Wednesday read the message on the phone. After a moment, she said, "You are the Child of Dusk?"
Viktor stayed silent for a long while before deciding to explain anything. He told her the cult called him the Child of Dusk, though he had no idea why. Honestly, he hadn't planned to tell anyone, but the anxiety inside him kept growing stronger and stronger. He couldn't deal with a cult alone.
Even in the original show, Wednesday needed help to deal with the Hyde. Viktor was far less prepared, just a normal student now facing a group of psychopaths trying to summon gods.
Viktor had to swallow his pride. He needed help.
"Reality is held by three pillars: the Dawn, the Dusk, and the Midnight. Dawn is the beginning of light, Midnight is the birth of darkness, and Dusk lies between the two." Wednesday read aloud.
"Many old stories talk like this. People everywhere gave names to the sun and the night," she continued.
"Like… myths?" Enid asked.
Wednesday nodded. "Yes. The Greeks called the dawn Eos and the night Nyx. In old Indian tales, the dawn is Ushas, and night is Ratri. These names aren't magic; they show that people always watched the sunrise and sunset."
She tapped the words Dawn and Midnight, "Dawn is the start of light. Midnight is the deep night. Dusk is the thin hour between them. In folk stories, dusk is when the world feels thin, when spirits pass, when the veil is weak."
Enid whispered, "My grandmother said dusk is a time of small doors. People left stones or shrines so they could find the hour."
Wednesday's eyes sharpened. "Exactly. In real life, people built places to mark sunrise and sunset, standing stones, old circles, and churches with sundials. Stonehenge is one example; it marks the sun on certain days."
She looked at Viktor. "So the cult's 'three pillars' might not be three gods. They could be three places or three markers, a dawn place, a dusk place, and a midnight place. Or maybe three objects placed where the sun or moon lines up."
Viktor paced back and forth, thinking. Then his eyes suddenly widened. "Wednesday, go back. Those words you said… about spirits passing?"
Wednesday narrowed her eyes but repeated anyway, "Dawn is the start of light. Midnight is the deep night. Dusk is the thin hour between them. In folk stories, dusk is where the world feels thin, where spirits pass, where the veil is weak."
"Right. Now, what's the cult's goal? What's their ritual for?"
"They're summoning gods," Wednesday replied.
"Exactly. They are summoning gods. But no matter how many days pass, no matter how many bodies they sacrifice, they still can't summon even one." Viktor's face slowly lit with realization.
"What are you getting at?" Wednesday asked.
"Dawn is the start of light, Midnight is the deep night, and Dusk lies between. But what if Dawn represents the earth, Midnight represents the gods, and Dusk is the barrier between them? That would mean the gods can't reach Earth. And you said it yourself: dusk is where the world feels thin, where the veil is weak.
"So, in short, as the Child of Dusk, I represent the barrier between the two. I'm unknowingly preventing the gods from crossing into this world."
Viktor kept explaining, and it was as if all the puzzle pieces finally clicked into place. Sweat began to pour down his body, and unbeknownst to him, the mark in his eyes began to shift and move.
"Then you must be in great danger right now, if you represent the Dusk. That's why, isn't it?" Wednesday said. Her voice stayed calm, but her gaze was sharp. "Tell me, how did you become the Child of Dusk?"
Viktor looked at Wednesday and Enid deeply and spoke slowly. "You've seen the mark in my eyes, haven't you?"
"Yes. The night you collapsed like a corpse. Your glasses slipped. It wasn't difficult to notice." Wednesday replied matter-of-factly.
"A mark? Hellooo, did you two forget I'm standing right here? Someone fill me in before my brain explodes." Enid interrupted, feeling bad for being left out.
"I think I know why I became the Child of Dusk." Viktor sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. He took off his glasses, staring at them all as if weighing every word. "I gazed upon the gods. That's why they cursed me."
"You… stared at a god and survived?" For once, Wednesday actually looked surprised. This was the first time she'd heard of anyone gazing at a god and living to tell about it. "That makes you either extraordinarily cursed… or disappointingly resilient."
"Wait, hold up. You actually saw a god?" Enid's eyes went wide, her voice caught between awe and fear. "Like… what did it even look like? Please don't tell me it was all tentacles."
"I don't want to describe it. Not unless you want to be corrupted like me. As the saying goes, the less you know, the safer you'll be." Viktor sank into a bed and slid his glasses back on.
"But how did it happen?" Wednesday pressed.
"It's… complicated." Viktor sighed. "I found a letter on my bed one day. I don't know what kind of letter it was or who wrote it, but the moment I touched it, I had a vision of them. And that's… that's how it started."
He ran a hand through his hair. "Honestly, I don't know what to do. That's why I need your help. They already know who I am now."
---
Life at school went on, and one of Nevermore's most anticipated events was about to begin: the Poe Cup Race.
It was an annual event where four teams, each representing their dormitory, competed in a boat race held on the Jericho River. Each team had to choose an Edgar Allan Poe poem as their team name.
There were four dormitories at Nevermore: Ophelia Hall, the all-girls dorm where Wednesday, Enid, and Agnes stayed; Puck Hall, also an all-girls dorm, home to many sirens and Dreamwalkers; Caliban Hall, where students like Ajax and Xavier lived; and Thisbie Hall, the all-boys dorm where Viktor and Jass stayed.
Since there weren't many well-known students in Thisbie Hall, Viktor ended up becoming one of the representatives, along with Jass and two unnamed members. They had even invited Kent, one of Bianca's friends, to join them, but he turned them down. Viktor knew why: Kent was supposed to help Bianca's team win.
In the courtyard, students were busy constructing their boats and secretly installing hidden weapons on them.
Viktor leaned against a tree, watching everyone prepare. This should have been a moment of excitement, a chance for some fun, but everything felt too gray, too heavy.
He sighed and rubbed his temples. He didn't feel like doing anything. The pressure on his shoulders was suffocating.
'Thinking back. I was just a student on Earth, studying for exams. Then I woke up in this world as Agnes's older brother. I thought life would be different, maybe even better, but instead I've been thrown into a world where I'm supposed to save it from gods who want to destroy everything. And now a cult is targeting me.
'For God's sake, at least make me stronger or something.'
Even though Viktor could use the World within him, harness its power, he knew that without proper knowledge, he'd probably be killed before he could ever master it. The cult was moving too quickly; he didn't have time to catch up.
That was why he joined the Poe Cup Race. He needed the reward, the special privilege it would grant him.
"Viktor? You okay?" Jass asked, sitting down behind him and handing him a drink.
"Just thinking about strategy," Viktor replied.
"Wanna hear a good one?" Jass whispered. "You need to harness that invisibility of yours. You could do so many things with it. Like—"
Viktor quickly shook his head and gave Jass a strange look before standing up. "I need some air," he muttered, deciding to walk around to clear his mind.
Suddenly, Agnes appeared beside him. "Big brother, wanna see something funny?"
Viktor sighed but followed her. Agnes led him to one of the participant boats; he quickly noticed it belonged to Ophelia Hall.
"Hey, what are you doing?" he asked suspiciously.
"Just watch." Agnes grinned, pulling out a small silver orb from her pocket. She placed it on the boat, and the moment it touched the wood, it camouflaged, taking on the boat's color.
"I don't really know all the details, but my friend made it. Once it hits water, it swells up little by little. Heavier and heavier until… sploosh."
Her grin widened as she added, "And don't worry, I was fair. I planted one on the other two boats, too."
That smile sent a chill down Viktor's spine, but at the same time, a part of him was tempted.
"Come on, big brother," Agnes coaxed, tugging at his arm like a child begging for candy. "You like it, don't you?"
"Well…" Viktor hesitated, then smirked slowly. "No one will know, unless someone tells."
Agnes giggled, and just then, they both heard footsteps approaching. They exchanged a glance and instantly turned invisible.