The Last Normal Day(PROLOGUE)

The final quiet day before Lumyn Blackglass enters a changing world

The Last Normal Day(PROLOGUE)
The apartment smelled like rain and coffee.

Soft gray light stretched across the living room floor while water tapped gently against the windows. Somewhere below the building, tires hissed across wet streets, fading into the distance beneath the storm.

Lumyn sat quietly near the window with a book resting across his lap.

He wasn’t reading anymore.

His dark eyes remained fixed on the rain sliding down the glass, watching the droplets merge together before disappearing into the city below. The television murmured softly in the background, its flickering light casting pale reflections against the walls.

“…officials continue monitoring abnormal activity near the eastern districts…”

His mother lowered the volume without looking at the screen.

The apartment became quiet again.

Too quiet.

Lumyn noticed things most people didn’t.

The way his mother dried dishes that were already dry.

The way she paused whenever the news mentioned anomalies.

The way her smile looked delayed, as if she had to remember to wear it before speaking to him.

“You’ve been staring out that window all morning,” she said softly.

Lumyn glanced down at his book.

“I’m thinking.”

“That’s usually dangerous with you.”

A faint smile crossed her face.

Small.
Tired.
Real enough to fool most people.

But not him.

Rain continued tapping against the glass.

On the kitchen counter sat another postcard from his father.

No return address.
No pictures.
No details.

Just questions.

How are you feeling lately, Lumyn?
Have the headaches returned?
Do you still dream the same things?

Never:
I miss you.

Never:
I’m coming home.

Lumyn hated that.

Not because his father was gone.

Because it felt like he was watching from somewhere far away instead.

His mother finally sat across from him, wrapping both hands around a coffee mug that had already gone cold.

“You should get some rest tonight,” she said quietly.

Lumyn looked at her.

“You say that every night.”

“I’m your mother. Repeating myself is part of the job.”

Another small smile.

Then silence again.

The television suddenly distorted.

Static.

The lights flickered once overhead.

Lumyn’s eyes slowly shifted toward the hallway.

Something moved.

Not a person.

Not fully.

For a brief moment, black smoke curled beneath the hallway doorway like it was breathing.

His mother froze.

Only for a second.

But Lumyn noticed.

The lights stabilized again.

The smoke disappeared.

The television returned to normal.

“…weather warnings remain active throughout the western sectors…”

Neither of them spoke.

Lumyn slowly closed the book in his lap.

Somewhere deep inside him, something unfamiliar stirred.

Not fear.

Recognition.

Outside, thunder rolled across the city.

And without understanding why—

Lumyn suddenly felt like this would be the last normal day of his life.