Salvatore Boarding School...
Main Hall...
As the discussion inside the principal's office continued—
Heavy words, anxious voices, and emotional turbulence—
Landon slowly drifted away from the centre of the room.
No one noticed at first.
His parents were too shaken.
Jojo and Alaric remained deep in conversation.
Landon stood just beyond the threshold of the office door, staring into the grand hallway that stretched down into shadowed corridors and arched staircases.
The walls, adorned with antique paintings and dim sconces, felt like they were watching him.
Then… he felt it.
A pull—
Not a sound, not a voice.
Just a sensation, faint but persistent.
Like something was reaching out to him from deeper inside the building.
His fingers twitched.
The hairs on his arms stood up.
"What… is that?"
He whispered under his breath.
It wasn't fear.
It was fascinating.
The hallway ahead darkened further,
Yet Landon felt drawn, his feet moving before his brain had even decided to follow.
Second Floor, East Wing...
Landon wandered silently through the ancient corridors.
Every step echoed beneath his shoes.
The school was huge, and this wing looked less maintained, even unused.
But the pull remained.
It wasn't calling him exactly—
It was more like a thread tethered to his soul.
Tugging gently.
Guiding him.
As he turned a corner, he passed by a mirror—
One unlike the others.
This one wasn't reflecting the hallway.
It showed a vast sky.
A burning star is falling.
A silhouette standing in flames.
"____"
Gasp~
Landon gasped and staggered back—
Only for the image to vanish.
Now, the mirror just showed his pale, confused reflection.
"What the hell is going on with me?"
He muttered, rubbing his eyes.
Ground Floor...
Near the Library...
Meanwhile, after the conversation ended, Hope gently addressed the Gonzales family.
"Would you like to see the school? Sometimes, seeing what kind of place this is helps parents feel… grounded. And safe."
Maria hesitated, then nodded.
Nod~
"Yes. Please. We need to know where our son might live."
Hope smiled gently.
"Of course. Follow me."
As the family followed Hope through the halls,
Jojo's gaze darted around—
Instinct flickering.
Something was off.
Suddenly, realising the boy was missing immediately understood what was happening.
"Where's Landon?"
He asked suddenly to remind the group.
Hope paused mid-step.
Her smile vanished.
Jojo's eyes narrowed.
"____"
He already knew—
Landon had been called by something… and it wasn't just curiosity.
ARTIFACTS ROOM...
The room was dimly lit,
Casting long shadows over the countless ancient artefacts displayed like treasures in a museum.
Dust shimmered in the soft golden rays filtering through the enchanted lamps, glinting off runes and old weaponry sealed behind thick glass.
Landon wandered in, drawn by a strange, silent pull.
"____"
His footsteps echoed against the polished floor as his gaze swept over mystical relics—
Each humming faintly with power and history.
The Knife of Malivore, tucked safely in a sealed glass box, sat at the centre of the room like a cursed crown jewel.
His eyes locked on the blade.
Something shifted in him.
His irises flickered—
A sudden, unnatural yellow glow blooming within them.
His expression twisted slightly—
A flash of greed, a trace of madness, like something ancient had taken hold for a moment.
Without realising, he stepped toward the box. His hand reached out, fingers trembling as they hovered above the glass.
Click.
The glass lid popped open, as if beckoning him to take it.
He reached in slowly...
But just as his fingers were about to touch the knife—
SLAM.
A pale hand gripped his wrist with force.
"_____"
Landon gasped, his yellow eyes flickering back to normal as he stumbled back, snapping out of the trance.
Before him stood Inadu—
Still as a statue, her eyes cold and unblinking like death itself.
Her presence alone sucked the warmth from the air.
"You don't even know what that blade wants."
She said, her voice calm but sharp, like a dagger to the heart.
A shiver crawled up Landon's spine as he backed away, shaken.
The silence between them was heavy, oppressive.
"____"
"____"
"Next time,"
She added, eyes narrowing,
"You may not be able to stop."
She gently shut the box, locking the blade back in place.
Landon nodded, barely able to breathe, and he was very confused.
The heavy silence hung in the air—
Until it was broken by a gentle, familiar voice.
"Landon?"
It was his mother.
Startled, Landon turned.
Standing in the doorway were his parents, their faces painted with concern.
Jojo walked beside them, his gaze quietly reading the room, taking note of Landon's tense posture and the sealed box behind him.
Landon's heart pounded as embarrassment washed over him.
"I… I don't know how I got here."
He stammered, hands rising in defence.
"I just… it felt like something was calling me. I didn't mean to—"
Before he could finish, Inadu stepped toward Jojo.
Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him in a brief, firm hug—
Unconcerned with the eyes on her.
The room froze for a beat.
Breaking the hug, she turned her sharp eyes to Landon's parents.
"This boy,"
She said calmly but clearly,
"was being controlled—someone tried to use him to steal that artefact."
Landon's mother gasped softly and instinctively moved to her son, placing a protective hand on his shoulder.
"Controlled? By whom?"
Landon's father asked, alarm in his voice.
Inadu's expression was unreadable, but her tone was firm.
"Not who… what. And it won't stop until it gets what it wants."
Jojo stepped closer to the box containing the knife, his jaw tight.
"Malivore,"
He muttered under his breath.
The artefact pulsed faintly within its glass prison.
Inadu nodded.
Nod~
"That blade is one of the keys… and it's starting to call the ones tied to it."
Landon looked down, shaken.
"So what does that mean for me?"
He asked, his voice low.
Inadu didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she looked at Jojo, silently acknowledging this problem was now his to help carry.
Jojo placed a firm hand on Landon's shoulder.
Landon's fingers twitched at his side.
"____"
His throat felt dry.
The idea of being controlled—
Of nearly stealing something dangerous—
Rattled him.
He avoided his mother's eyes.
Her hand still rested protectively on his shoulder, but now he felt unworthy of it.
Jojo stepped closer, his expression calm but serious.
His voice, low and steady, cut through the tension.
"Landon… before you leave, we need to investigate how Malivore was able to control you. If we don't figure it out, it might happen again."
Landon swallowed hard, lifting his eyes to Jojo.
"W-What if I just stay away from… that room? That knife?"
Jojo shook his head gently.
"It's not that simple. If Malivore can reach you once, he can reach you again—at any time. And if he controls you fully... You won't know what you're doing. You might even—"
He hesitated for a moment.
Then said the words Landon needed to hear, even if they hurt.
"—You might even hurt your own family."
Landon went pale.
His legs weakened a little beneath him.
"I… I would never—"
"I know,"
Jojo said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"That's why we need to stop it before it's too late."
A moment of silence passed.
"____"
Landon's parents looked stunned, scared—
But also grateful that someone was stepping in to help.
Landon nodded, more firmly this time.
Nod~
"Okay… Okay. I'll do whatever it takes. Just… don't let me hurt them."
Jojo gave him a small, reassuring smile.
"We won't. That's a promise."
SECURED OBSERVATION ROOM...
Landon sat alone in a well-lit, reinforced room.
The walls were enchanted, and the door was sealed from the outside only.
He looked around uneasily, trying to stay calm—
But a flicker of something dark still shimmered behind his eyes.
SURVEILLANCE CHAMBER...
A large screen displayed multiple angles of Landon from hidden cameras.
The room was quiet but heavy with tension.
Standing in the room.
Jojo, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
Alaric, flipping through old records.
Bonnie, her hand resting near her spell pouch.
Inadu, standing still as a statue, her expression unreadable.
Hope, leaning near the monitors with concern.
Alice, leaning casually but alert.
Landon's parents, tense and frightened.
Just then, the surveillance room door creaked open.
Creak~
In stepped Caroline, followed by.
Rosalie, elegant and distant.
Hayley, protective and fierce.
Klaus, eyes scanned every face in the room with a predator's calm.
Freya, her magical aura practically humming.
Esme walked beside Rosalie.
As the new arrivals joined the group,
Landon's father turned to the others, eyes narrowed in worry.
"Can someone tell me who—or what-this Malivore is?"
The question lingered.
"____"
"____"
"____"
Then Inadu stepped forward, her voice calm and laced with an ancient weight.
"Malivore is not a person. It's a cursed entity. A golem born of magic and darkness—built long ago to contain the creatures humans feared… dragons, phoenixes, necromancers… abominations, they called them."
She paused.
The room grew colder.
"But it grew… sentient. Hungry. Malivore began consuming those it was meant to contain. Erasing them from existence—not just killing, but wiping them from memory itself."
Landon's mother gasped softly.
Gulp~
His father's fists clenched.
Inadu continued.
"Years ago, witches, vampires, werewolves—we came together to seal it. Its prison was designed so it could never escape. But now..."
Freya stepped beside her.
"And Landon… he's connected to it. More than anyone else. That connection is what let Malivore reach into his mind tonight."
The family stood in stunned silence.
Klaus folded his arms and muttered darkly:
"This thing wants out. And it's using your son to do it."
Jojo didn't look away from the screen—
His eyes were still locked on Landon.
"That's why we're here. To stop it before it takes full control."
After this, Jojo and others return to New Orleans.
New Orleans...
Jojo's Mansion...
A cosy fire crackled in the hearth.
The room was warm and alive with the hum of comfort—
Jojo and Inadu sat on a sunken couch, locked in an intense battle of Mario Kart.
"You're going down, demon girl."
Jojo smirked, nudging her shoulder.
Smirk~
Inadu grinned wickedly.
Grin~
"You wish, hell boy."
They both leaned forward, thumbs flying across the controllers.
A giggle escaped Inadu as she dropped a banana just in time to spin Jojo's kart off the track.
Across the open kitchen space,
Rosalie moved gracefully between countertops, preparing a meal.
Her motions were calm, methodical, and elegant.
Esme hummed softly nearby, chopping vegetables.
The smell of garlic and basil filled the room.
Freya sat cross-legged on the floor, flipping through an old Norse spellbook while occasionally glancing at the TV,
Pretending not to care who was winning.
Alice, lounging in a chair, scrolled through her tablet with her usual detached curiosity.
Suddenly, a soft chime interrupted the air.
Chime~
Jojo's AI assistant—
A sleek, synthesised voice—
Spoke from his phone resting on the coffee table:
"Alert:
An incoming supernatural case flagged from Spain.
Caller: female, early 16 to 17. Emotional distress is high.
Keywords detected: 'ghost', 'murder', 'no one believes me'."
Jojo leaned over, brow furrowing.
Frown~
"____"
The game music faded into the background as he tapped the screen.
A brief voice message began playing—
Static-filled and trembling:
"P-please… if anyone gets this… there's something in my flat. It talks to me. It wants me dead. Please… I don't know what it is, I-I just know I'm next—"
CLICK.
Silence.
"____"
"____"
"____"
The whole room went still.
Even Inadu put down her controller, eyes narrowing.
Rosalie turned off the stove.
"That… didn't sound like just a ghost."
Freya's eyes lifted from her book, already calculating.
Alice stood up, folding her tablet closed.
"Was there a location ping?"
Jojo didn't answer right away.
His gut clenched hard, his instinct burning in his chest like wildfire.
"Yeah… Vallecas, Madrid. Spain."
He looked at the screen, at the brief transcript again—
Just fragments of panic and fear.
The message was vague, lacking the usual telltale signs of curses or hauntings.
But still…
"Something's off. This… feels different. It's not just a haunting. It's personal. Whatever this is—it wants her gone."
Inadu placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Then we go."
Jojo looked at the team gathered—
Alice, Freya, Rosalie, Esme, Inadu—
All watching him now, waiting for the call.
VALLECAS, MADRID...
LATE AFTERNOON...
A quiet neighbourhood bathed in the fading amber of the sun.
Children's laughter echoed faintly down narrow streets.
Beyond, an ageing high school stood like a relic of faded normalcy,
Its walls tagged with graffiti and worn with time.
VALLECAS HIGH SCHOOL...
CLASSROOM...
The classroom buzzed softly with the droning voice of a history teacher pacing near the blackboard, chalk tapping rhythmically.
Charts of ancient empires hung on peeling walls.
Dust floated lazily in the warm sunlight.
"____"
At the far end of the room, seated at her desk, a girl stared blankly ahead—
Verónica.
She looked about 17, long dark hair tied messily, her uniform wrinkled, and deep shadows under her eyes—
As if she hadn't slept in days.
Her fingers lightly trembled as they rested on a worn notebook filled with ink sketches of eyes, symbols, and something that resembled… a planchette.
"Verónica?"
The teacher's voice cut into her thoughts.
"Do you know the answer?"
Verónica blinked, startled.
She hadn't heard a word.
"Uh… sorry,"
She muttered, shrinking into her seat.
A few students snickered.
She ignored them.
She turned to her open notebook and began to absently draw again—
A circle… then lines connecting stars… forming a symbol.
Her hand moved automatically.
It wasn't the first time this had happened.
The lights above flickered.
Flick~ Flick~
A hum filled the air for a second—
subtle, but there.
Verónica's eyes darted up to the corner of the classroom.
There was no one there.
But for a moment, just a heartbeat, she thought she saw a figure.
A dark outline.
Watching.
Breathing.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"____"
"No... not now..."
She whispered to herself.
Behind her, a small mirror shard taped to her backpack glinted—
And in it, a brief flicker of something standing directly behind her, gone the moment she looked.
The bell rang.
Students flooded out.
But Verónica sat still, frozen, until the teacher gently urged her.
"Go home, Verónica. You look tired again."
She nodded numbly, picking up her things.
Nod~
Her eyes scanned the corners of the room, every shadow, every reflection.
Something followed her.
And it was getting bolder.
The hallway bustled with life.
Students laughed, lockers slammed, sneakers squeaked on the faded tiles.
But Verónica stood apart, clinging to the edge of her hope like it was the last thing keeping her sane.
She hurried toward a group of girls near the lockers—
Her friends.
Among them,
Lucía, her closest confidante since childhood, stood sipping from a soda can, chatting about something trivial.
"Lucía,"
Verónica called, forcing a smile.
"Can I talk to you… Please?"
Lucía looked at her… and her smile slowly vanished. Her lips curled, but not in confusion.
In contempt.
"Why are you talking to me?"
She said coldly.
"I told you yesterday. Stay away from us."
Verónica's heart dropped.
"W-What are you talking about? I didn't—"
"Don't act innocent,"
Lucía snapped.
"We know what you are now."
The other girls turned too.
Their faces, once filled with laughter, were now twisted in disgust.
One of them scoffed and pulled Lucía away.
"Let's go. Before she does something weird again."
They brushed past her, like she wasn't even there.
Verónica stood frozen in place, her eyes wide, her voice caught in her throat.
"I didn't do anything…"
Her hand trembled as she clutched her bag tightly, trying to breathe.
Trying to understand.
She remembered how it all began…
That night. The séance.
The shadow.
The burning candle.
Ever since then—
Things changed.
Her dreams.
Her house.
The whispers.
The coldness.
Her friends' turning.
And now this.
She leaned her head against the cold metal of her locker.
Her reflection in the locker's dented surface didn't move in sync.
It smiled when she didn't.
She spun around, but there was no one behind her.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************
(Author's POV)
(A/N):
Thanks for reading the chapter!
Please give a review and power stone!!!