"The human mind is truly the scariest thing of all."
Not because it imagines monsters…
…but because it can make something unreal feel completely true.
Morning sunlight poured softly through the classroom windows, stretching across desks in warm golden lines. The quiet hum of conversation filled the room—pages flipping, pens tapping, someone whispering too loudly in the back.
And in the middle of it all—
Verina Veylith was laughing.
"Liora, that makes absolutely no sense," she said, trying to hold back a smile.
Liora leaned back in her chair, completely unbothered. "It does. You're just too smart to understand normal people logic."
Verina raised an eyebrow. "Ah, so now I'm the problem?"
"Yes. Entirely."
They both stifled their laughter as the teacher briefly glanced their way before continuing the lesson.
Verina was the kind of person people naturally liked.
Bright. Kind. Easy to talk to.
The kind of girl who made ordinary days feel a little lighter.
But today…
felt slow.
Her eyelids grew heavy, her thoughts drifting.
"…I'm going to sleep for a minute," she murmured, resting her head on the desk.
Liora nudged her lightly. "If you get caught, I'm not helping you."
"You will…" Verina mumbled, already slipping away.
Darkness.
At first, there was nothing.
Then—
Whispers.
Soft. Layered. Endless.
Verina's eyes opened.
She wasn't in the classroom anymore.
An endless black space stretched around her, filled with floating books—countless, drifting slowly as if suspended in air.
Some glowed faintly.
Some were locked.
Some… looked wrong.
"…Where am I?" she whispered.
No answer.
Only whispers.
A book drifted toward her.
Slow. Intentional.
It stopped right in front of her.
Its cover was blank.
It opened.
Words formed slowly across the page:
"I come without warning, yet I arrive on time.
I test your mind without a sign.
Ignore me, and you will regret—
What begins today is not over yet."
Verina stared at it.
"A riddle…?"
Her curiosity sparked instantly.
"…A test," she murmured softly. "Something unexpected… happening today…"
Her mind worked quickly.
Then—
Her eyes widened.
"…A surprise test."
The moment she said it—
The book snapped shut.
The whispers stopped.
Everything disappeared.
"Verina."
A voice cut through.
"Verina!"
She jolted awake.
The classroom rushed back into place.
Her heart raced as she looked up—
The teacher stood at the front, holding a stack of papers.
"Since you all seem a little too relaxed today," the teacher said calmly, "we'll be having a surprise test."
Groans filled the room.
Verina froze.
"…What?"
Her fingers tightened slightly on the desk.
Liora leaned closer. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Verina stared at the papers.
"A… surprise test…" she whispered.
Exactly like the riddle.
The rest of the day felt distant.
Blurred.
Like she was moving through something that hadn't fully caught up with her yet.
After school, the sky had softened into shades of orange and gold. Verina and Liora walked side by side, their usual conversation quieter than normal.
"…Liora," Verina said slowly, "I need to tell you something."
Liora glanced at her. "That sounds serious."
"…I saw the test before it happened."
Silence.
"…You what?"
"It wasn't just a dream," Verina continued. "It was a place. A library. There were books—floating everywhere—and one of them had a riddle. I solved it, and then…"
She hesitated.
"…it happened."
Liora stared at her for a moment.
Then sighed.
"Verina… that's just coincidence."
"It's not," Verina said quietly. "It felt real."
"Dreams always feel real," Liora replied. "And guessing a surprise test? That's not exactly impossible."
Verina frowned slightly.
"…I didn't guess."
"Maybe you think you didn't," Liora shrugged. "But your brain probably just connected things."
The conversation faded after that.
But something about it didn't sit right.
Later—
As they walked home, the air felt heavier.
Quieter.
Verina slowed down.
"…Wait."
Something was wrong.
Darkness flickered.
The library.
Again.
Another book.
It opened.
"A step too soon, a glance too late.
A twisted path decides a fate.
You see it now, yet stand and stare—
Will you act… or leave it there?"
Her breath caught.
"…No…"
She snapped back.
Reality rushed in.
A car sped toward the crossing.
Someone stepped forward—
"WAIT!" Verina shouted.
Too late.
The sound echoed.
Sharp. Final.
Silence.
Everything felt distant.
Muted.
Verina stood frozen.
Her hands trembled.
"…It happened…" she whispered.
Her voice broke.
"It… happened again…"
Liora grabbed her shoulders, pulling her slightly.
"Verina. Look at me."
Verina turned slowly.
Her eyes wide. Shaken.
"…I saw it," she said.
"I saw it before it happened…"
Liora hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then—
"…You just reacted fast," she said, though her voice wasn't as firm as before.
Verina shook her head weakly. "No… I knew…"
Liora looked away for a moment.
Then back at her.
"…Or maybe you think you did."
They walked the rest of the way in silence.
That night—
Verina lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
Her mind replayed everything.
The dream.
The riddles.
The test.
The accident.
"…It's not coincidence," she whispered.
Across the city—
Liora sat on her bed, scrolling through her phone.
But her thoughts weren't there.
"…She shouted before it happened…"
She paused.
Her fingers stilled.
Then she shook her head.
"No. Just coincidence."
But for a moment—
She wasn't completely sure.
Back in the darkness—
A book slowly opened.
And this time—
The whispers sounded closer.
The library had never left.