The second semester had begun.
The streets were the same. The sky was as gray as ever.
But Jed... wasn't.
He no longer smiled at passersby. He didn't wave at classmates on the way to school.
The boy who once overflowed with warmth now walked with silence in his eyes and distance in his steps.
Yet even in that cold shell, some kindness remained.
As he turned the corner toward school, he saw him — an old man sitting on the sidewalk, tattered clothes barely clinging to his bones, his hand trembling as it reached out for spare coins.
Most people ignored him. A few glanced.
But Jed stopped.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the only money he had. Just enough for a cheap lunch.
He placed it gently in the old man's hand and said softly,
> "This is for you. I know it isn't much… but I hope it helps."
The old man looked up, his eyes shining with gratitude — or something more.
"Thank you… Thank you, boy," the man whispered. "Because of your kindness… I'll give you a gift."
He fumbled through a worn-out bag and pulled out a folded red paper. Then, from inside his coat, he took out a pen — old and cracked — and began to write strange symbols across the paper.
The letters shimmered for a brief moment, then faded to ink.
"What language is that…?" Jed asked quietly.
"A forgotten one," the old man replied with a faint smile. "But it knows you now."
He handed the paper to Jed and said:
> "Tear this… when you need help the most."
Jed blinked, uncertain if the man was serious. But still, something in him told him to accept it.
"...Thank you," he said, folding the red paper and placing it in his pocket.
He turned to walk again.
But after only a few steps, curiosity gnawed at him.
I should ask what it says, he thought.
Jed looked back.
The sidewalk was empty.
The old man was gone.
Vanished. No footsteps. No shadow. Just... gone.
A sudden chill crawled down Jed's spine.
He clenched the red paper tighter in his pocket and broke into a run.
Toward school.
Away from something he couldn't explain
.
And without knowing…
> He had just accepted the key to his fate.