Ethan and Paige bolted toward the basement exit, their footsteps echoing in the damp, claustrophobic space.
The whispering followed them, an unnatural hiss slithering along the walls.
Ethan risked one last glance over his shoulder and saw it. In the darkness, something shifted, just beyond the edges of the candlelight. It wasn't fully formed. It was a mass of twisting shadows, warping and reshaping, like it was trying to take human form but failing.
Then suddenly the candles snuffed out. The hallway was swallowed in absolute blackness.
Paige grabbed Ethan's wrist. "Run."
They sprinted through the narrow maintenance corridors, their only guide the dim glow of emergency exit signs.
Ethan's mind was already calculating.
'If the entity was still incomplete. How then could it be taking students? It needs a vessel, but all those taken were used as sacrifices so far. What made them unfit as a vessel, or rather yet what makes a vessel fit?'
As they burst through the final door, emerging into the main school hall, Ethan nearly crashed into someone.
A janitor.
The man squinted at them, gripping his mop. "What are you two doing here?"
Ethan forced his breathing to slow, immediately slipping into casual indifference.
"We got lost," Ethan lied smoothly. "Wrong staircase."
The janitor frowned. "Kids aren't supposed to be down there. Matter of fact, how did you get into the school when it's closed?"
As Ethan opened his mouth to lie again, the janitor suddenly twitched.
Paige tensed beside Ethan.
The janitor's arms jerked unnaturally, his back arching as his breathing turned ragged and uneven.
His skin grayed, as if his veins were draining away. His eyes darkened, his pupils swallowed by a creeping void.
Then, without warning, he lunged at them.
Paige reacted instantly. She ripped away her own skin, revealing her new steel form underneath. She then grabbed the janitor's outstretched arms.
The janitor hissed, his voice layered—something else was speaking through him.
"You pest don't belong here. Keep away if you value your lives."
Paige gritted her teeth and drove her knee into his stomach.
The impact sent him crashing into a row of lockers, but he didn't stay down for long.
Ethan took several steps back, keeping his distance. He wasn't a fighter, but he was an observer.
'The janitor's movements are off. His bones are popping and cracking, his fingers lengthened into something inhuman, but his body is struggling to maintain the transformation. Whatever is controlling him isn't in full control yet. So this is a rushed possession. Hmm, I wonder if the host will die afterward or live?'
Paige didn't hesitate. She threw a punch straight to his jaw, sending him sprawling.
And just like that, he collapsed.
His body twitched once, then stilled. His skin lightened, returning to its natural tone. His face softened. The vacant, possessed look in his eyes vanished. He was human again.
'That was disappointing. Well, given Paige's super strength in her steel form, he wasn't exactly an easy opponent, but I thought he'd give her more of a challenge.'
Paige took a deep, shaky breath. "What the hell was that?!"
Ethan adjusted his collar, his mind racing. "From the looks of it something very bad."
Paige rounded on him. "Okay, no more games. You're gonna tell me what's going on—right now."
Ethan held up his hands. "Fine. But not here."
Paige narrowed her eyes. "Where then?"
Ethan smirked. "My place."
Meanwhile, across the city, Felicia Hardy sat on her apartment couch, flipping through The Door of the Black Gate.
She had spent hours cross-referencing the book with everything in her personal database—ancient artifacts, stolen magical texts, even rumors from the criminal underworld.
And she had found nothing. That alone was terrifying. She was tasked by an anonymous client to retrieve the book. The weird part of the task was that once the book was retrieved, she could no longer get in touch with the client. It didn't bother her too much at first since her payment had already been wired.
Felicia didn't scare easily, but something about this book and this whole job assignment… felt wrong.
No—not felt, it was wrong. She could sense it; her entire being was screaming that she should be as far away from the book as humanly possible.
Which meant she needed backup. Sighing, she grabbed her phone and dialed a number. After a few rings, a familiar voice answered.
"Felicia?"
She smirked. "Hey, Spider. I need a favor."
A pause. Then—"What kind of favor? Will I get stabbed in the back again for helping you this time?"
Felicia leaned back, twirling a lock of white-blonde hair. "No tricks this time, Spider. You still talk to that wizard friend of yours?"
Another pause. Then a sigh. "Doctor Strange? Yeah, why?"
Felicia glanced at the book on her table. "Because I've got something magical in my hands, and I need to know if it's cursed before I do something stupid."
Peter groaned. "Oh, come on, Felicia. Tell me you didn't steal a demon's diary."
Felicia smirked. "Well, I don't know if it's a diary, but I didn't steal it. I found it. I was asked to track it down, but when I did, no one was around, and it was just in the middle of some magic circle. So I took it, and now weird things keep happening."
After a pause, Peter continued. "Right. Because that makes it better. So let me get this straight, you saw a book in the middle of a magic circle and you thought, 'Hey, let's just take it, what's the worst that could happen?' I'm guessing you're finding out why you should leave these things alone until you know what it is."
Felicia rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Spider, just call your wizard friend, okay?"
Peter sighed again. "Fine. Just—whatever you do, don't open it. Don't touch it. Don't even look at it funny until I get back to you."
Felicia's smirk faded slightly. That's what worried her. She had already looked at it, and she had a feeling it was looking back.
Back at Ethan's hotel room, Paige sat on the bed of his couch, arms crossed, eyes full of barely contained frustration.
Ethan took his time, pouring himself a glass of water, and offered her one, but she refused.
Finally, she snapped. "Well? Start talking."
Ethan smirked, taking a slow sip. "What do you want to know?"
Paige scowled. "Everything."
Ethan sighed. "I told you already—I saw someone bring a book to the school basement. I think it has something to do with what's happening."
Paige narrowed her eyes. "And how do you know so much about this kind of stuff?"
Ethan shrugged. "I don't. I just put the pieces together."
Paige studied him for a long moment. Then, unexpectedly, she asked, "You ever gonna ask about my powers?"
Ethan smirked. "I figured you'd tell me when you were ready."
Paige gave a small chuckle. "You're weird."
Ethan leaned back. "So I've been told."
After a moment, Paige sighed and stood. "I should go."
She pulled out her phone and made a quick call. Within minutes, a car arrived to pick her up.
Ethan watched her leave, his mind already shifting to the next problem.
He had a feeling this wasn't over, and lo and behold, he was right.
The next morning, Midtown High was in chaos.
Another student had disappeared.
This time, Ethan actually recognized the name; it was Amy.
The school was in panic mode. Teachers whispered among themselves. Parents had stormed the office, demanding answers on whether their children were safe.
Ethan sat at his desk, staring blankly at his hands. Not because he was sad or because he was worried about Amy. Rather, it was because this confirmed something that the entity was getting stronger and worse yet, it wasn't stopping anytime soon, so that meant it needed to be dealt with before it set its sights on him.
Ethan exhaled slowly. 'Time to move a little faster.'