Even in the silence, something stirred.
The classroom buzzed with idle chatter, students laughing, flipping through notes, and pretending to pay attention as Mr. Carver scribbled formulas on the board.
But Jerry Tenyson sat still.
Unmoving.
Unblinking.
It was the third time he'd blacked out since the mugging—only for a few seconds, maybe—but each time, it felt like drowning in a void with no bottom. And worse... every time he came back, something inside him felt less human.
A flicker of shadow darted across his desk. He flinched. It was gone.
"Jerry?" someone whispered.
He looked up to see her.
Emily Xyros.
The new transfer. Elegant, composed... and for some reason, seated next to him.
Her soft brown eyes studied him—not with fear, like the others—but with a strange curiosity. Like she could see through him.
"You okay?" she asked, genuine concern lacing her voice.
Jerry blinked, struggling to steady his breathing. "Yeah. Just... tired."
Emily smiled faintly. "Liar."
He opened his mouth to reply, but then—
Pain.
White-hot and sharp, shooting down his spine like electricity. His vision doubled, then narrowed. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
The Abyss Core was awakening again.
After school, Jerry nearly collapsed behind the old gym building. His breath came ragged. His veins felt like they were pulsing with ice and fire all at once.
He gripped the brick wall for balance as whispers surged in his mind. Garbled voices. Names. Echoes.
"You should've let them die."
"This power was never meant for a child."
"Feed... or fade."
He sank to the ground. His hand—shifting. Black veins streaked up his wrist like ink in water. Claws. Only for a moment, then gone again.
His heart pounded.
What was happening to him?
"Jerry?"
He looked up. Emily stood there again, arms crossed.
"You've been acting like a ghost all week," she said, stepping closer. "And you're bleeding shadow from your hands."
Jerry's eyes widened.
"You... you can see it?"
"Of course. My father was head of the Abyss Core project. I know what it does to people."
Jerry stared at her, stunned.
Emily crouched in front of him, voice softer now. "I also know what happens if you lose control."
Later that night, Jerry sat on the rooftop of his apartment building, city lights flickering below. He wasn't alone.
Emily sat beside him, legs dangling over the edge. She was calm, like the chaos of his world didn't scare her.
"Why are you helping me?" he asked.
Emily looked at him, her voice barely a whisper. "Because I think you're the only one who can stop what's coming."
(To be continued...)