The garden behind the Faculty of Arts building was quieter than usual.
Sunlight slipped through the tall trees, scattering soft beams across the damp grass and casting long shadows across the ground. A light breeze moved through the leaves above, filling the air with a faint rustling sound.
The five of them sat around a circular wooden bench wrapped around the trunk of an old tree. None of them had planned it, yet somehow they had all chosen the same place, as if the tree itself had drawn them there.
For a moment, no one spoke.
No one seemed to know how to begin.
Finally Daniel broke the silence. He looked down at the ground for a moment before speaking.
"By the way, Gared," he said casually, "which high school did you graduate from?"
Ryan immediately cut in before Gared could answer.
"Who cares about that?" he said, shaking his head. "Haven't you noticed something strange has been happening lately?"
The others looked at him.
Ryan leaned forward slightly.
"I mean it," he continued. "What happened yesterday… that fire… that was the strangest thing I've ever seen."
Usher leaned back against the bench with a playful smirk.
"Oh really?" he said sarcastically. "So strange things only happen to you now? Because you're obviously the center of the universe, right?"
Gared laughed quietly.
"Guys, relax," he said. "Whatever happened yesterday, you're exaggerating."
Daniel lifted his head slightly.
"Maybe," he said slowly. "But Ryan might actually have a point."
Ryan turned to him in surprise.
"Finally," he said. "Someone is on my side."
Daniel hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"Because… strange things have been happening to me too."
Usher blinked.
"…Same here."
Slowly everyone turned toward Austin.
He had been silent the entire time.
Austin shifted uncomfortably where he sat.
"Okay, wait," he said quickly. "What happened yesterday was strange, I admit that. But it wasn't because of me. It was just… coincidence."
Usher shrugged.
"That's funny," he said.
"Because I had a strange dream last night."
The others looked at him immediately.
Usher frowned slightly, trying to remember.
"I was surrounded by clouds," he said slowly. "Everywhere. Thick clouds moving around me."
He paused.
"And in the middle of them… there was a symbol."
Gared suddenly stood up.
"What kind of symbol?"
Usher looked up toward the sky, thinking.
"I don't know," he admitted. "It was… strange."
He paused again.
"But I think I can draw it."
He reached into his bag and pulled out a notebook and pen.
Carefully he began sketching on the paper.
The others leaned closer as the shape slowly formed.
When he finished, he turned the page toward them.
Gared's eyes widened instantly.
"That's impossible."
Everyone looked at him.
"I saw the same symbol," Gared said quietly.
"In my dream."
For a moment no one spoke.
Usher slowly looked at the others.
"Well," he said finally, "it looks like we're all going through something strange."
"And we need to find out what it is."
Daniel nodded thoughtfully.
"We should check the university library," he suggested. "Maybe we'll find something about that symbol… or about dreams like this."
Austin groaned.
"I hate searching through books," he said. "And I have a lecture in a few minutes."
Usher stood up.
"No problem," he said. "We'll meet at the library after classes."
Ryan smiled slightly.
"Now that," he said, "sounds like a plan."
The computer lab was quiet except for the soft hum of machines and the rhythmic tapping of keyboards.
Rows of monitors glowed under the white lights of the ceiling while the instructor explained something about programming on the board.
Gared stared at the screen in front of him, but he wasn't really paying attention.
His mind was still stuck on the events of the previous night.
The fire.
The strange symbol.
And the uneasy feeling that something had changed.
Then the classroom door opened.
The sound was small.
But for some reason it caught his attention.
Gared looked up.
And his breath stopped.
Carmen walked into the room.
For a brief second everything else faded.
The noise of the keyboards.
The voice of the instructor.
Even the glow of the monitors.
She looked different from the night before.
No stage lights.
No leather jacket.
No roaring crowd.
Just simple clothes and a calm expression.
Yet somehow she still carried the same presence.
She spoke quietly with the instructor at the front of the class, then turned and began walking between the rows of computers.
Gared quickly looked back at his screen.
Too late.
He had already been seen.
He felt it before confirming it.
When he slowly lifted his eyes again—
Carmen was looking straight at him.
And smiling.
Not the confident smile she had on stage.
A smaller one.
Warmer.
She walked toward him.
His heart beat a little faster.
She stopped beside the empty chair next to him and pulled it out.
"Hi," she said softly.
Gared blinked.
"…Hi."
She sat down beside him.
"You're in this class too?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied casually.
Gared frowned slightly.
"How?"
Carmen raised one eyebrow.
"Is that a problem?"
He shook his head quickly.
"No, I just thought… you're already in your second year. Shouldn't you have finished this course already?"
She leaned back slightly in her chair.
"That's true," she admitted. "But I couldn't take it last year."
Gared nodded.
"Oh… I see."
There was a short silence between them.
Then Carmen looked at him again.
"You were at the party last night, right?"
"Yes," he said.
"I was there."
He hesitated for a moment before adding,
"You were amazing on stage."
Carmen laughed quietly.
"Thank you."
Then her expression softened slightly.
"But… are you okay?"
Gared looked confused.
"The accident last night," she continued. "It was pretty bad."
She glanced down briefly.
"I keep thinking about what might have happened if I had still been on stage."
Gared shook his head gently.
"Don't worry. I'm fine."
Then he added with a small smile,
"You're actually lucky you weren't up there."
Carmen nodded slowly.
"Yeah… the stage was completely destroyed."
Before either of them could continue—
the instructor suddenly clapped his hands.
"Alright everyone, focus please."
The room quieted again.
"Let's start the lab."
Students turned back to their screens.
But Gared found it difficult to focus.
Because Carmen was still sitting beside him.
And every few seconds he could feel her glancing in his direction.
And for some reason that strange feeling in his chest had returned again.
The instructor finally finished explaining the last task.
"And that's it for today," he said. "Upload your work before next class."
Chairs scraped across the floor as students began packing their things.
Gared shut down his computer and stood up, stretching slightly.
Beside him Carmen closed her laptop and slipped it into her bag.
"That lab wasn't as hard as I expected," she said.
Gared chuckled.
"Give it time. It usually gets worse."
They walked out of the computer lab together into the hallway.
Students moved around them, their conversations echoing across the corridor.
Carmen glanced at him.
"You actually understood the last part of the code, didn't you?"
Gared shrugged.
"More or less."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Good. Because I might need help with the next assignment."
He smiled.
"Well… if I get stuck, I might need help too."
For a moment they both paused.
Then Carmen pulled out her phone.
"Here," she said casually. "Let's exchange numbers. Just in case."
Gared blinked slightly surprised.
"Oh… sure."
They quickly exchanged numbers.
Carmen saved the contact and slipped her phone back into her pocket.
"Alright," she said with a small smile. "See you later, Gared."
"See you."
She walked down the hallway and disappeared around the corner.
Gared stood there for a moment.
Then two figures slowly stepped out from behind a nearby pillar.
Ryan.
And Austin.
Ryan stared at him in complete disbelief.
Austin crossed his arms, clearly trying not to laugh.
Ryan pointed dramatically toward the hallway where Carmen had just left.
"…Explain."
Gared blinked.
"Explain what?"
Ryan walked closer.
"How—" he said, gesturing wildly, "HOW did Carmen just take your number?"
Austin snorted.
Ryan grabbed Gared by the shoulders.
"You've been here for like… two days!"
Gared tried not to laugh.
"It was just for homework."
Ryan stared at him.
"For homework?"
Austin lost the battle and burst out laughing.
Ryan slowly turned toward him.
"You stay out of this."
Then he turned back to Gared.
"I have liked Carmen since last night."
Gared raised an eyebrow.
"Since last night?"
Ryan pointed proudly at himself.
"Yes."
Austin shook his head.
"That's not called liking someone. That's called a three-hour crush."
Ryan ignored him.
He leaned closer to Gared.
"What did you say to her?"
"Nothing."
"What did you do?"
"Nothing."
Ryan stepped back dramatically.
"This is unbelievable."
Austin patted Gared on the shoulder.
"Congratulations," he said. "You've officially broken Ryan's heart."
Ryan pointed a finger at him.
"This is not over."
Gared laughed.
"Relax. It was just numbers for assignments."
Ryan folded his arms.
"Sure," he muttered.
"Homework."
Austin chuckled again.
"Yeah… we totally believe that."
Gared shook his head, still smiling.
Somehow, for the first time since everything had started, things felt normal again.
At least for the moment.
The university library grew quieter as the hours passed.
Books lay open across the table where the five of them sat, their pages filled with symbols, myths, and fragments of forgotten history. They had been searching for hours, moving from shelf to shelf, flipping through old records and dusty archives.
Outside the tall windows the sun had already disappeared.
Night had fallen.
Ryan slammed another book shut in frustration.
"This is a waste of time," he groaned. "We've been reading these books for hours and we've found absolutely nothing."
Austin leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
"I think he's right," he said. "Maybe we're overthinking this. Maybe the dream was just… a dream."
Usher shrugged slightly.
"Maybe."
But Gared shook his head.
"How can it be just a dream?" he said. "Usher saw the same symbol that I did."
Daniel tapped the table thoughtfully.
"Or maybe," he said slowly, "you both saw it somewhere before and it stayed in your subconscious."
Gared frowned.
"I don't know."
Daniel suddenly looked around the table.
"Does anyone else feel hungry?"
Immediately every hand went up.
Daniel smiled.
"Good. Then let's go eat something."
They gathered their things and left the library.
Later that night, as they walked beneath the city bridge, the air felt colder than before.
Shadows stretched across the concrete.
Suddenly Daniel stopped walking.
He turned slowly.
"Guys…"
Ryan sighed.
"What now?"
Daniel pointed behind them.
"I think you need to see this."
Ryan groaned.
"See what? It's the middle of the night."
Daniel didn't answer.
Ryan finally turned around.
And froze.
Behind them a glowing portal had appeared.
A swirling gate of energy floated in the air, radiating strange blue and green light.
Everyone stared in shock.
"What… is that?" Ryan whispered.
Suddenly a man stumbled out of the portal.
He crashed onto the ground, clearly injured.
"Close it!" he shouted desperately.
No one moved.
"Close it!" he shouted again.
Austin turned to Gared.
"Do it!"
Gared stared at him.
"How?!"
The injured man lifted his head.
"Use… Zendara."
Gared frowned.
"What?"
Before anyone could react a massive black creature burst out of the portal.
Ryan stepped back in terror.
"What the hell is THAT?!"
The creature roared.
The five of them froze.
Then suddenly the injured man stood up.
With incredible speed he drew his sword and struck the creature with a powerful slash.
The monster was thrown backward through the portal.
The man extended his hand.
The portal collapsed.
And vanished.
As if it had never existed.
The man turned toward them.
He looked at each of them carefully.
Then he said quietly,
"I finally found you."
And collapsed.
Unconscious.
The five of them slowly gathered around him.
Staring.
Confused.
And more afraid than ever.
Because whatever had just happened…
their lives would never be normal again.