Most people think school ends when the final bell rings.
They're wrong.
For me, school ended at exactly **11:37 p.m.** on a night I will never forget.
It started with detention. Again. I'd fallen asleep in history class—again—and as punishment, Mr. Harrow made me clean the science lab. Alone.
"Maybe if you put as much effort into staying awake as you do drooling on your desk, we wouldn't be here, Mr. Ashborne," he said.
Yeah. Thanks for the wisdom, old man.
The science lab stank of vinegar and old frog guts. Some jar on the shelf still had half a lizard floating in cloudy green stuff. It stared at me like it wanted to be put out of its misery.
I scrubbed the counters slowly, dragging out the time. Not like I had anywhere to be.
By the time I finished, the school was completely empty. The halls were dark. Even the janitor had gone home. The flickering ceiling lights cast long shadows that moved when I didn't.
My name is **Agla Ashborne**. Sixteen. No clubs. No friends. No future.
Most people don't notice me. Some say I'm weird. Some say I'm invisible. I kind of prefer it that way. I pretend I like it too.
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and plugged in my earphones. No music. Just static. Just enough to keep people from talking to me.
I walked past the gym, heading for the back exit. My sneakers squeaked on the floor.
Then I heard it.
A growl.
It was low and deep, like something huge was breathing behind me. I stopped. Slowly turned around.
Nothing.
The hallway was empty.
Until I looked up.
Something crawled across the ceiling. Black, long, and cracked like charcoal. Its claws scraped the tiles. Its face was a blur of teeth and eyes that glowed like fireflies dipped in blood.
It was smiling at me.
"What the hell..." I whispered.
Then it dropped.
It landed with a heavy thud, crouching like some oversized insect. Its skin looked like burnt bark. Steam rose off it in waves. It opened its mouth and hissed, a sound that rattled in my spine.
This wasn't a prank. This wasn't a dream. This thing was real.
And it wanted me.
I ran.
I didn't think. I just sprinted.
My legs flew down the corridor as the creature shrieked and gave chase. Its claws scraped the ground behind me like blades across stone.
I turned the corner too fast and crashed into a locker. Pain shot through my arm, but I kept going.
I could see the gate. Just a little more.
Then—
**BAM!**
The thing hit me from behind. I flew into the air and slammed hard against the ground. My backpack split open. Books spilled everywhere.
My breath was gone.
I tried to crawl, but it was already there.
Its claws hovered above me. Its eyes glowed.
I closed my eyes.
This was it.
But then—
**A flash of silver.**
A loud *screech*.
The monster staggered back, shrieking.
I opened my eyes.
A girl stood between me and it.
She had a long, curved silver scythe in her hands, glowing faintly. Her hair was long and white, reaching past her waist, and her uniform shimmered like it wasn't made of normal fabric.
She didn't look at me. Her eyes were fixed on the creature.
"Stay down," she said, her voice cold and steady.
She moved.
I didn't see her legs. I didn't see her arms swing. I saw light. I saw sparks. Her scythe cut through the air like it was slicing paper.
The monster tried to fight back. It didn't last five seconds.
One final slash—and it let out a horrible cry before turning into black smoke and vanishing.
Silence.
My heart pounded like it wanted to escape my chest.
The girl turned around. Her eyes were pale blue, but sharp. She stared at me like I was something strange, something wrong.
She walked over slowly and knelt beside me.
"Name?" she asked.
"Uh… Agla. Agla Ashborne."
She blinked. Her brows drew tight. Like she'd heard that name before.
Without warning, she placed her hand over my chest.
Then—ripped open my shirt.
"Hey! Don't I get dinner first?!" I yelped.
She didn't laugh. Her face went pale.
A mark glowed on my chest. A symbol, deep red, pulsing like a heartbeat. It looked like an eye inside a circle, with jagged lines around it like thorns.
"What… what is that?" I asked, voice shaking.
"You've been marked," she whispered. "By the abyss."
"What does that mean?!"
She didn't answer. Her fingers trembled as they touched the mark. She looked scared. No, not scared—**angry**.
"You're not supposed to exist," she said.
I laughed nervously. "That's… not really something you say to someone who just nearly died."
Again, no smile.
Then she leaned down—
And kissed me.
Soft. Slow.
My brain exploded.
One second I was flat on the ground, shirt torn open, possibly dying. The next, a beautiful silver-haired girl had her lips on mine.
My body froze.
Her lips were cold. Too cold.
Then—
A shock shot through my chest.
Like lightning.
My eyes rolled back. My limbs locked up. Something surged through me, from the mark outward.
I saw flashes—fire, darkness, stars, memories that weren't mine.
And then I passed out.
---
When I opened my eyes, I wasn't in the hallway.
I was lying on a couch in some dimly lit room. There were books everywhere. Candles. Old portraits. It looked like the office of someone who studied curses for a living.
The girl was sitting on a chair nearby, sharpening her scythe.
"You're awake," she said without looking.
"Am I… alive?"
"Technically."
"…Do I want to know what that means?"
"No."
A long silence.
Finally, I sat up. "Who are you?"
She sighed. "My name is **Velra**. I'm a third-year student at Nightfall Academy."
"Nightfall what now?"
She finally looked at me. "It's a school. For those who fight demons. The kind that come out at night. Like the one that almost killed you."
"Is this some weird anime dream?"
"You died," she said plainly. "Well… sort of. The moment that thing touched you, it marked you. That kiss? That was me binding your soul back into your body."
"…Okay, yeah. Definitely anime dream."
But part of me knew it wasn't.
The mark still burned faintly on my chest.
Velra stood up. "You're not normal, Agla Ashborne. That mark means something. And now, you're connected to the abyss."
"Is that bad?"
"It's worse than bad."
Another silence.
Then she added, "Classes start tomorrow."
"Huh?!"
She handed me a piece of paper. On it was an emblem with the same symbol as my mark.
"Welcome to Nightfall Academy," she said.
I stared at the paper. Then at her.
Then at the giant scythe still glowing faintly behind her shoulder.
My brain couldn't take it anymore.
I passed out again.
---
And that was the night everything changed.
The night I died.
**Sort of.**