It was 3:30 a.m. when the five friends stumbled out of the wormhole, battered and exhausted. They'd just returned from the Midnight Realm — a place of unending fear, betrayal, and spiritual madness. With no time to process what had happened, they made a deal with the guards outside the dormitory.
"I slipped and hit my head," Bachi claimed.
"I tripped over my shoes," Kamiko added, faking a limp.
Kaguro went with, "Fell off the bed, slammed into the corner of the table."
They all laughed nervously, hoping the guards wouldn't ask questions. Fortunately, the sleepy night shift didn't care enough to verify their stories. All five were sent to the hospital nearby for "checkups," but Alan didn't return.
By 4:00 a.m., only Kaguro, Kamiko, Kashimo, and Bachi had come back. Alan had fractured his leg again — the same spot that hadn't fully healed from the Michelle incident. He was admitted overnight at Samiko General Hospital.
Sleep, however, was a forgotten luxury.
8:30 a.m.
"Wake up now!" a voice thundered through Kaguro's ears.
The class teacher was standing over him, half-laughing, half-irritated. Kaguro was snoring so loudly it echoed in the hallway.
In his dreams, though, Kaguro was fighting something darker than a scolding teacher.
In Kaguro's Dream
He was back.
The air was heavy. He stood in a dark, shapeless realm where faces — grotesque, screaming, melting — floated toward him.
His heart pounded.
Then came the voice.
Midnight Demon: "You've returned. You broke the rules."
Kaguro: "Am I going to die?"
Midnight Demon: "Yes."
The creature's face cracked into a wicked grin. A long blade emerged from its wrist.
Midnight Demon: "For violating the balance of the realm."
The blade swung toward him—
In Reality
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Kaguro screamed, shooting up from his bed. His voice pierced through the hallway, nearly 20 decibels of raw terror.
The class teacher froze. "What on Earth?! Kaguro, what's going on?!"
Kaguro was breathing heavily. His eyes were wide, his hair damp with sweat.
Kaguro: "Ma'am… pants I… I was in a realm. He almost stabbed me… The demon. Midnight Demon. Oh my god, why am I alive?!"
Teacher: "Kaguro, slow down! What demon? What realm? Are you hallucinating?"
Kaguro: "No! I saw it — I saw him again!"
Teacher: "You were just dreaming."
Kaguro: "No, I wasn't! This was real! It's not over!"
Tears welled up in his eyes. His trauma from the Midnight Realm wasn't fading — it was growing. He curled up slightly, covering his face.
The teacher scoffed. "Stop overacting, Kaguro."
Still unsettled, she decided to confirm at least one fact.
Teacher: "ALAN! WAKE UP!"
But there was no response from the room next door.
Kaguro (calmly, voice deeper): "He's gone."
Teacher: "Gone? What do you mean?"
Kaguro: "He fractured his leg again. Me and Bachi took him to Samiko Hospital."
The teacher blinked. "Wait — is this true? What happened?"
Kaguro hesitated. He needed a cover story.
Kaguro: "I… I think he fell off his bed. His leg hadn't fully healed. That's why it broke again."
The teacher frowned, not fully convinced.
Teacher: "I'm asking Bachi."
She marched down the hall and knocked on Bachi's door. He opened it, rubbing his eyes.
Teacher: "Is it true what Kaguro said? About Alan?"
Bachi (without hesitation): "Yes, ma'am."
Teacher: "Exactly what he said?"
Bachi: "Yes."
Kaguro and Bachi had gone over this the night before — a pact of silence, for now. The world wasn't ready to believe their tale.
Teacher: "Should I call his mother?"
Kaguro & Bachi: "Yes."
By 9:30 a.m., Alan's mother — who was also Kamiko's mom — had come to the hospital to take him home. The doctor said Alan would need five weeks to fully recover.
Meanwhile, the class prepared for Day 2 of the field trip — this time, a bus ride to the nearby jungle zoo.
As the students loaded up, Kaguro whispered to his friends, "We're going to the jungle… but I feel like I've never left the nightmare."
At the Zoo
Birds chirped. Children laughed. The environment was supposed to be calming. But inside Kaguro, the storm still raged. He couldn't shake the image of the blade. The demon's laugh. The idea that he wasn't safe, even in sleep.
Nearby, Tumika — a boy in their class who was always slightly jealous of Kaguro's intelligence — smirked.
Tumika: "Hey Kamiko, imagine if one of these wild animals attacked someone."
Kamiko: "Why would you even say that?"
Tumika (grinning): "What if it attacked your 'lost' friend, Kaguro?"
Kaguro overheard and glared.
Kaguro: "You're the only lost kid here, Tumika. Lost in the brain."
Tumika: "Don't talk to me! If I ignore you, you better ignore me!"
Kaguro: "I'm just defending myself. That's my right."
Kamiko (sighing): "Guys! Stop it. Let's be peaceful, okay?"
Both nodded, but the tension lingered.
As the students wandered deeper into the jungle reserve, the teachers and most kids drifted toward another enclosure. That's when it happened.
A low growl.
Cracking branches.
A bear emerged from the foliage — eyes locked on the four friends: Kaguro, Kamiko, Bachi, and Kashimo.
The bear charged.
Kaguro froze. The others backed away.
But Bachi reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, military-grade knife he always carried for emergencies.
Bachi: "Stay behind me."
The bear growled louder, and the four prepared to face it alone.
TO BE CONTINUED