My name is Shinichi Metel, and I just turned 17 this year. I'm in my second year of high school, a completely normal kid. No superpowers. No strange abilities. I'm just like anyone else.

But sometimes, I wonder if normal is really what I am.

It's been a long time since my mother passed away. I was only 5 when the incident happened. She died protecting me—saving me from a group of rogue Megas who hijacked and attacked the amusement park we were visiting. I remember how she held onto me tightly, her arms shielding me, even as the world around us crumbled. The blinding light, the deafening sounds, the screaming—it was chaos. But through it all, I remember my mother's face, determined, even as the world seemed to swallow her whole. She never let go.

I've always wondered what would have happened if she hadn't saved me. Would I be dead too? Sometimes, I feel guilty.

After that day, my father remarried three years later. My stepmother is young and beautiful, and both she and my father work office jobs as salaried employees. They're always busy, but somehow, they make time for me. It's always been that way—quiet dinners, weekends together. I never felt alone, not with them around.

And then there's Misuki. My childhood sweetheart. We've known each other forever. She's three years older than me, in her second year of college, and works part-time at her father's company. Misuki's a genius, always coming up with ideas and solutions that leave me in awe. I'm lucky she finally accepted my proposal after rejecting me 36 times. I never thought I'd be this happy, with a girlfriend like her.

On the surface, everything looks perfect. My parents, Misuki, and I live an ordinary life. Or so I thought.

There's something they're hiding from me. Something I'm not supposed to know.

They think I'm powerless. They think I can't handle the truth. They've kept it from me because, well, I don't have any powers. Not like them.

My father works for the Mark 11 guild as an important officer. His attribute is Sonic, which allows him to move at superhuman speeds. My stepmother is second in command at Mark 11 with her attribute, Prisma—she can travel between dimensions. Misuki's father manages the Sounder guild, and Misuki works there too. Her attribute is Earth, which lets her manipulate and create sand at will.

They all fight against evil, trying to protect the world from rogue Megas like the ones who took my mother from me. But they haven't told me anything about it. They've kept me in the dark, thinking I'm better off not knowing.

I don't blame them. I get it. They're trying to protect me, to keep me safe. They don't want me worrying about things I can't change.

Still, there are moments when I catch them looking at each other with that quiet, knowing expression—like they're speaking a language I don't understand. When my father comes home late from work, his eyes tired, as though he's seen something I should never witness. When my stepmother looks at me with that unreadable gaze, as if debating whether she should tell me the truth.

Just recently, my stepmother started teaching me martial arts. She told me she learned it in school, practicing every day, and now she's teaching me how to defend myself. She says it's just in case I ever get caught in the crossfire of a Mega conflict. But I know better.

They lie to me to protect me.