The next morning—
Everything felt… off.
Not visibly.
Not in a way anyone else would notice.
But for me—
It was there.
That constant weight.
That silent pressure.
Like something was always watching.
I walked into the classroom.
Same desks.
Same noise.
Same people.
Normal.
Everything looked normal.
But after last night—
I knew better.
"…You look terrible."
I didn't even react.
Luna's voice.
Of course she noticed.
"I didn't sleep," I muttered, dropping into my seat.
"That obvious, huh?" Kiara's voice came from behind.
I leaned back slightly.
"You always this annoying in the morning?"
"Only when it's fun."
"Great."
Luna sat beside me.
Her eyes—
Already scanning me.
Analyzing.
"You're off," she said.
"No kidding."
"What happened?"
I stayed silent for a second.
Thinking.
Replaying it.
That face.
That voice.
That thing inside my room.
My grip tightened on the desk.
"…It came to me," I said quietly.
Silence.
Kiara stopped moving.
"…What?" she asked.
Luna didn't speak.
But I felt it—
Her attention sharpened instantly.
"Last night," I continued, "in my room."
Kiara stood up.
Her chair scraped loudly.
"Say that again."
"It was in my room," I said, looking at her now. "Not outside. Not some weird space. My actual room."
"That's not possible," she said immediately.
"That's what I thought."
Luna's expression darkened.
"Describe it."
"Same as before," I said. "Distorted face. Black eyes. But this time…"
I paused.
"…It talked more."
Kiara cursed under her breath.
"That's bad."
"You think?" I snapped.
Luna leaned slightly closer.
"What did it say?"
"That I 'opened' something," I replied. "And that I would… open it again."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable silence.
"Luna," Kiara said, her tone serious now, "tell me you're thinking what I'm thinking."
"…Yes."
That one word—
Was enough to make my stomach drop.
"Thinking what?" I asked.
Luna looked at me.
And for once—
There was no hesitation.
"No one should be able to reach you like that," she said.
"…And yet it did."
"Yes."
"That's not reassuring."
"It means your connection is deeper than we thought."
I let out a slow breath.
"Of course it is."
Kiara crossed her arms.
"That wasn't just a random visit," she said. "It found you."
"Yeah, I figured that part out."
"No," she shook her head. "You don't get it."
I frowned.
"Then explain."
"It didn't just find you," she said slowly.
"It followed you."
That hit differently.
"…Followed me?"
Luna nodded.
"From the tear."
My chest tightened.
"So I basically brought it with me?"
"In a way," she said.
"Fantastic."
I leaned back in my chair.
Staring at the ceiling.
"So what now?" I asked. "I just wait for things to randomly show up in my room?"
"No," Luna said.
I looked at her.
"You don't wait."
"…Then what?"
"You stay ready."
Not comforting.
At all.
Kiara smirked faintly.
"Welcome to the real version of your life."
"I hate this version."
"You'll survive."
"Not very motivating."
Before she could reply—
Something shifted.
Subtle.
But noticeable.
That same feeling.
Cold.
Watching.
My body tensed instantly.
"…Do you feel that?" I whispered.
Luna's eyes narrowed.
Kiara's smirk disappeared.
"Yeah," she said.
"…It's here," Luna added.
My grip tightened.
"Where?"
No answer.
Because—
We all felt it.
But we didn't see it.
Yet.
The classroom continued like normal.
Students talking.
Laughing.
Teacher writing on the board.
Nothing wrong.
Nothing unusual.
Except—
Everything was.
"…Don't react," Luna said quietly.
"Kind of hard not to."
"Act normal."
"I don't think I remember how to do that anymore."
Kiara leaned forward slightly.
"Just follow our lead."
Easy for her to say.
My heartbeat started rising again.
That heavy rhythm.
That pressure.
And then—
I saw it.
Across the room.
Near the window.
A student.
Standing still.
Not moving.
Not talking.
Just… watching.
My breath caught.
"…There," I whispered.
Luna didn't look.
"Don't stare."
"Bit late for that."
Kiara shifted slightly.
"Describe."
"Normal uniform," I said quietly. "But… not normal."
"Face?"
"Can't see it properly."
"Good," Luna said.
"How is that good?!"
"Because it's not fully here."
That didn't make me feel better.
At all.
I forced myself to look away.
But then—
Something worse happened.
I noticed another one.
Near the back.
Sitting this time.
But not writing.
Not moving.
Just watching.
My chest tightened.
"…There's another," I whispered.
Kiara went still.
"…Where?"
"Back row."
A pause.
Luna's expression shifted.
Slightly.
"…That's not good."
"That's the third time you've said that today."
"This time it actually matters," Kiara muttered.
My breathing became uneven.
Because now—
I was noticing more.
One near the door.
One beside the teacher.
One in the corner.
All of them—
Still.
Watching.
Only me.
"…Guys," I whispered.
"What?" Kiara asked.
"…There's more."
Silence.
"Define more," Luna said.
I swallowed.
My eyes scanning the room carefully.
Counting.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four—
"…Five," I said.
Kiara cursed.
"Shit."
My heart started pounding harder.
"This wasn't just one," I said slowly.
"No," Luna replied.
Her voice—
Tight.
Controlled.
"This is a cluster."
A what?
Before I could ask—
Every single one of them—
Moved.
At the same time.
Not much.
Just a slight tilt of the head.
But that was enough.
Because now—
They weren't just watching.
They were reacting.
To me.
"You really got their attention," Kiara said quietly.
"Yeah, I'm starting to notice."
The air felt heavier.
The classroom—
Didn't feel normal anymore.
Even though everyone else acted like it was.
"What do we do?" I whispered.
Luna didn't answer immediately.
She was thinking.
Fast.
Calculating.
Then—
She spoke.
"…We don't fight here."
"Good plan."
"We leave."
"How?"
Kiara smirked faintly.
"Simple."
A pause.
Then—
She stood up.
Loudly.
"Sir, he's not feeling well."
The teacher turned.
Confused.
"What?"
Before I could react—
Kiara grabbed my arm.
Pulled me up.
"He needs to go," she said.
The teacher hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Fine, go."
Too easy.
Way too easy.
But I wasn't complaining.
We started moving.
Fast.
Toward the door.
I didn't look back.
Didn't want to.
But just before stepping out—
I felt it.
That pull.
That presence.
Stronger than before.
And then—
A whisper.
Soft.
But clear.
Right behind me.
"You're not alone anymore…"
My blood ran cold.
I turned.
Just for a second.
And what I saw—
Made my heart stop.
Every single one of them—
Smiling.
At me.