1:00 a.m. Monday
Essos
While children tucked themselves in and thieves prepared for the night's mischief, Jase was wide awake—alone in a cave beneath his house, mixing something dangerous.
"The future belongs to what rises when we set."
Upstairs, in his dim bedroom, Jase's phone buzzed nonstop with messages from classmates:
"Bro, you really slapped the invigilator?""Why??""You're a legend."
He didn't care.
Down in the makeshift lab, he crouched over an old school table. A faded lab coat hung off his shoulders, dusty glasses clung to his nose, and his face mask barely filtered the air. His slippers scraped the dusty concrete floor as he worked.
The lab was crude—just one flickering bulb, rusted desks, and a foul stench. It wasn't sweet, nor acidic—just wrong. Alien. The kind of smell that coated your lungs and stuck to your teeth.
"314 grams remaining... if my guess is right."
He checked the scale.
320g.
"Bruh... I was close."
But something caught his eye—a strange texture in the mix. A foreign substance he hadn't added. Unknown origin. No time to investigate.
He turned his attention to the blue fire of the Bunsen burner—gifted by Trevis. It burned hotter than the bulb above, casting ghostly shadows on the cave walls.
Jase wiped the sweat from his brow and muttered:
"This ain't just chemistry anymore. It's transformation."
Then, quietly:
"Can I really do this? Is this even the right path?"
A weight grew in his gut. He was diving into a world with no way back. Yet strangely, he felt excited.
He smiled.
Then stopped himself.
"This ain't like the films. I need to stay sharp. One mistake... and I'm done. And maybe, just maybe, I'll be the one to take down Trevis."
1:45 a.m. – Footsteps and Beer
CRASH!
Plates clattered from the kitchen.
Jase froze.
Footsteps followed. He crept to the lab door, pressing his ear to the wood.
...The fridge door creaked open.
He checked the time: 1:45 a.m.
"Has to be Dad... 'midnight dinner.'"
He peeked through the crack. His father—wearing a black tank top and boxers—stood by the fridge with a beer in hand.
"We didn't even have beer. He hid it somewhere..."
His dad grabbed Jase's untouched food and shuffled into the living room.
On the TV:
"Kiss me for the last time, baby..."
Jase squinted.
"The fuck…"
He shook his head and mumbled:
"I'll deal with that later. Right now, I gotta make sure I'm still breathing after 7:15."
4:00 a.m. – The Hallucination
The fumes were too strong.
Jase hadn't slept in over 24 hours. His mask barely filtered anything now. The mix of chemicals and exhaustion twisted his senses.
He blinked.
His parents walked past him, hand in hand—like in some old family photo.
He knew it was fake. Still... it hurt.
He looked at the bracelet on his ankle, then the one on his wrist.
"Mom, be with me... Dad changed. He won't lie again."
Fueled by defiance and delusion, he stood. In his ears, voices echoed—cheering students:
"GO! GO! JASE!"
And then, the invigilator's voice:
"Slap my left jaw too, you're my hero!"
Jase chuckled, delirious.
At 6:55 a.m., he raised his arms and screamed:
"I WON! YOU ARE NOTHING!"
7:05 a.m. – The Departure
Jase stepped out.
His father snored on the couch. Jase paused, then gently laid a blanket over him.
"Caring about people is... ermm..."
He grabbed a trash bag, placed the sealed merchandise inside, loaded it into a wheelbarrow, and headed for the street.
People stared. Some laughed. Others whispered. A few ignored him completely.
He didn't care.
7:12 a.m. – Franky's Shop
Inside, Trevis was finishing his breakfast—spaghetti and eggs, as usual. Across from him, McLarence, tall and sharp in a hoodie and red sneakers, munched quietly.
McLarence: "Think the kid made it?"Trevis: "Didn't you start at 15?"McLarence: "Nah, 14."Trevis: "Then let him have a shot. Four years now, huh?"
The rusted screech of the wheelbarrow broke the moment.
Franky: "Our new friend's at the door."Trevis: "Let me eat first."McLarence: "It's 7:12 already."Trevis: "Fine. Check his product. If it's good, bring him in."Franky (grumbling): "This dusty kid better not step inside—I cleaned the place this morning. Don't want people thinking I feed the homeless."(Trevis glares.)Franky: "Okay okay... if it's for you, it's cool."
A few minutes later...
McLarence: "It's good. Real good. Never tasted anything like it."Trevis: "That so?"
Jase entered.
Trevis: "Come in. Sit."Jase: "Take off this bracelet. It's 7:14."Trevis (smirking): "Oops. Lost the key—just kidding."
He knelt, removed the tracker, and stood.
Trevis: "Franky! Spaghetti and eggs for our new friend. With milk?"Jase (dazed): "Uh... yes?"
Trevis tossed something across the table.
Jase's old wallet.
Trevis: "Now it's yours again."McLarence: "Yo! That's mine."Trevis: "From now on, it's Jase's wallet. Relax. I'll buy you a new one."
Jase didn't answer—he was too busy eating.
Trevis: "What's your number?"(Jase kept eating.)Trevis (smiling): "Yeah. You deserve it."
He stood up.
McLarence: "Where you going?"Trevis: "We've got clients. Move your ass."
3 Days Later – Local Café
Jase sat in a loose shirt and oversized pants, munching donuts. McLarence sat across from him with a slice of cake.
Jase: "When's the client coming?"McLarence: "Wait."Jase: "Is 'McLarence' your real name?"McLarence: "Nah. It's a pseudo. Real name's Marc. But don't call me that. No more questions."(Jase nodded.)Jase: "A pseudo... maybe I need one too."(He took another bite.)Jase: "I'm gonna go with ACE."
Just then, Trevis spotted their client arriving. He left the money on the table and hustled into the crowd with Jase.
Wallets fell in the crowd. In the confusion, the client picked up McLarence's wallet, and McLarence picked up his.
As they regrouped:
McLarence: "Did you take notes?"Jase (grinning): "YESSIR!"
They walked down the street together.
Jase: "How long you been doing this?"(McLarence didn't reply. Instead, he walked over to a girl who looked about 16 and took her number.)Jase: "How can an oldie like you take a number from such a kid?"McLarence: "Huh? She's 17. I'm 18."Jase: "Seriously? I thought you were 20."McLarence: "20? Bruh, how old are you?"Jase: "15."McLarence: "Kid."Jase: "Can a kid do what I do? Get your head off your phone."
McLarence chuckled and slid his phone into his pocket.
McLarence: "Dude, what should I do now?"Jase: "I don't know. Watch some anime?"McLarence: "Those kiddie things? Man, leave me."
He pulled his phone back out.
The two strolled on, the city alive around them—holographic signs blinking over shop windows, a railway bridge humming above, workers protesting with signs that read:
"STOP ROBOTS""Velly Replaces Us All!"
Towering buildings loomed like monuments to the future, but Jase just grinned.
He had already stepped into it.