Chaos

Sil sat on the balcony, eating cold dumplings straight from the plastic box. Music drifted from his phone—some old Chinese song he'd been looping for the past three days. He didn't know the singer's name, and frankly, he didn't care; the lyrics weren't even important. It was just… quiet.

The sunset was slow today, like it had simply forgotten its job. He actually liked that.

Peaceful, boring days were entirely his thing. Wake up. Watch the market. Trade a little. Eat. Watch the market again. Maybe sketch something. Perhaps nap. That was life.

Simple. Empty. Easy to repeat.

Until she showed up.

They met a year ago.

She was sitting on a bench by the riverside, clutching a cane and looking utterly torn between crying and laughing. The wind, relentless, kept blowing strands of her hair straight into her mouth. Sil almost walked past her—he truly almost did.

But he didn't.

He stopped, turned, and found himself asking if she was okay.

She mumbled something about dropping her phone somewhere, unable to hear where it fell.

He found it quickly, tucked under the bench. He wiped off a lone leaf, then handed it to her.

She smiled.

That was all.

He didn't even ask her name that day, just nodded once and left. But for some inexplicable reason, he simply couldn't forget her face. Maybe it was pity. Maybe it was because she was genuinely pretty. Or maybe it was just one of those strange things that sometimes happen to guys.

She stuck in his head.

Now, she was undeniably part of his life.

Three months together. It still felt completely unreal.

Sil had never thought of himself as someone who'd end up with a girlfriend—much less one like her. She was far too loud and very messy. She always had music blasting in the background and loved to fire off a barrage of nonsense questions. Even he didn't quite understand how he accepted all this, like, Oh, okay, I guess I just like you anyway. But somehow, he did.

And blind. Yet, she never let that be the most interesting part of her.

Her name was Li Mei.

She said it with a challenge in her voice, as if daring people not to remember it.

Tonight, she was coming over.

Sil glanced at the clock. 6:11 p.m.

She usually showed up at 6:30, sometimes even earlier if she'd gotten tired of arguing with her sister. Mei hated being fussed over, and she hated hospitals even more. Still, the surgery was coming.

Two months.

The doctor didn't promise anything. It could truly go either way.

She acted like she didn't care, maintaining a brave front.

But Sil knew, deep down, she did.

And honestly… he cared too much for his own good too.

He went inside, tidying the little apartment. He changed shirts, picked one she liked, and lit the lavender candle which is her favorite.

At 6:28, her familiar buzz came from downstairs.

Sil opened the door without a word. A minute later, her soft footsteps padded up the stairs, and he opened it fully for her.

"Yo," Mei said, already pulling off her shoes. "Your neighbor still smokes like his lungs are rented."

"Yeah."

"Seriously, he's gonna kill me before the surgery even gets a chance."

Sil managed a faint smile and took her bag.

She walked in like she owned the place, dropping onto the couch and kicking her feet up.

"Smells like lavender," she noted.

"I lit it for you."

"Liar. You just like it now too."

"Maybe."

She leaned her head back and sighed contentedly.

"You cook?"

"No. Want noodles?"

"Only if you're making it."

Sil went into the kitchen.

She didn't say anything for a while, just listened to the water boil.

After a moment, she called out.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"When I get the surgery…"

He paused, hand hovering over the spice jar. "…What?"

"If it works, you'll be the first thing I see, right?"

He didn't answer immediately. Then, quietly: "I hope so."

She smiled. "Good."

Later, after drifting off to sleep with Mei still holding his hand, Sil woke up before the alarm again.

It was one of those mornings where the air just felt wrong, though he couldn't quite explain why. Like the sky was watching him. The curtains moved a little even though the windows were shut tight.

He checked the market halfheartedly. Red again. Whatever.

He opened the fridge, drank straight from a half-full bottle of soy milk, and stared at the news playing silently on the laptop screen.

Big words in all caps. Headlines bouncing around like rubber balls.

"ONE-MILE-WIDE PORTAL APPEARS IN MONGOLIA" "MILITARY BLOCKS ACCESS TO RIFT SITE" "WORLD LEADERS HOLD URGENT MEETING" "IS THIS FIRST CONTACT?"

Sil rubbed his eyes, sighing. He'd heard something about it last night, but now it was everywhere. Every feed, every phone, every damn conversation on the street.

Some kind of glowing hole in the sky. It had just… opened. No warning. Just there. Like a window someone forgot to close.

He muted the tab.

Mei shuffled into the room wrapped in his hoodie, her hair still damp from her shower.

"You left the water running," she mumbled.

"Did I?"

"You did."

She sat down next to him on the couch without even asking. Her cane was leaning against the wall, but she didn't need it in here. She knew the room better than he did.

"Is not it cold today?" she asked.

"A bit."

Mei come closer and lean into him.

Sil didn't say anything, just let her lean into him lightly and cuddle with her.

Mei rested her head on his shoulder. They sat like that for a while. The sky outside was too still. Even the birds were quiet.

Later, when they were eating instant noodles by the balcony door, Mei asked:

"Did you see the news this morning?"

Sil pushed a noodle into his mouth. "Hard to miss. It's everywhere."

"Crazy, right?" she murmured. "A giant hole in the sky. Like, how does that even happen?"

"No idea," he said, shaking his head. "They're calling it a portal now."

Mei stopped slurping, her brow furrowed. "A portal? To where?"

He watched her, noting how her usual easy-going nature had a faint unease vibe today. She didn't seem scared, not to the point it is obvious but Sil knew she was.

"Guess we'll find out," Sil replied, trying for a lightness he didn't feel.

And then, the peaceful moments broke.

It started with nothing. Just silence, like every other moment with Mei. She was resting her head on his shoulder. He could feel her breathing, slow and steady.

Then—

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Pain. SO MUCH PAIN.

Liquid. Moving. Ripping. Like someone had dumped molten metal into his veins. Like lightning was chewing its way through every bone, every nerve, every goddamn corner of his body.

He doesn't even remember falling. One second he was sitting. The next—he was on the floor, arms flailing like he was drowning in air, his body twitching, kicking, breaking itself.

Mei was screaming. He thinks.

He couldn't hear her. His ears were ringing like something was inside his skull, trying to break out.

He felt her grabbing his face and calling his name over and over while crying.

But her voice was underwater now for Sil

He couldn't even scream anymore.

Slowly… he couldn't even feel his body anymore. The roaring in his ears faded, replaced by a vast, cold blankness.

The next thing he knew, a rhythmic beep… beep… beep… began to penetrate the quiet.

He opened his eyes.

Ceiling tiles.

Too white , too bright for his eye

He blinked and try to make sense of what happened to him. His throat was dry as hell.

Tried to speak. Didn't work.

His body felt… off like he was floating but tied down.

And then memories came back like a waterfall.

"So, did I become a mutant or something?" he murmured, trying to crack a joke. "Hopefully, they don't slice me up for research." Not even ten seconds passed before a strong wave of sleepiness hit him, and he couldn't help but fall asleep.

When he woke up the second time, Mei was asleep, her head resting on the edge of the bed, her hand still holding his.

There was a faint buzzing sound around

The window was cracked open. From outside, he could hear shouting, sirens , constant cars honking like traffic had stopped moving altogether and noise of helicopters somewhere in the sky.

When he turned his head slowly , Mei felt the movement and woke up.

"God, you scared me Sil!" Mei hold his hand tightly and faint drops of tears came down uncontrollably. You can even see the redness in her eyes from crying so much.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice a little shaky.

Mei sat up, rubbed her face. "I don't know. Everything's... insane."

She fumbled for the remote and turned on the hospital room's old TV.

Static.

Then signal.

News.

Every channel was on the same thing.

"Awakenings continue to rise across multiple countries—" "Military forces are on standby—" "One in a million, experts say—those who survive are changed forever."

The screen cut to shaky phone footage. A man on a street corner screaming, before erupting into blue flame. Another clip—someone's arm splitting open and growing a hard, scale-like shell. One woman turned to stone mid-conversation, caught mid-step. Another video: someone hovering off the ground, unconscious, surrounded by floating objects.

"This footage was taken just hours ago in Paris." "This one's Seoul. This one's Delhi." "And this… this happened in downtown Tokyo."

Every place. Every continent.

Mei listened to the news and explained what happens

"They said it's because of the crack," she said quietly. "The energy coming through from it is changing people by warping us."

She looked at him.

"Hospital think that's what happened to you"

He didn't answer her but turned his head toward the window.

Paused.

There was a building across the street. About twelve stories up. He could read the numbers on the side of a truck parked near it. Some delivery logo. A license plate. He could read the text on a soda can in the hand of some guy leaning on a bench far down the block.

He sat up slowly. Mei looked at him with concern. "What's wrong?" she asked, though the question was clear in her expression.

"Don't worry," he reassured her, patting her head. "I just want to take a look."

He looked down at the floor. His glasses weren't there.

He touched his face. Nope. Not wearing them.

He used to be nearly blind without them.

He looked back outside. Narrowed his eyes. Watched a pigeon land on a metal railing across the street, easy fifty meters away. Could see the scratch on its beak. Could see dirt on its feathers. Could even see a piece of bread it had stuck to its foot.

"…The hell."

He leaned back into the bed quietly and staring at the ceiling now.

he don't know what to say for a while.

He accidentally stared at the saline bag. Focused on the clamp holding the tube shut. Not thinking much and just staring.

Then his stomach got tight and his breath slowed without meaning to.

Something in his vision locked in like his eyes held onto the object. There was no glow nor sound but he feel pressure behind the eyes. A weird feeling like something was connecting.

A moment later, his chest felt heavy like he was about to do something, but hadn't moved.

And in his head—

He felt something click.

A question.

"Do you want to extract?"

It wasn't a voice but just the idea that he could feel clear and cold

He blinked hard and try to pulled his gaze away. Once he pulled his gaze away ,the feeling vanished like nothing ever happens.

He can't help but exhaled, after suddenly realizing he stopped breathing.

He wiped his face with his palm.

"God, if this is a dream, this shit is too realistic! Mei, I think I just turned into a human telescope!"

"Better than Samsung's 100x zoom?" Mei joked.

"Uh... I don't think so." He paused. "Also, sorry."

"For what?" Mei replied, effortlessly slicing an apple. Don't ask how , she can use the knife proficiently even is she is blind

"For making you worry and miss your show," he replied, feeling terrible. Mei was an incredible pianist; she'd poured her heart into practicing for this chance to play at the national talent show and he was supposed to be there with her, but now it was almost night and the show was nearly over. Even if they rushed, they wouldn't make it in time.

"Are you serious? You're apologizing for a show now?" Mei scoffed lightly, but she was smiling. "My one and only lovely boyfriend is screaming in pain, then lying here in a hospital bed not knowing what happened. There's no way I'm leaving you to just mind my own business. Besides," she added, feeding him a piece of apple, "I don't think that show matters anymore after all these alien things."

"I love you, Mei." He couldn't help but say aloud.

"I love you too." Mei chuckled and leaned in to kiss him.

Awakened Ability: "Eyes of Miracles" This is a bloodline-type ability that grants the wielder extraordinarily enhanced vision. Their eyesight becomes remarkably strong, allowing them to see everything in detail and clearly without correction. With focus, they can perceive objects clearly from distances of up to half a mile.

The core power of the "Eyes of Miracles" is the ability to create anything and everything out of nothing. This creation requires an equivalent price in energy. The value of an item is determined by its inherent energy. This energy cannot be drawn from the air; it must be contained within an item, person, or object.

To utilize this ability: The wielder converts an object into pure energy by establishing a static link with it. During this process, neither the wielder nor the object (if it's not a living, uncontrolled entity) can move. If moved, it will fail. The harvested energy can be stored within the Eyes of Miracles and used at any time. This stored energy can then be reshaped to manifest any desired object. The more complex, detailed, or "law-breaking" the desired object is, the greater the energy cost. If you know the working principles of an object you desire, you can lower the cost.