The room was still and tense, the air thick with the scent of dust and sweat. Hiroki stood frozen, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He could still feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of what just happened. Takeshi, his new and mysterious classmate, stood a few feet away, his expression calm and composed despite the chaos they had just caused.

The popular girl from Hiroki’s class was still standing in the doorway, eyes wide with shock. Her phone trembled in her hand, the screen glowing as if she was on the verge of recording. Hiroki’s heart sank. Of all people, it just had to be her.

Arkan’s voice slithered into his mind. “This is bad, kid. You need to do something before she spills the beans.”

Hiroki’s grip tightened into a fist. He couldn’t let her talk. Without thinking, he reached out with his newly discovered powers, focusing on the girl’s mind. He’d seen Arkan do it before—manipulate emotions, twist memories. Surely, he could do it too. He just had to make her forget.

For a moment, her eyes glazed over, her body swaying slightly as if she were about to fall asleep. Hiroki thought he had succeeded. But then, her gaze sharpened, her eyes clearing with a sudden intensity that sent a chill down his spine.

What the—?

The girl gasped, stumbling backward as if she had been hit by a wave of nausea. She clutched her head, looking around wildly. But instead of calming down, her panic seemed to grow. She wasn’t forgetting. If anything, she looked more terrified than ever.

“It’s not working,” Hiroki muttered under his breath, glancing at Takeshi. “Why isn’t it working?”

Takeshi sighed, stepping forward to kneel beside the girl as she collapsed against the wall, her breathing shallow and ragged. “That trick won’t work on her,” he said, his voice calm and almost... impressed. “She’s bonded to a Wraith.”

“What?” Hiroki blinked, his mind struggling to process the information. “But she’s just—”

“Just a student?” Takeshi cut him off, shaking his head. “Apparently not anymore.”

The girl’s body went limp, her eyes rolling back into her head as she lost consciousness. Takeshi gently checked her pulse, nodding to himself. “She’ll be fine. For now.”

Arkan’s voice piped up in Hiroki’s mind, dripping with curiosity. “Interesting. Didn’t see that coming. Guess you’re not the only one with a secret, huh?”

Hiroki ignored Arkan’s taunt, turning his attention back to Takeshi. “What the hell do you mean she’s bonded to a Wraith? I thought only people like—” he gestured vaguely to himself, “—could do that.”

Takeshi stood up, brushing off his pants with that infuriating calm demeanor of his. “Apparently, she’s stronger than she looks. During the attack yesterday, one of those rogue Wraiths must have latched onto her. She was the only one in that group who had the potential to bond.”

“So that’s why the Wraiths targeted them?” Hiroki asked, trying to piece it together. “They were after her all along?”

“Seems that way,” Takeshi replied, his gaze drifting back to the unconscious girl. “The others were just collateral. Wraiths are drawn to strong emotions, and it looks like hers were potent enough to attract more than one.”

“Yeah, or maybe the Wraiths just wanted to shut them up,” Hiroki quipped, trying to lighten the mood. “I mean, they were assholes.”

Takeshi didn’t even crack a smile. “This isn’t a joke, Hiroki,” he said, his tone flat. “If she’s already bonded with a Wraith, it’s only a matter of time before others start noticing. And if the Crimson Hand finds out…” He didn’t finish the sentence, but the warning was clear.

Hiroki swallowed hard, the reality of the situation sinking in. The girl’s unconscious form was a stark reminder of just how quickly things could spiral out of control. “So, what do we do now?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

Takeshi considered him for a moment, then nodded to the door. “We can’t do anything here. She’ll wake up in a few minutes, and when she does, she’ll still remember everything. You’re lucky she passed out before she could start asking too many questions.”

Arkan let out a low, amused chuckle in Hiroki’s mind. “Looks like your charming personality just isn’t enough to get you out of trouble this time, kid.”

Ignoring Arkan, Hiroki turned back to Takeshi. “So, what do we do when she wakes up? If she remembers everything...”

“Then we’re going to have to make sure she keeps her mouth shut,” Takeshi said bluntly. “Or else this little secret of yours—and hers—is going to become a lot more public than either of us would like.”

The weight of Takeshi’s words hung heavy in the air. Hiroki didn’t like it, but he knew Takeshi was right. They were both caught up in something bigger than they understood, and now, it wasn’t just his life on the line—it was hers too.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Fine,” Hiroki muttered, running a hand through his hair. “But if we’re going to do this, we need to do it right. I don’t want her getting hurt because of me.”

Takeshi’s eyes flickered with something almost like respect. “Agreed. But if we’re going to keep her safe, we’ll need to move fast. The Crimson Hand won’t stay out of this for long.”

With that, the two of them lifted the girl, trying to figure out their next move. For Hiroki, one thing was becoming increasingly clear: the normal life he’d been clinging to was slipping further and further out of reach.

The next morning, the tension from the previous day still hung over Hiroki like a dark cloud. The whispers and laughter that usually filled the hallways seemed muted, but only to him. He felt like he was walking through water, everything slowed down, muffled, as if the world was keeping him at arm’s length.

They must know, he thought. She’s probably told everyone. He kept his head down, avoiding eye contact, half-expecting someone to confront him, to demand answers about the fight in the office. But to his surprise, the day went on as usual. No one said a thing. No accusations. No angry teachers or concerned classmates.

That was, until he was halfway through the day, making his way to his next class.

“Hiroki.”

He froze. He recognized the voice instantly. Turning slowly, he found her standing there in the corridor, just beyond the reach of the sunlight streaming through the windows. The same girl he had tried—and failed—to manipulate yesterday. She was alone, no friends surrounding her for once. Her usual confidence seemed slightly shaken, but there was still a determined glint in her eyes.

“What do you want?” Hiroki asked, his tone more defensive than he intended.

“What do I want?” She scoffed, stepping closer. “I want to know what the hell happened yesterday. I’m not stupid, Hiroki. You and that new kid—Takeshi—you were doing... something. And then...” She trailed off, her expression twisting with confusion. “I don’t know what you did to me, but it didn’t work.”

Hiroki’s pulse quickened, a cold sweat forming at the base of his neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he muttered, trying to sidestep her.

But she wasn’t having it. She stepped into his path, blocking him from moving forward. “No. You don’t get to brush this off. I felt... something. I don’t know how to explain it, but you tried to mess with my head, didn’t you? What are you hiding?”

“I’m not hiding anything,” Hiroki shot back, his voice low. But even as he said it, he could feel the lie hanging between them. She could too. Her eyes narrowed, her fists clenching at her sides.

“I can tell you’re different, Hiroki,” she said, her voice softer now, almost... hurt. “You’ve always been different, but now... there’s something else. Something I can’t explain.”

Hiroki’s breath hitched. He wanted to lash out, to push her away with words that would hurt enough to make her leave him alone. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The way she was looking at him—it reminded him of something, something just out of reach.

“Just leave it alone,” he said, his voice cracking slightly. “You don’t want to get involved in this.”

But she grabbed his arm before he could turn away. The moment her fingers wrapped around his wrist, a strange sensation washed over him—like a cold wave crashing against his chest. It was an overwhelming flood of emotions that he couldn’t quite place, a mix of nostalgia, pain, and... loss.

For a moment, Hiroki couldn’t breathe. His heart felt like it was being squeezed, an unbearable ache that made his knees go weak. He wanted to cry, to scream, to fall apart right there in the hallway. But he couldn’t understand why. It was like his body was reacting to something his mind had tried so badly to forget.

Arkan’s voice slipped into his mind, a rare note of concern coloring his usual sarcasm. “Kid, what’s wrong? Your heart’s racing like crazy.”

Hiroki couldn’t answer. He was too busy trying to hold himself together. The girl’s grip tightened, and for a split second, he thought he saw something in her eyes—recognition, as if she knew exactly what he was feeling.

“You... we... I...” Hiroki stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence. He didn’t even know what he was trying to say. All he knew was that something about her touch, her presence, was unraveling him from the inside.

“Let go,” he finally managed to whisper, his voice shaky. When she hesitated, he shoved her away with more force than he intended. She stumbled back, her eyes wide with a mix of shock and hurt.

Without another word, Hiroki turned on his heel and stormed away, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and pain. He could feel her eyes on his back, could almost hear the questions she was too stunned to voice. But he didn’t stop. He couldn’t.

As he rounded the corner and found himself alone again, he leaned against the wall, gasping for air. His chest still felt tight, like there was a weight pressing down on it.

“What the hell was that?” Hiroki hissed, gripping his hair in frustration.

Arkan was silent for a moment, something rare for the usually chatty Wraith. Then, in a low, almost thoughtful tone, he said, “It’s not just her, is it? It’s you. There’s something... familiar about her, isn’t there?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Hiroki muttered, though he could feel his hands trembling and he knew he was lying.

“Oh, come on, kid,” Arkan pressed. “I’m literally inside your head. I can feel what you’re feeling. When she touched you, it was like something broke loose inside you. Like a dam bursting.”

Hiroki squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out Arkan’s words. But he couldn’t shake the lingering feeling of her touch, the way it made him feel like he was about to fall apart. It was more than just confusion. It was like an old wound had been ripped open.

“I get that you don’t want to tell me about it” Arkan continued, his tone softer now, almost... sympathetic. “You must have known her before. Yet i can’t find much about her in your memories, even though I can see everything, even the embarrassing stuff, but If i didn’t know any better I’d say you’ve never met that girl in your life from what I can perceive. However, your heart is saying something very different man”

Hiroki shook his head, trying to clear the fog of emotions clouding his mind. “That’s impossible,” he whispered. “I’ve never...”

But the words died in his throat. Because somewhere, in the back of his mind, in the parts of his memories he tried too hard not to access, there was a nagging feeling that maybe, just maybe, Arkan was right. But it didn’t matter. It was a stupid thing for him to get hung up about. They were kids after all. And then Arkan saw everything and he understood.