Kai didn’t sleep that night.

  He sat by the candle, staring at its flickering light, the idea echoing in his head like a song he couldn’t turn off.

  “If I can do something to save that man… shouldn’t I?”

  He thought of his new friends, of the way they had laughed and teased each other earlier that night — and how that laughter had been shattered by the accident.

  “I can fix this. I have to fix this.”

  His hands trembled as he reached for the candle, lighting it again, the flame steady even as his heart raced.

  Sitting down, he closed his eyes and let the pyramid form, spiraling deeper and faster than ever before — driven by desperation.

  The feeling of joy, of belonging — his fuel — burned hot in his chest.

  “Take me back. Take me back to before we left the arcade.”

  “This time… I’ll imagine that when we stepped outside, there was no accident. Nothing.”

  Colors spun wildly. The smoke-like world swirled around him, faster and heavier than ever before.

  Then — snap.

  He was back.

  Standing with his friends, just as they were leaving the arcade.

  The night was crisp, the street buzzing with life — but no flashing lights.

  No sirens.

  No ambulance.

  Kai took a deep breath, holding tightly onto the image in his mind:

  “No accident. No crash. No truck. Just a quiet night.”

  He locked that feeling deep, making it real in his mind — like writing it into the world itself.

  And then, as his friends laughed and walked ahead, Kai let go.

  Snap.

  Kai’s eyes opened.

  But something was wrong.

  He wasn’t in his room.

  He was sitting in a hospital waiting room, pale fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.

  His heart started to race as he looked around.

  Sam sat a few chairs down, her face pale and tear-streaked, staring blankly ahead.

  Naomi sat beside her, arms crossed tightly over her chest, eyes red and distant.

  Lila was pacing back and forth slowly, chewing her lip, worry etched into her face.

  Brandon sat with his head in his hands, elbows on his knees, not moving.

  “What… what is this? What’s going on?”

  Kai stood up shakily, walking over to Brandon.

  “Hey… what happened?” Kai asked, his voice low and unsure.

  Brandon looked up slowly, confusion and anger in his eyes.

  “Kai… really? Now’s not the time for jokes, man.”

  Kai’s heart skipped.

  “What do you mean? I’m not joking.”

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  Brandon’s eyes darkened.

  “You were there, Kai. You saw it happen.”

  “Saw what happen?” Kai asked, panic creeping into his voice.

  Brandon stood up, running a hand through his hair, shaking his head like he couldn’t believe what Kai was saying.

  “Don’t mess with me, Kai. You were standing right next to me when it happened. You saw the truck… you saw when it hit him.”

  “H-Hit who?” Kai stammered, dread filling his chest.

  Brandon stared at him, his jaw tight, eyes full of pain.

  “…Leo.”

  The name hit Kai like a punch to the gut.

  “Leo?”

  “No… no, that’s not possible. I stopped the accident. I stopped it.”

  But as Brandon kept talking, Kai’s legs felt weak.

  “We left the arcade. Leo was joking around, pushing past us, and then —” Brandon’s voice cracked. “The truck… came out of nowhere. It hit him before anyone could even scream.”

  Kai sat down heavily, his hands trembling.

  “No. No, no, no. This wasn’t supposed to happen. I stopped the accident…”

  “I stopped the man on the motorcycle from being hit, not Leo.”

  But as the pieces clicked in his mind, horror filled him.

  “The accident didn’t disappear… it just changed. Shifted to someone else.”

  Kai buried his face in his hands, his mind racing.

  “What have I done?”

  The weight of his choice crushed him.

  “I thought I was helping… I thought I was fixing something.”

  But instead — his friend was now fighting for his life in a hospital bed.

  As Kai sat there, surrounded by his grieving friends, the full weight of his power settled on his shoulders.

  “This isn’t just a game. This isn’t about me getting what I want.”

  “Every choice has a cost.”

  And for the first time, Kai realized —

  The real danger of his gift wasn’t what he could change… but who would pay the price for it

  Kai sat frozen in the hospital waiting room, surrounded by his friends — but his mind was anywhere but there.

  Leo.

  Leo was lying in a hospital bed, maybe dying.

  Because of him.

  “This is my fault. I tried to save a stranger, and now Leo…”

  The weight of that thought pressed on his chest like a stone, crushing him.

  Sam sat quietly, wiping her face, and Lila leaned against the wall, pale and silent.

  No one spoke — the air was thick with fear and grief.

  “No… I can’t let this be the end. I have to fix this. I have to.”

  Kai stood suddenly, drawing a few glances from the others.

  “I… I just need a minute,” he mumbled.

  Brandon looked up, confused but too tired to argue.

  “Yeah. Okay.”

  Kai turned quickly, heart pounding, and made his way down the hospital hallway, searching for a place to think.

  The bathroom door swung open with a quiet creak, and Kai stepped inside, locking the door behind him.

  His breathing was shallow, fast — like he was running even though he stood still.

  “No candle. No darkness. But I have to try.”

  His hands trembled as he leaned on the sink, staring at himself in the mirror.

  “I can’t let Leo die because of me.”

  Sliding down to sit on the floor, Kai closed his eyes, forcing his breath to slow, even as his heart thudded wildly.

  “Pyramid. Focus on the pyramid.”

  It was harder than ever to focus — the bright hospital lights glaring, the noise of people moving just beyond the door.

  The sharpness of reality kept trying to pull him back.

  “Come on… you can do this. You have to do this.”

  He forced the pyramid to form in his mind — unstable at first, wavering like smoke — but he fought to hold onto it.

  Sweat beaded on his forehead as he pushed through the noise, the fear, the guilt.

  Minutes passed.

  Five.

  Ten.

  Still he sat there, shaking but focused.

  And then —

  Woush.

  His body grew light.

  The spiraling sensation, though harder than before, finally took over.

  “Yes! Yes, come on, hold it!”

  Floating above himself now, Kai focused everything he had left on one goal:

  “Remember the arcade. Before we left. Before Leo walked out.”

  Colors spun wildly. Faster than ever.

  It felt like his desperation was speeding up the entire process, like the world could barely keep up.

  Then—

  Snap.

  Kai was there.

  Back inside the arcade.

  His friends were still laughing, playing games, unaware of what was about to happen.

  Leo was near the claw machine, joking with Brandon.

  Everything was normal.

  “Okay… okay, I’m here. Now I just have to keep them inside.”

  Kai moved quickly toward Brandon, thinking fast.

  “Hey! Guys! Let’s do one more round of racing games!” Kai called, trying to sound casual but feeling his voice tremble.

  Brandon blinked, surprised.

  “Dude, you usually look for an exit when racing games come up,” he joked.

  “Nah, come on,” Kai said, forcing a smile. “I wanna try again. You said I almost had Leo last time, right?”

  Leo turned, smirking.

  “You’re on.”

  Kai felt a wave of relief, but kept pushing.

  “Let’s make it interesting. Winner gets free snacks next time.”

  “Oooh, now we’re talking!” Brandon grinned. “Alright, let’s do it!”

  As they walked back toward the games, Kai’s heart was still racing.

  “Just stay inside a little longer. That’s all. Just a few more minutes.”

  “If we don’t go outside, Leo won’t be in the street. The accident won’t happen.”

  He took a deep breath, holding the image of them all safe inside.

  “Please… let this work.”

  The spiraling slowed.

  Colors and smoke faded.

  Kai snapped back into his body, gasping as his eyes flew open.

  But something was different.

  He wasn’t in the hospital bathroom.

  He was in his room.

  The soft glow of the lamp on his desk, the quiet hum of his computer — everything was normal.

  Kai sat up slowly, breathing heavily, his hands still trembling.

  “Did it work? Did I fix it?”

  His heart pounded in his chest as he grabbed his phone off the desk, fingers fumbling as he quickly found Brandon’s contact.

  The phone rang — once, twice —

  “Yo, Kai!” Brandon’s voice answered, casual as ever. “What’s up, man?”

  Kai’s breath caught.

  “Hey, um… just checking in,” Kai said, trying to sound normal but hearing the shake in his own voice. “Everything okay? Like… after we left the arcade?”

  Brandon paused for a second, sounding confused.

  “Yeah, man. I mean… it was pretty wild seeing that motorcycle crash outside the arcade. Kinda killed the mood. But… yeah, we’re all good. Why?”

  Kai’s heart lifted slightly.

  “Just the motorcycle accident… nothing else. Leo’s okay.”

  “Nothing else happened?” Kai asked carefully, needing to hear it again.

  “Uh… no?” Brandon replied, sounding like he was frowning on the other end. “Dude, you alright?”

  Kai let out a long, shaky breath, relief washing over him like a wave.

  “Yeah… yeah. Just wanted to make sure. Sorry, man. I was overthinking.”

  “You sure?” Brandon asked again, softer this time.

  “Yeah,” Kai said quietly, a small smile forming. “I’m good.”

  “Alright. Well, if you wanna hang out tomorrow, hit me up,” Brandon said.

  “Will do. Later.”

  “Later, man.”

  The call ended, and Kai let the phone drop onto his bed, staring at the ceiling for a long moment.

  The room felt quiet. Too quiet.

  His hands still shook, and his chest was tight — not from fear now, but from the weight of what he had almost done.

  “I was so close to losing Leo.”

  The thought made Kai swallow hard, his throat dry.

  “I can’t ever do that again. I can’t play with life and death like it’s a game.”

  Standing up, Kai walked over to the candle still sitting on his desk, unlit.

  He stared at it for a long time, then whispered to himself:

  “No more.”

  “I’ll never use this… this power to change life and death again.”

  “It’s not worth the risk.”

  As he sat back down on his bed, a strange calm settled over him.

  He had learned something important — something that would stay with him forever.

  And for now, that was enough.

  Kai leaned back against the wall, letting himself breathe, really breathe, for the first time since it had all begun.

  “From now on… I’ll be careful.”

  “No more playing with fate.”

  But even as he made that silent vow, a part of him wondered —

  “What else can I do with this power? What else is possible — without crossing that line?”

  And deep down, he knew this was only the beginning.

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