Chapter 1: The Girl Who Saw What Others Couldn't
Ha Ria pressed her back against the rough bark of the old oak tree, watching her classmates kick a soccer ball across the playground. But while they saw only grass and dirt flying beneath their feet, Ha Ria saw something else entirely, tiny, shimmering creatures that danced around each child like living sparkles of light.
"There she goes again, staring at nothing," whispered Zenth to his friend Krow, loud enough for Ha Ria to hear. "My mom says some kids just have overactive imaginations."
The shimmering creatures, magnons, Ha Ria called them in her secret thoughts, seemed to respond to Zenth's words by spinning faster, their light dimming slightly. They always reflected the emotions around them, she'd noticed. Joy made them spiral upward like golden tornados. Sadness made them float downward like silver rain.
"I'm not staring at nothing," Ha Ria whispered to herself, but even as she said it, doubt crept into her voice. Was she the only one…
