When Kael turned four years old, his parents finally decided it was time for him to start play school.
On the first day, Kael stood outside the classroom door while holding his small school bag. His white hair gently moved as a light breeze passed through the hallway.
His mother bent down slightly and smiled at him.
"Don't worry, Kael. Just listen to your teacher and make some friends, okay?"
Kael nodded confidently.
"Okay, Mom."
With that, he slowly walked into the classroom.
Inside, the room looked colorful and lively. Small desks and chairs were neatly arranged in rows. Children around his age were already sitting there, talking to each other and laughing.
But the moment Kael stepped inside, many of the children suddenly stopped talking.
Their eyes slowly turned toward him.
They stared at his unusual white hair and bright golden eyes.
One boy whispered to the child next to him,
"Hey… he looks really cute."
Another child simply kept staring in curiosity.
Just then, the teacher noticed him standing near the door.
"Child, come here," she called gently.
Kael turned toward her.
The teacher looked quite young, probably around twenty or twenty-two years old.
"Yes, ma'am," Kael replied politely.
He walked toward her desk.
"Ma'am, where should I sit?" he asked.
The teacher looked at the seating chart in her hand.
"You can sit at the first bench."
Kael nodded and walked toward the first row.
He noticed that the seating arrangement was a little unusual. Each bench had one boy and one girl sitting together.
It seemed the school had a rule to seat children with the opposite gender so that they wouldn't make too much noise while talking.
Kael sat down beside a small girl.
The girl looked at him curiously.
"Hi," she said casually.
Kael smiled lightly.
"Hello."
But instead of turning away, the girl continued staring at him.
One minute passed.
Then another.
Kael tilted his head slightly.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
The girl quickly shook her head.
"No… I was just looking at your hair."
Before Kael could reply, the teacher clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"Alright children, let's introduce ourselves."
The room slowly became quiet.
Then the teacher looked toward Kael again.
"You… the child with the white hair and golden eyes."
Her expression looked slightly surprised.
"Is that your real eye color? Or are you wearing contact lenses?"
Some children looked even more curious after hearing that.
Kael simply smiled.
"These are my real eyes, ma'am."
The teacher blinked in surprise.
"Interesting… very interesting."
Then she smiled again.
"Alright then, tell us your name."
Kael stood up calmly.
"My name is Kael."
After that, the teacher pointed toward the other students one by one.
"Your turn."
"Rina," a girl said.
"Vansh."
"Ridhi."
"Abhi."
"Jaanvi."
"Manav."
"Diya."
One by one, each student introduced themselves.
It took nearly fifteen minutes before everyone finished.
Finally, the teacher spoke again.
"Alright children, we will start our regular classes from tomorrow."
One boy suddenly stood up.
His name was Manav.
"Ma'am, what will we do now?"
The teacher laughed softly.
"Good question… but not a very difficult one."
She walked toward her desk and picked up some papers.
"All of you will receive two papers."
She handed them to the students.
"The first paper contains instructions for your parents, such as which books you need to bring and some other important information."
Then she held up the second paper.
"This paper is for student details."
Kael looked at the paper carefully.
Then he raised his hand.
"Yes?" the teacher asked.
"Ma'am, does that mean today we will only learn about our school?"
The teacher smiled.
"Yes, little boy. That's correct."
Soon the students began looking at the papers.
Kael quietly turned toward his bench partner.
"Do you know how to fill this?" he asked.
The girl nodded.
"My parents will fill it. Parents usually complete these forms."
Kael understood and nodded.
After a short while, the school day ended earlier than usual because it was the children's first day.
As Kael walked outside the classroom, he suddenly saw a familiar figure waiting near the gate.
His face instantly lit up.
"My mom is here, ma'am!" he said excitedly while pointing.
The teacher smiled.
"Yes, you can go."
Kael quickly ran toward his mother.
She bent down and hugged him warmly.
"Oh my son," she said lovingly. "How can someone be this cute?"
Kael smiled proudly.
Then they began walking home together.
While walking, Kael kept talking about everything that happened at school.
He told her about the teacher, the students, and the introduction session.
After a while, his mother suddenly picked him up in her arms.
"Kael, you must be tired," she said.
Kael looked at her for a few seconds.
"Mom, you know I'm very strong."
His mother laughed.
"Yes, I know how strong you are."
Soon they reached home.
Kael went straight to his room, placed his bag on the bed, and lay down.
"Finally," he muttered to himself.
"Now I can watch my favorite channel."
Just then—
a familiar voice echoed inside his mind.
"Hello Kael… did you forget about me?"
Kael sighed immediately.
"Dark Smiler… don't scare me like that."
The voice chuckled.
"You call this scary? Most people would call it telepathy."
Kael rolled his eyes.
"One day your telepathy is going to kill me."
"Oh please," Dark Smiler replied playfully.
"You're not that weak."
There was a brief pause before Dark Smiler spoke again.
"Didn't you just tell your mom that you're very strong?"
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Why are you spying on me?"
Dark Smiler laughed.
"You control me, remember? Of course I'll be around you."
Kael smirked slightly.
"Even when I'm bathing?"
Dark Smiler's voice suddenly became awkward.
"...When that happens, I hide under your bed."
Kael burst out laughing.
Then he suddenly remembered something important.
"Oh no… the form!"
He jumped off the bed and ran out of his room.
"Mom! Mom! Mom!"
His mother heard his footsteps.
"Yes? What happened?"
"Mom, can you fill these details for me?"
She looked at the paper.
"Sorry, son. I'm busy right now. Can you wait for a few hours?"
Kael sighed.
"Okay."
He returned to his room.
At first, he tried watching television.
But the form kept bothering him.
Finally, he picked up a pen.
"I'll just write it myself."
But as soon as he tried holding the pen properly—
he realized something.
He didn't know how to write.
After trying again and again, he became frustrated.
His mother walked into the room and noticed him struggling.
"What happened, Kael?"
"I'm trying to write my name… but I can't even hold the pen."
"When did you start practicing?" she asked.
"At twelve."
She checked the clock.
"Kael… it's already 1:30."
Kael's eyes widened.
Then suddenly—
he started crying.
"Mom… why can't I write? Am I stupid?"
His mother immediately hugged him.
"No, son. Learning takes time."
Kael slowly rested his head on her lap.
She smiled gently.
"I'll fill it for you today, okay?"
Kael nodded with a small smile.
As his mother hugged him…
Kael slowly closed his eyes.
But for a brief moment—
his golden eyes flickered…
and turned completely black.
Dark Smiler's voice echoed softly—
"You're not weak…
you're just not awakened yet."