Mark!

 - For direct speech

 "For thoughts"

 *For background text*

 A butterfly flapping its wing in one place can cause a storm in another

The small room was flooded with light. The sound of the street could be heard through the open window. The short white tulle billowed in the wind that blew through. 

The room was quiet. From the outside it might have seemed as if time had stopped here. On the couch in the middle of the room lay a young man. A faint blue glow emanated from his body. A barely perceptible wave of energy gently spread across the room and the glow faded. The young man's sleepy eyes struggled to open. There was noise in his head.

Trying to focus his vision, Shin wiped his eyes and tried to stand up. The headache echoed with a sharp ringing in his head, causing the man to lean back on the couch. A couple moments later, feeling the pain recede, Shin tried to stand up again. His dark hair was disheveled and his brown eyes looked tired.

- It seemed to be over.

Shin got up from the couch and stretched, kneading his shoulders. He had done hard work and that hard work was giving off a heaviness in every muscle in his body.

"It's worth hitting the gym. The lack of exercise is making itself felt."

The fog in his head began to dissipate slowly. He felt himself gradually coming to his senses.

"Did I make it?"

Shin reached for the phone lying on the table. The rustic touchscreen phone, though it looked primitive, was actually one of the advanced models that only agents could use. He touched the screen twice with his thumb and the phone went into action. On the phone's splash screen was the emblem of the department Shin worked for. The large white clock highlighted 20:47.

- It took longer than I thought it would.

Twirling the phone in his hand, Shin noticed a small difference. The phone used to have three holes for the microphone and speaker at the bottom, but now there was only one. He smiled faintly.

"Here comes the first sign."

Gently tossing the phone around, he also noticed that it was lighter.

"Now let's check what else has changed."

The first thing Shin did was open the news convention. The screen flashed articles from the past week.

*Notification from SPD (Special purpose department): "Dear residents and guests of the city! We warn you of a possible accident in sector D4 at 21:10-21:20 on April 20, 2121 (Sunday). Be careful on the roads."

City of X. Analytics and Data Management Division.*

Flipping through a couple pages, he didn't notice any big differences.

"I think it went better than I thought it would."

Although it was too early to judge now, Shin still breathed a sigh of relief and threw his phone on the couch.

- There was nothing better than green tea after a strenuous journey.

After waiting for the water to boil, Shin pours boiling water into the teapot and watches the slowly swirling leaves.

"Sundays are always full of incidents, but not today."

Watching the slow dance of the seagulls, it suddenly hit Shin. The thought flew through his mind with such speed that he didn't have time to fully realize it.

"It's Sunday!"

Abruptly turning around on the spot, Shin sprinted over to the couch and picked up his phone.

*2121 April 20, Sunday. 20:52*

*Notice from SPD: " Dear residents and guests of the city! We warn you of the awakening of the Chaos Force in sector A11 in the next hour. All people in sector A11 are advised not to leave their places until further notice. The presumed ability is pyrokinesis. Please remain calm and await further instructions.

City of X. Analytics and Data Management Division.*

- It's not good. Eun Byul is going to be angry again. I should have warned her.

After running down the stairs, Shin headed down the road. The setting sun illuminated the tops of the buildings. A ticker on one of the screens was broadcasting the latest notification from SPD.

*****

The gaming hall, lit by neon lights, was almost empty. There was a girl sitting in a booth designed for four players. She took off her headset and portable augmented reality screen and placed them on the table. Gathering her loose hair into a high ponytail, she pressed the end button for the session and put her phone to the terminal by the door.

*Payment successfully completed. Thank you for playing with us,

Sincerely, CyberZone.*

Walking past the common room, Eun Byul looks at the guy and girl in school uniforms absorbed in the game.

Walking out of the building, the girl looks at the violets that were growing in a pot by the entrance.

- You bloomed early this year.

Eun Byul raised her gaze to the sky and reached out her hand to catch the falling raindrops.

- If you weren't going to come, you could have told me. You know I don't like rain.

Walking back to the game hall, Eun Byul bought an umbrella from the counter at the entrance and headed outside again. The rain that had intensified turned into a downpour, covering the sector with dark clouds.

"Chaos Force loves rain..."

*****

After checking the time on his phone, Shin ran up to the building.

"If I apologize sincerely, I'm sure Eun Byul will forgive me. She knows I'm always late."

The thought made the guy smile.

- Look at the cameras, someone broke a petunia pot.

The gaming room worker, a young girl, was picking up the shards of the broken pot and wailing.

After glimpsing the pot scattered on the ground and the trampled flowers, Shin entered the building.

The place was usually half-empty on a Sunday night, but tonight all the seats were occupied. Walking down the hallway to the booths, Shin found that they were all empty.

"Maybe she decided to wait for me?"

Glancing around the common room and snack area again, Shin walked over to the receptionist's desk.

- Did the girl we usually play with come in today?

The employee of the establishment looked at Shin in a puzzled manner.

- 'Unfortunately, I don't know.

After thanking for the answer, Shin went outside. The sun had almost completely set. The sky was colored in shades of red. Taking out his phone, he wanted to dial his friend, but he couldn't find her number.

"Maybe I signed it differently? It's worth looking in the communication log."

After looking through the communication log several times, Shin didn't find his childhood friend's number.

"Maybe contact her through ALiNe (Agent Liaison Network)?"

Failing to find the communication device in its usual place behind his ear, Shin remembered that he had left it charging at home. Sighing heavily, he headed back.

"Eun Byul will probably be very angry."

*****

Shin walked to the door of his apartment and was about to enter the code when the door unlocked itself. Hyun Ae stood in the doorway and gave him a puzzled look.

- Honey, where did you go in such a hurry?

A loud ringing in his ears drowned out all sounds, and a sharp pain pierced Shin's head. He felt memories rushing through his head one after another. His eyes went dark.