Darkness surrounded him.
Theoder was floating in an immense sea filled with colors. Above him, all he could see was absolute darkness.
"This calm… Am I dreaming?"
A wave rose and carried Theoder along with the current.
"Everything that happened… it was definitely real… This is another world."
He touched his chest.
"That pressure I felt… all that energy coming out of me… They said something about a circle… about divine power."
The sea he floated in began to turn red and bubble.
"Could it be magic?" Theoder's eyes lit up with excitement.
The bubbles began to grow violent. The temperature rose, and the waves grew larger.
"This feeling… it's like before… my chest…"
The sea became increasingly violent. In the middle of the darkness, a light emerged, and everything returned to normal.
"This is a big problem… I need to figure out what's happening to me."
He thought as the light wrapped around him. His heart calmed, and little by little he drifted away until he lost consciousness.
Several hours later, Theoder woke up in a cabin. The atmosphere was warm. Beside him, a man wearing glasses sat reading a book. Their eyes met.
"Well, it looks like you've woken up," he said with a friendly smile.
"Who are you?" Theoder asked.
"My name is Darik. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Silence filled the room. Theoder examined Darik—a young man with green eyes and brown hair, slightly messy with rebellious strands falling over his forehead and a low ponytail tied at the back of his neck.
"Well, it seems you have several problems. First things first—try not to get agitated, or you might explode. The leader made it very clear to me that if you showed signs of exploding, I should kill you immediately."
Theoder swallowed.
"Relax, relax, I'm not planning to do that. In fact, we've already found a temporary solution to your problem. You should thank Lyra later."
Lyra?
"You'll meet her soon enough. She saved you while you were sleeping. For now, tell me, what are you?"
"I'm a human, just like you and everyone else."
"Yes, yes, but it's very strange. You can't control your circle, and your divine power seems extremely large."
"I don't know what you're talking about. You keep mentioning divine power and circles, but I have no idea what you mean."
"You don't know? Could it be that you never went to school? Even so, you should know… Have you lived under a rock your entire life?"
"I didn't—"
"Although Mira told me you hit your head. Perhaps you lost your memory. Tell me, do you remember your past?"
'Of course I remember my past. I'm just a normal guy who likes soccer and video games. I simply went for a walk in the forest and ended up here…'
Suddenly, a brilliant idea crossed his mind.
'Now that I think about it, this might not be a disadvantage. Memory loss is much easier to explain than traveling between worlds.'
"I… have blurry memories."
'It should seem like I remember some things. That way I'll have room to improvise.'
"Alright, let's start with the basics. Age?"
"Seventeen."
"Hmm. Occupation."
"I don't remember."
"Alright. Do you have family?"
'My parents… that's right. If I'm in a new world now… will I never see them again?'
"I… don't know."
"Don't worry. If you can't remember, that's fine," Darik said, patting him on the back. "Don't think about that right now."
After a brief moment of silence, Theoder spoke.
"What's happening to me? Why does it seem like I'm going to explode at any moment?"
"An interesting question," Darik said, adjusting his glasses. "You suffer from internal overflow."
"A disease?"
"Not exactly. It's more like a disability. Since your body can't control your circle, your divine power overflows. Normally it's nothing serious, maybe a year or two of weakness until your body learns to control it. But in your case… since you have so much divine power, you could actually explode."
"So… I'll have to spend one or two years fearing for my life?"
"Correct. That would be the normal case. But you are an anomaly."
"An anomaly?"
"Yes. Internal overflow only appears in small children or newborns. You're far beyond that age, and yet you're still alive."
'That's probably because there was no magic in my world…'
"But don't worry. You're not the first case of internal overflow with great power. Some people suffer from this, and the solution is simple."
"Good. That means I won't die. Tell me what the solution is."
"Alright. These cases usually appear in powerful families. The solution is clear, someone with similar or greater power helps your divine power circulate properly through direct contact."
Theoder sighed in relief.
"The problem is that the divine power flowing through your body is extremely large. Out of the four of us, only Lyra has a considerable amount. Luckily, it was enough to keep you stable… for now."
Suddenly, the cabin door opened. The light coming through the doorway blinded Theoder for a moment. Two women walked inside.
"Well, it seems our bomb is already awake."
"Good morning, ladies. You arrived at just the right time."
Darik stood up from his seat and pointed with both hands toward the girl standing beside Mira.
"Theoder, let me introduce Lyra, your savior."
The girl was young and beautiful. Her hair was such a light brown that it almost looked orange. Her skin was pale, and her eyes were the same color as her hair.
"You finally woke up, Theoder," she said with a smile.
Somewhere else…
Rain fell without end under a thoughtful gaze.
At the top of a tower, two figures watched the storm in silence.
Binao was the first to speak.
"I've made a decision."
The wind shook his white ceremonial cloak, embroidered with the clan's emblem. In front of him, Kaos remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the lightning tearing across the horizon.
"I want you to be my successor."
Thunder crashed in the distance. Kaos didn't react.
"I'm getting old, and the clan needs stability," Binao continued. "It needs strength, a leader who can inspire the next generation."
Silence.
The aura surrounding Kaos wasn't visible, but the pressure in the air was palpable, as if the storm itself obeyed his breathing.
"Let someone else handle it," he finally said.
His voice was low and firm.
Binao narrowed his eyes.
"Are you still chasing ghosts?"
For the first time, Kaos looked away from the horizon.
"It's not a ghost."
A flash of lightning illuminated his face for a moment.
His red eyes showed determination.
"He's still out there."
The tower trembled with the next thunderclap.
"Somewhere in this world…"