## **Chapter 1 – A Simple Morning**
Kael woke up at 10:03 a.m., like he always did.
No alarm. No rush.
He sat on the edge of his bed for a few minutes, letting the quiet morning settle around him like dust. The house smelled faintly of old books and yesterday's tea.
Downstairs, his mother was already awake. He could hear her moving slowly around the kitchen — the soft clink of cups, the rustle of fabric as she reached for something on a high shelf.
He pulled on an old sweater, brushed his teeth, and made his way downstairs.
"Morning," he said softly.
She smiled without turning around.
"You're late again."
"I know."
He helped her with breakfast — toast, jam, and tea. She liked it simple. So did he.
They ate together, mostly in silence. Not because there was nothing to say, but because they didn't need words to feel connected.
Afterward, he helped her get ready to go next door — to his sister's house, just across the yard.
The house where life still happened.
Where laughter filled the air.
Where Kael tried not to disappear