Miyu couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The rage, the sudden outburst of emotion—it didn't make sense. She tried to focus on the lesson, but her thoughts kept drifting. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw that second moon, and every time she saw it, a rush of panic surged through her chest.
It wasn't just a bad dream. It wasn't just a feeling. Something had changed.
And she wasn't the only one who knew it.
The bell rang, snapping Miyu back to reality. The students gathered their things, chatting excitedly about whatever they'd planned for the rest of the day. But Miyu wasn't paying attention to any of them. She was looking for him.
Eiji.
He hadn't said much that morning, but the way his red eye gleamed at her like he knew everything—that unsettled her. Every time their paths crossed, it was like he was trying to tell her something without saying it outright.
Miyu didn't understand. But there was no denying that something about him felt off.
She grabbed her bag and walked to the door, eyes scanning the hallways. The buzz of chatter filled the air, but she was looking for a face among the crowd. Her heart thudded against her ribs when she saw him standing by the window at the end of the hall, staring out at the schoolyard.
There was a strange pull toward him, like an invisible thread tugging her closer. Without thinking, she started walking toward him.
As she neared, Eiji didn't turn around. He didn't acknowledge her presence at all. It was as if he was waiting for her to approach him, and Miyu didn't know whether to feel comforted or disturbed by that.
When she was just a few feet away, Eiji spoke, his voice soft and distant. "You're curious about me, aren't you?"
Miyu froze. Her heart skipped a beat. She had been trying to figure him out all morning, but to hear him say it so plainly… it was unsettling.
"Why are you here?" she asked, the question slipping from her lips before she could stop it. She didn't even know what she meant by it. Why was he at this school? Why was he following her? Or maybe she should have asked: What are you?
Eiji finally turned to face her, and there it was again—the sharp contrast of his eyes. One red, glowing faintly like a dying ember. The other black, deep and dark like the depths of a shadow. For a split second, Miyu could have sworn the red eye flashed in recognition, almost like it was... alive.
"I'm here because you're awake," he said cryptically, tilting his head as if studying her. "You're not like everyone else. Not anymore."
Miyu's pulse quickened. "What do you mean? What's happening to me?"
For a moment, Eiji didn't answer. Instead, he stepped closer, his presence almost overwhelming. It was like the space between them shrank, and the air around them grew thicker.
"You don't remember, do you?" he murmured, his voice like a whisper, barely audible above the noise of the hallway. "You didn't know what you were until now."
Miyu's confusion deepened, but something in his words struck a chord inside her. A memory flickered at the edges of her mind—something dark, something ancient. She saw flashes of fire and shadows, but it was gone before she could grab onto it.
She stepped back, shaking her head. "I don't understand. What do you mean I'm awake?"
Eiji's lips quirked upward in the slightest of smiles. "That's just it. You've been asleep all this time. And now you're waking up. And you'll start to remember who you really are. What you really are."
His words hung in the air, thick with meaning. Before Miyu could respond, a sudden gust of wind blew through the hall, making her hair whip around her face. She glanced over her shoulder, but there was no open window. The wind didn't make sense.
When she turned back to Eiji, he was already gone.
Miyu blinked, feeling like she had missed something important. The hallway was back to normal. The other students were still buzzing with conversation, oblivious to the strange encounter she'd just had. But she could feel it—like there was a wall between her and them now, something that separated her from everyone else.
She shook her head, pushing the unease aside. Maybe she was just tired. Maybe she was overthinking it.
But then, just as she was about to leave, she heard a voice.
"Miyu."
She turned around and found herself face to face with Tomo, her childhood friend—now turned rival. His eyes were narrow, his expression unreadable as he looked her up and down. There was something in the way he held himself, a tension in the air that hadn't been there before.
"I've been looking for you," he said, his tone cool. "You okay? You're acting weird."
Miyu wasn't sure what to say. She felt like she was the one who was weird, not him. But the look in Tomo's eyes… it wasn't one of concern. It was more like he was trying to figure something out.
"I'm fine," Miyu replied, forcing a smile. "Just a bit tired."
Tomo studied her for a moment longer, his gaze sharp. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Miyu standing there, her thoughts swirling like a storm inside her.
What was going on? Why did everything feel so different?
And why was she starting to feel like the world around her wasn't what it seemed?