chapter 6: Better than yesterday Part 1

His eyes snapped open, the remnants of adrenaline still coursing through his veins. The dream's intensity lingered, the emotional echoes of the battle and the girl's plea etched into his memory. He lay there, breathing heavily, trying to make sense of the profound encounter that had felt so real.

"Was she just a figment of my imagination?" he wondered, his thoughts a tangle of confusion and longing. The dream had been a tapestry woven from the depths of his mind, yet the connection with the girl had felt undeniably authentic.

As Shun lie in bed, the determination set in his jaw. He would carry the memory of the girl with him, her presence a whisper in the back of his mind.

As Shun began to wake up fully from the extremely vivid dream ,or night mare he dare not to put a label on it at the moment, he noticed a renewed sense of power coursing through his veins. "That was intense" said Shun, pulling the blankets off of himself. After removing the blankets, shun hastily jumped out of the bed in a panic, fixing his eyes downward to the bed. What was he looking at? It was the sheets!!, no, rather it was what was on the sheets that seemed to have kidnapped Shuns attention. It was a massive amount of goopy molasses colored sludge! Its contents were smeared throughout the bed, with a few of the concentrated areas that clung together seeming to mimic the shape of shuns body, he not too long after started noticing a disturbing stench. As he sniffed around his since of smell brought him to the eye watering conclusion that it was him.

Shun scrambled, attempting to quickly remove the goop stained bed sheets before he took a well needed shower. Just in case his parents decided to waltz into his room, he stuffed them into his gym bag and slid the bag under his bed, hoping that'll keep away any questions. After washing up he stepped out of the shower to grab his dry towel. Whilst drying off he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and noticed that his body looked different compared to yesterday In a few subtle ways, his body seemed to become more toned yet he felt that his muscles also seemed to have grown some in size. Afterwards he put on his school uniform "A bit tighter than usual but I can manage it just for today" thought shun with a bit of regret.

Shun's reflection stared back at him, the edges of his jawline slightly more pronounced, his shoulders broader, a testament to the subtle transformation that had occurred overnight. The fabric of his school uniform hugged his frame with an unfamiliar snugness, each thread seeming to whisper secrets of the changes that had befallen him. He exhaled slowly, watching the mirror fog up, obscuring the enigma that was his new physique.

As he ventured into the kitchen, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the sizzle of eggs on the skillet enveloped him. His mother, a woman of medium stature with hair like woven silk, turned to him with a smile that could thaw winter's chill.

"Morning Shun, are you ready for your last day of school? Aiko began to turn and great face her son. "Oh, don't you look a bit different today son. Did you go work out last night or something?" Her voice carried the melody of concern and curiosity, a mother's intuitive song.

Shun hesitated, his mind a battleground between truth and deception. "Uh, yeah, something like that," he managed, his eyes betraying the storm of thoughts within.

His father, a solid man with eyes like polished onyx, peered over his newspaper, a knowing look etched across his face. "Make sure not to overdo it today, son. Balance is key."

Shun nodded, the words of his father resonating within him, as if they were not merely about physical exertion, but a deeper, unspoken understanding of the balance between the mundane and the extraordinary that now seemed to seep into his very bones.

The day unfolded like a series of meticulously painted canvases, each hour a stroke of color and life. This was the last day of school for them you know. His friends couldn't help but notice the changes in his appearance. Jokes about superhero workouts and alien abductions filled the air, the laughter a symphony of camaraderie. Yet, beneath the jovial surface, Shun's mind was a whirlpool of questions. What the hell was that dream? who was that girl? what was that

In the solitude of the school bathroom, he examined himself again. The mirror reflected not just a boy, but a mystery. His hands, once ordinary, now seemed like instruments of unknown potential.

"What's happening to me?" he whispered, his voice a tremulous note in the silence.

The echo of his own question hung in the air, a specter of the unknown that loomed over him, both thrilling and terrifying. He splashed water on his face, every droplet a cold kiss, an attempt to awaken from what could only be a dream. But the reflection remained, a silent sentinel of truth.

As the final bell rang, releasing a flood of students into the freedom of late afternoon, Shun felt a pull, an invisible thread leading him somewhere uncharted. He followed it, his footsteps a rhythm to the beat of his own transformation, his heart a drum of anticipation.

The streets blurred into a tapestry of urban life as he walked, unaware of his destination yet compelled to continue. And then he saw it – a shadowy figure in an alley, a dance of danger and survival unfolding before his very eyes.

His body reacted before his mind could catch up, rushing forward, propelled by a newfound strength that surged from the depths of his being. The figure turned, eyes wide with shock, as Shun's hand reached out, steadying the stumbling form of an old man, the victim of a would-be mugger now sprinting away. "Thank you, young man," the old man breathed, his voice a tremble of relief.

Shun's heart raced like a drum, pounding against the walls of his chest with the force of a thousand stallions galloping across an endless plain. He stood there, amidst the squalor of the alley, the old man's gratitude washing over him like a cleansing rain.

"No problem," Shun replied, his voice a strange mixture of authority and bewilderment. "Are you hurt?"

The old man, with a spine curved from the weight of years, straightened as much as his bones would allow. His eyes, clouded with the wisdom of time, twinkled with a peculiar luminescence as they met Shun's. "Just my pride, young warrior," he chuckled, a sound like dry leaves skittering across cobblestone. "But you, you have something different about you. A spark. A destiny, perhaps?"

Shun's breath hitched in his throat, the words echoing the unspoken thoughts that had haunted him since the dawn of this bizarre day. He helped the old man to a nearby bench, the cold metal indifferent to the warmth of the human drama unfolding before it.

As they sat, the city's heartbeat thrummed around them, an orchestra of car horns, distant laughter, and the whispered secrets of the wind. Shun's mind was a maelstrom of emotion, and he found himself confiding in this stranger, his words spilling out like jewels from a treasure chest long hidden. "I had this... dream. And I woke up different. Stronger. I don't understand what's happening to me," Shun admitted, his voice barely above a murmur, yet laden with the weight of his confusion and fear.