POV: Liyn
I gently stroked her soft hair, then wiped the sweat from her forehead several times with the handkerchief I had brought. To be honest, seeing her in this condition really worried me.
"What really happened? Was he attacked? Or... is Senpai just exhausted? He hasn't slept all night because of me," I muttered to myself. Those thoughts kept making me feel guilty.
"Again and again, I make mistakes... and now, I'm dragging others into the problems I created myself."
"How many foolish things have I done?"
"Failing to achieve my goals, revealing my mother's will to someone I've only known for a week... and now, dragging others into danger."
Those thoughts kept swirling in my head, like an endless vortex. I was afraid... I thought I was going to get depressed again.
The monster will come in the silence. This loneliness only highlights the shadows of my failures.
I've been in this position for almost an hour now. The atmosphere in this room feels suffocating. Or... maybe I'm just too scared?
While stroking his hair, I gently called his name, trying to wake him up.
"Senpai... Leith-senpai..."
No response.
Suddenly, some books near the window fell. Reflexively, I turned toward the sound. But at that exact moment, I felt my thigh get wet.
Wet? Could it be that senpai is sweating heavily?
I took a handkerchief and began wiping his back... but I was shocked to find blood soaking the cloth.
"Senpai?! Hey! Wake up! Please...!"
I panicked. This... this is really strange. For nearly an hour, he had just been lying in my lap. There was no one else in the room. Even before he fainted, I didn't see any wounds on his body.
In the midst of my panic, he suddenly woke up—breathing heavily, his face pale, his body looking extremely tired.
"Senpai... Senpai, are you okay?"
But he couldn't even respond. His breathing was labored, his body limp.
Without thinking twice, I grabbed antiseptic, cotton, and bandages from my bag. Originally, I had brought those items to treat my own wounds. But now... the situation was far more urgent than I had anticipated.
I cleaned and bandaged his wound slowly, hoping this small act... at least might ease his pain a little.
My hands trembled as I wiped away the remaining blood still clinging to the wound. The wound... was odd. Not like a typical cut. As if it came from within, not from an external attack. But how could that be? No sharp objects, no sound of impact... just silence and... blood.
I hugged his body tightly—trying to warm him, trying to convince myself that everything would be okay. But my heart didn't fully believe it.
Something was wrong.
Why had it turned into nighttime? I looked at the clock, which showed 11:59 PM. And I could feel it… in every sudden chill in the air. In the small tremors in my stomach. In the way the light danced oddly on the floor.
I looked up.
The ceiling of the room seemed… pulsating? No, maybe it was just the effect of fatigue and tension. But the feeling wouldn't go away.
"Senpai… hold on…" I whispered, unsure if it was for him or myself.
Then—
A voice. Faint.
Like a breath… or a whisper pulled from behind the curtain of reality.
"…Liynnn…"
I froze.
That voice wasn't mine. It wasn't Leith's. And… it wasn't coming from this room. But it was clear. As if it were coming from… behind the wall.
I slowly released my embrace from Senpai's body and stood up. I turned toward the old wall facing the window. There was nothing there, just a small bookshelf and the shadow of a chair.
But the voice returned.
Clearer. Deeper.
"…Liiiynnnn… come here…"
I took a step back.
My breath quickened.
My lips trembled as I glanced at Senpai, who was still half-conscious.
"What is that…?"
Was I hallucinating? Or—
Suddenly, the window creaked softly. A cold wind slipped in, carrying an unfamiliar scent. Metal... and wet earth.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a shadow—fast and shapeless, darting past the window.
I jolted.
There was something out there.
And it… was watching us.
POV: Leith
My consciousness slowly returned, like rising from the dark, heavy depths of the sea. My body felt cold, as if being pulled by something from within. But what I felt most... was the piercing pain in my back.
I opened my eyes, my vision still blurry. But faintly, I saw a figure beside me—Liyn. She sat stiffly, her face pale, staring out the window with obvious fear. The air around us was so cold and heavy, like holding one's breath in a closed room.
I tried to get up, relying on my hands to support my body. The wound on my back seemed to scream in pain, but I had to stand. I had to protect her.
"Liyn…" my voice was faint, barely audible even to myself.
She startled. Upon seeing me awake, she quickly approached and supported my body with swiftness.
"Senpai, you don't have to push yourself," she said anxiously, her eyes filled with concern.
I nodded weakly. But I still stood up straight, standing beside her. My gaze swept across the room—nothing had changed visibly, but the atmosphere... was vastly different. As if something was lurking behind those walls. This atmosphere was the same as in that dream.
"I'm sorry, Liyn… for causing you trouble," I said, holding back the pain that was spreading. "But we have to get out of here. Now."
Liyn looked hesitant. Her eyes glanced toward the window, then back at me.
"Outside just now… there was something," she whispered. "I… I don't know what it was. But it wasn't human."
My heart raced. Suddenly, my long-buried instincts resurfaced.
I grabbed Liyn's arm, holding it tightly.
"We can't stay here. Whatever it is, I think… this isn't the first time it's come."
Suddenly—a creaking sound came from the bookshelf. The sound of old wood cracking. A sound that shouldn't be heard in an empty room.
I pulled Liyn back, my body leaning against hers, nearly losing my balance. But my eyes stared straight at the source of the sound.
The bookshelf… was moving.
One by one, books fell to the floor.
And from the dark gap behind the bookshelf, something peered out. Two dim lights like eyes, floating in the midst of the thick shadow. Unblinking. Unmoving. But it felt like it was watching.
Liyn held her breath. Her hands gripped my sleeve tightly.
"Senpai…" she whispered softly. "What is that?"
I couldn't answer.
But one thing was certain—
We had to get out now, or we'd never get out.
I took a deep breath—trying to suppress the pain spreading from my back.
Those eyes… were still there. Staring from behind the dark crack, expressionless, unblinking. Not human eyes. More like a dim ember held back by a layer of mist.
I didn't know what it was. But I knew one thing: we couldn't stay still.
"Liyn… we have to get out now," I whispered, gripping her wrist tightly.
She nodded slowly, though her eyes remained fixed on the figure. Her hands were cold. Shaking.
The first step felt like breaking the chains of fear. I moved quickly, pulling Liyn toward the door. Every movement made the wound on my back feel like it was being sliced open again, but I couldn't care. Not now.
Suddenly—
The bookshelf flew off the wall.
Not just falling—slammed across the room with unimaginable force.
The sound of wood shattering, dust flying.
From behind the shadows, the creature emerged.
Tall. Muscular. Long hair down to its ankles with a psychotic gaze ready to pounce. But its eyes… those two dim points of light continued to watch. And now, moving toward us.
Liyn let out a small scream. I quickly covered her with my arm and pushed her forward.
"Run! Don't look back!"
We burst through the door, forcing it open. The air from the hallway greeted us—warm and real, as if returning us to the world we should be in.
When we looked back…
Everything had returned to normal.
Sunlight streamed gently through the window slats. The bookcases in the library stood neatly, no signs of damage. No shadows. No blood. No creature.
The atmosphere from before… as if it had never happened.
A few minutes later, the soft chiming of the clock tower in the center of the academy could be heard.
Noon.
Liyn and I could only stare at each other, silent in the now bright and peaceful hallway.
Our breaths were still heavy. Our bodies still trembled. But our minds… were busy trying to process what we had just experienced.