Jordan and Riven were being scolded by their parents.
They didn't like the fact that the twins had gone behind their backs and invited Joey over. Even though the boy had been there a few times before, it still felt unfair—especially to his original parent.
"Look," Candice said, holding her head. "We're going to contact Mrs. Cross, and Joey is going to go back home—"
"No, please, no," Joey begged immediately. "I don't want to go back home. Not tonight. Can I just stay here? At least just for tonight. I'll be right out of your hair, I promise."
"Yes, you can," Kaden said instantly.
Both he and his wife disliked how their twin sons had gone behind their backs, and they still felt it was unfair to Mrs. Cross. But they also knew the truth.
They knew what the woman was doing to her child.
Everyone inside the walls knew.
They had wanted to say something for the longest time, but they also knew that if they did, something far worse could happen to the boy—he could become an orphan. That was one of the worst fates a child in the walls could face.
If a child became an orphan and couldn't pay their own wall tax, the guards would throw them out like anyone else.
No mercy.
They had even thought about adopting Joey, just in case—but they couldn't afford it. They already had two mouths to feed and two wall taxes to pay. Taking in another child would require far more units than they had.
Sure, they had around nine thousand saved—but that wasn't enough once food, bills, and daily costs were counted.
It was proof that people weren't living inside the walls.
They were suffering in them.
Jordan and Riven's faces lit up slightly as they realized they might not be in as much trouble as they expected.
"Next time," Candice said sharply, "you tell us when you want to do something like this. You don't just sneak people into our house."
Both boys lowered their heads and nodded.
"Wait a minute," she added. "How did you even get into our house?"
Her eyes shifted to Joey, who looked nervous immediately.
"We left our window open so he could sneak in," Jordan lied. He didn't know how Joey actually got in—but the boy did now.
"…Okay," Candice said, suspicion still in her eyes. She waved them off. "Go to your room."
The three boys went quietly.
Inside the room, Jordan and Riven pushed their mats together so Joey could lie in the middle, while the twins lay on either side. They shared their blankets since there wasn't a spare one in the house, nor an extra mat.
It wasn't comfortable—but it would have to do.
"Thanks," Joey said, staring up at the ceiling.
"No problem," Jordan replied.
After a few minutes, Riven finally asked the question that had been bothering him.
"Hey, Joey… if you don't mind me asking—why now?" he said quietly. "Your mom's been doing this for a while, hasn't she? The barely-feeding-you thing. Why are you fed up with it now?"
"I—it's not because she wasn't feeding me," Joey said slowly. "I know she does it to save units. To make sure we have enough for taxes."
Jordan and Riven exchanged a glance.
That wasn't completely true. People held back on food for bills and taxes—but not to the point where a boy became as bony as Joey.
"…Crasfer," Joey continued. "He told me my mother was the one who asked them to attack me."
"What?" Riven shot upright. "Why would she do that? What kind of mother—"
"Keep it down," his mother's voice warned from the other room.
Riven lowered himself again.
"They said it was because she saw me getting more muscle," Joey said. "Because I wasn't skinny anymore. I don't know why, but I believed them. Instantly. Maybe they were lying, but—"
"Crasfer is a liar," Jordan said. "But he hates liars."
He remembered a time when a boy lied to a teacher, and Crasfer punched him in the chest without warning.
"That's why I believed him," Joey said quietly. "I thought my mom did all this out of care. I thought she didn't want me using my ability for my safety. I thought she didn't feed me much to save units."
He paused.
"But there's no silver lining. She wasn't doing this for a good reason."
"Out of her own fear," Riven finished.
Joey nodded.
"I don't want to talk about it anymore," he said softly. "If that's okay."
Neither of them argued.
⸻
3 Hours later, Jordan woke up and stretched as he stood. He walked over and slapped Riven awake.
"What the hell?" Riven hissed.
"Relax," Jordan said.
Riven blinked. "Wait… you want to do it tonight?"
Jordan nodded. "There's no better time than the present. If we don't go now, something might happen that stops us from ever going."
"Five more minutes," Riven groaned, trying to get comfortable again.
Jordan pulled him up anyway.
They threw on pants and shoes, then slipped out through the window, leaving it cracked so they could get back in easily. They walked through the streets toward the bus stop.
No masks.
No hoodies.
Not yet.
If anyone saw them wearing those, they'd be exposed immediately.
And that was a risk they couldn't afford.
The two arrived at the bus stop.
Despite how impossibly late it was, the station still functioned. It operated twenty-four hours a day—the lifeline of the walls. Almost no one owned a car anymore. Buses were everything.
Ten minutes passed.
Finally, a rusted bus rumbled into view.
The doors creaked open, and the boys stepped inside, each dropping five units into the driver's waiting hand. Cheap compared to most things inside the walls—but when hundreds boarded every day, it added up fast.
This route ran long.
From the southern edge of Section A…
All the way down to the lowest depths of Section D.
A place known for being nearly lawless.
And yet, no one ever attacked the buses.
Messing with one would bring consequences far worse than any reward.
Inside, eight passengers were already seated, scattered throughout the dim interior. No one spoke. No one made eye contact.
Riven moved toward the back without a word, Jordan following close behind.
"If what we learned at school was right," Jordan murmured, "it should take about an hour and a half to reach Section D."
Riven yawned in response.
"Good. That gives me time to sleep."
He pressed his hands together, resting his head on them as his body curled against the window.
Jordan watched him, uneasy.
He's sleeping way too comfortably…
If Mom and Dad find out we did this, we're dead.
Still, he had checked before leaving.
They were asleep.
…What happens when Joey wakes up?
⸻
Joey's eyelids slowly fluttered open.
"Is it morning already…?"
He sat up.
"Hey, Jo—"
His voice stopped.
Jordan wasn't there.
"…Riven?" he whispered.
Nothing.
Fear crawled up his spine as he jumped to his feet—but it wasn't just that the boys were gone.
The room itself was gone.
No beds.
No walls.
No ceiling.
No floor.
Only darkness.
Endless. Vast. Stretching for miles in every direction.
"W-Where am I?!" Joey shouted.
His voice echoed back at him, warped and distant.
"Is anyone here?! Riven?! Jordan?!"
Panic surged through his chest.
With nothing else to do, Joey began walking.
He didn't know how long he moved—minutes, maybe longer. Time felt wrong here. Like it didn't exist at all.
Then—
A golden light ignited above him.
Joey cried out, shielding his eyes from the blinding glow.
"Who's there?!" he yelled. "Riven?! Jordan?!"
Footsteps echoed.
A figure emerged from the light.
A tall young man stood before him—early twenties, long golden hair falling to his shoulders, his presence overwhelming.
Before Joey could react, the man grabbed his shoulder.
"Don't run," the man said calmly. "Please. I just want to talk."
Joey tried to pull away.
He couldn't.
"It has something to do with you… Jordan… and Riven," the man continued. "We're friends."
Joey struggled once more, then froze.
"…Fine," he muttered, tense. "Talk."
"Good," the man sighed.
"Who are you?" Joey asked.
The man's gaze sharpened.
"Look at me."
"…Who?"
"Joey," the man said slowly. "Look. At. Me."
Joey didn't know why—but something forced him to obey.
And when he truly looked—
His breath caught.
The man was him.
Older. Taller. Stronger.
Ten… maybe twelve years into the future.
"…Am I dreaming?" Joey whispered.
"Kind of," the man replied. "But not really."
He met Joey's eyes.
"Before you panic—yes, this is real. No, you don't have to believe me. But listen."
Joey wasn't convinced.
But something told him this wasn't dangerous.
If anything, it felt like his own subconscious speaking back to him—like a warning wrapped in familiarity.
"You're about to go to the Academy, right?" the man asked.
Joey nodded.
"You met Riven and Jordan."
Another nod.
Joey swallowed. "Then… why are you asking me this?"
The man's expression softened.
"I'm here to see you exactly as you are right now," he said.
"To give you insight," he said quietly.
"And a warning."
Joey swallowed.
He didn't know why, but it felt like a heavy weight had settled on his chest—like he could feel the burden resting on the man's shoulders. Whatever this warning was… if he didn't take it seriously, the consequences would be dire.
"Good," the man said quietly. "That got your attention."
He straightened.
"Alright. First thing first—when the time comes for you, Riven, and Jordan to enter the Academy…"
His golden eyes narrowed.
"Make sure you hold back your abilities."
Joey's heart skipped. "W-What? Wouldn't holding back put us in even more danger?"
The man shook his head.
"No. You not holding back would put you in far worse danger," he said. "Let's just say… they don't like it when a Wallborn tries to reach their level."
Joey locked those words deep into his memory.
"Next," the man continued, "tell Riven to add you to the system."
Joey frowned. "The… system?"
"Yes. The system," the man said firmly. "You don't know it yet, but getting added earlier changes everything. Including your own future."
His expression darkened slightly.
"I didn't get added until halfway through the year. You need to convince him to add you now—before the Academy even begins. Trust me. It'll do wonders."
The man opened his mouth to continue—
Then a low, resonant chime echoed through the void.
His expression stiffened.
"…My time's almost up," he whispered.
He turned back to Joey, urgency burning in his eyes.
"Listen carefully. Tell both of them what happened here. Even if you don't understand it yourself."
Joey nodded, throat tight.
"And Joey…" the man said softly. "Don't be afraid of your power."
The ground beneath them trembled as the man slowly began to rise into the air. Golden light wrapped around his body, forming a cocoon.
"Don't let your power control you," his voice echoed as the light thickened. "Don't fear it. Tame it. Make it yours."
The cocoon sealed around him—
—but before it fully closed, one final crack of light burst through.
A glowing fist emerged.
"They'll accept you for who you are."
The fist turned into a thumbs-up.
Then everything shattered.
⸻
Joey gasped and bolted upright.
He looked around wildly.
The room was back.
The beds.
The walls.
The ceiling.
"…Was that all just a dream?" he whispered.
But then he felt it.
A warmth on his shoulder.
Joey looked down.
A faint golden glow pulsed against his skin—symbols slowly beginning to form.
His breath caught.
No.
It wasn't a dream.
"I need to tell—" Joey stopped himself abruptly.
"…Wait. Where are Riven and Jordan?"
Right on cue, the window slid open.
Two familiar figures climbed inside.
"Oh—hey," Riven said, rubbing the back of his neck, a nervous smile on his face. "Didn't expect you to be awake already."
Joey stared at them, heart still pounding.
This was only the beginning.