As I stepped into my room, my breath caught in my throat. There she was—perched on the edge of the wooden bed like she owned the place, legs crossed, black shorts hugging her figure, and a red top that practically demanded attention. She wasn’t just sitting. She was commanding the space, casually painting her nails as if this was the most natural thing in the world.

And then I saw her face. My chest tightened. It was her. The same girl who had dropped me off at the academy just hours ago. What—two, maybe three? Now, here she was, as if this was just some everyday occurrence. A dream? Or was it a nightmare?

Her gaze flicked toward me, her lips curving into a sly smile. “Well, look who finally made it—Mr. Meany,” she teased, pausing mid-stroke with the nail polish, like she was in the middle of some casual conversation.

I blinked, trying to catch up. “Why are you here?”

“Why not?” she shrugged, her voice laced with light amusement. “We’re roommates, after all.”

“Wait—what? Roommates?” I stammered, the word feeling foreign on my tongue. “Then… you knew?”

“Yeah, I knew.” She giggled softly, like I was the last person to get the joke. “I knew before you even touched down in Japan. Remember when I dropped you off at the entrance?I tried to tell you then. But, you just had to act all cool.”

“How?” I ran a hand through my hair, still trying to wrap my head around it. “How did you know all this?”

She sighed and leaned back, stretching out on the bed like it was the most comfortable thing in the world. “Two months ago. I arrived at the academy, and when I got to the room, there was this note waiting for me. It said, ‘Your roommate will arrive in two months.’ And then, as if someone was playing fortune teller, it described you perfectly—5'11", slim build, always in that plain red t-shirt and black lower with white stripes down the sides. Fair skin, messy black hair like you just rolled out of bed, and those black eyes that make it seem like you’re always thinking about ten things at once. Oh, and the way you stand—arms crossed, like you’re too cool for this world. And that thing you do where you chew the inside of your cheek when you're thinking… like right now. Except for the height, you’re pretty normal.”

I froze. Her words spun in my head like an endless loop. “Two months ago…?”

“That’s right,” she said with a smirk, leaning up again. “Two whole months. And now, here you are. Pretty weird, right?”

I couldn’t process it. Two days ago, my life was something else entirely. Two days ago, I didn’t even know this academy existed. How could someone know everything about me months in advance?

She must’ve sensed my brain short-circuiting because she laughed softly. “Hey, relax. I’m not here to freak you out. Why don’t you get some rest? You look exhausted. We’ll explore the academy later, and I’ll fill you in on everything.”

Her words broke through my haze, and exhaustion suddenly hit me like a tidal wave. The long journey, the endless confusion, the creeping sense that nothing was as it seemed—it all weighed on me. Rest didn’t seem like such a bad idea after all.

I leaned back on the bed, and the comfort was unreal. It felt like I was sinking into another dimension, one where sleep was all that mattered. My eyes grew heavy, and I was just about to drift into sleep’s embrace when—

“Hey, at least take a shower!” she shouted, her voice cutting through the fog like a witch casting a spell.

“I just took a shower two days ago. C’mon,” I mumbled, trying to keep my voice steady despite the exhaustion. “And I don’t even have a change of clothes anyway.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” she shot back, glancing at my red laptop bag. “But at least take a shower after a long journey! Think about all the sweat! Damn it!”

“Whatever. I don’t give a damn. Just let me sleep,” I grumbled, my voice barely audible as sleep began to pull me under.

She let out an exaggerated sigh. “Do whatever you want,” she muttered, still louder than necessary.

I crashed for what felt like an eternity but was probably only an hour before her voice pierced my nap.

“Wake up, damn it! It’s 7 PM, and if we don’t leave now, we won’t be back by 10!”

Her shouting yanked me out of sleep. I groaned, stretching my arms and yawning, still feeling the weight of exhaustion in my bones.

“Alright, let’s go,” I said, forcing myself upright.

“Seriously? At least wash your face, damn it!” she said, just as loud as ever.

“No need. Let’s just go,” I replied, waving her off.

“Fine, whatever,” she sighed, exasperated as usual.

We opened the door, and the corridor was pitch dark. The only light came from our phones as we used the flashlights to guide our way. Of course, I had a million questions swirling in my head, but before I could ask any of them—

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“So, are you finally going to tell me your name, Mr. Mystery Complainer?” she broke through my thoughts.

“Well, it’s not polite to ask someone’s name without giving yours first,” I shot back.

“Oh, so you do know about politeness,” she replied, her tone playful. “It’s Krishika, by the way.”

“Vyom,” I said, glancing at her. “Nice to meet you, Krishika.”

We exchanged names as we continued walking through the dark corridor, with only our phone lights cutting through the shadows. As we reached a staircase, I was about to head down when—

“We don’t go that way,” she called out from behind. Turning left, she added, “We’re heading underground, and that’s not the right path.”

“Underground?” I asked, confused.

“Yeah, the real academy is underground. All the classes, facilities, lights—everything you’ll need. This upper part is just where students rest at night. Oh, and according to the rules, you’re not allowed to roam here after hours without permission from a teacher. Hence, no lights,” she explained.

“Alright, that makes sense, but no lights at all seems a bit extreme,” I muttered.

“It is what it is. We can’t change it,” she said with a shrug.

“Whatever, let’s keep going.”

As we walked, the path started sloping downward, and soon enough, the darkness gave way to bright lights overhead. The walls were stark white, and the floor was metallic, with rod lights and vents running along the ceiling. Ahead of us was a transparent sliding door, revealing a bustling scene on the other side. Students were scattered around, some with teachers assisting them, while others got scolded for causing trouble.

This lame, haunted house vibe just a few steps ago was now turning into a real academy.

“See there?” Krishika pointed at a biometric machine near the entrance. “You’ll need to scan your fingerprint and ID to get through. Don’t worry, your ID arrived while you were passed out earlier.”

“Oh, thanks. So, are we going in?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

“Yeah, that’s the whole reason we came down here, you moron,” she teased, smirking.

I chose to ignore her jab this time—no point in wasting energy. All I really wanted was to see where my classes were. Everything else? Didn’t matter much to me at the moment.

She led the way, pointing things out as she explained each area. I learned where my classes would be held and where we’d go for computer practicals. The space was massive—enormous classrooms, and the computer labs? I couldn’t even find words to describe how huge they were. Just looking at the machines, I could tell they were monsters, each one a beast of a machine, probably not far off from a quantum computer. They even had a 3D-projection system that helped students visualize computer architecture in ways I’d never seen before.

She also showed me the essentials—washrooms, the canteen. By the time we reached the canteen, our legs were about to give out from all the walking. We decided to rest there for a bit, sitting at one of the tables.

While we rested, she told me that most of the students here had arrived two months ago, with a few showing up a month later. I was the only one who arrived this late, meaning I had zero time to adjust. I’d just have to jump in, because classes for us first-years started tomorrow.

First year. Four years. The weight of it hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn’t ready for that. Tears welled up in my eyes, but before I could blink them away, I felt a gentle pat on my shoulder.

Surprisingly, her touch was soft—almost comforting. Maybe witches could be gentle after all.

We lost track of time, engrossed in everything around us. The buzz of activity had gradually faded, leaving only a handful of students scattered around. When we finally checked the time, it was already 9:45 PM. Panic kicked in, and we rushed back to our room, barely making it in the nick of time—9:57 PM, to be exact.

As soon as the clock struck 10, the doors automatically locked with a mechanical hum that sent shivers down my spine.

“Yup,” she said, sounding almost too calm. “If we hadn’t made it, we’d be stuck wherever we were, with the giant ACs dropping the temperature down to 5 or 10 degrees Celsius.”

“Well, that’s brutal,” I muttered, recalling the warnings about the academy’s harsh rules. “So that’s what he meant by ‘every ounce of determination.’”

She smirked, but didn’t say anything.

“We should get some sleep if we want to be up by 4 for classes,” she said, flipping off the lights. Exhaustion hit me like a wave again, and I collapsed onto the bed.

Once more, the comfort of the mattress was too tempting to resist. She settled into the bed beside mine, at a respectful distance, and I let sleep pull me under—grateful, at least, for the brief reprieve before the madness of tomorrow began.

A few hours later, I woke up to the unsettling sensation of someone’s sharp stare cutting through the silence. Slowly, things began coming into focus, though the harsh lights above hit my eyes like a blade. Squinting, I managed to adjust, and that’s when I saw her—Krishika, standing at the foot of my bed.

She was holding a knife.

Its blade glinted menacingly in the light, pointed downward. At first, I thought it was just another one of her weird jokes, maybe an intense way of preparing breakfast. But then I saw her face—tears streaming down her cheeks, her chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. In her other hand, she clutched a crumpled letter close to her chest, like it was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality.

Her expression was a storm of anger and despair, completely consuming her features. This wasn’t a prank. Something was deeply, horribly wrong.

"You—You damn bastard!" Krishika’s voice trembled as the words escaped her lips. She bit down hard, almost like she was trying to keep herself from losing control. But then, with a shaky breath, she continued. "How could you... How could you do this?" Her voice cracked, repeating the words as if they were the only thing keeping her from breaking entirely.

"What—what's wrong, Krishika?" I managed to ask, still half-lying down, my body frozen in place. My hands gripped the edge of the bed, knuckles white, as if holding on for dear life.

Her growl cut through the air. "What happened?" She paused, chest heaving, and then her cries tore through the room, raw and desperate. "Why? Why?!"

Her voice fractured into pieces, tears streaming down her face like a relentless storm. "Why did you kill my twin sister?" The accusation hit like a slap, her scream vibrating through the walls, each word heavier than the last.

Twin sister...

My mind went blank for a moment, disbelief sinking in. “Are you...”