The Boy’s Dream by Benjamin T. Hyatt

Nokio Book Series 1

This book is an uplifting Christian adventure about courage, faith, friendship, and the hope that comes from trusting God. Through fictional characters and powerful moments, the story shows what it means to stand for righteousness, even when darkness begins to rise. It is filled with action, humor, heart, and a message that points young readers toward a deeper walk with God.

In the country of Bell-Skia, “second-chance users” protect the innocent, stop crime, and fight for what is right. For a time, peace seems possible. But that peace is threatened when the feared Doctor Z begins to move in the shadows, surrounded by evil second-chance users with dangerous plans.

Nokio, a young second-chance user, is about to learn that his calling is far greater than he imagined. As he uncovers the meaning of his cap, the source of his hope, and the broken pieces of the past, he must decide what kind of hero he wants to become. His dream is to bring “Heaven on Earth,” not through his own strength, but through the power of God.

With his brothers in Christ, Kenji Satinuki and Dylan Maxstar, standing by his side, Nokio faces battles that will test his faith, courage, and heart. Together, they attend school, share God’s Word, and fight against the darkness closing in around Bell-Skia.

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Excerpt from Nokio Book I The Boy's Dream © Copyright 2026 Benjamin T. Hyatt

Preface

This book reflects how Christianity can be implemented into the Christian Fiction genre of literary arts, using imaginary characters and events. Man kind can not live by bread alone. Even having supernatural gifts won't quench one's thirst for happiness. True joy comes by noticing the love God has for every one of us. It is with His love that we are able to do great things and overcome much adversity. It is God who lights our paths, and it is He who lifts us up when we plant the seeds of righteousness. This book doesn't intend to take away or change any aspects of the life of Christ. It is written to demonstrate how His love can be seen in today's time through an uplifting story.

“If we provide the seeds for Christ to reach us on this

earth, He will bless us with the rain!”

A Witness of God’s Unstoppable Power!

-Benjamin Thornton Hyatt

Prologue

When Jesus walked the earth, there lived an old beggar who became upset with his life and the bad choices he made in the past. The beggar had lost his house and was thrown into the streets of Jerusalem. He then went to a small house that stayed lit at night, and he sat outside by the door, grieving his sorrows. He prayed to God to kill him where he lay and end his misery. However, a man with the most gracious face walked out the house and shared food with him. The man gave him bread and wine left over from supper. The man said his name was Jesus and told the beggar, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled!”

The beggar’s eyes opened that gloomy night. He now had a hunger to do right among the countless wrongs he had done. He went around helping his community, working for money, and paying off his debts. The beggar no longer had to beg. He had discovered what life truly means and became a man.

Days passed, and the beggar was ready to return home. As he traveled the streets, he witnessed a crowd traveling up a hill, spitting on and mocking a prisoner wearing a crown of thorns and carrying a large wooden cross on his back. The beggar pushed through the crowd and snuck up the back of the mountain. He saw the man nailed to the cross and recognized him as Jesus, the Samaritan who had changed his life.

The beggar broke out in righteous anger and climbed the cross, snatching Jesus’s crown of thorns. “He has done nothing to deserve this!” the beggar said to the crowd. He then put the crown of thorns on his own head, saying, “This is our crown! This is our blood!”

Everyone booed the beggar, and soldiers apprehended him. They snatched the crown of thorns and placed it back on Jesus’s head, then escorted the beggar off the mountain. Then they threw him in prison, still covered in Jesus’s blood.

In prison, the beggar leaned against the cold brick wall of his cell, and the wall miraculously came tumbling down. He escaped and knew that the power of God resided within him. Although he couldn’t save Jesus from crucifixion, he began traveling the world and preaching in His name. In remembrance of what the people did to Jesus on the cross, the beggar created his own plastic crown and placed it atop his head. The crown symbolized that every Christian must carry their own cross to overcome unshakable odds. God blessed the man’s descendants, and they passed down the crown to each child in the family who had a passion for Christ. The crown changed into many styles over the years, including sombreros, cowboy hats, straw hats, sun hats, top hats, and baseball caps. The ongoing trend of people wearing hats for Christ continued even into modern times.

Introduction

In a faraway country named Bell-Skia, a magnificent city dwelled in the center of its enterprise. This city was Highland City. The city upheld the virtues of righteousness and would end crimes before they could be committed. They overcame much with the help of people called “second-chance users.” These people appeared in Bell-Skia twelve years prior, after a horrific wave of energy paved the lands. As a result of this catastrophe, some citizens who had previously died awoke from their eternal slumber. Within their bodies had emerged extraordinary powers from the drastic wave of energy. These people became known as second-chance users, for they had a second chance at life. Children who passed away at a young age could now see their parents again. Alternatively, parents who passed away could pick up their lost children wandering the streets at night. Some citizens thought the catastrophe was just a coincidence, but others saw it as a blessing from God. The users’ powers varied—some could manipulate the elements of the world, and others could transform into creatures; some gained intelligence, and others gained objects, tools, or accessories attached to their bodies.

The blast of energy also affected deceased aliens from outer space. The aliens that had manifested powers from the blast were called espers. These beings developed powers, including flight, telekinesis, and manipulation of the cosmos. As thanks for raising their dead, the espers signed a peace treaty with the residents of Bell-Skia, called the United-Chance Treaty. Users and espers agreed to work together for a better tomorrow. They created schools, colleges, and universities for those endowed with supernatural abilities. Collectively, the schools became known as The Second Chance School District for Children. The world could be at peace again, free from sin, for generations.

However, some users and espers did not want peace. They used their powers for evil, thwarting the United-Chance Treaty. The signs of war were at a standstill in present-day Highland City.

Around Highland City were smaller cities that worked together. These small establishments included Chang City to the northwest, Pry City to the southwest, and New Rise City to the northeast. New Rise City was the second-most popular establishment on the mainland, with Highland City being the most. To the southeast lay a small island surrounded by fog and debris. The authorities of the cities suggested that the wave catastrophe originated from this unexplored establishment. Most users were afraid to journey through uncharted land, even with their powers to protect them. Rumors were that the leader of the evil second-chance users resided in this territory. Anyone who tried to explore it was said to never return.

A heroic team of five second-chance users assembled as the people of Bell-Skia became worried. They had protected Highland City from crime for years and were not afraid to face the threat endangering the citizens. The team soon set off to the uncharted island to take down the evil user and his army. However, as history repeats itself due to the wages of sin, the team never returned to the city; the citizens of Bell-Skia presumed that they had met their end on the island.

With nobody to protect or guide them, the world of Bell-Skia soon became a playground for the lawless. Some users and espers used their powers to steal, while others used their powers to protect themselves. As the world grew comfortable with user and esper powers, most people no longer felt the need to hold onto the Word of God. Those with power were claiming the world. The joy and peace that once dwelled in Bell-Skia had lost their roots, and people turned into lovers of themselves, not caring for the common man, and clinging to what is evil.

Despite Bell-Skia having many heroes over the years, without a beacon of hope, the world became corrupt. Those who still believed in God in Bell-Skia cried out for a new hero—one who would give them hope and lead them to a new tomorrow.

Chapter I

Nokio Awakens

The wind blew warm breaths of delight as the citizens of Highland City enjoyed bathing in the city’s comfort. Certain citizens, called “second-chance users,” kept the city safe from danger while the young users attended the Second Chance School District for Children. In the small suburbs of Highland City, there was a peaceful neighborhood called Bloomberg Drive. Within the area lived a young second-chance user named Nokio. Nokio couldn’t wait for his first day of middle school and to meet other kids his age. He was homeschooled and sheltered from the outside world by his grandmother, whom he called Granny Choco. She adopted him on a fateful night when he was placed on her front doorstep, covered in swaddling clothes.

As Nokio slept, he dreamed of a mysterious man. The man appeared righteous before Nokio, as his silhouette shone like a holy light.

“Go! Go, my boy!” the man said. “You will accomplish wonders!”

Nokio awoke to the sound of his alarm clock. He gasped in fear as he saw the time. It was seven twenty in the morning, and he was supposed to be at school at eight. Since his grandmother couldn’t drive, his only means of transportation was a bike.

Nokio quickly threw his school clothes on and brushed his teeth. Next, he put on a blue jacket with white stripes on the sides over his school uniform. His grandmother had made this jacket for him for this special day. Nokio ran out of his bedroom but bumped into the wall in the hallway, thanks to his long nose. He chuckled, as he had forgotten that he had such a long nose. “Yahoo!” he shouted as he jumped downstairs, landing on the kitchen floor. Granny Choco placed oatmeal and toast at the kitchen table. Nokio drooled at the sight of his favorite breakfast plate. He jumped on his side of the table and happily ate it all. Then Granny Choco handed him a small white cap.

“What’s this for, Granny?”

“This was your father’s cap. He would have loved for you to wear and cherish it, my boy. Before you leave now, promise me that you’ll obey the rules at school and won’t use your powers so freely. Not everyone in the world has powers such as you; the world may not be ready to see them yet.”

“I promise, Granny.”

Choco accompanied Nokio to the garage, kissed him on the nose, gave him a map to get to school, and wished him off on his wooden bike.

Nokio had another skill aside from his user ability: he had a fondness for crafting objects and constructs from the little he had. His wooden bike was one such fascinating creation. As he rode his bike through the neighborhood, he thought, Maybe I’ll become a carpenter one day. As Nokio checked the time, he became tempted to use his powers to get to school fast. However, he remembered that he had promised his grandmother that he wouldn’t use his powers.

Nokio soon made it to the city and passed by some users and other citizens. Some of them waved back at him, wishing him good luck on his first day, but others didn’t and greeted him by shaking their heads. The people who did not wave back filled Nokio with a sense of rejection. Nokio began to doubt that they would accept him and his differences. The morning joy that had awakened Nokio from his bed started to flutter from his fear of rejection.

Nokio soon arrived at the school entrance and parked his wooden bike near the bike racks. Nokio put his name tag on and walked into the school building. Nokio’s school was Area C, which housed the students around his area of Highland City. Areas A and B contained other second-chance users and espers who lived further away from Nokio.

Nokio passed by other students who were also running late. He found his locker and opened it by following a combination written on the back of his name tag. He then put the map that Granny Choco had given him in the locker for safekeeping. But before he closed the locker, a boy interrupted him.

“Welcome to the school,” the boy said, handing Nokio a green cupcake. “Nice to meet you.”

Nokio was delighted at the boy’s hospitality and gladly accepted the gift.

The cupcake looked funny and then blew up in Nokio’s face. The boy who handed it to him laughed. Nokio looked at the boy’s name tag and saw that the boy’s name was Henry. Henry had used his user ability to rig the cupcake with toxic chemicals, causing it to explode.

Another boy walked toward Henry and gave him a high five, telling him, “Good one! I still pranked more newbies than you today, Henry.” This boy was Pauly.

Nokio’s heart grew disgusted at the sight of such vile intentions. While he tried to wipe the icing from his face, a third boy appeared behind him and spoke to the bullies.

“Quit clowning around and get to class,” the boy said.

“You won this battle, Troy,” Pauly replied, “but you won’t win the war!”

Henry and Pauly hurried away to their homeroom class before Troy could write them up. Then Troy placed his right hand on Nokio’s shoulder. “Be more careful in the hallways,” Troy said. “There are a lot of crazy kids goofing off with their powers.”

Nokio noticed a special badge on Troy’s school uniform; Troy was the hall monitor of Area C.

Nokio nodded. “Thanks. I’ll be more careful.”

Troy then invoked his user ability to summon a plant that washed the cupcake crumbs off Nokio. Then he wished Nokio a wonderful first day of school and left.

Seeing a just act encouraged Nokio to keep pressing through the day.

Nokio finally arrived at his classroom and was shocked to see Pauly and Henry there. Mr. Lupeford, their teacher, welcomed him in.

“Oh, Nokio, there you are. I was about to call your name. You will be sitting behind Zohura and to the right of Kenji.”

Nokio nodded and passed the lane of students to his desk. Some kids tried to hide their laughter at Nokio’s long nose within themselves, whereas others thought his appearance was pretty cool. Nokio still dreaded that Troy wasn’t a part of his class. He felt at ease when someone positive was by his side.

As Nokio sat at his desk, he noticed a green-haired girl analyzing him from across the room. When Nokio met her eyes, she scoffed and turned her head the other way. Nokio wondered what was up with her; she acted as if she were higher than any other student in the classroom. Unlike the other girls in class, she was allowed to wear a dress uniform that was light green and had a longer skirt. Her attire perfectly demonstrated her standing in the classroom. The girl appeared like one of those espers Granny had told Nokio about when he was younger.

As soon as the class had settled, Mr. Lupeford finally began his morning lecture. As Nokio and the other students listened, Nokio questioned why no one paid attention to Kenji, the missing student whose desk was to the left of Nokio. I guess they assumed he wasn’t going to be here this semester, Nokio thought.

Suddenly, a crumpled piece of tissue fell on the floor next to Nokio. It had fallen from Zohura’s desk, who sat in front of him. She tried to hide them, as she didn’t want anyone to see her tears. As Lupeford looked toward the other side of the room, Nokio picked up the tissue so Zohura could continue drying her face.

“Thank you,” Zohura mumbled. Nokio didn’t know why she was crying, but he felt it was because of Kenji.

As the first day of school came to an end, Nokio felt alone and empty because he didn’t make as many friends as he wanted to. After his last class, he got his map out of his locker and exited the school building. Nokio made his way to the bike racks and saw a funny-looking student with glasses and a pair of headphones on his head. Nokio tried to start a conversation with him, saying, “Oh, your bike is blue. Blue is one of my favorite colors.” To Nokio’s surprise, the boy grinned but didn’t say anything in response.

As the boy headed home, Nokio found his name tag on the side of his glasses. This boy’s name was Bob. Nokio then took his bike from the rack and noticed students running in fear at the sight of Pauly, Henry, and their newest recruit, Antonio. Pauly saw Nokio getting ready to leave on his wooden bike and began to mock him.

“Are you for real? What type of stupid-looking bike is that? Is that wood? What the heck?”

Pauly’s comment hurt Nokio, as he remembered that his grandmother assisted him in creating the bike. Nokio quenched his fist at the sight of Pauly’s evil grin but held back after remembering what he promised his grandmother. Nokio looked around and noticed that fear was in the air. The other students acted like they would have had a heart attack if they tried to confront Pauly. Nokio promised not to use his powers, but he could still use his words.

“At least I don’t make fun of people,” Nokio said. “There are better things to do than to look down on people!”

Antonio laughed at Nokio and admitted that Nokio had a good point.

Pauly walked closer to Nokio, telling him, “Don’t talk to me like that, you long-nosed fool. I own this school if you haven’t noticed. These other kids do what I say, when I say! If you don’t want your face pounded into the ground, then you will respect me and acknowledge that I am the number-one user of this school.”

Nokio looked up and saw that Pauly had a “#1” sticker close to his name tag. Nokio’s tag didn’t have a sticker; he wasn’t even ranked because he was still new. “Your rank doesn’t mean you can bully people and do as you please,” he told Pauly. “You’re not perfect! I’ll never look up to someone like you.”

Pauly and Henry chuckled with an evil laugh. The other students evacuated the area, even if their rides were not there to pick them up.

“Well, then prepare for living hell tomorrow. You should have obeyed me, you long-nosed fool!”

Pauly and his group walked off with a smile on their face and headed home. Nokio felt like he had done something good but also bad at the same time. He got on his bike and headed home to spend the rest of the afternoon with his grandmother.

As Nokio went to bed that night, he wished he could have that same dream with the holy man of light. He needed all the encouragement he could get for the next day of school. Nokio soon dozed off and dreamed he was in an open grass field. He hopped around until he met the holy man of light, standing in the middle of the field. The man spent his time admiring the trees, flowers, animals, the open blue sky, and other parts of God’s creation. It was hard to see his face because of the immense light shining around him. The man extended his hand toward the boy to share his joy with him. Nokio extended his hand and began to reach for his.

Suddenly, the blue sky began to filter into darkness. From the hilltop, an army of evil users disrupted the peace. The users used their powers against the man of light and knocked him down to the ground. Nokio ran up to the man and tried to help him back to his feet. Just as he almost got him up, Nokio turned around and saw another man covered in darkness. The man grinned maniacally and grabbed Nokio’s face, making him see only darkness. As Nokio struggled to get the man off him, the man said, “Don’t listen to this man; unleash it, or you’ll never be free!”

Nokio awoke from his horrifying dream in the middle of the night. He became afraid of the future and the sudden opposition forming against him.

The next morning, Nokio still had a little confidence that he would make more friends after standing up to Pauly. As he opened the door to his classroom, a water bucket that Pauly had placed over the door fell on his head. Pauly and other students laughed at Nokio.

“Dang, are you okay, you long-nosed fool? You just had to be standing there, huh?”

Before Nokio could say anything in response, Mr. Lupeford walked in and told the boys to stop fooling around. Nokio tried to explain the situation calmly, but Lupeford didn’t want to hear it, for they were wasting class time. He then told Nokio to head to the locker room to clean himself off. Nokio felt neglected once again after the embarrassing prank and left to get cleaned up.

After the first half of class, all the students in the school district headed into the café for lunch. The cafe had stew, mashed potatoes, and bread on the menu today. Nokio waited his turn in line, trying to control his growling stomach. Nokio forgot to pack a granola bar from home that his grandmother would set for him on the kitchen table. A small snack would usually suffice for his stomach until lunch. As Nokio stepped up to the cafeteria lady, the green-haired girl from his class floated down from the sky and landed in front of him. Nokio felt it was rude of her to skip him, so he asked her, “Uh, excuse me—where did you come from? What’s the rush?”

The green-haired girl turned around, saying, “My name is Anayi! I was here before you. You just weren’t looking up, you idiot.” Anayi stuck her tongue out at Nokio and turned back around with her arms crossed. Nokio thought the girl was silly and laughed at her expressions.

“Hey! Don’t laugh at me! I’ll let you know that I am royalty, and my sister is the number-one student in Area B! You idiot!” Anayi made a pouty “humph” and turned around, reclaiming her dominance.

A student behind Nokio in the line patted him on the back. This student called himself Magnetic Boy. He believed that he was a hero for justice, wishing for those he comes across to understand its concepts. Magnetic Boy harnesses the power of magnetism with the magnets attached to the sides of his hands. His classroom is on the other side of the hallway, next to Nokio’s class. Magnetic Boy told Nokio, “Be careful with that one. Anayi belongs to a royal family called the Clouds. However, when she calls someone an idiot, she usually respects them in the name of justice, I think.”

“Oh, that’s cool, I guess,” Nokio said as he went with his lunch. Nokio waited in the middle of the café to try and see if Magnetic Boy would like to sit with him. Nokio’s confidence went up after speaking with some other students.

Suddenly, Pauly rudely bumped into Nokio and knocked his plate down. Nokio’s heart almost emptied out of his chest as Pauly’s pranks began to rattle his peaceful heart. They had gone on for too long. Nokio made an unsettling face, to which Pauly replied, “You got to watch out, man. Maybe if you didn’t have such a long nose, you could see where you’re going.”

Many of the students began to laugh at Pauly’s remark. Magnetic Boy, Zohura, and Anayi watched from a distance but couldn’t find the courage to lend a hand to Nokio. They held their heads down in disgrace, as they knew they couldn’t fight back and beat Pauly. Nokio felt hopelessly abandoned and exited the cafeteria. Magnetic Boy tried to stop Nokio and tell him that he had got another food tray for him, but the other students had already done too much damage to his heart.

Nokio ran to the top of the school building to get far away from everyone. He felt like his innocent demeanor was about to explode in anger, as if he were slowly becoming one with the darkness from his dreams. As Nokio kept running with tears falling from his eyes, he accidentally ran into a blind student in the hallway. The blind student gave away free copies of the Bible to students he crossed paths with. The boy didn’t even notice it was lunchtime, and he thanked Nokio for knocking him down to alert him.

The boy was a monk from Chang City. He wore a red and yellow karate gi and had a freshly shaved bald cut. Nokio looked up at the boy and told him that he was sorry for knocking him down. Nokio grabbed the boy’s name tag, which read “Kenji Satinuki,” and handed it back to him. Nokio then continued to run toward the top of the school building. As he did, a small batch of tears hit the ground. Kenji couldn’t see, but he could feel Nokio’s emotions and that he was troubled. He touched the ground and wet his finger with the innocent tear. The tear felt hot.

Oh, this isn’t good, Kenji thought. I must act quickly.

Kenji got up, grabbed one of his Bibles, and followed after Nokio. As he opened the door to the top of the school rooftop, he saw Nokio crying in anger. Nokio unleashed his user ability and his true opinion of the world.

“I hate this life, these people are heartless, and they don’t deserve to live! I’ll kill all of them who worship evil. I’m sorry, Granny! I can’t do this anymore!”

As Nokio finished drying the rest of the tears from his face, his eyes became a menacing red. He was ready to destroy all those who had wronged him. But before he reached the door, he noticed the same blind kid he had knocked down earlier. Kenji spoke words of wisdom, telling him, “You know, Nokio, there is someone who loves you no matter who you are or how you look.”

Nokio calmed down. “Oh really? I don’t see anyone like that in this world.”

“You’re right, Nokio. We can’t see Him, but he is at the best place in our lives.”

“So, then, where is he?” Nokio asked.

Kenji pointed his finger at his heart and said, “He lives in here, Nokio.”

Nokio fell to the floor in tears. Kenji sat on the floor with Nokio and patted him on the back, saying, “There, there. You’re a student with a lot of heart. I haven’t met someone like you in a while. You have a lot of potential.”

As Nokio got the rest of his tears wiped from his face, Kenji asked him, “Do you want that mighty person inside you, like how He is in me?”

Nokio nodded, saying, “I do! I can’t combat this world by myself anymore.”

“Well then, do you repent of your past sins and acknowledge that even though you can’t see Him, you will have faith in Him all the way?”

“I do!”

“Ho-ho! Well, now you see that God is our best friend. He rewards the humble and opposes the proud. You let go of your vengeful thoughts, and now you can be free from that burden. God loves us, Nokio! He is fair to everyone who rejoices in His name and to those who are called according to his purposes, and He blesses the meek! Stand up, Nokio! You are now healed from your past and have become new!”

As Nokio stood up, he could see the sun open from the grey clouds blocking the beauty of the sky. Nokio visioned a mighty hand reaching out of the sun to bring Nokio home. He felt the warmth of God shining his favor on him, filling him with love and appreciation.

“What will you do now, Nokio?”

Nokio placed his cap back on his head, telling Kenji, “I’m going to bring Heaven on Earth!”

“Heaven on Earth?”

“Yes, Kenji! That hand I saw just now, that reached out and saved me—I want everyone to feel it and know that they don’t have to fear anything, for God has everything under control. I see that now; I can see, Kenji.”

“Ho-ho-ho! I couldn’t agree more, Nokio!”

The boys rejoiced in the warm sun but also saw that the world below them needed help and hungered for its salvation.

The boys had a few minutes to eat before lunch ended. Kenji shared his chicken noodle soup and bread with Nokio. The sharing of bread made Nokio feel that he and Kenji had become not just friends but brothers in Christ.

After they enjoyed their meal and thanked God, they headed back to their class from the rooftop. Nokio was confused about why Kenji was following him, but as it turns out, Kenji was the missing student in his class. “Kenji? Oh, I remember. The teacher called out your name before.” Kenji rubbed his head in embarrassment and told Nokio, “Oh, yes, I had travel issues getting here from my homeland, Chang City. Ho-ho-ho!” As the two entered the classroom, Lupeford welcomed Kenji for finally making it to class.

“Glad you made it. Is everything okay, Kenji?”

“Yes, it is. I’m ready for another semester.” The two sat in their seats and waited for Lupeford to start the lecture. Pauly and his lackeys made fun of Nokio for befriending the blind loser. Kenji stared at Pauly with his blind eyes, creating a menacing stare. Kenji’s stare freaked out Antonio and Henry, and they turned around to mind their own business.

“Trying to act tough won’t save you, Kenji. None of your mystical karate is going to save you,” Pauly muttered. He then turned around since he saw there was nothing to laugh at. Kenji’s gaze appeared funny to Nokio, and Nokio laughed.

“Oh, I was just looking at a bird on a tree through the window,” Kenji said. “I didn’t even see Pauly there. Those cocky guys were just in the way.”

A girl from the far side of the room saw what had happened and chuckled. This student was Insect Girl, who was usually quiet in her little corner of the room. She would spend her class time playing with two ants on her desk.

Mr. Lupeford turned around and noticed a lot of students not paying attention to his lesson. “Excuse me class!” Everyone then looked at Lupeford, giving him attention. He cleared his throat and said, “Anyway, like I was saying, adding Experiment A to Experiment B will have these reactions.”

Anayi shook her head as she turned back to pay attention. Humph! Great, now two idiots are trying to do something new, she rambled in her head.

Zohura’s tears now turned into excitement as she saw Kenji return to the classroom.

“Oh, do you know Kenji?” Nokio asked her.

“I do, but he may not remember me.”

Nokio then looked at Kenji to see if what she said rang a bell to him. Kenji just shook his head in confusion.

“Nope! Sorry, I don’t remember you. It is nice to meet you though, Zohura.”

Nokio pondered what was going on between these two— did they get into a fight, were they childhood friends? There had to be an answer.

As class ended that day, Nokio and Kenji walked out of the building to head home. As Kenji walked with Nokio toward his bike, Kenji explained the type of ability he had.

“Well, Nokio, despite not having any powers like a usual user, I have a vast knowledge of martial arts. I know kung fu, taekwondo, and ninjitsu. Oh, and I have this ki thingy.”

“Wow! I wish my powers were cool like that.”

“Nah, I’m sure yours is better, Nokio. What can you do?”

Nokio thought about how he could answer Kenji’s question. He didn’t want to tell him too much and break his promise to his grandmother. “Well, I can make my body light and spin around.”

“Ho-ho! I’m sure that’s fun. The enemy won’t see that coming. I wonder if you could also put that nose to good use. You could use it as a weapon, perhaps.”

“Yes, that would be awesome.”

Kenji stopped for a minute to analyze Nokio. He admired the sense of righteousness and potential in his friend. He didn’t even need to open his eyes to see that. The boy about to give up on life was now full of everlasting joy.

As Nokio prepared to ride off on his bike, he noticed a man in a karate gi picking up Kenji in a small car. Kenji waved at Nokio, saying, “Ah, this is my sensei, Master Joseph. He’s picking me up today.”

“Oh, nice to meet you, sir! Take care,” Nokio said, and then traveled home.

“I see you made a new friend, Mr. Satinuki,” Master Joseph commented.

“I have, sensei. With Nokio by my side, we will accomplish wonders together and return God’s influences to a world that has forgotten Him.”