Episode 3: The First Awakening (Part 1)
638 Words
Aria didn’t go back to class.
She couldn’t.
Her legs carried her away from the hallway on autopilot, but her mind stayed trapped in the same moment over and over again.
Kael.
The cracks in reality.
The shadow.
And the way he disappeared like he was never there at all.
By the time she reached the empty staircase near the back of the school, her hands were shaking so badly she had to sit down.
Her breath came in uneven pulls.
“This is not real,” she whispered again, pressing her palms to her face. “This is not real. I’m just stressed. I’m just tired. That’s all.”
But even as she said it, her body didn’t believe her.
Because she still felt it.
That strange pressure behind her eyes.
Like something inside her was… awake.
Waiting.
Aria lowered her hands slowly.
The staircase was empty.
Quiet.
Normal.
Too normal.
She exhaled shakily and closed her eyes for a second.
Bad idea.
Because the moment she did—
She saw it again.
The forest.
Dark. Endless.
The same place from her dreams.
But this time, she wasn’t just watching.
She was standing in it.
Aria’s breath caught.
“No…” she whispered.
The wind in the vision moved through the trees like it was alive. The air felt heavier, colder. And somewhere deep in the distance—
A voice.
Calling her name.
“Aria…”
Her eyes snapped open instantly.
She was back on the staircase.
But her heart was racing like she had just run for miles.
“What is happening to me…” she whispered.
A loud sound suddenly echoed outside the building.
BANG.
Aria jolted.
She turned toward the window.
Nothing.
Just students outside.
Just normal life.
But then—
The air shifted again.
This time she felt it before she saw it.
A pressure.
Like the world was holding its breath.
Aria stood slowly.
Her instincts told her to leave.
To run.
But her body didn’t move.
Because something else was pulling her attention toward the courtyard outside.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Outside, the school courtyard looked normal at first glance.
Students walked. Some laughed. Some checked their phones. The sun was bright, warm, ordinary.
But Aria stopped at the top of the stairs.
Because she saw them.
Black lines.
Not on the ground.
In the air.
Like cracks floating through space itself.
Her throat tightened.
“No way…” she whispered.
The cracks pulsed once.
Then twice.
And suddenly—
A shadow dropped into the courtyard.
Not like a person falling.
Like something tearing through reality itself.
Screams erupted immediately.
Students scattered.
Aria’s body froze completely.
“What is that…” she whispered, her voice barely there.
The shadow wasn’t fully formed.
It looked like a distortion—something trying to take shape but failing. Long limbs. Empty face. And eyes that weren’t eyes.
It moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
One of the students tripped.
The shadow turned instantly.
Aria’s heart stopped.
“NO—” she shouted without thinking.
And the moment she shouted—
Something inside her snapped.
A pulse exploded through her chest.
Hot.
Bright.
Uncontrolled.
The air around her shimmered violently.
The shadow paused.
And turned its head toward her.
Like it heard her.
Like it sensed her.
Aria staggered back.
“What… what did I do?” she whispered.
Her hands began to shake again—but this time it wasn’t fear alone.
It was something else.
Something inside her responding.
The shadow started moving toward her.
Slowly.
Like it had found what it came for.
Aria’s breathing turned sharp.
“No, no, no—stay away from me—”
She backed up instinctively.
But the moment her back hit the wall—
The pressure inside her exploded again.
And this time—
Something answered.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD