"Sollisse, look at this... it looks real!" Tanya almost shouted as she brought her phone closer to me.
I frowned slightly as I focused on the screen.
It was a video. Two men were standing in the middle of a mall, far apart, as if something heavy was hanging between them. Suddenly, one of them ignited flames in his hand, like a living fire dancing in the air.
My eyebrow lifted.
In a split second, he threw the fire.
But before it could hit.
Clang! (spark)
A moment ago, the other guy had nothing in his hand... but now, he was holding a sword.
I blinked, barely able to process what I just saw. It was as if the weapon appeared out of nowhere, and he used it to block the incoming flames.
The screams of the people in the video echoed loudly. It looked like they were inside a mall crowded with people watching, panicking, confused... and maybe even afraid.
"AI these days is really on another level," I said with a small smile, shaking my head. Even I wasn't sure if I believed what I just said.
"I know, right?! But keep watching you'll be even more amazed!"
"Wow..."
I wasn't the only one watching anymore. One by one, our classmates gathered around, curious, drawn in. All of us stood there, mouths slightly open in awe.
The man kept unleashing fire like a relentless rain of flames. But each one was cut down by the sword. Every impact created a burst of light spark after spark, as if each clash had a life of its own.
Until...
Something changed.
The man controlling the fire seemed to be getting tired. And at that moment the sword began to glow.
It shone brighter... until it slowly turned violet.
It wasn't a normal light. It looked like fire... but it didn't burn. Like smoke... but it didn't fade.
And in one swift motion...
Slash.
I held my breath.
It hit.
You could clearly see it in the video the way the man's clothes were cut... the way the slash marked his body.
We were almost about to applaud in amazement. Even the people in the video were screaming, you couldn't tell if it was excitement or fear.
"Is that real blood?! Or is it just magic?" someone in the video shouted. "Their performance is incredible!"
But that was when I felt something shift.
Because suddenly, the man holding the sword looked at the crowd.
His face was serious. Emotionless.
As if... he was trying to say something.
And then..
A strong wind blew.
Like a sudden whirlwind tearing through the place. Objects flew, and smoke filled the air.
People screamed.
"What was that?! What's happening?!" the voices in the video shouted in panic.
I couldn't move. I just kept staring.
When the smoke slowly cleared...
They were gone.
Both men who had been fighting just moments ago..vanished.
Like bubbles.
Like... they were never there at all.
"Damn..." I whispered under my breath.
"The editing is insane..." I added, trying to calm myself.
But deep inside.
I wasn't sure anymore.
Because for the first time...
I couldn't convince myself that it was just AI.
"Mama, I'm leaving now! Tanya might leave without me, and I still don't have a ride!"
I quickly stepped out of the house after saying goodbye. I carried my hand-carry travel bag. I still had to walk to the corner because the streets inside our neighborhood were narrow, and the tricycle rides were only outside.
As soon as I got out of the alley, I quickly flagged down a tricycle.
"Manong, just to the corner, please!"
My heart was racing as I glanced at the time. I didn't want to be late.
When I reached the corner, I immediately saw Tanya's car.
"Sol! Good thing you made it! We're leaving now!" Tanya waved from the window.
"Sorry! I didn't wake up on time. Mama didn't wake me either," I said shyly as I got in.
"It's okay, let's go," she replied with a smile.
I got into their car. Their driver was taking us to Baguio. We had an orientation to attend for the Business Management and Entrepreneurship Immersion Program—a seminar focused on fundamentals of business planning, marketing strategies, financial management, and startup development. This was part of our course to expose us to the actual workings of the industry.
While on the road, Tanya and I started talking again about the video we watched last week.
It had been reported on almost every TV network, and the people who captured the video had gone viral on various social media platforms. Of course, most people didn't believe it. They said it was just AI. But according to some video editing experts, there was no evidence of manipulation. Even the mall's CCTV had captured the same events.
But for us—who weren't there—
we still didn't believe it.
To us, it looked like a stunt by the mall just to go viral.
"Wow, it'd be so cool if we suddenly had powers, right?" Tanya said, laughing. "But you know, I really noticed... that guy is so handsome! I wonder if he's the villain or the hero?" she added, smiling.
"Tsk... your imagination just keeps getting bigger because of stuff like this," I replied, laughing. "If people actually had powers, there would be no peace in the world. They wouldn't be afraid to do whatever they want. So don't dream about that though, it's unlikely anyway... so just dream away," I teased.
We both laughed.
We kept chatting as the car gradually slowed because of traffic leaving Manila.
"Looks like there's been an accident," Tanya said, opening the window.
As we got closer, both of us gasped.
Three huge 8-wheeler trucks were side by side—crushed together, like paper squeezed by a giant.
"How did that happen?" Tanya asked, stunned, glancing at me for a moment before looking back outside.
"Must've been a serious collision," the driver said, shaking his head. "That's why you should always pray on the road. You never know when an accident might happen."
But no matter how hard trucks collide, it shouldn't look like this.
It was like... something else had passed through and just smashed the trucks together.
I stayed silent.
I couldn't get what we saw out of my mind.
And from then on, that was all Tanya and I talked about until we arrived in Baguio.
"Good day, everyone. Welcome to our Business Management and Entrepreneurship Immersion Program.
The goal of this program is not only to expand your knowledge in the field of business, but also to prepare you for the real world—where strategy, decision-making, and adaptability are the keys to success.
In the coming days, you will learn about business planning, marketing-"
I couldn't focus on what the speaker was saying because the people behind me kept stealing my attention.
"Believe me, Maris... I saw it with my own eyes! Earlier, there was a man flying!" one of them whispered.
"You're really ganging up on me, Ana. The other day, Rica said she saw someone walking on water and now you, you saw someone flying? Tell that to a turtle, maybe it'll believe you," the girl said, laughing.
"I believe Ana, Maris. We weren't imagining things. It was real," another one whispered.
"So you're also saying that what went viral in Manila is real? The one with fire and a sword?" she laughed. "That's just kind of their magic tricks. There are a lot of magicians now so maybe it's just that. They just make it look like they have superpowers."
I just ignored them. It may be strange, but it's still not believable to call it superpowers. Crazy.
I went back to listening to the speaker.
But after just a few seconds the ground suddenly shook. People inside started screaming. Panicking.
"Sol!" Tanya cried, almost in tears, as she hugged me tightly.
"Shhh... don't panic," I said, hugging her back.
When the earthquake stopped, we immediately ran outside.
But the moment we got out everyone froze.
People stood there, mouths open. Eyes wide. No one could believe what they were seeing.
A long crack split the road and at the end of it stood a massive wooden structure. It looked like roots that had grown out from beneath the ground, long, thick, and towering.
There was someone standing on top of it. She was smiling like she was proud. Like she was the one who made it.
"What is she doing up there? She might fall..." Tanya asked nervously.
People began pulling out their phones, recording everything.
"Do you still not believe that superpowers are real?" the woman shouted from above. "I'll show you something more!"
She suddenly raised her hand.
We gasped in fear when she suddenly jumped—but right after, roots wrapped around her body, preventing her from falling. Slowly, they lowered her down, like living hands carefully holding her.
We couldn't believe it. How did that happen?
Can you still call that magic?
Clap! Clap! Clap!
We all turned toward the sound. Because of the sudden silence, we immediately found him. A man was slowly walking toward the woman.
Even though she looked confused, she kept her chin up still proud of what she had shown.
"What else can you do? Aside from showing off... what else?" the man said, laughing.
He didn't look afraid.
But the woman's smile turned into irritation and confusion.
"What's your problem? I'm not showing off. I just want to show everyone that powers are real."
"Look at what you did to the road. If you really have powers, can you return it to how it was before?" the man asked with a smirk.
The woman scratched her head. "I don't know how to do that."
"Tsk. Before you showed off, you should've thought about who you'd inconvenience," the man said arrogantly.
"Tsk! What's your problem?" the woman snapped. "Aren't you afraid of what I showed? Didn't it cross your mind that I could harm you?"
The man smirked—clearly provoking her.
"Afraid?" he let out a small laugh. "If that's the strongest thing you can do, then you should be the one who's afraid. Because honestly... that's not enough to scare me."
We all gasped when roots suddenly burst from the ground and wrapped around the man's body.
"Don't challenge me!" the woman shouted angrily. "You have no idea what I can do! I can crush you break your bones with this power!"
Everyone could feel the fear in the air.
But the man just laughed.
In the next moment he grabbed the roots. They slowly turned into ice... until they completely shattered.
I stepped back.
How did he do that?
Ice formed from his hands... and in an instant, the roots were destroyed.
Is this still kind of a trick?
Tanya suddenly gripped my arm. We looked at each other—both in shock.
A few seconds of silence then suddenly, a strong wind burst out between them.
Both of them were shocked—the woman with the roots and the man with the ice.
The wind grew stronger, spinning faster until it became a massive whirlwind.
People started panicking.
I almost covered my eyes, but I forced myself to keep looking.
As it slowly weakened I saw them—not two anymore. There were three. Another man had appeared inside.
With my own eyes, I saw the fight. The two of them attacked the newcomer—roots and ice against him.
But it was like he was just dancing as he dodged.
And from air he pulled out a sword.
It was him.The man from the viral video.
How did he do that?!
Two quick slashes forming an X and the two were thrown into the air.
But they didn't escape. It was like the whirlwind had walls, they just slammed against it.
The man slowly walked toward them. The two were injured now, exhausted, barely able to move.
It looked like he was saying something but I couldn't hear it.
Suddenly, the ground began to glow.
A circular pattern appeared strange, glowing violet. And in an instant—the three of them disappeared.
Along with a strong gust of wind, they vanished like bubbles.
Even the place looked like nothing had happened. The road returned to normal. No cracks. No damage.
"What just happened?" Tanya asked, shocked.
I looked at her.
"Where did the two go?"she asked again.
I froze. Huh? Didn't you see...?
I wanted to speak but no words came out.
I looked around. Everyone had the same reaction. Confused. Unaware. Like—no one saw anything.
Just like Tanya... They had no idea what happened inside the whirlwind.
Was it just me?
How did that happen...?