Scene 1: The Street's Gaze
Haru left the hospital for the first time since the fire. His right hand was wrapped in bandages hiding what he didn't want anyone to see. But they couldn't hide the stares.
"Mommy, why is his face covered?" he heard a child ask his mother.
"Hush, don't stare," the mother whispered quickly.
The words didn't hurt Haru. The real pain was something else. But his sharp observation - the one that always got him in trouble for seeing what others didn't want seen - noticed something strange: Everyone who looked at him... had fear mixed with curiosity in their eyes. As if they were wondering: Are we safe from him? Or is he unsafe from us?
Scene 2: The Rooftop
Haru climbed to the roof of the building next to the hospital. He needed air, he needed space. But as soon as he arrived, he heard an unnatural sound.
Quick panting, then a screech. Then the leopard appeared.
Not a normal leopard. Its eyes were red, but Haru with his sharp observation saw what others didn't: A large nail embedded in its hind leg, pus oozing out.
The leopard wasn't rabid. It was in pain.
"Run!" someone screamed from below.
But Haru with his incredible instinctive speed had already calculated everything:
Distance between him and the leopard: 7 meters.
Distance between leopard and concrete pillar: 3 meters.
Optimal movement angle: 45 degrees.
His instinct told him what books never did:
"A wounded animal attacks out of fear... not hatred."
Haru moved. Not backward, but sideways.
One quick movement, and the leopard pounced... but in the wrong direction.
It hit the pillar and fell.
Scene 3: The Nail
People screamed from below: "Kill it! Kill it!"
But Haru saw the leopard's eyes. They weren't a monster's eyes. They were the eyes of a creature in pain.
He approached carefully. The leopard whined softly.
Haru extended his hand - the injured hand - slowly. He grabbed the nail.
His quick logic led him to a simple conclusion:
"Pulling straight tears... pulling at an angle saves."
He pulled the nail at a 30-degree angle.
It came out with a distinctive sound, with minimal bleeding.
Blood... then stillness.
The leopard looked at him, then turned and limped away.
Scene 4: The Organization Appears
At that moment, Haru heard applause.
Men and women in white clothes appeared from the shadows. They didn't come from the door... but from the emptiness itself.
One of them, a man in his forties with sharp eyes, stepped forward:
"Well done, Haru."
"Who are you?" Haru stepped back.
"We are the Memory Rescue Organization." The man pointed to his injured hand. "And your scars... aren't just burns."
"What do you mean?"
"Severe burns, especially those that touch the boundary between life and death... create small portals." The man paused, then added: "Portals between your world... and the world of shadows."
Haru felt dizzy. "World of shadows?"
"A place where painful memories go, and turn into monsters." The man looked at the sky. "And you... might be the new guardian."
Scene 5: The Coma
Before Haru could respond, he felt as if the ground disappeared beneath his feet.
Overlapping voices:
· "He's fainting!"
· "Call an ambulance!"
· "Look at his eyes!"
In Haru's eyes: The left one brown and normal, the right one shimmering with faint green.
Then... darkness.
Scene 6: Awakening in the Other World
Haru opened his eyes. He wasn't on the roof. He wasn't in the hospital.
He was in a city with unnatural colors:
· Pink sky
· Blue and turquoise buildings
· Air shimmering like golden dust
And in front of him... stood a boy with green eyes, smiling.
"Hello, Haru. I'm Joceka."