The man in the coat vanished before Eon could reach him.
No one else seemed to have seen him. No one but Eon.
That night, Eon sat at his desk, staring at the glowing lines on his palm. They hadn't been there before. Faint blue circuits, pulsing slowly like a heartbeat.
System Calibration: Incomplete
Next Protocol: Locate Mentor
Mentor?
"Who are you?" Eon whispered to the air.
The screen flickered.
"I am your interface. Your guide. Your connection to what once was, and what must be."
Eon didn't know whether to feel comforted or terrified.
The next day, his school introduced a new substitute teacher — Mr. Kael.
Tall. Sharp-eyed. Quiet voice that somehow made everyone listen.
Eon froze the moment Kael entered the room.
His coat was different.
But the symbols? The stare?
Same man.
And when their eyes met, the voice returned again.
"He knows. He was chosen once… before you."