Another day of tedious classes… or so it seemed.
— Alright, everyone. Next week we'll be holding the annual Night Festival, —our homeroom teacher announced, unusually enthusiastic— A celebration where everyone wears animal masks. You're free to organize yourselves however you want. It will take place next Friday, so you have a week and today to prepare.
A festival.
An anniversary.
Something meant to be joyful.
…Which meant I had no choice but to participate.
— Hey, Dark. Are you excited about the festival?
I glanced at Xia and let out a quiet sigh.
— Not really. I'm more worried.
— Worried? Why?
— I have a date today… with Kimberly's older sister.
Xia's expression darkened instantly.
— A date? —she turned sharply toward Kim— How did you allow this?
Kimberly shrugged slightly, then glanced at the teacher.
— My sister bought his medication. She asked for a date as thanks… and he accepted.
Xia slowly turned back toward me, her gaze sharp—dangerous.
— And why would you agree to that?
— Those meds are expensive. It's the least I could do.
She leaned forward, placing both hands on my desk.
— And if she had asked for your body instead… would you have accepted that too?
I paused. Thought about it.
— Without those meds, I might die… so yeah. Probably.
Silence.
Then—
BANG.
Her fist slammed against the desk.
— Next time you need medication, you tell me. I'll buy it. You won't have to see that idiot ever again.
She smiled.
But there was something… off about it.
Something calculating.
Kimberly narrowed her eyes.
— Xia… I can literally hear your evil thoughts.
Xia froze.
Then bolted out of the classroom.
— Hey! Xia, class isn't over yet! Come back!
She didn't.
And honestly… no one could stop her anyway.
Festival Preparations
— Alright, —Xia later declared as if nothing had happened— as class representative, I'll organize everything. Ideas?
A girl raised her hand.
— We should sell hamburgers.
— Perfect, —Xia replied immediately— That works. But we also need desserts. Any volunteers?
Won Ho smirked.
— We could sell Dark as dessert.
— Yes, —Xia nodded absentmindedly— we'll sell Dark as dessert—
She froze.
The class exploded into laughter.
Her face turned red.
— Won Ho… I'm going to kill you.
Another student raised his hand.
— President Xia, everyone knows you're competing with Kimberly over who gets Dark first.
Minho joined in immediately.
— And don't forget Professor Natasha. She's been getting a lot of his attention lately.
I sighed.
— I don't see what's so funny.
Markers flew.
Three of them.
Direct hits.
Minho, Won Ho, and Héctor collapsed in pain.
— One more joke like that, —Xia said coldly— and I won't be this nice.
They nodded like terrified dogs.
— S-sorry…
— Good. Now—hamburgers. Everyone write down your favorite kind. We'll pick the most popular ones. Drinks? Soda? Juice? Flavored water?
She turned.
— Ann will handle desserts.
A girl in the corner nodded happily.
— And for the masks, I'll have different designs made. You'll choose on the day of the festival.
She clapped once.
— That's all. You're dismissed.
The Day of the Festival
The Day of Liv.
Fifth day of the week.
Day fourteen of the month of Thalianth, god of seas and storms.
The Night Festival had begun.
Lanterns.
Laughter.
Masks.
And something else.
Something… watching.
— Good morning, Dark. Have you chosen a mask yet?
I turned.
Professor Natasha stood there, wearing a black rabbit mask.
— Not yet.
Our teacher approached, carrying several options.
— Here are your group's masks. Pick one.
I didn't hesitate.
A black wolf mask with red eyes.
Something about it… called to me.
— Thanks. See you later.
I walked away.
— Looks like it might be fun…
Pause.
— …I'm still tired.
Minho caught up to me.
— Hey, make sure you stop by our stand.
— I will.
— Where's Kim?
— She's helping with the burgers. Won Ho, Ann, and I are on desserts. Xia's supervising everything…
He scratched the back of his head.
— You'll probably be alone today. Sorry.
I closed my eyes.
— Don't worry. I'm used to it.
I walked away.
— I feel… exhausted.
The First Note
I unfolded the paper slowly.
The symbols carved across it were… wrong.
Not messy.
Not random.
Too perfect.
Too deliberate.
At the top, a title:
"In the First Shadow."
Below it—
The text.
Written in an unknown script.
"Valür Þanir'is,
Älithir qel'dara;
Zyn'darel vethra,
Sëdel'qar lüminar."
My eyes narrowed.
— …What is this?
I didn't recognize a single symbol.
Not even my phone could translate it.
Then—
A drop of black ink fell onto the page.
The letters trembled.
Shifted.
And beneath them—
New words began to form.
Slowly.
Like something… choosing to be understood.
"Master of the eternal night,
Light opens the gate;
Judgment is a tear,
The reflection of fate is light."
I froze.
— …So it translates itself.
A faint scent reached me.
Black roses.
The Auditorium
— Dark! Can you help me?
— Sure, Won Ho. What is it?
— There are some decoration boxes in the auditorium. Bring them.
— Alright.
I ran.
Footsteps followed.
Kim.
— Hey! Were you sent too?
— Yeah.
— Sorry we didn't tell you earlier…
— It's fine.
Inside the auditorium, we lifted the boxes.
The place felt…
quiet.
Too quiet.
— Let's go—
I stopped.
The piano.
— I haven't played in a while…
I touched the keys.
Soft notes echoed.
Then—
A paper slipped out.
— Another one…
The Second Note – "The Dance of Crows"
The paper slipped from between the piano keys.
I picked it up.
And instantly felt it—
Heavier.
Not in my hands.
In my mind.
Same script.
Same structure.
"Ŋalor ünvar'is,
Thar'nöth valür;
Qel'vethra älithir,
Þanir'is sëdel'qar."
— This again…
My fingers brushed the surface.
The runes reacted immediately.
Gold flickered across the ink—
And the translation surfaced beneath.
"Tears are sin,
The tree of souls loves;
Starlit tears shine,
In the night of reflection."
I turned the page.
Roots.
Twisting.
Forming my name.
My chest tightened.
— …This isn't random.
The Poisoned Cake
— Finally… I'm starving.
Won Ho handed me a fruit cake.
— Watch this, I'll be right back.
Perfect.
I took a bite—
SLAP.
The cake hit the ground.
— Are you insane?! That was poisoned!
— …How do you know?
— I saw a rat eat one of the strawberries earlier. It died instantly.
I crouched.
Something inside.
Another note.
The Third Note — "The Last Mirror"
This one was different.
There was no translation.
No movement.
Just the text.
Silent.
Waiting.
"Lüminar Þanir'is,
Darkür valä;
Qel'dara ünvar'is,
Eclipsis vör'akane."
I stared at it.
— …Nothing?
Then I touched it.
And everything changed.
The runes ignited—
Gold.
Blinding.
Alive.
And beneath them—
The translation appeared.
"Light in the eternal night,
Dark chooses to love;
The gate condemns sin,
Eclipse burns with love."
And then—
I heard it.
Children.
Laughing.
Soft.
Distant.
Wrong.
I pulled my hand away.
But the sound…
lingered.
The Mirror
Bathroom.
Water running.
Cold.
I looked up.
And froze.
Wings.
Black wings.
Growing from my back.
My eyes—
bleeding.
I stumbled back.
Water splashed my face.
Gone.
— …No.
I ran.
Didn't look back.
Didn't tell anyone.
Nightfall
I collapsed onto my bed.
Took pills.
Drank water.
Sleep came instantly.
But somewhere else—
Won Ho brushed his teeth.
— Finally… I can sleep peacefully.
He lay down.
Closed his eyes.
And dreamed.
A voice.
Ancient.
Shapeless.
Speaking in broken, incomprehensible tongues.
A name forming between whispers—
Matusalem.