CHAPTER-22,The Strongest Fragment Has Arrived
The hallway remained silent long after the fragment disappeared.
Jay stood motionless in the center of the corridor, his eyes fixed on the empty space where the entity had vanished.
The cold air still lingered faintly around him.
"…Fragments of me," he whispered.
Even saying the words felt strange.
Wrong.
How could something like that exist?
How could parts of him be wandering outside his body… acting on their own?
Inside his mind, the shadow remained silent for several seconds.
As if allowing Jay to process the truth himself.
Finally, it spoke.
"You were never sealed normally."
Jay's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…What does that mean?"
The darkness around the shadow shifted faintly.
"When the seal was created… it broke you apart."
A pause.
"Your power. Your memories. Your instincts."
"…Your existence."
Jay felt his chest tighten slightly.
"So those things outside…"
"…are pieces of what I used to be."
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
And somehow—
That made it even heavier.
—
Jay slowly leaned against the wall behind him, running a hand through his hair.
His thoughts were spinning now.
If fragments of him were scattered outside…
Then how many existed?
How powerful were they?
And more importantly—
What would happen if they all returned?
—
"…What happens when I recover them?" Jay asked quietly.
The shadow looked directly at him.
"That depends."
Jay frowned.
"Depends on what?"
A pause.
Then—
"On which version of yourself becomes complete first."
—
Silence.
Heavy silence.
Jay's jaw tightened.
"…You keep talking like there's another me waiting to take over."
The shadow didn't deny it.
"Because there is."
—
Jay's heartbeat slowed.
Not from calmness—
But focus.
"Explain."
For the first time in a long while—
The shadow actually moved closer willingly.
"You are incomplete."
"You contain both restraint and destruction."
"Humanity and instinct."
A pause.
"But the fragments outside…"
Its glowing red eyes narrowed slightly.
"…carry the parts that were separated from you."
Jay's breathing became quieter.
"So if I absorb the wrong fragments…"
"You may lose yourself."
—
Those words echoed in his mind.
Lose yourself.
Not die.
Not disappear.
Something worse.
Become something else entirely.
—
Jay slowly closed his eyes.
"…Then I'll just have to stay in control."
The shadow stared at him silently.
"…If you can."
—
That answer irritated him.
Jay pushed himself off the wall and began walking again through the empty corridor.
His footsteps echoed faintly.
"You really enjoy making everything sound impossible."
The shadow's voice remained calm.
"Because underestimating this situation will kill you."
Jay didn't reply.
Because deep down—
He knew that was true.
—
Outside, the sky had already started darkening.
Clouds slowly covered the fading sunlight, casting long shadows across the school grounds.
Jay stepped outside the building and stopped for a moment.
The air felt colder than before.
And for some reason—
The silence around him felt unnatural.
—
Then—
A sound.
Very faint.
Like whispering.
—
Jay's eyes sharpened instantly.
He turned.
Nothing.
The empty schoolyard stretched around him quietly.
But the feeling remained.
Someone was watching.
Again.
—
"You feel it too," Jay said internally.
"Yes."
"…Another fragment?"
The shadow paused briefly.
"…No."
That single word made Jay's body tense immediately.
No?
Then what was it?
—
The whispering sound returned.
Closer this time.
But impossible to understand.
Like dozens of voices speaking at once.
—
Jay slowly clenched his fists.
The red glow faintly appeared in his eyes again.
"Show yourself."
The whispers stopped.
Complete silence followed.
Then—
CRACK.
—
A sharp sound echoed across the schoolyard.
Jay's eyes snapped toward the source.
One of the classroom windows on the third floor had shattered.
But there was nobody there.
—
Then another sound came.
CRACK.
Another window shattered.
Then another.
And another.
—
Within seconds—
Glass exploded from multiple classrooms at once.
—
Students in the distance screamed.
Teachers rushed outside in panic.
Chaos spread instantly.
—
Jay stood frozen for a moment.
Not because of fear—
But because he could feel it now.
A presence.
Massive.
Far stronger than the previous fragments.
—
The air pressure changed.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Almost suffocating.
—
And then—
The whispering returned.
Only this time—
He understood it.
—
"…Found…"
"…Found…"
"…Found you…"
—
Jay's pupils contracted.
The voice wasn't coming from one direction.
It was everywhere.
—
The shadow inside him spoke immediately.
"Run."
Jay's eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
"RUN."
—
For the first time—
There was urgency in the shadow's voice.
Real urgency.
—
But before Jay could move—
The pressure suddenly intensified.
—
BOOM.
—
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
Students screamed louder.
Several collapsed instantly from fear alone.
Teachers stared around in horror.
They couldn't understand what was happening.
But Jay could.
—
Something had arrived.
—
And then—
The whispering stopped completely.
—
A terrifying silence filled the schoolyard.
—
Jay slowly looked upward.
And his breathing stopped.
—
Above the school building—
Floating in the darkening sky—
Was a figure.
—
Unlike the others—
This one looked almost human.
—
Tall.
Completely covered in black markings that moved like living shadows across its skin.
Its eyes glowed deep crimson.
Cold.
Emotionless.
Ancient.
—
And the moment Jay saw those eyes—
Something inside him reacted violently.
—
Pain exploded inside his head.
—
Memories flashed uncontrollably.
Fire.
Screams.
Chains.
Blood.
A battlefield covered in destruction.
And standing in the center—
That same figure.
—
Jay staggered backward, gripping his head tightly.
"…Who… are you…?"
The figure looked down at him silently.
Then—
It smiled faintly.
—
And every instinct inside Jay screamed danger.
—
The entity slowly raised one hand.
Instantly—
Every remaining window in the school shattered at once.
—
BOOM!
—
Students screamed in terror.
Some fell to the ground crying.
Teachers shouted desperately for everyone to run.
Panic exploded everywhere.
—
But Jay couldn't move.
Because the figure's eyes never left him.
—
"…At last," it said softly.
Its voice wasn't distorted like the others.
It was calm.
Clear.
And infinitely more terrifying.
—
"…I found you."
—
Jay's heartbeat pounded violently now.
Not from fear alone—
But recognition.
Deep inside him—
Something remembered this being.
—
The shadow inside his mind appeared instantly.
For the first time—
Its expression had changed.
—
It looked serious.
Almost… alarmed.
—
"Jay," it said quietly.
"…Do not fight this one."
—
Jay's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Why?"
A pause.
Then—
"…Because this fragment…"
The shadow's red eyes darkened.
"…was the strongest part of you." 🔥👁️