Enzo's POV-

  "Enzo, honey."

  ...Who's that?

  "Enzo, can you hear me?" My body feels numb.

  "ENZO!"

  "Enzo, you shouldn't stare at your food. It'll get cold."

  Mom. What is she doing here?

  "I'm sorry, Mom, I'm confused," I managed to say.

  "Sweetie, you're crying. You know you don't have to eat if you don't want to."

  Crying? Why am I crying? I can hear footsteps—heavy, clunky boots. Someone's coming. Everything feels so sudden.

  "You've always been a coward, Enzo."

  That voice.

  Father. Why is he here?

  What's going on? These feelings... I'm not moving. Why can't I move?

  "Don't talk to Enzo like that!" Mom yelled, standing up to face Father. He glared at her.

  BAM!

  Mom fell to the floor.

  "You're just like him, Malra. Pathetic and worthless."

  His words blended together, senseless and cruel as he approached me. I couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't do anything.

  Then I saw Mom. She charged at Father, grabbing a knife from the floor.

  "You're the coward, Samuel!" she shouted. "Enzo, get out!"

  I couldn't do anything. I couldn't stop her.

  Why can't I move?

  MOM!

  Suddenly, my body started moving on its own. I don't even know where I'm going.

  "Go!" she screamed. "You won't stop running until you're safe. Go home, Enzo!"

  "Home."

  A flash of light erupted from the house, then disappeared into the distance.

  All that remained was the faint glint of my father's necklace—Samuel.

  ...

  When I was eleven, my parents were murdered during a robbery. Since then, my memories of them have faded, but the pain they caused me remains vivid. One stupid, little memory sticks out, though. Right before my father died, he told me that some people were cursed and that I was one of them because of the mark on my back. Then he beat me. I hated them, but I've never fully understood my feelings. Even now, I can't remember everything clearly.

  After their deaths, I lived alone. Now seventeen, I work as a fisherman in the small village of Petunia. Of course, today of all days is the day—the anniversary. Normally, I'd feel depressed and visit their memorial site. That's what I do every year. And today, I'm no different. I slipped on the black kimono I always wear for this occasion, made my mom's favorite treat—melon pan—and lit candles for them. It's become my tradition.

  As I walked to the site, fragments of the dream I had this morning floated back to me. I couldn't remember it clearly, but the feelings were too real to ignore.

  When I reached the headstone, an overwhelming uneasiness hit me. It was like all the pain I'd ever felt rushed to the surface. My vision blurred, my body went numb, and for a moment, I couldn't see or feel anything. All I could hear were faint words, my mother's voice whispering: Home.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Home? Why do I keep hearing that?

  It felt like someone—or something—was trying to send me a sign, but I was left in the dark. I'm cursed, but I can't let that destroy my positive outlook. Then, as if out of nowhere, an idea formed in my mind: I needed to go back. Back to my old house, where everything happened. Maybe these dreams, these feelings, are connected to that place.

  FWISH!

  Something darted across my vision, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  "Hey, Enzo! I knew I'd find you here, but you really shouldn't be out alone."

  It was Akari. She's my favorite person in the world. Like me, she doesn't have a family, and we've been each other's ever since we met. Akari is a Tenpu Fairu, or a beast as they like to say, and even though life hasn't been kind to either of us, she somehow always finds a way to smile.

  "I'm fine," I said, still unsure if I should tell her about the dreams. "I just wanted to check on them."

  "You know, Enzo, if you need anything, I'm always here. We're family."

  "I know," I replied as we left the memorial site and headed back home.

  On the way, she perked up. "The winter festival is coming up in Petunia. We should go, Enzo!"

  Festivals. I hate festivals. "I don't know..."

  "Come onnn, pleaseee!" she whined until I finally gave in.

  The Petunia festival is infamous for being chaotic, with people from all over—different soul descendants, different personalities—crammed into one tiny space. And here I am, about to attend one.

  Getting ready was a disaster.

  I'd forgotten to clean my clothes, so I looked like an absolute mess. Akari was going to lose it if I showed up like this.

  She didn't even need to finish her sentence before I saw the look on her face. She sighed dramatically. "Enzo, you need a makeover."

  "How? I don't have any money. I spent it all on food," I pointed out.

  "Money isn't the issue here, is it? I'll figure something out."

  She gave me a mischievous grin. "Stay here, Enzo. I'm just gonna look around. Hehe."

  Translation: she was probably about to steal something. But who am I to judge?

  Then, suddenly, she changed her mind. "Actually, change of plans. You're coming with me." She grabbed my arm and dragged me out the door.

  We wandered through the few local shops in town.

  A few moments later, Akari squealed. "OH MY GOD! Enzo, try this on!" She shoved a black jacket, a red button-up shirt, and a pair of sleek trousers into my hands. They looked expensive—too expensive.

  I checked the price tag and nearly dropped them. "OH HELL NO! SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS?! Akari, did you even check the price?"

  "Let's just... put that back," I said, shaking my head.

  We searched a few more stores, but everything was way out of our price range. Finally, I called it quits and headed back home. Akari stayed behind, determined to figure something out. But as I sat there alone, all I could think about were the visions. The dreams. I didn't want to drag her into whatever was happening to me.

  I needed to face this on my own.

  ...

  Akari burst through the door, practically glowing with excitement.

  "Enzo! Where are you? I got you something special!" she called out, pacing around the room. But I wasn't there.

  Her smile faded as she spotted a note sitting on the table.

  It's time to go home.

  ...

  As I ran toward my old house, the closer I got, the weaker I felt. My energy drained, my legs heavy like they were weighed down by the past. It feels like I've been running forever—running from memories, from myself. I can't even tell who I am anymore, but I hope going back will clear something up. Before that, though, I have to figure out how to get to the Helios Kingdom without Akari following me.

  FWASH! FWASH!

  I heard the rustling of movement, and someone was approaching.

  "ENZO!"

  Akari jumped in front of me, blocking my path. Her face was flushed, her hands on her hips as she caught her breath. "Enzo, I won't leave you! Why did you try to ditch me back there?"

  Ugh, she's such a pain in the neck—but I love her. She's like the sister I never had.

  "Because I can't drag you into my mess," I admitted, my voice trembling. "I'm a curse."

  Tears welled in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks as I fell to the ground. I couldn't stop the flood of emotion. Akari was the one person I could always be honest with, but I needed to hold myself accountable. I needed to stop letting others get hurt because of me.

  Akari crossed her arms and let out a cough, clearly uncomfortable with my breakdown but unwavering as always.

  "Enzo," she said softly, "you're not a curse. I've never once seen you that way. If anything, out of all the crap I've been through, you're the one good thing to come out of the awful mess of my life."

  Her words hit me like a wave. I looked at her, meeting her eyes. "Thank you," I whispered. I needed to hear those words—anything to remind me that I wasn't alone, that I wasn't a burden like my parents once made me feel.

  I wiped my tears and stood up, brushing myself off. "Well, you know my house isn't exactly easy to get to, let alone leave."

  Akari scoffed. "Come on, how bad could it be?"

  "It's in the Helios Kingdom."

  Her eyes widened. "OH HELL NO."

  ...

  BZZZZ. BZZZ.

  The faint static of a radio buzzed in the distance. A deep, mature voice crackled through. "Igor, Kaiyo, head over to Helios. It's coming." The static faded as quickly as it had appeared.

  ...

  As we ran through the vast field of sunflowers, I couldn't shake the memories resurfacing in my mind. It was as if each step closer to the kingdom pulled more pieces of my past into focus. Or maybe I was just hallucinating after five straight hours of running.

  "Enzo, do you even know where Helios is?" Akari asked, panting.

  I smirked. "The sunflowers point toward the sun. Where the sun rises, Helios is."

  She groaned. "Bruh..."

  "But," I added quickly, "the closer we get, the clearer my memories become. I know we're going the right way."

  "Alright, but didn't you say it's dangerous? What exactly are we walking into?"

  I hesitated. "It is dangerous," I admitted, "but my house is just on the outskirts of the kingdom walls. As long as the royal guards don't see us, we'll be fine. I got out of there once—I can do it again."

  Akari raised a brow. "What's so dangerous about it? What's in there?"

  "Helios isn't like our village," I explained. "The people there have strange, incredible abilities—things you can't imagine. They're nothing like the ordinary folk we're used to, and definitely nothing like the occasional beast we've dealt with. It's a completely different world."

  Akari perked up. "Now that I think about it, Enzo, I've never asked you this before, but... are you a descendant of one of the 12 souls? Like me?"

  I froze. The question hung in the air.

  "We're here," I said abruptly, cutting her off.

  The sight of Helios Kingdom stopped her in her tracks. It was breathtaking—bright and warm, like staring into the sun itself. The massive stone walls stretched endlessly, glowing faintly as if alive.

  "So," Akari said cautiously, "which way to your old house?"

  "This way," I replied, gesturing to a small path leading away from the walls. "It won't be too long—it's just outside the kingdom."

  "Alright," she said, following close behind.