Okay, so as I was saying, I headed towards home, still thinking about that weird guy and what he said. "The last Nature Breathing user." Yeah, right. It sounded like something straight out of a fantasy manga. But still… I couldn't ignore what happened at the tennis match. That wasn't normal. Not even close.
The snow kept crunching under my boots as I walked, the cold air biting at my face. Everything was quiet again—too quiet. No birds, no people, nothing. Just the sound of my own footsteps.
Then suddenly—
It happened.
My vision glitched.
For a split second, everything went dark.
And then I saw them.
Six eyes.
Bright yellow.
Floating in the darkness.
They weren't normal eyes. They were sharp, glowing, and filled with something… evil. They stared straight at me, like they could see through me, into me.
I froze.
My heart started pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears.
Then—
Gone.
Just like that.
I stumbled forward, almost slipping on the snow. "What… what was that?" I muttered, breathing heavily. My head hurt, like something had just forced its way into my mind.
I shook it off and kept walking, a little faster this time. No way I was standing around after seeing something like that.
When I finally reached home, I stepped inside—well, through the door I kinda destroyed earlier. The living room was still a mess. The snow had melted into a wet disaster, and the carpet looked completely ruined.
I barely had time to take off my shoes before—
"Tom."
Uh oh.
My dad was standing there.
Arms crossed.
Not a good sign.
"Care to explain," he said slowly, "why our door is missing… and why there is snow INSIDE the house?"
I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
"Okay, so—funny story—"
"This better be good," he interrupted.
"Well… the door was stuck… and I was late… so I kind of… removed it."
"You REMOVED the door."
"Yes."
"With a screwdriver."
"…Yes."
There was a long pause.
Then he rubbed his forehead like he was trying not to lose his mind.
"Tom… normal people KNOCK when something doesn't open."
"Yeah, but I'm not normal," I said automatically.
That did not help.
"You're cleaning this entire mess," he said. "Every single bit of it."
"Got it."
"And no dinner until it's done."
"…Got it."
I sighed and grabbed a mop, starting to clean up the watery snow. But even while I was working, my mind wasn't there.
It was stuck on two things.
The strange man shouting "Fogo."
And those six yellow eyes.
Something was coming.
I could feel it.
And for the first time in my life…
I wasn't sure I was ready for it.