The day dragged on like a fog. Takeshi sat near the window again, his usual spot in class. But today, it felt different. The breeze was colder. The trees outside moved in ways they shouldn't. And the sky—it was too still.
"Hey," Rei whispered, leaning closer. "Did you feel that?"
Takeshi nodded. "Yeah. Like something watching us."
From behind them, Asami turned her head just slightly. Her eyes lingered on the window for a moment too long. Then she looked away.
Class went on. But words on the board meant nothing. The real lesson was happening behind the glass. There was a shimmer. A flicker. For just a second, Takeshi saw it.
Nehvarra.
The same twisted moon. The same jagged tower far in the back. And something new—a cloaked figure standing still where no figure should be.
Takeshi blinked, and it was gone.
When the bell rang, Rei grabbed his arm. "We need to talk. Now."
They rushed to the rooftop, away from curious ears.
"I stayed in Nehvarra longer than I should've," Rei said, pacing. "And I brought something back."
Takeshi looked at his friend's arm. A faint burn mark shaped like a rune shimmered under the sunlight.
"I saw it too," Takeshi said. "Through the window. Nehvarra. And a person... watching."
Rei stopped. "We've been crossing over too much. It's bleeding through."
Takeshi frowned. "Then what do we do?"
Rei hesitated. "We find the others. Those like us. Before they find us first."
That night, Takeshi stood near his window. The breeze was still there, carrying faint whispers.
He looked at the mirror.
It didn't blink back.
Then the room darkened—not from the night, but from a shadow crawling in through the window, slow and soundless.
Takeshi stepped back.
From the mirror, his reflection smiled.
[End of Chapter 33]