I'm Jihan. Jihan Navraan.
Yeah, Navraan is my family name.No, I don't have any family in the first place.…Wait, if I say I don't have any family, that would be a lie.Actually, I have one. My sister — Jerin Navraan.
I invented the name Navraan myself. (It means new leader. Cool, right? Yes, I know, I'm a naming genius.)
We're not even biological siblings. We met in an orphanage. Anyway, I can't explain everything right now. You'll figure it out little by little if you keep reading the story.
I'm Jihan Navraan. A 17-year-old schoolboy who sells boiled eggs in the morning in front of the school and works part-time from evening until late at night.Basically, my life is a thrilling roller coaster ride between egg seller, student, and wage slave.
I live in a small city in Bangladesh called Cumilla. You know — the type of city where the biggest breaking news is someone's goat escaping from their yard.
It was winter. The kind of winter where the cold feels personal. Late at night, the streets were empty except for me, trudging along like a background character in a depressing movie.
After a while, I arrived at a small grocery store. The warm, yellow light inside was like an oasis in the middle of the icy mist. I stepped in, the bell above the door giving a pathetic cling~ as if even it was tired.
The TV in the corner was blaring the evening news.
[Breaking News]Up until now, many people didn't know about the awakening power. The awakening power was limited to the big families up until now. But for some reason, many random people are awakening different types of powers. So it has become a troublesome matter for the country. The new awakening people are doing whatever they want. But you don't need to worry. The people from the Association of Awakening Association are taking responsibility. In a few days, they'll get control of these random awakeners from every side of the country. So please stay cautious these few days and stay at home.
Random people awakening powers? Yeah, sure. Meanwhile, I can't even awaken the ability to make my hoodie warmer.
"Hey boy, hurry. I need to close the shop and go home," the store owner said.
"Finished. Pack these things, please. How much is it?"
"Total 210 taka," the store owner said, punching the calculator like it owed him money.
"Huh! Why is the price so high?" I asked, putting on my most innocent face.
"What do you mean by high price? It's already the lowest. Don't play around. I don't have time to argue with you. If you need it then take it with this price, and if you don't need then go."
I smiled innocently. "Hehe… sorry boss. I was just kidding. Here, take it."
I handed over the money, took my groceries, and stepped back outside.
The night slapped me in the face with cold air the second I left. The road ahead was swallowed in mist so thick it felt like I'd stepped into a horror movie. My breath came out in white clouds, and my hoodie… well, let's just say it was trying its best but failing miserably.
I shivered so hard my teeth started playing a clack clack clack percussion beat.
DING…
I flinched at the sudden sound and pulled out my phone. It was Jerin.
[Jerin: Where are you Jihan?]
[Jerin: Why are you so late?]
I typed back quickly.
[I'm almost there. Wait a little bit.]
I smiled faintly. She was probably sitting by the window, peeking out every now and then.
And then… the mist lit up.
At first, it was just a faint glow ahead of me. Then it grew brighter — and louder.
BEEP! BEEP!
A truck.
I barely had time to process before the horn tore through the night like an alarm clock you can't reach. My body froze. My brain screamed MOVE! but my legs ignored the memo.
The headlights flared, blinding me, turning the whole street into a wall of white light.
And—
BANG!
The world spun. My groceries scattered like confetti at a really bad party. My body felt weightless for a second, then heavy, then… nothing.
As I drifted into darkness, thoughts tumbled through my mind:
It was so hard. So hard to come this far.After trying so hard to survive in this world… is this how I would die?
It's not fair. It's definitely not fair.
What will my sister do after I die? She can't live on her own. She's just ten years old.
I have so many plans for our future.
But why?Why is this happening?
It's not fair.
It's definitely not fair at all.
And—
In that pitch-black void of my consciousness… something happened.
A faint, cold light flickered in the darkness. Lines of glowing text appeared before me.
[Dark System activating.]
…What the hell?