-Beyond the illusion-

Chapter 1

The summer heat clung to the air, making the house feel stuffy despite the windows being wide open. The cicadas buzzed outside, a constant reminder that the days were long and endless. Y/N had been pacing in the kitchen for what felt like hours, the tension thick between her and her mom. Two months. That was all she had before the UA entrance exams, and she was determined to make this last year of high school different. She was tired of being stuck here, in this house, while everyone else her age got to experience life. This was her chance—her last chance to go to a real school, and not just any school, but UA.

"Mom, it's my last year. I've been homeschooled for almost my entire life. Don't you think it's time I get to experience the world?" Y/N said, trying to keep her voice steady. Larissa stood at the stove, stirring something absentmindedly, avoiding eye contact. This wasn't the first time they'd had this conversation, but now, with the UA entrance exams looming in just two months, it felt more urgent than ever.

She sighed, her back still turned to Y/N. "The world isn't what you think, Y/N. It's... dangerous. There are things out there you don't understand."

Y/N rolled her eyes, frustration bubbling up. "You always say that. You never let me do anything because of how 'dangerous' the world is. It's like you don't want me to grow up."

"That's not true," Larissa said, finally turning to face her daughter, her expression weary. "You've had plenty of freedom. More than enough. Homeschooling has been good for you. Why are you so eager to leave it now?"

"Because I'm sick of being stuck here!" The words burst out before Y/N could stop them. "I've spent my whole life in this house, with no friends, no experiences—nothing! And now I have one last chance to do something real, something that matters. UA is my dream, and the entrance exams are coming up. I can't just sit here and do nothing."

Larissa's face tightened, her eyes dark with the same fear Y/N had seen so many times before. She stepped away from the stove, crossing her arms as if shielding herself. "UA is dangerous, Y/N. You know that. The students there face real villains, real threats. You're not ready for that kind of responsibility."

"I'm almost an adult! How much longer are you going to treat me like a kid?" Y/N's voice rose, frustration boiling over. "I'm going to be a hero, Mom. That's what UA is for. This is my last year of high school—I need this."

Larissa shook her head, the fear and desperation clear in her eyes. "Y/N, you don't know what you're walking into. You don't know the people who are out there—what they'll do to you if they find you."

Y/N's heart pounded in her chest. There it was again, the vague warnings, the cryptic hints at something darker. But her mom never explained. Never told her the whole story. "Then tell me, Mom," she said, her voice quiet but firm. "Tell me what you're so afraid of."

But Larissa didn't. She just turned away, her hands gripping the counter so tightly her knuckles were white.

And in that silence, Y/N made up her mind. She wasn't going to be trapped by her mom's fear anymore. This time, she was going to take control of her own future.