Chapter 2 – To a Whole New Block

The next afternoon, Kairo and Lucas walked home from school. Kairo’s eyes scanned the streets, fists close to the straps of his backpack. Lucas bounced beside him, rambling about how “if we get transported to another world, I’ll totally be a royal knight with mana flowing through me.”

Kairo muttered under his breath: Boy sound like he memorized thirty different manga tropes and forgot to breathe.

A group of local kids cornered them in a dim alley.

“Yo, Pretty Boy! Where’s your money?”

Lucas froze. Kairo stepped in front. “Back up, n***as. Or you gon’ learn why I don’t need powers to fuck you up.”

Lucas whispered, panicked: “Uh… maybe I could… cast a spell?”

Kairo snorted. “Yeah, real helpful.”

The kids backed off after Kairo’s glare, but the tension remained.

They turned a corner, joking about the weird graffiti, when suddenly…

A blinding light erupted around them.

Kairo’s stomach dropped. “What the—?”

Lucas’ voice squeaked in awe. “Is this… is this real? This is insane! Mana density! I can feel it in my veins!”

Kairo grabbed Lucas’ arm, yelling, “N***a, don’t touch me!”

The light swallowed them both, stretching and twisting reality. The streets, the sirens, the broken glass—all vanished.

When Kairo opened his eyes, he was on solid cobblestone.

The air smelled sweet and clean, faintly of flowers and ozone. Wooden buildings curved around him, soft sunlight spilling between them. Lanterns glowed faintly, magical runes etched into their frames.

Lucas was already bouncing in place. “Oh my god! Look at this! It’s like the perfect mana node density! This is insane!”

Kairo rubbed his eyes. “Yo, chill out, n***a. You sound like you bout to blow up the whole damn world.”

A figure appeared in front of them, cloaked, faintly glowing. “Welcome. I am Seraphiel, your guide to this world.”

Kairo squinted. Wings? Really? “Look, I don’t do magic or gods or whatever. You got wings behind that hood or nah?”

Lucas squeaked. “Wings! An angel! This is exactly like the manga I read!”

Kairo muttered: Boy still hyped like he got a shiny new game. If he laughs too loud, I swear…

The streets were different. Rules were different. Danger would be different too. Kairo clenched his fists. Survive first. Questions later.