On the way home, Glenn couldn't help thinking back to the years he had lived here, happily with his family. In the dark streets, walking towards a tower of smoke devouring the skies, he looked around.

  "Haha..."

  For a second, he even thought he was back in those days, the days when he simply walked home from school, sighing but being happy to see everyone again.

  A few minutes of brisk walking later, he reached the street where the house was. He was returning today too, but to a home consumed by flames.

  In the street, there were many people gathered in groups all around the burning house. Glenn could see that some people were terrified and that the fire was probably spreading, while others were filming the scene with their phones and posting it on the networks.

  Glenn moved forward, then was startled by a terrifying cry of despair. Turning towards the source of the voice, he saw his sister clutching at the tape separating the audience from the house, her knuckles turning white; she was crying.

  "Mum! Mummy! Mummy! Mu-"

  Glenn turned once more, no longer listening to his sister's pleas. He was far behind, but he could hear the voices of all the people in the street; some were, or at least looked worried, and others were judging the person living inside, Glenn's own mother.

  He was angry; he wanted to run towards them and give them the biggest slap they'd ever known, but he couldn't; he had no energy left. Well, physically, he was perfectly fine, but his mind had been damaged by everything that had happened.

  He made his way towards the house without mixing with the general chaos; he was in his own world, and nobody could disturb him. When he arrived in front of the gang, he could only frown; the house was on fire, half of it gone, and the plants that once populated the front of the house were now nothing but ashes.

  The firemen were surrounding the house, trying as best they could to extinguish the flames. Glenn looked on with indifference. He felt an enormous emptiness inside him as if his soul had left his body and only his body remained.

  Oblivious to what was going on around him, he stepped out from under the protective tape and was immediately noticed by people, both citizens and firefighters, who shouted at him to turn back.

  At the same time, Cassia noticed his presence and stopped shouting, watching her brother walk towards the house.

  One of the firemen who had noticed Glenn walked towards him. This brought him out of his world, away from all the chaos.

  "Young man, leave this place; it's too dangerous for you."

  Glenn stared at him for a second, cursing him for bringing him to his senses.

  "I'm not a young man; I'm probably twice your age. Now, please step aside; my mother's in there."

  The fireman, clearly not expecting this response, blinked several times as he watched Glenn. Then, as if realizing something, he turned his head towards Cassia, who had stopped shouting to look at Glenn, like everyone else.

  "Is that your sister?" Scratching his head, he met Glenn's unreadable gaze. "Well, I mean, she's been calling her mom since earlier, so I assumed that-"

  Before the young firefighter could say anything else, Glenn cut him off.

  "Yes, this is my sister. Now, please let me pass."

  The tone of his voice was irritated, and the young firefighter, unaware of this, glared at Glenn once more.

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  "I apologize, but this is far too dangerous, but don't worry, we'll certainly put the fire out."

  Glenn sighed loudly and stepped around the fireman, who accelerated and blocked Glenn's path again.

  "Perhaps I misspoke, but you can't go back; it's dangerous. D.A.N.G.E.R.O.U.S., do you understand?"

  Glenn, who had no time for this kind of nonsense, shoved the fireman violently to the side, and he landed on his bum. But before he could say anything, Glenn looked at him with an irritated, even angry, expression.

  "I said it was my place; are you deaf or something? Didn't you hear what I said? I've had a bad enough day; don't add to it!"

  After announcing this loudly, everyone, except the firemen of course, who were busy putting out the fire, turned back to Glenn. He was blocked by a few more firemen, but none of them were able to stop him, and they all ended up on their backsides on the ground.

  Meanwhile, Cassia looked at Glenn, who seemed... alone. His back wasn't broad; it was frail, even, and he hadn't changed a bit since he'd come back. He still looked like a seventeen-year-old, even though he'd long since passed seventy. But while she was screaming desperately, knowing full well that her mother couldn't hear her, Glenn was moving unhesitatingly towards the burning house.

  Ten seconds later, the voices exploded; Glenn had entered the house and disappeared into the flames. For some reason, no one had really dared to speak when he was there; he was exerting a kind of pressure that rendered everyone silent. The firefighters didn't seem to have noticed this, though.

  Inside the house, the flames flickered and surrounded Glenn. Although the heat was horrible, it was still bearable—only for Glenn, who had a superhuman body.

  He walked through the house and into the living room, where he could see his mother lying on the floor, suffocating badly. For some reason, she was still alive. Glenn breathed a huge sigh of relief and ran to his mother.

  Even if she was still alive, she was struggling to survive; she was at the end of her rope, and if she wasn't taken outside and treated immediately, she would probably die.

  Panicking, he took her in his arms and carried her.

  However, her mother, semi-conscious, grabbed Glenn's arm and, in a breathless, hoarse voice, announced:

  "Pu-Put me down again."

  Glenn looked at her in confusion. Didn't she want to get out of her situation? Without really understanding, he moved towards the exit, taking care not to hurt her any more.

  However, she started again, grabbing Glenn's arm and asking him to put her down. Glenn didn't listen to her again and moved forward. But all of a sudden, a horrible coughing fit came from Glenn's mother; this time she was crying.

  "Please, put me down."

  Sensing the distress in her eyes and voice, Glenn complied, gently setting her down on the floor and placing his hand on her forehead, checking her condition. She didn't look well—not well at all.

  Without giving her son time to say anything, she took a deep breath, causing a great coughing fit, and then spoke.

  "My son, look at me... I don't have much time left."

  Glenn instantly wanted to dispute this but couldn't; given his condition, he didn't have long to live, even if he took him away from here. Besides, who would want to die surrounded by strangers? She'd probably prefer to die in the house she'd always known.

  Aware of this, Glenn stood there, listening to his mother's last words. Just as he had done with his father.

  "Son, I'll get straight to the point... Your father and I knew you would come back. We were certain of it. We... "

  Another coughing fit echoed through the room, caught in the flames.

  "We've seen... Seen your future."

  His father had said the same thing, but he hadn't taken it seriously, thinking he was just trying to comfort his son. But apparently his mother, too, had seen this so-called future.

  "Your father... You've probably already said all you need to about this future. So I'm not going to say any more. But unlike your father, I have something to give you."

  In a difficult movement, she pulled a box from one of her pockets. The box was no bigger than Glenn's hand, so he took it with no problem.

  "Don't open it... Your destiny is not to open it now."

  Glenn didn't understand what she meant. What do you mean, don't open it?

  "Why?"

  His mother glared at him for a moment, not closing her eyes; her voice was so faint you had to get very close to hear it.

  "You'll know... Your instinct will tell you to open it... You'll know when to do it... You'll know..."

  For a second, she took a final breath and looked at her son, a smile on her lips and tears running down her cheeks.

  "My son, I'm sorry... What you are... nothing... Nothing is your fault."

  Glenn understood nothing; he was lost, and his mother's incomprehensible words made no sense to him.

  "Worlds are big and beautiful... you know?"

  His mother's hand fell to the ground without a sound; she was no longer breathing; she was dead.

  Only the sound of crackling flames could be heard.

  Glenn, who still understood nothing of his mother's words, was shaken to the bone. He had lost the only person he had left, his mother.

  He had no one left. His sister was like a stranger to him; he could hardly consider her a member of his family.

  At that very moment, Glenn had lost his family.

  There was nothing left; he had lost everything.