CHAPTER 2
Morning felt… different.
"Good morning, Snibey," I said, my voice quieter than usual. "Today's a special day."
I stood there for a moment after speaking, as if waiting for something—some kind of sign. But the house remained silent, just like always.
Still… something inside me felt heavier.
I didn't ignore it.
---
By 10:00 AM, I had finished everything and stepped out, locking the door behind me. The sky was clear, the kind of day most people would call peaceful.
I didn't.
Not today.
---
"Hey, what's up, Haroku? Ready?" I called out as he opened the door.
His face lit up immediately. "Yess!! Let's gooo!"
I couldn't help but smirk a little. Same energy as always.
We got into the car, and soon the city started fading behind us. The road stretched longer than yesterday… or maybe it just felt that way.
Neither of us said much during the drive.
Somewhere deep down—we both knew this case wasn't normal.
---
3:43 PM.
We reached.
The school stood exactly as it had yesterday.
Silent.
Unmoving.
But today… it felt different.
Heavier.
As if something inside it was awake.
---
"Hello sir," I said as we approached the principal. "Sorry, we're a little late. Traffic."
"It's okay," he replied, though his voice carried a faint nervousness.
"Let's go," Haroku said, nudging me slightly. "We need to set up the house first."
I nodded.
---
The house in front of the school was old, but livable. Within minutes, we had our equipment laid out—monitors, wires, cameras, and tools we had collected over years of investigations.
Everything had its place.
Everything had a purpose.
By the time we finished, the sun had already begun to dip.
---
5:00 PM.
I zipped up my bag and looked at Haroku.
"Let's go… it's time."
"Yeah," he replied, his tone shifting—less excitement, more focus.
The principal stood near the entrance.
"Are you both ready?" he asked.
"Yes," we said together.
And then—
We stepped inside.
---
The moment I crossed the entrance, the temperature dropped.
Not slightly.
Noticeably.
The air felt still… suffocating.
Even the silence felt wrong—like it was hiding something.
We didn't waste time.
Carrying our equipment, we moved straight toward the old building area—the place where students had vanished.
---
First step.
Observation.
We began installing cameras.
One by one… hallway after hallway… room after room.
Every corner covered.
No blind spots.
No mistakes.
By the time we were done—
It was 8:00 PM.
And darkness had completely taken over.
---
"Alright," I said, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "Cameras are set. This is just the first step."
"Yeah…" Haroku muttered, glancing around. "But if there's a spirit here, it might destroy them."
He paused.
"It's getting darker. Let's go deeper inside."
"No," I said firmly.
He looked at me.
"We observe first. Through the monitors. Going in blindly is how people disappear."
He exhaled. "Fine. You watch… I'll grab some chips."
Typical.
---
Minutes passed.
Then more.
The room was silent except for the faint hum of the monitors.
My eyes stayed fixed on the screens.
Watching.
Waiting.
---
Then—
Something moved.
I leaned forward.
The shadows on one of the screens… shifted.
Not naturally.
They twisted.
Crawled.
As if they were alive.
My expression hardened.
"Haroku… look at this."
He stepped closer.
And just as he did—
Every screen went black.
All at once.
Complete blackout.
---
"This is bad…" I muttered, already grabbing my bag. "We're going in."
Haroku didn't hesitate. "Let's do it."
---
We ran.
Through the corridors.
Toward the exact location where the cameras had died.
And then—
We saw them.
---
Three figures.
Floating.
Shapeless.
Dark… like shadows torn from reality itself.
They weren't standing.
They weren't walking.
They were… hovering.
And around them—
Small fireballs flickered in the air, burning without heat, without light.
Their voices echoed together—
"JASON… JASON… JASON…"
The sound vibrated through the walls.
"SIR JASON… SIR JASON…"
I scanned the area quickly.
No one else.
No "Jason."
Just them.
And us.
---
"These aren't normal spirits…" I whispered.
And then—
They attacked.
---
I didn't waste a second.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a page—old, fragile, covered in ancient symbols.
The moment I held it up, I began chanting.
The symbols glowed faintly.
The air shifted.
The shadows let out a sharp, unnatural scream and lunged toward us.
Haroku moved fast—dodging, countering, keeping them away without causing damage to the surroundings.
We couldn't afford to destroy the place.
Not yet.
---
The fight was chaotic.
Every movement unpredictable.
They weren't bound by rules.
Not by physics.
Not by logic.
---
But they weren't invincible.
As my chanting grew stronger, the glow from the page intensified.
The shadows began to weaken.
Their forms flickered… unstable.
"Now!" I shouted.
We moved together.
Retreating quickly—
And sealing the area using a legendary paper seal.
The moment it activated—
Everything went still.
---
3:48 AM.
We stepped outside the school.
Exhausted.
Drained.
The night felt… normal again.
Too normal.
As if nothing had happened.
---
Back in the house, we immediately called the principal.
As we explained everything, his silence on the other end grew heavier.
Shock.
Fear.
Disbelief.
All of it.
---
I ended the call and leaned back.
"Haroku," I said, rubbing my eyes, "you stay here."
He looked at me. "Why?"
"My papers are finished," I replied. "I need more. I'll come back in the morning."
He nodded slowly. "Alright… be careful."
---
I stepped outside again.
The night air was cold.
Still.
But this time…
It didn't feel empty.
---
As I walked away from the house—
I couldn't shake the feeling.
That something…
Was watching me.