There's a lot of light here. But why can't I breathe? Am I going to die? No, I can't die like this. I have to take care of Julie. I promised Mom. But why can't I move my body? Am I drowning?

  The boy was sinking into deep water, on the verge of death. Bright light shone from the water, as if the sun was glowing at the bottom. But the water was freezing cold, making it hard for him to breathe. He wanted to break free from the tightness gripping his body.

  He could feel the pressure of the water now, as if he had reached the ocean floor. Slowly, his breaths grew weaker. His eyes closed.

  He was dead… truly dead.

  When his dead body touched the bottom of the water source, which was glowing like the sun, the bright light began to enter his head, as if it had been waiting for this moment. With a flash and a loud sound, the light entered his mind.

  Now there was silence—dark, heavy silence.

  "Yikes!" Aaron woke up with a jolt. His entire body was drenched, as if he had just taken a bath.

  "Was that a dream? No, it wasn't a dream. I really died. I felt death. So how am I alive?"

  His breathing was still uneven.

  "Brother!! Are you okay?" A sweet voice reached Aaron's ears. Hearing it, his expression changed instantly, as if nothing had happened.

  "Yes, Julie, I'm fine. Don't worry," Aaron said, swallowing hard.

  "Then what's this?" Julie pointed at the wall.

  Aaron looked where she was pointing. There was a big hole in the wall that hadn't been there before. Aaron was shocked. When he had gone to sleep, the wall was intact.

  "That…" Aaron grabbed his head. A sharp pain shot through his skull, as if a strange sound was echoing in his mind.

  "Brother!! Are you okay? I'll call the doctor," Julie said, running toward the door.

  "No, Julie!! I'm fine. I just woke up, so I feel a little weird," Aaron said, gesturing for her to stop.

  Hearing her brother's words, Julie stopped.

  "Brother, you should rest."

  "No, I'm fine. I have to go. What about Houston's shop?" Aaron said, putting on his jacket.

  "No, brother, you can't go to work today. You need to rest."

  "No, Julie. You know how Houston gets if I take a day off. I have to go. Don't worry about me. I'll come back early today," Aaron said, patting Julie's head before stepping out of the bunker-like room into the city streets.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Aaron felt different today. All the way, he kept thinking about what had happened. How did that hole appear in the wall? And had he really died?

  "Sigh… these dreams are going to drive me crazy," he muttered.

  He had dreams like this every night. But this was the first time he'd experienced something so terrifying in his sleep.

  Aaron worked at Houston's shop, building and modifying weapons. He was the only one at the shop who could do the job well. Without him, Houston's shop was nothing.

  "You're late again," Houston said, glaring at Aaron over his small glasses as soon as he stepped into the shop.

  "I… I wasn't feeling well today," Aaron said. It was the first time he'd given a real reason for being late.

  "Don't you think your daily excuses are getting old?" Houston glared at him.

  Aaron didn't say anything. Even the truth was seen as an excuse.

  "A new customer came today. Check their weapon and fix it as soon as possible. It's very important. Finish the job quickly. They need their product by tonight," Houston said, adjusting his glasses before walking away.

  Aaron took a deep breath and looked at the weapon Houston had pointed out.

  "This is a plasma gun," Aaron muttered.

  Aaron examined the gun carefully. It was a highly advanced weapon. Such advanced technology wasn't usually found outside the Wall, so how did it end up in their shop?

  Aaron was stunned. He'd never seen a gun like this in the shop before, nor had he ever worked on such advanced technology.

  "What do I do now? If I can't fix this, Houston will be furious. He said it's very important," Aaron thought, wiping sweat from his forehead.

  It wasn't that he couldn't do it. He could understand any weapon in the world—if given enough time.

  "Trrrr…" Suddenly, the gun in his hand started vibrating on its own.

  Aaron was scared.

  Before he could think, his hands moved uncontrollably, disassembling the gun. He had no idea what was happening.

  In just a few seconds, all the parts of the gun were laid out in front of him. Aaron's hands were shaking. He had disassembled such an advanced weapon.

  But the next moment, his hands moved again, and within seconds, the gun was fully reassembled.

  "What the hell!" Aaron was sweating. He couldn't understand what had just happened. Had he really fixed the gun that quickly?

  Aaron quickly put the gun down and rushed out of the shop. He was genuinely scared. The dream from the morning, and now this—he had no answers. The hole in the wall. What did all this have to do with his dreams? He had fixed the gun without even touching it. Did he have some kind of power? Such powers were terrifying for someone living outside the Wall—for Aaron and for Julie.

  The thought terrified Aaron. He couldn't put his sister in danger. But what if it wasn't a power? What else could it be?

  Only those who were Awakened could live inside the Wall—those with special abilities, who could protect the Western Region and go on missions.

  Aaron went back into the shop and pretended to work on the gun, which was already fixed, so no one would suspect anything.

  "Houston! I'm leaving early today. I've fixed the gun. If there's any other work, let me know," Aaron said to Houston, who was cleaning an old gun.

  "Alright, if you've fixed the weapon, you can go. It's almost evening, and our special guest is coming. You can leave," Houston said hurriedly, as if he wanted Aaron gone before the guest arrived.

  Aaron shrugged and left the shop.

  The city streets were quiet today. The sound of dogs barking could be heard from a distance. Aaron was walking quickly toward home. He wanted to get back early today. Something didn't feel right.

  As he passed through a dark alley, his eyes fell on a trash bin nearby.

  "What's this?" Curious, Aaron walked over to the bin. He was shocked by what he saw inside.

  It was definitely some kind of device. Aaron stared at it in amazement. Before he knew it, he was standing very close to the machine.

  As he got closer, the scattered device suddenly began to move. Aaron quickly realized what was happening. The next moment, the device floated into the air, and a bluish aura formed around Aaron's hands. In just a few seconds, Aaron was holding an orb-like device, which he had created from the trash. He wasn't as surprised this time.

  Aaron pocketed the device and headed home.

  "Brother, are you feeling sick again? I told you, you don't need to work so much," Julie said in a complaining tone as soon as he got home.

  Julie knew that if her older brother was in trouble, he would never tell her.

  "I'm fine, Julie. I'm going to my room. And I've already eaten," Aaron said, walking to his room without waiting for a response.

  He was exhausted. Lying on his bed, Aaron looked at the hole in the wall, which had now been patched up. He raised his hands and stared at them. He couldn't understand what had been happening to him since morning.

  Soon, exhaustion turned into sleep.

  He was sinking again, into that deep water. But this time, it was different. The water was dark. The sun that usually glowed beneath the surface was gone. And the tightness he had felt before was gone too. For the first time in his dream, he could hear the ticking of a clock. The usual silence was still there, but something felt off. His dreams were always the same, but today was different. It felt strange yet familiar. How could dreams change so subtly?

  "Good morning, Master."

  "Gasp!" Aaron woke up with a start when he heard the voice.

  "What was that? Who's there? Who's speaking?" Aaron clenched his teeth, looking around. He saw no one, but he had definitely heard a voice.

  "Good morning, Master! You should drink some water," the voice said again.