When Time Slows

The next morning, Daniel felt like a zombie as he walked through the halls of Academia Igualada. He hadn't slept much—not with the image of those men burned into his mind.

Even in the classroom, he couldn't focus. The words on the board blurred together, his eyelids heavy.

Then, it happened again.

A sharp pain shot through his skull, and suddenly, everything around him slowed.

The chatter of students dragged into deep, distorted echoes. The teacher's movements became sluggish, like he was wading through water. Even the dust motes in the air seemed frozen.

Time wasn't stopping. But it was crawling.

Daniel gripped the edge of his desk, his breath ragged. Not here. Not now.

He squeezed his eyes shut, willing everything to go back to normal. A few seconds later, the world snapped back into place.

Nobody seemed to notice—except Sofia.

She leaned over from the next desk, whispering, "Daniel, are you okay?"

Daniel forced a nod, though his hands were still shaking. "Yeah. Just... tired."

But he knew the truth. His power was getting worse.

And it was only a matter of time before someone else noticed.