The day after Julius's unexplainable—inexplicable—encounter with the heavens, he wakes with a sickening, unsettling feeling. Strange, Julius thinks. After the encounter of a lifetime, he can't shake the sense that something horrible is going to happen—soon. Very soon.

  Alas, Julius brushes the feeling off, ignoring the shadows in his thoughts, and focuses instead on the day ahead. It's Sunday—the day he meets his beloved muse. Overcome with excitement, he gets ready to meet the strange woman at the same restaurant as always, for lunch.

  While waiting for his father to return home, Julius opens a newly acquired book on Greek mythology. He reads half-heartedly, until he stumbles upon a god who seems to call out to him: Apollo.

  As he reads the section dedicated to Apollo, something awakens. Julius sees himself in the god—as if they are one and the same. He begins to read with fierce focus, more intensely than ever before, his mind absorbing every detail until he enters a state of complete erudition.

  With a satisfied sigh, he gazes at the golden shimmer of light creeping through the blinds. Reaching toward it, burning with a desire for greatness... the same boy closes the blinds with shallow contempt.

  The golden light filtering through the blinds begins to shift, shadows crawling slowly across the walls. Time passes unnoticed. When next we see Julius, he's sitting by the window of the familiar café, eyes scanning the crowd with barely restrained anticipation.

  He's now in high school—with nothing to show for it but... wasted potential.

  This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Julius takes a sip of his coffee before noticing his childhood best friend laughing happily with a new group of friends. A wave of sadness washes over him as he remembers the days when he, too, had that kind of companionship—before life began its quiet, merciless pattern.

  Elementary school had started perfectly. Julius was happy, and it was all thanks to a boy named Max. The two of them shared a joy so bright it seemed endless. They laughed, played, and made each other whole—until the friendship became less than convenient for Max.

  Julius loved playing soccer with him. They were the perfect pair: striker and west wing, fast and fearless. But then, one day, ethereal beauty graced the field. With every step she took, it felt as though flowers bloomed behind her. Max—along with Julius and nearly every boy—became infatuated.

  Her name was Cathryn. The young girl seemed to glow—she carried an aura that charmed the world, with eyes so deep and magnetic they felt almost hypnotic.

  She approached Max, her voice like a siren's song, and asked him to join her team to give her an advantage. Julius was certain his dear friend wouldn't abandon him. But he was swiftly proven wrong. Max left without a second thought, lured by Cathryn's radiance.

  Heartbroken but trying to stay composed, Julius played on. Now, he had something to prove. He began scoring goal after goal, cutting through the opposing team with ruthless precision. Cathryn, increasingly irritated, finally stepped in front of him as defender.

  Then it happened.

  For a brief, blinding moment, Julius forgot the game entirely. Every part of him wanted to memorize her—her face, her presence, her impossible beauty. And in that trance, his foot caught awkwardly on the grass.

  He fell—straight into her.

  The world froze. Julius scrambled to apologize, but as he glanced around, his heart dropped. From the outside, the way their bodies had landed, with him looming over her... this didn't look like an accident. Not at all.