Chapter 1: Last Days Of Normalcy!

Everwood was a sleepy town tucked away between rolling hills and thick forests. It had a charming, old-world feel that seemed to belong to a different era.

But to Adrian, Everwood was just home. And lately, it had been a place of heavy responsibilities and deep sadness.

Seventeen-year-old Adrian swept the floor of the small shoe shop, the only legacy left to him after his parents died in a car accident.

The shop was filled with the comforting smells of leather and polish, but it felt more like a prison than a sanctuary these days.

Every corner held memories of his father's hearty laughter and his mother's soft humming as they worked side by side.

School was just a blur for Adrian now. His mornings were spent half-asleep in class, his afternoons in the shop, repairing and making shoes to keep the business afloat. He had to survive; the shop was all he had left.

"Adrian!" Matt's voice broke the silence. Adrian's best friend stepped through the door, bringing a rare smile to Adrian's face.

"Hey, Matt. What's up?" Adrian leaned the broom against the counter.

"Just checking on you. You weren't at lunch today," Matt said, glancing around at the neatly arranged shoes.

"Had to finish a repair. Mrs. Benson needed her shoes by this afternoon," Adrian explained, shrugging.

"You're doing great, you know? Keeping this place running on your own," Matt said, his eyes full of concern and admiration.

Adrian sighed, leaning on the counter. "Thanks, but it's hard. Sometimes I don't even know if I'm making the right choices."

Before Matt could respond, the door banged open. Mr. Hargrove stormed in, his face twisted in a scowl. He slammed a pair of shoes onto the counter.

"These are still not right!" he barked. "I asked for these to be ready days ago, and look at them! They're still a mess!"

Adrian's heart sank. He had worked late into the night on those shoes. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hargrove. I'll fix them right away."

"You better," Mr. Hargrove growled, then stormed out of the shop.

Matt gave Adrian a sympathetic look. "Want me to stay and help?"

Adrian shook his head. "No, it's okay. I've got this."

Matt hesitated, then patted Adrian on the shoulder. "Call me if you need anything."

As the sun set, casting long shadows across the shop, Adrian got to work on Mr. Hargrove's shoes.

Midnight came and went, and still, Adrian worked. The rhythmic tapping of his hammer was the only sound, a comforting constant in his chaotic life.

He didn't notice the faint glow at first, a soft blue light that seemed to come from the shoes he was working on.

He blinked, rubbing his eyes. The light grew stronger, enveloping the shoes, and then, just as suddenly, it vanished, and there was a loud thundering sound from the sky. Adrian stared at the shoes, his heart pounding. What had just happened?

Shaking off his confusion, he finished the repairs and stumbled to his small cot in the back room.

Exhaustion finally overtook him, and he dreamed of his parents, their faces serene and smiling. When he woke, the memory of the dream slipped away, leaving only a sense of peace he hadn't felt in months.

Morning light filtered through the dusty windows, and Adrian stretched, groaning at the stiffness in his muscles.

He glanced at the shoes he had repaired, half expecting to see them glowing again, but they looked as ordinary as ever.

Sighing, he prepared for another day, unaware that his life was on the brink of an extraordinary change.

The shoes had sparked something within him, a power that would soon reveal itself and pull him into a world far beyond the mundane existence he had known.

As he opened the shop for the day, the first customer walked in, the bell above the door jingling cheerfully. Adrian forced a smile, greeting them, but his mind lingered on the events of the previous night.

Adrian's alarm buzzed incessantly, pulling him from a restless sleep. He groaned, swatting it off the nightstand before rolling out of bed.

The events of the previous night were a blur, but the strange glow of the shoes lingered in his mind. Shaking off the lingering fatigue, he quickly dressed and prepared for another day.

The small kitchen in the back of the shop was sparse, a stark reminder of his new reality. He grabbed a piece of toast and chewed mechanically, his mind wandering to thoughts of his parents.

Their presence still felt so real in the shop; he could almost hear his father's hearty laugh and his mother's soft humming. He missed them more than anything.

As he stepped into the front of the shop, he took a moment to look around. The shelves were lined with shoes in various states of repair, the work of countless hours spent honing his craft.