The bell had rung, echoing through the empty halls, and most students had already left. Ramin stayed behind, tasked with helping clean the classroom—a simple after-school routine that no one seemed to enjoy but everyone followed.
The desks were lined up neatly, their polished surfaces gleaming under the fluorescent lights. Ramin ran his hand over a desk, wiping away dust. Something in the air felt… wrong.
He froze.
A soft murmur had drifted to his ears.
At first, he thought it was his imagination. The room was supposed to be empty. Only the faint hum of the lights and the distant footsteps in the hallway were present.
But the murmur persisted.
Ramin crouched, brushing under one of the desks.
"Hello… Ramin…"
His heart thudded. The voice was soft, almost a whisper, indistinct, as if it came from the wood itself.
"Who's there?" he asked aloud.
No response—only silence. Then, a pause. And again:
"…Ramin…"
The whisper came from multiple directions at once, echoing softly beneath the rows of desks. They weren't words, exactly—more like fragments, voices layered on top of one another. Some sounded familiar, some alien.
Ramin felt a chill crawling up his spine. He instinctively checked his Eiryu. His internal energy pulsed faintly in reaction to the disturbance.
The hair on his arms stood on end.
Before he could investigate further, a familiar voice called from the doorway.
"Ramin! Don't—!"
It was Oh Seojin, his face pale and tense. He strode into the classroom, scanning the corners as if something might jump out at him.
"Seojin!" Ramin started, relieved but confused. "Did you hear that too?"
Seojin's eyes widened slightly at the confirmation. "I warned you about this class, Ramin," he said urgently, moving closer. "This isn't just… normal Eiryu disturbance. Stay away from the corners, and don't linger after everyone leaves. You're drawing attention."
"I'm just cleaning—"
"You're not supposed to hear them yet!" Seojin's voice cracked slightly. "The desks… the desks whisper to certain people. You—your Eiryu—it reacts to it."
Ramin frowned. "React… how?"
Seojin shook his head. "You'll understand soon enough. Just… don't make it worse. Whatever those voices are, they are connected to the shadows of this class. You saw them yesterday—don't let curiosity put you in danger."
Before Ramin could respond, Seojin glanced at something behind him.
Ramin turned instinctively.
His own shadow, cast clearly on the polished floor, twitched.
Not a flicker. Not a trick of the light. It shifted ever so slightly, a delayed echo of his movement.
Ramin froze, eyes wide.
"I—what…?"
Seojin grabbed his shoulder, steadying him. "Do you see it? That's why I'm warning you. The shadows here—they're unstable. They're… alive in some way, tied to Eiryu energy. Most people don't notice it. You do. That makes you… noticeable."
Ramin swallowed hard. "Noticeable… to who?"
Seojin didn't answer immediately. His gaze swept over the rows of desks, over the empty chairs, lingering on the shadowless students who had already left. "Don't ask yet," he said finally. "For now, just finish cleaning and leave. The longer you stay after sunset, the stronger the whispers get. The more your Eiryu reacts… the worse it becomes."
Ramin's stomach knotted. "I just… I just wanted to finish."
Seojin sighed and muttered, almost to himself, "Curiosity kills more than caution in this class…"
Ramin glanced back at the desks. The whispers had stopped—for now. But the air felt heavier. Charged.
He wiped one more desk and noticed faint scratches in the wood. Not old, but fresh. They weren't random—they formed patterns, almost like symbols, barely perceptible. His fingers traced the marks.
A low murmur resumed beneath him.
"…Ramin… Ramin…"
He jumped back, heart hammering. The whisper didn't come from the desks anymore—it came from the shadows themselves.
He froze. His shadow twitched again.
Seojin grabbed his arm, pulling him toward the door. "Now! Leave!"
Ramin stumbled after him, ears ringing with the whispers. As they exited the classroom, the door clicked shut. The hallway felt warmer, normal, ordinary.
Seojin finally let go of him, breathing heavily. "You saw it. You heard it. You'll have to be careful. Your Eiryu… it's stronger than you think. That's why you're in danger."
Ramin leaned against the wall, trying to steady himself. "Danger… from what?"
Seojin shook his head again. "I can't say. Not yet. Just… trust me. Go straight home. Don't linger. Don't respond to the whispers. And for the love of everything, don't let your shadow twitch again."
Ramin's gaze fell to the floor. His shadow was normal now, perfectly aligned. But he knew it had moved. And he knew the whispers were real.
Something about Class 2-3 was wrong.
And he was already too involved.
As they left the school, a faint breeze stirred. Ramin felt a prickling sensation along his spine. A soft, almost imperceptible ripple ran through the air around him.
They're waiting, he realized. And they know I'm here.