That morning felt different.
Shadow realized it the moment he opened his eyes. There was a strange weight in his chest—heavier than usual—as if his body already knew that something bad was going to happen. Sunlight slipped through the gap in his bedroom window, illuminating tiny dust particles drifting slowly through the air.
He sat on the edge of the bed for a long time.
His school uniform hung neatly on a chair. Clean. Ironed. Like a small mockery from a life pretending to be normal. Shadow stared at it without moving, trying to remember the last time he wore that uniform without fear.
He couldn't remember.
His hands trembled as he put it on. The buttons felt harder to fasten than usual. His breathing was short and shallow. Every breath felt like it demanded more effort from his lungs.
"Just one day," he whispered to himself.
"Just get through it."
He left without breakfast. His stomach had rejected food for a long time. On the way to school, the sound of traffic felt too loud. People's laughter felt too close. The world seemed to press in on him from all sides.
The school gate stood before him—tall, iron, and cold.
Shadow stopped walking.
Beyond that gate were hallways that knew him too well. Floors where his body had once fallen. Walls that held the echoes of laughter from people who never apologized.
He almost turned back.
But something—habit, perhaps, or desperation—pushed him inside.
The day moved slowly.
Too slowly.
In class, Shadow sat at his desk as usual. Head down. Silent. Hoping to go unnoticed. But the stares were still there. The quiet whispers slipped through the gaps between the teacher's voice.
He could feel it—something was waiting.
Recess came.
That was when everything collapsed.
Shadow stepped out of the classroom with his head lowered. He just wanted to go to the restroom. That was all. To disappear for a moment from the crowd. But his steps stopped when someone stood in front of him.
That smile.
He recognized it.
"Where are you going?" the voice asked casually—too casually.
Before Shadow could answer, his arm was pulled. Not rough, but strong enough to throw him off balance. He was dragged down the back hallway—a hallway teachers rarely passed through.
His heart raced wildly.
"Let go…" His voice came out faint, barely audible.
The hallway was quiet. Only a few people were there. Enough to be spectators. Not enough to be helpers.
His bag was dropped to the floor. Its contents spilled out. Someone kicked his book, sending it sliding far away. Laughter burst out, louder than usual.
"Why are you always acting like a victim?"
"Is it your hobby or something?"
Shadow stood stiffly. His body refused to move. His mind screamed, but his voice was locked in his throat. The world around him narrowed, as if he were looking through the end of a tunnel.
Someone shoved him against the wall.
Not hard. Not enough to make him fall.
That was what made it hurt more.
A half-hearted shove. Half-hearted cruelty. As if his suffering wasn't important enough to finish—only enough to enjoy.
"Look at his eyes," someone said, laughing.
"Looks like he's about to cry."
And that was when something inside Shadow broke.
No tears burst out.
No screams.
Only emptiness.
He stared straight ahead, past their faces. Their voices grew distant, muffled, as if submerged underwater. His body was still standing—but his soul had already left.
When the bell rang, they dispersed just like that.
As if nothing had happened.
Shadow slid down to the floor, sitting with his back against the wall. His hands shook violently. His breathing came in gasps. The world spun slowly. Tears fell without sound, dripping onto the cold floor.
No one came.
No teacher.
No friends.
No one.
That day, Shadow went home early. He didn't return to class. He didn't say goodbye. He didn't explain anything.
He simply walked out of the school gate—and never came back.
At home, he locked his bedroom door. Once. Twice. Three times. He sat on the floor, hugged his knees, and for the first time allowed himself to truly collapse.
"I'm tired…" he whispered, almost soundless.
"I can't do this anymore."
That day was not the day Shadow quit school.
That day was the day Shadow stopped believing in the world.
And from that moment on, this room was no longer temporary.
It became a shelter.
It became a prison.
It became the only world he allowed to exist.