The world was a place of shadows.
In a desolate valley, far from the bustling cities, under a sky that never seemed to break from its cold, grey hue, a boy stood alone. The winds carried whispers of forgotten lands, their secrets lost to time, and the earth beneath his feet was cracked and dry. The boy was just a child—at least in appearance—but anyone who crossed him could feel the weight of something far greater, something divine. His name was Lock Eye, though the world knew him by a different title—Lock Boy.
He had no friends, no companions—only the vast emptiness of the land to call his own. His eyes, the only part of him that truly mattered, glowed faintly in the dusk. They were not the eyes of a child, but the eyes of something ancient, something that saw the very fabric of reality itself. Lock Eye had known pain, abandonment, and solitude since the moment his powers first manifested. The loneliness was suffocating, but it was all he had ever known.
Standing motionless, he focused on the horizon, as if waiting for something—or someone.
"You're the boy with the 'Lock Eye,' aren't you?"
A voice, soft yet carrying a weight, cut through the wind.
Lock Eye's heart skipped a beat, and his gaze shot to the figure emerging from the mist. She was a girl, about his age, though there was a quiet maturity in her eyes. Her hair, dark and flowing, framed her face like a veil of mystery. But it was her eyes that captured him. The blue was deeper than any ocean, brighter than any sky—a gaze that seemed to pierce straight into him.
"Who are you?" Lock Eye demanded, though his voice wavered slightly. He wasn't used to people speaking to him, especially not with such certainty.
The girl stepped closer, her footsteps light but purposeful. She wasn't afraid.
"I've been searching for you... for a long time."
Her voice was calm, but there was an undertone of something more—something almost urgent.
Lock Eye's chest tightened. He didn't need anyone. He didn't want anyone.
"I don't need anyone. Leave me alone."
His words were cold, but even he could tell they lacked conviction.
The girl stopped in front of him, her blue eyes never leaving his. She wasn't angry, nor was she frightened. There was only a soft, knowing look in her gaze, as though she had already seen everything Lock Eye was—and everything he would become.
"You may not need anyone... but you will need me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "And there are things about your powers you don't yet understand."
For the first time in his life, Lock Eye felt something he had never felt before—curiosity. The way she spoke, the certainty in her words—it was as though she knew him better than he knew himself.
"What do you want?" he finally asked, his voice almost fragile in its uncertainty.
The girl's lips curved into a small, sad smile.
"My name is Kasha," she said, stepping closer. "And the answers you're seeking lie beyond the walls you've built. But we can't unlock them until you trust me."
Lock Eye didn't know why, but for the first time, he felt like he was being seen—not as the boy with god-like powers, not as the outsider, but as someone who could finally have answers to the questions that had haunted him his whole life.
The journey was beginning.
End of Chapter 1