and combat units eliminate the threat. Then, Memory Magicians handle anyone who witnessed too much."
My eyes widened. "They... erase memories?"
"Not always. Sometimes they erase them, sometimes they alter them, and sometimes they simply make people remember an ordinary explanation. The explosion becomes a gas leak. The collapsed road becomes a construction accident. The monster becomes something the human mind can accept."
For several seconds, neither of us spoke. The idea sounded unbelievable, yet if an organization truly possessed magic, changing memories didn't seem impossible after all.
"So the ordinary world... never even realizes how close it comes to danger."
"Exactly," Mom replied.
A heavy silence settled between us, and I looked back out the window. Children were laughing somewhere outside, cars continued moving along the streets, and people walked peacefully without the slightest idea that monsters might exist only a few kilometers away. An invisible world protecting a visible one. I finally understood why it was called the Veil.
Another question suddenly came to mind. "Then... why am I allowed to know all this?"
Mom didn't answer immediately. Instead, she simply looked at me with pride in her eyes—but also something else. Sadness.
"The moment you awakened, your life changed forever," her voice was incredibly gentle. "You no longer belong entirely to the ordinary world. From now on, you'll live with one foot in each world. One hidden, one visible. But sooner or later, you'll have to decide which one becomes your home."
A strange feeling settled deep inside my chest. Until this moment, I had only been excited about awakening, thinking about becoming stronger, exploring dimensions, and fighting powerful opponents. But I had never stopped to think about what I was leaving behind. I could never become completely ordinary again. There was no going back.
Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Mom smiled softly. "Don't look so worried. Most awakened people eventually find their own path. You will too."
I nodded slowly. "I hope so." After a brief silence, another question slipped out. "So, does the Veil Council control every dimension?"
Mom immediately shook her head. "No. There are countless dimensions. Many have been explored, many are still being explored, and some..." Her expression became noticeably colder. "...are completely forbidden."
I frowned. "Forbidden?"
"No awakened individual is allowed to enter them. Not even elite hunters without special permission."
"Why?"
She drew in a slow breath. "Because every expedition the Council ever sent into those dimensions... disappeared. No survivors. No communication. No bodies. Nothing."
I felt my heartbeat quicken as a chill crawled down my back. "What was inside them?"
She slowly shook her head. "No one knows. If anyone truly understood what existed beyond those dimensional gates, those places wouldn't still be forbidden."
The room suddenly felt much quieter than before. For the first time, I realized just how little humanity actually knew. Even the organization protecting the world had places it feared.
I lowered my voice. "So even the Veil Council... doesn't know everything."
A faint smile crossed Mom's face. "No. And perhaps, no one ever will."
Silence settled over the dining room once again. The only sound was the gentle clink of my spoon against the bowl as I absentmindedly stirred the remaining sambar. Everything Mom had told me had completely overturned the way I viewed the world.
The peaceful city outside, the people walking along the streets, the children laughing in the nearby park—none of them had the slightest idea how many unseen battles were fought just to keep their lives ordinary.
I looked back at Mom. "One thing still doesn't make sense."
She raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"If the Veil Council is this powerful, why did they create the Veil in the first place?"
Her expression became thoughtful. "There are several reasons. In the early days, separating the two worlds simply made life easier. Battles between awakened individuals could destroy entire neighborhoods, magic experiments often ended in disasters, and powerful beasts occasionally escaped from dimensions. If ordinary people had lived in the middle of all that, millions would have died."
I slowly nodded. That alone sounded like a reasonable explanation.
"Bak..." she continued quietly, "that wasn't the real reason."
I frowned. "It wasn't?"
She slowly shook her head. "The true reason is known only to the highest-ranking individuals within the hidden world." Her eyes drifted toward the window. "It began with a prophecy."
The atmosphere in the room seemed to shift. "A prophecy?"
She nodded. "Centuries ago, there lived a magician whose mastery over Time Magic surpassed anything seen before or since. He devoted his entire life to observing countless possible futures. No one knows how many years he spent searching, but eventually... he saw something."
I unconsciously leaned forward. "What did he see?"
"No one knows. The magician never revealed the vision itself. He only left behind a single prophecy."
A faint breeze slipped through the open window, gently rustling the curtains. Mom's voice dropped into a whisper.
> "One day... the Veil will disappear."
>
The words lingered heavily in the air. I frowned. "That's it?"
She slowly shook her head. "No. There was one final sentence." Her gaze met mine, and for the first time since our conversation began, I saw absolute seriousness in her eyes.
> "When that day comes... humanity will wish it had never learned the truth."
>
An uncomfortable chill spread across my body. "What truth?"
"I don't know. No one does. The prophecy never explained it. It never spoke of monsters, it never mentioned demons, and it never predicted war. It only left behind that single warning."
I stared down at the table. Somehow, that frightened me far more than if it had simply predicted the end of the world. Not knowing was always worse.
After a long silence, I finally spoke. "So... the Veil Council separated both worlds because of a prophecy."
Mom nodded. "They weren't willing to gamble with humanity's future. Even if the prophecy turned out to be wrong, it wasn't a risk worth taking."
I thought about everything I had learned today. Hidden dimensions, memory magic, forbidden worlds, a council protecting humanity from the shadows, and a prophecy that no one understood. The hidden world was far larger than I had ever imagined. Much larger, and far more dangerous.
Mom suddenly smiled, breaking the heavy atmosphere. "But enough gloomy stories. You've only just awakened. You don't need to burden yourself with problems that even the Council hasn't solved."
I couldn't help laughing. "I guess you're right. There'll be plenty of time to worry later."
"Exactly."
I picked up the last piece of idli and finished my meal. Even though the conversation had ended, my mind refused to settle. One thought continued repeating itself: if even the Veil Council feared certain dimensions, then just how terrifying were they?
And another thought quickly followed. One day, I wanted to see them with my own eyes. Not because I was fearless or reckless, but because I wanted to uncover the truth hidden behind the Veil.
Whatever it might be. Whatever the cost.