Alaric shook his head, trying to shake off the strange weight pressing on his chest. Nothing was wrong or at least, nothing he could see.
Still, the heaviness lingered, biting at the edges of his mind as he began the slow walk home.
The streets were quiet, eerie and weird feeling. The morning light didn't feel like relief it felt hollow, as if it were struggling to touch the city fully awake. Alaric kept his gaze down, focusing on the cracks in the pavement rather than the emptiness around him.
As he walked home, Alaric noticed a strange feeling in his chest, almost as if someone were calling out to him.
That feeling again what is happening to me?
Alaric tapped and patted the center of his chest, hoping it would go away.
After walking for a few minutes, he arrived home and slowly headed toward his room.
From the corner of the room, something caught his eye a faint shadow become thicker, moving as if it were alive. Alaric froze, his heart pounding.
"Is someone there?" he whispered.
The corner remained still, yet the shadows seemed to shift slightly, almost like they were watching him.
A chill ran down his spine. Whatever it was, it wasn't human.
"Who... are you? What are you doing here?" Alaric took a step back, a flicker of bravery in his eyes.
He blinked several times and rubbed his eyes, disbelief written across his face at what he was seeing.
Alaric notices a shadow moving across his chest, alive and shifting. When he lifts his hand, he sees his palm covered in swirling, dancing shadows, reacting to his movements. Shocked and fearful, he realizes the darkness is connected to him and for the first time, he feels a strange, seductive sense of power awakening within.
"What is this feeling, is this power? The wish?" he whispered. He looked back at the corner, but the shadow was gone, leaving only empty space.
"If this is really it, then I have to test myself. I need to know if this power is real," he said quietly, confidence slowly building in his voice.
Somewhere deep within, he understood that he would have to be careful, clever, and wise in deciding what to do next.
He tried to figure out if the power was real, experimenting with every movement he could imagine. He snapped his fingers, circled his wrists but the shadows remained still, unyielding.
Frustration spread across his face, unaware that the power which had consumed him was already flowing within him.
Alaric glanced toward the small clock on his desk. The numbers stared back at him, and his eyes widened. His chest tightened not from the strange power this time, but from sudden realization.
"Shit...." he muttered under his breath.
Energy surged through him. He grabbed his bag and sprinted out of his room.
"No.... why did I forget the most important thing? I can't be late on my first day," he muttered.
As Alaric reached the staircase, he realized he'd forgotten to shower and change, He shook his head, deciding it didn't matter for now, and continued toward the front door.
As he ran toward the school, Alaric was unaware that his body was moving with speed and strength no ordinary human could possess.
The wind rushed past his ears, buildings blurring at the edges of his vision. His feet barely seemed to touch the ground, each step carrying him far farther than it should have. Yet to him, it felt natural
People on the street glanced around, confused, as Alaric raced by with speed no human should posses, Some rubbed their eyes, convinced they had imagined it, while others whispered to each other, pointing at the empty space where he had just been.
By the time he reached the school gates, he walked among the passing students, trying to stay unnoticed.
As he found his way to his first class The hallway buzzed with voices and footsteps, yet the sound seemed distant
"Come on, Alaric. You can do this don't embarrass me," he whispered to his self, patting his chest lightly.
Alaric placed his left hand on the door knob, He whispered to himself, patting his chest lightly as if to calm his nerves, and drew in a deep breath before opening the door.
Alaric stepped inside, and a sudden quiet fell over the room. Every eye turned toward him as whispers spread, and the others look like they know him.
Some students nodded to him, he walked to an empty seat and sat down.
Whatever happened to him last night… it hadn't changed only him
"Hey, Alaric! Long time no see," said a girl with soft brown hair and bright, searching eyes. Her smile was friendly, but it carried a hint of concern that made him flinch.
"Oh… hi. Um, yeah… long time no see. Uh, what section is this? Is my name on the list?" alaric whispered, his voice shaky and uncertain.
"Yeah… your name's here. Section B, last row. You're not late… technically, by the way, hi Alaric, do you still remember me. Her voice carried a soft, calming tone.
Alaric's eyes fell to the table as he struggled to recall who she was. The girl looked surprised that he didn't remember her.
"Sorry, I don't remember you," Alaric said, his voice full of awareness as he tried to dig deeper into his memory.
She leaned closer and spoke in a confidential tone, her voice low and gentle.
"Allow me to introduce myself again, since you don't recognize me well, I hope you like introductions. My name is Bea, and we became frie....."
Bea didn't finish her words. She noticed Alaric's fingers tapping rapidly a clear sign of his anxiety.
She remembered Alaric's old habit how he tapped his fingers when he got anxious.
"You still have the old habit," Bea said softly.
"Alaric, don't worry you're not alone in this classroom, and you're not trapped. I'm here. You can talk to me. Remember the old days? When you did that tapping, and I'd ask you what was wrong?"
"Alaric..... are you okay? I'm here just talk to me, alright?" she said with a reassuring smile, then returned to her place at the front.
The class began, and the teacher started speaking, the chatter slowly fading into silence.
Bea's eyes softened with concern as she glanced at him.
Alaric's thoughts raced. He was sure he knew Bea. but something inside him seemed to wrap his memories of her,
"What's happening to me? Why can't I remember any of them? Do I know them? And who is Bea, do we have some kind of connection?" he whispered under his breath.
The class continued, but Alaric's thoughts raced uncontrollably. It was as if he was completely out of the zone until the class over.
When the class was dismissed, everyone packed their things and stood up.
Alaric was about to leave when he felt a soft tap on his shoulder, stopping him for a moment.
"Hey, Alaric, want to meet before lunch? We could just chat and have fun like we used to." Her gentle, friendly voice stayed with him.
Alaric stopped her just as Bea reached the doorway.
His gaze dropped to his wristwatch, eyes half lidded as time seemed to slip past him, and even he couldn't explain his own reaction.
"I know this is our first day of class, and I know it's strange," Alaric said quietly, "but I don't care. Bea can you tell me everything you know about me? I don't remember anything about you."
Bea froze for a moment, her hand still resting on the doorframe, She turned slowly, searching Alaric's face. The concern in her eyes deepened
"Alaric" she said softly. "You really don't remember anything?"
A deep, unexplained feeling made Alaric freeze mid step as he walked toward her. Inside him, a black crimson orb pulsed and twisted, reacting to his presence and stirring something he couldn't yet understand. What he didn't know was that, from the very beginning during his confrontation with the god of darkness this orb had been placed at the center of his chest.
Alaric's sudden halt made Bea concerned, a frown tugging at her features. She noticed his palm pressed against his chest, and there was something on his face an expression she couldn't quite understand.
"Are you alright?" Bea stepped closer, her voice gentle but tinged with worry.
"Alaric you're not okay. Please tell me what's wrong I'm getting really worried about you."
Alaric's eyes fell to the floor, his chest rising and falling as the shadows inside him pulsed with his anxiety. He wanted to tell Bea everything the darkness, the orb, the memories he couldn't remember but the words stuck in his throat.
Something unexpected happened as he started to speak. A faint shade of deep red flared in Alaric's eyes, and Bea instinctively stepped back, fear flashing across her face, The shadows around him seemed to thrum with life, curling and twisting closer to him. The orb in his chest throbbed violently, responding to his fear and anger.
"I don't know if I should" Bea instinctively took a step back. Then another.
Bea hesitated, fear tightening her chest, and slowly stepped back once, then again putting distance between them.
Alaric watched her go, the space she left behind feeling heavier than the shadows curling at his feet. When she was gone, the silence closed in on him, thick and suffocating.
Alaric sank into his seat, trying to steady himself. The shadows at his feet quivered like living things, stretching and recoiling as if aware of his every heartbeat. The crimson orb throbbed violently in his chest, radiating heat that was both terrifying and intoxicating.