Mia and Nefera were waiting for him by the far wall, their presence immediately grounding him. Mia was leaning casually against the window, her red hair catching the light like living flame. Nefera stood beside her, regal as ever, her golden eyes narrowing as she caught sight of his tense expression.

“Took you long enough,” Mia quipped, flipping a dagger casually between her fingers. “What’d you do, fall in?”

Ethan sighed, ignoring her jab. “We need to talk later,” he muttered.

Nefera’s eyes sharpened. “What happened?”

“Later,” he insisted, glancing around at the students milling about. “Not here.”

Mia arched a brow. “So mysterious,” she said teasingly. “You should get a trench coat for all the brooding.”

Ethan managed a faint smirk despite himself. “You’re hilarious.”

“Thank you. I try.”

---

The professor droned on about dimensional physics, his voice blending into the background noise of Ethan’s thoughts. He couldn’t shake the figure’s warning: Something ancient and powerful is coming.

Beside him, Mia doodled elaborate stick-figure battle scenes in her notebook, complete with explosions and captions like Nefera saves the day again.

“Really?” Ethan whispered, glancing at her drawing.

Mia grinned. “Hey, I’m just documenting our heroic adventures.”

Nefera, ever composed, took meticulous notes. Her pen moved gracefully across the page, though Ethan noticed her eyes flicking toward him every few moments, watchful.

Suddenly, the lights flickered. The overhead bulbs buzzed and dimmed before returning to their usual glow. A collective murmur rippled through the classroom.

Ethan’s shadows stirred at his feet, sensing the disturbance. He exchanged a glance with Nefera, whose aura shimmered faintly, ready to react.

“You feel that?” Ethan whispered.

Nefera nodded subtly. “Something’s wrong.”

Mia leaned in. “Is it just me, or did the temperature drop by like ten degrees?”

Before Ethan could respond, the professor’s voice faltered. His eyes flicked toward the back wall, where faint etchings glowed with dark energy—symbols that hadn’t been there moments ago.

Ethan’s pulse quickened. “We need to check that out.”

---

They slipped out of the lecture hall unnoticed, weaving through the campus until they reached an abandoned courtyard. The air was thick with tension, the shadows unnaturally restless.

“There,” Nefera said, pointing to a faint, pulsing rift in the air—a tear between realms.

Ethan’s shadows surged protectively around him. “We need to close it.”

“Or,” Mia said, spinning her dagger, “we could just wait and see what comes out. Maybe it’s friendly.”

The rift pulsed violently, and a low, guttural snarl echoed from within.

“Friendly,” Ethan deadpanned, “definitely not.”

The portal trembled, and creatures burst forth—twisted forms with jagged limbs and eyes that gleamed with malevolence.

“Lovely,” Mia muttered. “Let’s dance.”

She lunged forward, a blur of motion as her dagger found its mark. Nefera’s golden aura flared as she unleashed blasts of radiant energy, forcing the creatures back.

Ethan clenched his fists, shadows swirling around him like living armor. He focused on the rift, willing it to close, but the energy fought back.

“We can’t hold this forever!” Nefera shouted, blasting another creature into ash.

Ethan gritted his teeth. Come on, focus. His shadows writhed, wrapping around the rift like chains. With a final surge of effort, he yanked it shut. The creatures dissolved into smoke, leaving only silence in their wake.

---

As the dust settled, the air shimmered once more. The figure from the washroom reappeared, hovering above the courtyard.

“You again,” Ethan said, his voice hard.

The figure’s gaze was unreadable. “I warned you, Ethan Cross. This is just the beginning.”

“What do you mean?” Nefera demanded, her aura still flickering.

The figure’s tone was grave. “The Awakening has begun. And you’re at the center of it.”

Ethan’s shadows coiled protectively. “Why me?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” the figure said ominously. “But be warned—those who come for you won’t show mercy.”

Before they could ask more, the figure dissolved into smoke, leaving the trio alone.

---

Mia sheathed her dagger, exhaling sharply. “Well, that was fun.”

Nefera frowned. “The Awakening... I’ve heard that term before. It’s bad. Very bad.”

Ethan’s jaw clenched. “Then we need to be ready.”

Mia grinned despite the tension. “Guess school just got a whole lot more interesting.”

As they stood in the fading light, one thing was clear—this was only the beginning, and whatever was coming, they would face it together.

In a dimly lit room, shadows danced across the walls as a figure leaned forward in his chair, voice low and menacing.

“It’s just begins sir,” he said.

From the other side of the darkness, a voice crackled through. “And what about the Core?”

“We still can’t retrieve it,” the figure admitted grimly. “He’s already controlling more of the Shard’s power.”

A pause, thick with tension. Then the voice commanded coldly, “Retrieve it. Before he becomes invincible... and immortal.”

---

To Be Continued...