The moment we stepped out of the classroom—
Something felt wrong.
Not slightly.
Not subtly.
Completely.
The corridor—
Was silent.
Too silent.
No footsteps.
No chatter.
No movement.
I stopped.
"…Why is it so quiet?"
Kiara didn't answer.
Luna didn't move.
That was enough.
"…This isn't normal, is it?" I asked.
"No," Luna said quietly.
"Not at all."
A chill ran down my spine.
I turned slightly.
The classroom behind us—
Still looked normal.
Students moving.
Talking.
Living.
Like nothing had changed.
But the moment I stepped out—
Everything else stopped.
"…What is this?" I whispered.
"A split," Luna said.
"A what?"
"A temporary separation."
"That explains nothing."
"It means," Kiara added, "you're not in the same layer as them right now."
"…That's worse."
Much worse.
I looked around again.
The corridor stretched long.
Empty.
Still.
Like time itself had paused.
"…Why me?" I muttered.
"Because they're focusing on you," Luna replied.
"Yeah, I'm starting to hate being special."
Kiara smirked faintly.
"Too late for that."
A sound echoed.
Soft.
Slow.
Footsteps.
Not ours.
My body tensed instantly.
"…You hear that?"
"Yes," Luna said.
"Unfortunately."
The footsteps grew louder.
Closer.
But there was no one.
At least—
Not at first.
Then—
They appeared.
One.
Standing at the far end of the corridor.
Still.
Watching.
My chest tightened.
"…It followed us," I whispered.
"No," Luna said.
"Look carefully."
I did.
And my stomach dropped.
Because it wasn't just one.
Another one—
Near the lockers.
Another—
Beside the stairs.
Another—
Right behind us.
I froze.
"…They're everywhere."
Kiara exhaled slowly.
"Yeah."
"That's new."
"No," Luna said.
"This is escalation."
Of course it was.
Why wouldn't it be?
My heartbeat started rising again.
That heavy rhythm.
That pressure.
The mark on my chest—
Burned.
"They're reacting to you," Luna said.
"I'm not doing anything!"
"You don't have to."
Great.
Just great.
One of them moved.
Slow.
Deliberate.
A step forward.
Then another.
The others—
Followed.
Not rushing.
Not attacking.
Just closing in.
"…I don't like this," I said.
"No one does," Kiara replied.
"Then do something!"
"Working on it."
The nearest one tilted its head.
That same unnatural motion.
And then—
It spoke.
"You shouldn't have left…"
My breath hitched.
"…Excuse me?"
Its voice—
Distorted.
Layered.
Like multiple voices speaking at once.
"You opened it…"
"Not on purpose!" I snapped.
It didn't react.
Just stepped closer.
"You belong to it now…"
"No, I don't."
"You do."
The others moved again.
Closer.
The space around us shrinking.
The air growing heavier.
Harder to breathe.
"Luna," Kiara said quietly.
"I know."
"For once, I'd love to know too!" I snapped.
"Stay focused," Luna said.
"On what?!"
"On us."
That didn't help.
At all.
The nearest entity stopped just a few steps away.
Its face—
Still unclear.
Still distorted.
But those eyes—
Locked onto me.
"You can't run…"
"I'm not running," I said.
Even though part of me wanted to.
Badly.
"You can't hide…"
"I'm not hiding."
"You will open it…"
My chest burned.
Stronger.
Painfully.
"…Stop saying that!" I snapped.
The entity tilted its head again.
Almost… amused.
"You already are…"
That made me freeze.
"…What?"
Before I could react—
It moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Right in front of me.
My body locked.
I couldn't move.
Couldn't react.
It raised its hand.
Reaching toward my chest.
"No—!"
Suddenly—
A force pulled me back.
Hard.
I stumbled into someone.
Warm.
Close.
Kiara.
"Focus," she said sharply.
Her hand pressed against my chest.
Right over the mark.
"Don't let it pull you."
"I'm trying!"
"Try harder."
Easy for her to say.
The entity's hand—
Still reaching.
Still coming closer.
"Ayaan," Luna's voice cut through.
"Look at me."
I did.
Barely.
Her eyes—
Sharp.
Focused.
Grounding.
"Control it," she said.
"How?!"
"The same way as before."
"I don't have time—!"
"You do."
The entity's fingers—
Almost touching me now.
Just inches away.
"NOW," Luna said.
Something snapped inside me.
Not fear.
Not panic.
Something else.
That same energy surged.
But this time—
I didn't lose control.
I grabbed it.
Held it.
Forced it into shape.
And then—
I pushed.
A sharp burst exploded outward.
Stronger than before.
Cleaner.
Focused.
The air cracked.
The entity froze.
Its hand—
Stopped mid-air.
The others—
Paused.
For the first time—
They reacted.
Not just observing.
Not just watching.
Reacting.
"…He's learning," one of them whispered.
That voice—
Came from all of them.
At once.
My blood ran cold.
The entity in front of me stepped back.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Studying me now.
Not approaching.
Not attacking.
Just… watching.
Again.
"…Good," it said.
Good?
Why did it keep saying that?
My breathing was heavy.
But steady.
I didn't drop.
Didn't lose control.
For the first time—
I held my ground.
Kiara smirked slightly.
"Not bad."
Luna didn't smile.
But she nodded.
"Better."
The entities—
Didn't move closer again.
They stayed where they were.
Watching.
Waiting.
Like they had seen enough.
"…Why aren't they attacking?" I asked.
"Because they don't need to," Luna replied.
"That's not comforting."
"It's not supposed to be."
Of course.
The nearest one spoke again.
"You're changing…"
"I'm surviving."
"That's the same thing."
…No.
No, it wasn't.
Was it?
The air shifted again.
The pressure eased slightly.
The entities—
Started fading.
One by one.
Like shadows disappearing.
Until—
Only one remained.
Right in front of me.
Closer than the others had been.
Its face—
Still unclear.
But its voice—
Clear.
Focused.
"You can't stop it…"
"…Stop what?"
A pause.
Then—
"What you're becoming."
My chest tightened.
Before I could reply—
It moved.
Faster than before.
Its hand—
Shot forward.
And this time—
It didn't stop.
It touched me.