Episode 21 :
The morning after the attack, Alok sat in class, his head down, eyes hollow from lack of sleep. His desk shook slightly when he laid his hands on it.
Did it really happen? Or was it just another dream?
He glanced at his hand small scratches lined his skin where the creature's claws had nearly touched him. He quickly pulled his sleeve over it. No one could see.
But then, he noticed something strange.
On the blackboard, where the teacher had just written formulas, faint marks began to appear beneath the chalk. Circular, ancient symbols, glowing for a moment before fading.
Alok froze. No one else seemed to notice.
"Alok, answer the question!" the teacher snapped.
He stood up, stammered, and then… the chalk snapped in the teacher's hand without him touching it. The whole class laughed.
Alok sat down, hiding his shaking hands.
Not again. Why is this happening to me…
At lunch, he wandered behind the school building, trying to calm himself. That's when he heard it: whispers again.
"He carries the chain of eternity…"
"Not allowed… must be erased…"
From the corner of his eye, the shadows beneath the trees twisted unnaturally. Out stepped another figure, this one cloaked in feathers, with a mask like a bird. Its body moved without sound, its talons glinting.
Alok's chest tightened. "N-not again…"
The bird-like creature lunged, but before it reached him, the pendant pulsed violently. His vision blurred and suddenly the ghostly figure appeared again. The same armored presence, standing like a silent guardian.
Alok whispered shakily:
"…you again. Who are you?"
No answer. The armored ghost simply raised its hand. Chains of light burst from the ground, clashing against the masked beast. The sound was deafening to Alok, though others nearby walked by as if nothing was happening.
The two beings fought in the shadow of the school wall talons slashing, chains binding, sparks flying. Alok stumbled back, terrified, watching but unable to act.
Then suddenly the ghost turned its head toward him. Just for an instant.
Its voice echoed in his mind, though no mouth moved:
"Run."
The word jolted Alok into motion. He sprinted, clutching his pendant, heart pounding. He didn't look back until he reached the empty classroom.
He collapsed onto the floor, gasping. His whole body trembled.
"…I'm cursed… I have to be…"
But deep inside, part of him knew he wasn't cursed. He was being hunted.
And something or someone was choosing to protect him.
The mystery thickened.