The night sky was calm, dotted with countless stars.
It was the kind of night people would forget by morning.
Somewhere, a little girl tugged on her mother's sleeve.
"Mom, look! A comet!"
A streak of light cut across the sky.
For a moment, it was beautiful.
Then—
it cracked.
The comet shattered midair, and from within it spilled something dark.
Black, viscous fragments twisted unnaturally as they scattered across the clouds, streaking toward the earth like falling stars made of ink.
And then they crashed down across the world.
Beep. Beep.
"Ugh… what's wrong with my head today? I feel like it's going to burst…"
A boy groaned and pressed a hand against his forehead.
"Mom! Why am I still home? Why didn't you wake me up for school?!"
From downstairs, a gentle voice replied,
"Honey, you had a high fever. Your dad and I thought you should rest today."
The boy's name was Nova.
He lived in California with his parents.
After resting for a while, the creak of his bedroom door pulled him from his thoughts.
His dad stepped inside and placed a small box on the desk.
"A present. I know you've wanted this computer chip for a long time."
Nova's eyes lit up instantly.
"Thanks, Dad! I love you so much!"
Unlike most kids his age, Nova wasn't into football or hanging out outside.
He preferred logic, code, and machines.
While others played games, he debugged them.
Nova turned on his PC, placed the chip carefully on the desk, and leaned back in his chair.
"I should check the news first…"
Politics.
Arguments.
Boring.
Just as he was about to switch it off—
"Nova! Breakfast!"
Pancakes and maple syrup.
His favorites.
Nova rushed downstairs, forgetting to turn off his computer.
On the TV, the news anchor continued speaking.
"Reports are coming in that teenagers aged thirteen to nineteen are developing unknown abilities—"
But Nova never heard it.
The autoplay switched to another video while he ate.
Later, he returned to his room, full and satisfied, and sat down at his desk.
He didn't notice the computer chip.
A thin black tentacle slowly extended from it.
It crept silently across the desk.
And reached toward him.
Nova's screen time was over, and reluctantly, he shut down his computer and climbed into bed.
Sleep refused to come.
His mind buzzed endlessly with ideas.
Codes.
Systems.
Possibilities.
So he did what he always did when he couldn't sleep.
He imagined.
Nova imagined coding a weapon.
A blade that could cut through anything, but only existed for one minute.
Powerful.
But temporary.
As he pictured the lines of code forming inside his mind, something strange happened.
The air suddenly felt heavier.
Reality itself felt… wrong.
Almost like it was lagging.
Without thinking, Nova slowly raised his arm toward the ceiling.
A sword materialized in his hand.
Cold.
Real.
Solid.
Nova froze.
"This… isn't real," he whispered.
His voice trembled.
He stared at the weapon for a moment before swinging it toward his pillow.
The blade sliced through it effortlessly, as if the pillow had never existed.
Nova's heart slammed against his chest.
His breathing became shallow.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
This wasn't imagination.
This wasn't a dream.
And just like that—
the blade vanished.
Gone.
As if it had never existed.
Nova stared at his empty hand while his thoughts spiraled out of control.
For a second, he thought about telling his friends.
But memories of every sci-fi movie he'd ever watched flooded his mind.
People with powers locked inside labs.
Experimented on.
Dissected.
"Yeah… no thanks."
Nova rolled around in bed as thoughts raced endlessly through his mind.
Eventually, exhaustion dragged him into sleep.
Morning arrived, and Nova was already prepared for school.
At first glance, his nerdy behavior made people assume he wasn't very popular.
In reality, it was the complete opposite.
He was kind, gentle, and naturally charming.
Popular with both boys and girls.
But despite that, Nova was still an introvert.
Whenever someone suddenly talked to him, he would flinch slightly, as if caught off guard.
As Nova walked through the crowded hallway toward his classroom, he accidentally bumped into someone familiar.
Stacy.
His crush.
They were in the same class, but to her, Nova was nothing more than a friend.
The school buzzed with noise.
Students shouted across hallways.
Lockers slammed shut.
Laughter echoed everywhere.
Soon, Nova spotted his best friend.
"Hey, Nova! Why didn't you come yesterday?" Zeyden asked.
Even though Nova was shy, he felt comfortable around the people he trusted.
"I was kinda… sick," Nova replied.
The bell rang.
The two started heading toward class together while casually chatting.
Suddenly—
"Boo!"
Both of them jumped.
"AAH! What the heck, man?! Not cool!"
Laughter erupted behind them.
It was Liam.
The third member of their friend group.
After a few minutes, they finally reached the classroom and took their seats.
Nova looked around quietly.
Searching.
Alice wasn't there.
Nova frowned slightly.
Alice was more than just a friend to him.
She was like a sister.
I wonder why she's absent…
"Damn… my head is spinning…"
A girl groaned as she slowly opened her eyes.
Her hair was messy, and annoyance was written all over her face.
Alice grabbed the phone beside her bed and checked the time.
Her eyes widened.
"What?! Mom! Why didn't you wake me up for school?!"
From outside her room, her mother replied calmly,
"You had a fever, honey. I thought it would be better if you stayed home today."
Alice let out a tired sigh and dropped back onto the pillow.
"But I promised to teach my friends origami today…"
She stared at the ceiling quietly.
"Guess they'll have to wait."
An hour later, Alice and her mother arrived at the city's origami exhibition hall.
The place was enormous.
Beautiful paper creations filled the room.
Giant paper cities stood proudly on display tables.
Tiny folded ponds reflected the lights above.
Paper birds hung from the ceiling and swayed gently whenever people walked by.
Alice tightened her grip on the edge of her sleeve.
She was nervous.
Very nervous.
People whispered quietly while judges examined every project carefully.
Alice glanced toward her own creation.
Please do well…
Time passed slowly.
Then finally—
"The winner of this year's junior origami exhibition is… Alice."
For a second, she froze.
Then the entire hall erupted into applause.