Teacher Rana stood at the front of the classroom, tapping a sharp piece of white chalk against the blackboard. The rhythmic *tap, tap, tap* cut through the quiet room as he cleared his throat.
"Because of the global nature of these simultaneous natural disasters," he explained, his loud voice echoing off the concrete walls, "governments across the world recognized the need for an overarching authority. They established the World Government."
He turned around, the chalk scraping loudly as he wrote a few key dates on the board. "However, despite its grand title, it holds no sovereign command over individual nations. It cannot force any country to act against its own national interests."
I stared down at the crisp textbook open on my desk, barely looking at the printed black words. The history they taught us was incomplete, completely stripped of its terrifying reality. It hadn't been a sudden wave of natural disasters at all. It was a massive, synchronized attack by monsters that had torn through our cities and left the entire globe bleeding.
During that dark period, the Veil Council realized that humanity's only hope was a unified front. They discreetly nudged human leaders behind the scenes to pool their resources, giving birth to the World Government. While it lacked the authority to interfere in daily domestic politics, the institution was built exclusively for global emergencies. It possessed its own elite military force, funded entirely by contributions from member nations.
More importantly, it housed its own division of superpowered individuals. If a widespread monster invasion ever triggered another global crisis, this force would deploy immediately to minimize the devastation.
The Veil Council officially recorded that horrific event as the Second World Invasion. I didn't know every single detail of what transpired back then, but the name alone carried a heavy, suffocating weight. The First World Invasion had been infinitely worse, resulting in the total massacre of an entire continent.
In ordinary history books, that absolute tragedy was scrubbed clean and re-written as an unprecedented plague. It was a fiction designed to explain how every single living soul on a continent had perished overnight. Staring at the blackboard, a cold chill settled deep in my chest as the sheer fragility of life sank in.
It was deeply pitiful for ordinary citizens who remained completely ignorant of the supernatural world. If they died from a supernatural anomaly, their families would spend the rest of their lives trapped in confusion, never understanding the true cause behind their loved ones' deaths.
For the rest of the morning, the lessons blurred together into background noise. My mind kept drifting between heavy thoughts about my future and quiet whispers with Ishika. When the lunch bell finally rang, the sharp chime broke my trance, and Ishika and I strolled out onto the campus. The afternoon air was warm and heavy as we walked along the courtyard path, where we bumped right into Rahul.
Rahul grinned widely the moment he spotted us, his teeth showing. He was one of the very few genuine friends I kept at this school. Ordinarily, I avoided getting close to my classmates because we essentially belonged to entirely different worlds, leaving almost no common ground for us to talk about.
But the day I first met Rahul, my senses picked up something familiar. I realized instantly that he originated from the exact same side of the Veil as I did. A bit of quiet digging eventually confirmed my suspicion, revealing that his family belonged to an ancient, traditional lineage of martial artists.
"Hey man! Where have you been?" Rahul asked, his voice bursting with enthusiasm as he stepped directly into our path. "You were absent for so many days!"
"It's nothing serious," I replied, flashing a casual, teasing grin. "Just got into a fight and got myself beaten up a bit."
Rahul shifted his gaze toward Ishika, his eyes widening slightly as he caught the subtle cue in my expression. "Yeah, right," Rahul laughed, playing along seamlessly with a loud chuckle. "I know all about your terrible habit of getting into scraps. I’ve even seen you fighting a few times."
Ishika’s eyes snapped wide open, her gaze darting aggressively between the two of us. "What?" she demanded, her voice rising in sharp disbelief. "Why don't I know anything about this? Since when do you have a habit of fighting?"
"He's just joking, Ishika," I said quickly, giving her a reassuring smile to placate her rising panic. I shot Rahul a sharp, warning glare, shooting him a clear message with my eyes: *What the hell, man?*
Turning back to her, I offered a casual excuse. "Hey, why don't you head to the cafeteria for lunch first? I'm really not in the mood to eat anything right now."
Ishika narrowed her eyes, tossing me a look reserved entirely for absolute idiots. She let out a sharp huff, turned sharply on her heel, and marched straight back toward the classroom building. Once her figure vanished through the entrance, Rahul and I cracked a smile.
We turned and began walking toward the wide, open edge of the sports field. Rahul leaned in slightly, his tone turning more serious. "Do you know that a lot of families are sending their kids into the dimensions lately? They're using them as training grounds."
"Yeah, I heard about it," I muttered, casually kicking a loose rock across the dry dirt. A frown tugged at my lips as I watched the pebble skitter away. "But I honestly don't get how parents can just send their children into those places. Don't they worry about their safety at all?"
"Apparently, the Veil Council managed to establish a safe zone deep inside the dimension," Rahul explained, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's the only reason they're letting kids train there."
"A safe zone?" I asked, stopping dead in my tracks. "What kind of safe zone?"
"If you asked anyone else, they wouldn't have a clue," Rahul said, a hint of pride slipping into his voice. "But my father was actually one of the specialists responsible for setting it up, so I know the details pretty well."
He looked out over the empty field, his expression thoughtful. "The Council spent years researching how to project a stable border inside the dimensions. The original goal was to create a buffer zone so we could fight monsters on their territory instead of our own planet."
Rahul shrugged, his shoulders rising slightly. "But during the implementation, an accident occurred, and that buffer zone inadvertently transformed into a safe zone."
"What does it do?" I pressed, my curiosity spiking instantly.
"Inside that specific perimeter, the raw power of any dimensional creature is suppressed by more than ten times," Rahul said, locking eyes with me. "Because of that massive suppression, even a Rank 3 monster can be brought down by a Rank 1 awakener, provided the kid is skilled enough."
He turned back to face me fully. "After the accident proved successful, the Veil Council officially announced they would establish these safe zones across all accessible dimensions. They cleared out the immediate surroundings, which means the monsters near the perimeter are almost exclusively low-rank."
A sudden surge of excitement rushed through my veins, making my chest tighten. "Amazing. Hearing that actually makes me feel way more confident about heading into the dimension to train."
Rahul froze, his jaw dropping as he stared at me in absolute shock. "Wait, you're actually planning to go into a dimension to train?"
He shook his head, looking completely baffled. "Didn't you tell me before that your dad wouldn't even let you breathe near a gate until you awakened your prana?"
"Yes, that was the rule," I said, letting a smug, triumphant grin spread across my face. "And I've already awakened my prana."
Rahul stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at me for a full three seconds, his eyes darting down to my posture before he suddenly lunged forward, swinging a heavy fist right at my back. "Damn bastard!" he yelled playfully. "Am I the one from a martial arts family, or are you?"
Expecting the strike, I smoothly sidestepped the blow. The movement felt completely effortless as I dodged his fist, slipped past his open flank, and reached out to give his head a playful tap. I aggressively ruffled his thick, curly hair with a loud laugh. "It's alright, Rahul. You're still just a kid."
"Get back here!" he roared, turning around to grab my jacket.
I broke into a sprint, laughing over my shoulder as I bolted across the grassy field. Rahul tore after me, shouting empty threats, and the two of us spent the entire remainder of the lunch period sprinting, dodging, and chasing each other across the campus grounds.
By the time the afternoon bell rang, we were both flushed, sweaty, and catching our breath as we headed back inside the main building for science class.
The teacher walked into the room, carrying a thick stack of papers that she dropped onto the wooden podium with a dull, heavy thud. She scanned the entire classroom with a strict, unyielding expression, her sharp eyes instantly silencing the room.
"Your final twelfth-grade board exams are exactly three months away," she announced, her cutting voice cutting cleanly through the lingering chatter.
She leaned against the edge of the desk, crossing her arms. "I have officially completed the entire syllabus. For the rest of the term, I will strictly use this period to revise past chapters and conduct mock tests."
She picked up a black marker from the tray. "Now, let us begin our revision from chapter one."
I sat back in my hard chair, staring out the window as my mind instantly zoned out once again. It wasn't that I wanted to disrespect the teacher or ignore the lesson, but sitting through a basic high school review felt entirely meaningless now.
When I first awakened my primary superpower, Laser Eyes, the sudden influx of raw energy had permanently sharpened my cognitive baseline. It allowed me to read, process, and master every single textbook in a matter of weeks.
Then, after awakening Perfect Control, that mental enhancement solidified into a flawless photographic memory. If I wanted to, I could flip through any complex chapter just once and retain every single syllable perfectly for the rest of my life.
More than anything, the quiet realization echoed deep in my chest: a normal, ordinary human life simply wasn't meant for me anymore.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Ishika whispered from the desk right beside me, nudging my elbow with her pen.
I leaned slightly closer to her side, keeping my voice dropped to a low, barely audible murmur. "I was just thinking about which college I should apply to."
Ishika blinked, turning her head to look at me in genuine surprise. "Wait, have you already decided on one?"
"Yeah," I nodded casually, keeping my eyes fixed forward so the teacher wouldn't notice. "I'm going to a private college."
"A private college?" she whispered back, her brow furrowing in deep, immediate disapproval. "Why would you choose that? They're usually way worse than government institutions. And with your grades, getting into a top-tier government university isn't even a challenge for you."
"You're completely right," I admitted quietly. "Locking down a spot there would be easy. But the thing is, I don't plan on actually attending any daily classes. I only need a college that will let me show up exclusively to sit for the final examinations."
I turned my head slightly, giving her a small, tight smile. "Because of that restriction, a flexible private college is pretty much my only choice."
"But why would you even want to do that?" she asked, her eyes searching my face in utter bewilderment.
To an outsider who knew nothing about the Veil, my decision probably looked like an absolute, self-sabotaging move that offered zero long-term benefits.
"Well, my father already worked out the details," I explained, keeping the explanation as grounded as possible. "He arranged it so I can start a full-time internship directly under him."
I leaned back in my seat, letting out a soft breath. "So, I'll just show up to college whenever the exam dates roll around. The rest of the time, I'll be working at the internship with my dad."
Ishika stared at me for a long, quiet moment, trying to process the logic. But she didn't say another word, turning her attention back to her notebook with a quiet, pensive expression.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of scratching pens and ticking clocks. It wasn't long before the final bell rang, signaling the official end of the school day.
Students immediately began packing their bags, creating a loud, chaotic chorus of sliding chairs and shifting zippers. I swung my backpack over one shoulder and stood up to leave.
"Rohan, wait," Ishika called out, stepping out into the narrow aisle to block my path.
I paused, looking down at her. "Yeah? What's up?"
"Can I... come over to your house sometime soon?" she asked, her voice dropping significantly as she looked down at the tiled floor.
I stared at her, feeling a bit weirded out by the sudden, heavy tension in her posture. We had known each other since the fourth grade. Counting the years, we had spent nine consecutive terms sharing the exact same classroom, essentially making her my closest best friend in this ordinary world.
Yet, in all those years, I had never once seen Ishika make a face that looked so incredibly nervous and hesitant.
"Sure, why not?" I said, offering her a warm, easy smile to break her tension. "You already know exactly where my house is, and you've visited plenty of times before."
"Okay," Ishika murmured softly.
She reached deep into her bag, pulled out a neatly wrapped package, and held it out to me with both hands. "Happy belated birthday. I didn't get a chance to give this to you earlier because you weren't coming to school."
Staring at the wrapped gift, a sudden wave of sharp embarrassment washed over me. My parents had thrown a birthday party at the house, yet I hadn't even invited the single best friend I had in this entire school.
The reason behind it was incredibly simple, but brutal—Uncle Arjun was visiting, and every single conversation in our household was going to revolve around the dangerous reality of the supernatural world. To protect the secret, I had no choice but to exclude Ishika and Rahul entirely.
But looking at the gift in my hands, I knew I had to make it up to her right away.
"Thanks, Ishika," I said sincerely, tightening my grip on the package.
I looked up, making direct eye contact with her. "Look, you have to come out to a party with me. I'm taking you out to a restaurant, and it's my treat."
Ishika’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, a soft flush appearing on her cheeks. "Is it... just going to be the two of us?"
"No, I'm going to call Rahul as well," I laughed, shaking my head playfully. "The old trio needs to celebrate my birthday properly."
A faint, genuine smile returned to her face at that. "When?"
"This evening," I replied without hesitation.
"Okay," she said softly, nodding down at the gift one last time. "I'll see you then."
She turned and hurried off toward the campus courtyard to catch her regular school bus. I turned in the opposite direction, walking briskly down the crowded corridor toward the outdoor cycle stand.
The moment I arrived back home, I pulled my phone from my pocket and immediately dialed Rahul’s number. The line rang twice before he picked up, his voice booming through the line.
"Hey man, we're heading out for a birthday party this evening," I told him without any preamble. "My treat at a restaurant. You in?"
"Are you kidding? Free food?" Rahul shouted happily through the speaker, a wide grin evident in his loud tone. "Count me in. Just send me the time and place!"