Today was really embarrassing.
That was the last thought on my mind before I dozed off later that night.
****
Deep inside the Abyss, a woman stood tall and commanding. The ground around her was dark and cracked, smoke rising from beneath as if the earth itself feared her. An entire army of demons bowed before her, their distorted bodies kneeling in submission.
"Gather the whole army," she said calmly, yet her voice echoed with power. "We are going to invade the human world. It will soon be ours."
She laughed, a slow, devilish sound that sent chills through the atmosphere.
"Mistress," one of the high-ranking demons called, stepping forward cautiously. "A message came from the demons in the human world. The Book of Evil has been found."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Then where is it?" she asked.
The demon hesitated. "We… we haven't secured it yet."
Annoyed, she flipped her finger slightly. An unseen force slammed the demon violently to the ground. The other demons lowered their heads in fear.
"Get me the book," Lylithrix said, her voice now cold and deadly. "Go into the human world. Kill. Devour anyone who stands in your way. And bring me the Book of Evil."
Her words were final.
*****
Somewhere within the White Witch Clan, the air felt heavy with tension.
Dylan stood before the empty throne, sadness written clearly on his face.
Evil has risen again.
Thousands of years ago, Ellen had locked Lylithrix inside the casket, but her own soul was lost in the human world during that battle. Since then, the throne had remained empty.
They searched for her soul for years without success.
Now, hearing that the Book of Evil had resurfaced gave them a small spark of hope. Ellen was the one who sealed it before — and the demons had attacked the witch clan because of that.
Dylan made his decision.
He would go to the human world himself. He would secure the book before the demons reached it.
And he would protect the human girl who carries Ellen's soul.
*****
I woke up as usual, took my bath, and prepared for school.
At school, I rarely stepped out. I was scared of running into Dave. I avoided him for days until one afternoon I was called by my departmental HOD for a project defense.
When I stepped into the office and saw Dave seated there, my heart skipped.
That was when I found out that my HOD was his uncle.
With Dave sitting there, I lost every word I had prepared. My throat went dry. My mind became blank.
I failed.
I walked out feeling ashamed and embarrassed.
"Clover!" Dave called as he hurried after me.
We both sat on the bench in front of the humanities block.
"I'm sorry about the other day," he said. "It was my fault too for making fun of you. Please don't avoid me. I'll talk to my uncle so you can be granted another chance."
I couldn't stay mad at him, even if I tried.
"Fine," I said. "But you'll have to take me out for lunch one time."
He agreed immediately.
After a brief silence, I asked the question that had been bothering me.
"Why did you transfer to this school? Your former school is far better than here."
He looked away slightly.
"It wasn't that conducive for me," he answered.
I noticed he didn't want to talk about it, so I asked something else.
"What about your girlfriend? Will she be okay there?"
He went quiet for a while before replying softly.
"We broke up."
"Why? Who would break up with someone as handsome as you?" I hissed, trying to sound displeased, even though my heart felt secretly happy.
He gave a faint smile.
"I guess everything is not about being handsome."
For a moment, I saw pain in his eyes.
We later exchanged WhatsApp contacts, and I went home feeling unusually happy. That night, I barely slept. Chatting with Dave gave me butterflies.
The following day,I was walked back home after class, something suddenly blocked my path.
I froze.
Standing a few meters away from me was a hideous creature. Its skin looked burnt and torn, its eyes glowing unnaturally. Another one stepped out from behind a tree.
My heart dropped.
I let out a loud scream.
Instinct took over and I ran as fast as I could. My legs felt weak, my breath uneven, but I didn't stop. I could hear their heavy footsteps behind me — fast… too fast.
How could a normal human like me outrun monsters?
I could feel them getting closer.
Closer.
One of them leapt toward me—
And suddenly, a bright flash cut through the air.
A man dressed in white appeared between us. Before I could even process what was happening, he moved with inhuman speed. In seconds, the monsters were on the ground.
Slaughtered.
Dark blood stained the earth.
I stood there, trembling, staring at the horrifying scene.
My vision blurred.
Everything went black.
I fainted.