The air outside the school felt heavier than it should have.
Juson stepped past the gate, his pace steady but his mind anything but. Something lingered from the classroom. Not the lesson. Not the students.
That name.
Hakiten.
It hadn't just slipped out. It had escaped.
He exhaled sharply and glanced at his wrist.
The watch was cracked.
A thin fracture ran across the glass, distorting the position of the hands. Time was there, but unreadable. Present, but useless.
Juson frowned slightly.
He didn't remember when it broke.
He moved toward his car.
Just as he reached the edge of the road, a large truck passed by, cutting off his view. Its engine roared loudly, breaking the uneasy quiet.
One of its tyres struck a stone.
The impact made the vehicle jolt violently.
Dust rose instantly.
Thick. Dry. Blinding.
Juson turned his face away, coughing as the dust spread across the area. The world blurred into a dull haze.
For a few seconds, nothing was clear.
Then slowly—
The dust began to settle.
Shapes returned.
Edges sharpened.
And something moved.
A piece of paper floated in the air, carried by the last remnants of the dust storm. It drifted aimlessly before pressing itself against the windshield of Juson's car.
He stared at it.
Something about it felt… wrong.
Too familiar.
Juson stepped forward and pulled it off the glass.
The moment his fingers touched it, a faint tension ran through him.
"It can't be here…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
The texture. The weight. The feel of it.
He had seen this before.
Not just seen.
Experienced.
His eyes scanned the surface.
The writing wasn't normal.
Broken.
Fragmented.
Almost as if someone had taken a sentence and torn it apart.
Him / School / To / Behind / Provide / Property
Juson narrowed his eyes.
It didn't make sense.
Not fully.
But it wasn't meant to.
The message wasn't incomplete.
It was hidden.
His grip on the paper tightened.
His first instinct was to look up, to find the truck, to chase it, to demand answers from something that had already disappeared.
But he didn't move.
Because deep down—
He knew.
This wasn't something you chase.
This was something that finds you.
Juson folded the paper slowly and slipped it inside the car.
Then he got in.
The engine started.
And he drove.
---
The road home stretched endlessly.
Sunlight broke through buildings in irregular patterns, appearing and disappearing across the windshield. The shifting light made everything feel unstable, as if the world itself was flickering.
Juson's eyes remained on the road.
But his mind—
His mind replayed everything.
Yokina's call.
The paper.
That feeling.
Something had begun.
And he didn't know where it would lead.
---
When he finally reached home, he slowed the car and stepped out.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he felt it.
A stillness.
Not calm.
Not peace.
Something else.
The house stood silent.
No voices.
No movement.
Just a quiet that felt… aware.
Juson walked toward the door slowly.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
He unlocked the door and pushed it open.
---
The corridor inside was empty.
The air felt colder.
The floor creaked under his weight as he stepped in.
Above him, the bulbs flickered weakly, their light unstable.
Juson didn't stop.
He moved forward.
Straight toward the bedroom.
---
He reached the door and paused.
His hand rested on the handle for a second longer than necessary.
Then he opened it slightly.
Inside—
Herik lay on the bed.
Sleeping.
Peaceful.
Normal.
Juson watched him for a moment.
Something about it felt… off.
Too still.
Too quiet.
Then—
A sound.
Something fell behind him.
A faint thud against the floor.
Juson turned his head slightly.
Herik shifted on the bed, his body reacting to the sound before settling again.
Juson stepped back.
Closed the door.
And turned around.
---
Yokina stood near the kitchen.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
A single tear slid down her cheek.
Juson didn't hesitate.
He moved toward her quickly and wiped it away.
Then he pulled her into an embrace.
For a brief moment, everything else disappeared.
No mystery.
No fear.
Just warmth.
Just presence.
---
He guided her to a chair and turned on the kitchen light.
It flickered violently for a second—
Then steadied.
Juson didn't notice.
"What happened?" he asked softly.
Yokina stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then, in a quiet voice, she said,
"I'm… confused."
Juson gently held her hand.
"About what?"
"I don't know…" she whispered. "It just feels like something is wrong."
Juson glanced toward the bedroom.
"Everything is fine," he said. "You're just overthinking."
Yokina shook her head slowly.
"It's not just that."
She hesitated.
Then continued.
"It's Herik."
Juson's expression tightened slightly.
"He's… different," she said. "He talks less. And… when I was bathing him… his skin…"
She paused.
"…it was peeling."
Juson exhaled quietly.
"That happens sometimes," he said. "Children change as they grow."
His tone was calm.
Convincing.
But not certain.
---
Then—
A sound.
A sharp, unnatural crack echoed through the house.
Yokina froze.
Her eyes shifted toward the bedroom.
"Did you leave the door open?" she asked.
Juson didn't answer.
Because he was already looking.
---