Aeris let out a long sigh as he stared out the bedroom window overlooking the narrow street in front of his house. The morning sun had just pierced through the thin curtains, reflecting warm light onto the wooden floor that creaked under his steps. Birds were singing as if laughing at him.
As if they knew something he himself hadn't yet understood.
"Another boring morning," he murmured, sipping warm tea from his favorite mug.
It tasted sweet, but it couldn't calm the unease gnawing at his chest. There was a strange feeling, as if something was waiting.
Something he knew would change everything.
Although his life in the human world seemed normal, Aeris knew there was a part of him that was different.
He always felt there was a gap that couldn't be explained, something that often left him standing on the edge of curiosity and a hint of fear.
His gentle side made people drawn to him easily, but the other side…
The feral side only appeared when he was truly threatened.
That day, as usual, he walked to school with a light backpack on his shoulders.
The path he took was filled with the aroma of freshly baked bread from the neighboring shop and the laughter of children playing in the yard.
These things were ordinary to others, but to Aeris, there was a strange feeling creeping between these everyday moments.
He glanced at the classic chair in his living room as he passed the dining table.
The chair, which had been there since the house was built, had always seemed ordinary.
Its wood was dark brown, with simple carvings on the backrest, and it was piled with seemingly random items.
There were old books, a small wooden box, and a few trinkets he didn't even remember who had put there.
Usually, Aeris didn't pay much attention. But that day, something was different. He saw a thin glimmer, like dust dancing in the sunlight.
Only around the backrest. He frowned, squinting, and stepped closer.
"Hm… what's that?" he murmured. He reached out slowly. As his finger nearly touched the wood, the glimmer moved, as if running away from him.
His heart beat faster, but curiosity overpowered his fear. He took a deep breath and touched it.
Immediately, his vision shifted. The room was the same, yet something was different. The glowing dust seemed alive, spinning in the air like tiny stars dancing in the narrow space.
He looked down, narrowing his eyes. There was a small box among the dust, almost invisible, yet clearly different from the other items on the chair.
Aeris held his breath.
"A box… a city?" he whispered softly.
A subtle vibration crawled up his arm.
It felt strange, a mix of cold and warmth, calming yet thrilling. Unconsciously, he grabbed the box. Instantly, the glowing dust swirled faster, surrounding his hands.
Then… suddenly, it vanished.
He looked around. The room seemed the same as before. Just the classic chair and the pile of ordinary items. As if nothing had happened.
Aeris furrowed his brow.
"Did I really see that… or was I imagining it?"
Despite the confusion, curiosity took over. He decided to keep the experience to himself, at least until he knew what had truly happened.
But one thing was certain: something was waiting beneath that chair. Something that would change his life.
At school, Aeris sat in the back row, as usual. He observed his classmates, people who seemed perfectly ordinary.
Laughing, chatting, and scrolling on their phones. He tried joining their conversations, but there was always a distance. As if another world was calling him.
The teacher entered, and the lesson began. Aeris tried to focus, but his mind drifted back to the classic chair at home.
What was truly hidden there? The glowing dust… the box…
He felt something he couldn't explain, like a gentle call from another world.
During break, he went out to the school yard. The wind brushed his face, and for a few seconds, he closed his eyes.
Letting the sounds of the world calm his mind. When he opened his eyes, he saw a new student standing near the large tree. Their eyes met. There was a strange glimmer in the student's eyes.
Mysterious yet familiar. Aeris couldn't say why he felt that way.
"My name is Lyra Lyn," the student said with a faint smile. Her voice was soft but carried an unusual energy, as if something greater than herself lingered around her.
Aeris felt his heart beat faster, but it wasn't fear.
Just curiosity.
In the following days, Aeris began noticing small differences. The glowing dust on the classic chair appeared again, but only for him.
He began to touch it, studying the dust's movements and realizing something. The dust seemed to respond to his emotions joy, sadness, fear. Everything felt more alive around him.
Lyra.
On the other hand, she began appearing at unexpected moments. Sometimes at school, sometimes seemingly from nowhere, as if following Aeris without being noticed.
Their interactions were light. Sometimes playful, sometimes serious, but there was always a subtle tension that made Aeris wonder who this new student really was.
One afternoon, Aeris returned home with his light backpack. The sun was nearly setting, warm light pouring into the living room and illuminating the classic chair.
He looked down, seeing the glowing dust appear again. Brighter than usual. He smiled faintly and reached for the box. Instantly, the dust swirled faster, forming a gentle yet powerful vortex.
Aeris's heart raced. Something was there…
Something waiting to be discovered. He took a deep breath, staring at the box with determination. The human world may have seemed ordinary, but Aeris knew. His life had just begun to change.
Adventure, mystery, and perhaps love. Everything awaited him in the world hidden beneath the classic chair.
And Aeris was ready for it all.
The following month.
Aeris stepped out of the school gate, his backpack feeling heavier than usual, even though it only held textbooks. The evening wind brushed against him gently, carrying the scent of freshly cut grass and the faint aroma of pastries from the bakery across the street.
He walked slowly, savoring every small detail he normally overlooked. Earlier that morning in class, his thoughts had wandered to the classic chair at home. The glowing dust still danced in his mind, the shadow of the parallel box waiting to be found.
In the schoolyard, his friends played soccer, laughing and joking. Mika, his childhood friend, waved.
"Hey, Aeris! Daydreaming again?"
Aeris gave a faint smile.
"Just enjoying the afternoon, Mika. You go play by yourself, okay?"
Mika patted his back lightly.
"You're always different. Sometimes so serious, sometimes dreaming far into the sky."
Aeris only smiled, but inside, he felt a desire to explain something he couldn't. Another world was waiting at the classic chair in his house. But who would believe him? Even Mika would think he was crazy if Aeris told her about the glowing dust and the parallel city.
He turned toward a small shop near school, bought a glass of iced tea to calm his mind, and sat on a wooden bench, watching people pass by.
Enjoying the usual small-town bustle, yet it felt different that day. As if something was waiting, something bigger than ordinary human life.
Once home, he went straight to the living room. The classic chair stood as always, surrounded by seemingly random items.
Old books, the wooden box, some trinkets he didn't even know the origin of. He approached slowly, his heart racing. The glowing dust appeared again, brighter and more active than before.
"All right. Let's see what you're hiding," Aeris murmured, lowering his gaze to observe each particle of light dancing in the air.
This time, he tried touching it with his fingertips, moving his hand slowly to see how the dust reacted. The dust moved with his hand, forming a pattern like a gentle whirl.
Then, it shaped itself into a small box, resembling a tiny portal.
He held his breath.
"This… is real, isn't it?" The words slipped out softly, almost whispered to himself. The energy flowing through his hands felt warm and strange.
At the same time, it felt like the dust had a life of its own. Aeris sensed a subtle call from the hidden city inside the box, inviting him to enter and uncover the secrets long lost.
As he observed closely, there was a knock at the window. He turned and saw Lyra standing in the yard with a faint smile. The evening wind caressed her hair, and their eyes met.
There was a strange glimmer in Lyra's eyes, something familiar yet hard to explain. Aeris felt his heartbeat quicken not from fear, but from growing curiosity.
"Hey, Aeris," Lyra said.
"I just moved here. I thought maybe we could be friends?"
Aeris nodded, smiling. There was something about Lyra that intrigued him, an energy he couldn't explain.
Just like the glowing dust on the classic chair. He wanted to ask so many questions, but the words seemed stuck in his throat.
The following days became a mix of ordinary human routines and insatiable curiosity. In class, Aeris remained in the back row, observing his classmates.
But his mind always drifted to the classic chair and the parallel city waiting to be discovered. The glowing dust appeared sporadically, only when Aeris felt strong emotions happiness, anger, or fear.
It seemed to respond to every vibration of his heart.
Mika began to notice Aeris's behavior but didn't ask much. Sometimes Aeris just smiled, letting his friend remain unaware. He wasn't ready to share a secret that was too big.
He was still trying to understand the mixed feelings that arose whenever Lyra appeared unexpectedly. Sometimes she was at school, sometimes seemingly from nowhere, always with a faint smile.
A mysterious aura that kept Aeris staring, trying to figure out who this new student really was.
One afternoon, Aeris sat on the classic chair, staring at the parallel box and letting his mind wander. He thought about who he really was, where the half-creature side that occasionally emerged when he was angry or scared came from.
He wondered if the power was just a coincidence or part of something bigger. As his hand touched the glowing dust, he felt the call growing stronger. It was as if the parallel city was waiting for his arrival, ready to open a new chapter in his life.
Aeris closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said to himself:
"I don't know what will happen. But I'm ready. I will find out."
He inhaled deeply and looked at the glowing dust spinning in the air. The sensation was the same warm, captivating, and strange. His hand moved slowly, touching the swirl of light.
Aeris felt an energy piercing into him.
"Like something is waiting… something important," he murmured softly.
He sat on the floor, staring at the light and letting his mind drift. Ordinary days in the human world felt so light compared to what he felt now.
At school, his classmates joked around. The teacher taught, and the routine went on as usual. But Aeris knew something bigger was waiting for him. He began to realize that his life would never be the same again.
The next day at school,
Aeris tried to notice different things. He sat in the back row, as usual, but his eyes kept wandering around the classroom. Small movements sometimes appeared at the corner of his vision.
Faint glimmers, like glowing dust, but he wasn't sure.
"Maybe I'm becoming too sensitive," he thought, smiling faintly.
Mika, his friend, watched him curiously.
"Hey, what are you doing? Sitting alone, staring blankly?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Aeris replied with a smile.
"Just… thinking about small things."
Mika frowned.
"Small things? You're always different, Aeris. Don't get lost too deep in your thoughts, okay?"
Aeris nodded, but his heart still felt heavy. To him, those small things weren't small at all. Another world was calling him, something waiting to be discovered.
During the break, Aeris walked to the cafeteria. The aroma of food mixed with the laughter of his friends made him smile. He took a seat in the corner, opened his notebook, and began writing down everything he felt.
The glimmers of dust on the classic chair, the energy that arose when he touched it. The growing curiosity and the strange moments with Lyra.
Lyra appeared in the schoolyard again. As usual, but this time she didn't just smile. She stepped closer, staring at Aeris with eyes that seemed to pierce through his thoughts.
"You're still thinking about that, aren't you?" Lyra asked, her voice soft but carrying a mysterious energy that was hard to explain.
Aeris was startled but nodded slowly. "Yes… but I don't know where to start."
Lyra smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. You don't have to do it alone."
The words made Aeris's heart race. There was comfort and curiosity all at once. He realized, somehow, Lyra's presence wasn't a coincidence. It was as if the parallel world already knew he needed a friend or even a partner to navigate the mysteries ahead.
That evening, Aeris returned home. The sun was almost set, painting the sky with shades of orange and purple. He sat on the classic chair, staring at the parallel box and letting his mind wander again.