sai

Sami had never understood why life seemed harder for him than it was for everyone else. He was sixteen years old and lived with his mother, his little sister, and his stepfather. He wasn't the strongest student in his class, and he wasn't the most popular either. Sami was quiet and kept most of his feelings to himself. At school, things were especially difficult. There was a boy named Kane who seemed to enjoy making Sami's life miserable. One morning, Sami was walking through the school hallway when Kane stepped in front of him. “Where are you going, Sami?” “To class.” Kane smiled. “You forgot something.” Sami looked confused. “What?” Kane grabbed Sami's school bag and dropped it onto the floor. “Your respect.” His friends laughed. Sami looked at his books scattered across the floor. He wanted to fight back, but he knew Kane was stronger and had several friends around him. So Sami picked up his books. Kane laughed again. “That's what I thought.” Sami walked away without saying anything. But inside, he was angry. He hated being treated like he was weak. When school ended, Sami walked home slowly. He hoped that home would at least be peaceful. It wasn't. His stepfather was waiting in the living room. “You're late.” “I stayed after school.” “Again?” Sami didn't answer. His stepfather shook his head. “You need to take your school seriously.” “I know.” “You always say that.” Sami looked down. “I'm sorry.” He went upstairs to his room. Sami closed the door and sat on his bed. He looked at his hands. He remembered Kane pushing him around. He remembered his stepfather shouting at him. He remembered all the times he had wanted to stand up for himself but couldn't. “I wish I could become stronger,” he whispered. Then something strange happened. A blue light appeared outside his window. Sami stood up. “What is that?” The light moved across the night sky. Suddenly, it became brighter. A mysterious object shot through the clouds and disappeared beyond the city. A few seconds later— BOOOOOOM! The ground shook. Sami rushed to the window. A blue glow was coming from the forest. His mother shouted from downstairs. “Sami! What happened?” “I don't know!” Sami stared at the forest. Something inside him told him to go there. Later that night, when everyone was asleep, Sami quietly left the house. He followed the blue light through the trees. The deeper he went into the forest, the quieter everything became. Then he saw it. A huge crater was in the middle of the ground. At its center was a glowing blue crystal. Sami slowly walked toward it. He stopped when he noticed something carved into the crystal. It was the same strange symbol he had been drawing in his notebook for years. Sami's eyes widened. “How can that be?” He reached out. His fingers touched the crystal. Suddenly, the entire world disappeared. Sami was standing beneath a purple sky. Huge mountains floated above the ground. Strange creatures flew through the air. In the distance stood an enormous futuristic city. Sami looked around. “Where am I?” A mysterious voice answered. “You are seeing a world that existed long before yours.” Sami turned around. “Who are you?” The voice didn't answer. Instead, the sky became dark. A gigantic black creature appeared above the city. Sami stepped backward. “What is that?” “That is the enemy.” The creature opened its glowing eyes. Sami felt a wave of fear. “Why are you showing me this?” The voice finally answered. “Because one day, you will have to face it.” Before Sami could ask another question, the entire vision shattered. He opened his eyes. He was back in the forest. The crystal was floating in front of him. Cracks appeared across its surface. Then it exploded. A powerful wave of blue energy rushed into Sami's body. He screamed as blue light surrounded him. The strange symbol appeared on his hand. Sami fell to his knees. “What is happening to me?” His hand began glowing. Without thinking, Sami raised it. A powerful blast of blue energy shot from his palm and struck a tree. BOOM! The tree broke apart. Sami stared at his hand. “I did that?” He tried again. Blue energy formed around his fingers. He couldn't believe it. He had powers. But he had no idea where they came from. Suddenly, he heard the mysterious voice again. “Sami.” He looked around. “Who are you?” “You have been chosen.” “Chosen for what?” “To become something greater.” Sami looked at the glowing symbol on his hand. “What should I call myself?” There was a long silence. Then the voice spoke. “SAI.” Sami repeated the name. “Sai...” The blue energy became brighter. For the first time, Sami didn't feel powerless. He didn't know what the future held. He didn't know who the mysterious voice belonged to. He didn't know why the crystal had chosen him. But one thing was certain. The boy named Sami had changed forever. And somewhere far away, something had already sensed his awakening. A pair of glowing eyes opened in the darkness. “SAI has awakened.” The real battle had not even begun.