The pounding on the door reached its peak. The wood groaned, splintering around the edges. A thin, dark liquid began to seep beneath the door, carrying with it a strange, nauseating smell.
"Ivan... let us in."
His eyes shifted toward the cat.
"They can't come in while I'm here."
Its voice remained steady.
It hadn't moved from its spot, yet its presence seemed to fill the room with an overwhelming pressure.
"As long as my shadow touches this floor, nothing behind that door can enter this room."
The cat turned its head slightly toward Ivan, its yellow eyes glowing.
"Stop trembling like a damned coward."
The pounding stopped.
Abruptly.
The silence that followed was worse than the noise.
Ivan held his breath, staring at the doorframe.
The dark liquid that had been leaking through the cracks slowly began to retreat.
A gentle scratching sound came from the other side of the door.
Not the violent pounding from before—
something softer.
"Ivan?"
It was his mother's voice again.
Perfectly normal.
"Ivan!! Are you alright?"
Her voice was completely clear now, stripped of every trace of the distortion it had carried moments before.
"I'm fine!"
He remained pressed against the wardrobe, his eyes darting between the door and the cat.
"I... I'm fine..."
"You sound upset. Do you need anything?"
The cat curled its tail around its neck.
"That's the real one. The boundary has shifted back."
"Then I'll leave a plate by the door. Come downstairs when you're ready. Don't be late for school."
His mother's footsteps gradually faded down the hallway.
Ivan remained sitting on the floor for a long time, his back still pressed against the wardrobe.
The morning sun still shone through the curtains.
His books were still on his desk.
The smell of eggs and toast drifted faintly beneath the door.
At last, Ivan stood on trembling legs.
He wiped his face with the back of his hand and slowly walked toward his desk.
As he drew closer, he noticed something he had never seen before.
The pages of his sketchbook were filled with drawings of the car accident from his dream.
Sarah's neck bent at that impossible angle.
Mark's limbs twisted like those of a broken puppet.
The black cat standing over them in the middle of the street.
Then he reached the final page.
It was a drawing of his own bedroom.
He was curled up in the corner beside the wardrobe, exactly as he had been sitting only moments ago.
The scene was drawn from above—
as though someone had been standing in the corner of the ceiling, watching him.
And in the drawing...
the cat wasn't sitting on the desk.
It was crouched directly behind him, its shadow stretching toward his neck like a long hand.
Ivan slowly turned his head.
It was still there.
Sitting quietly.
Its yellow eyes watching him.
The sketchbook slipped from his hands with a dull thud, sliding across the wooden floor until it struck the leg of his bed.
"What is this...?
" Is this some kind of joke?"
"And does any of this look like a joke to you?"
The cat replied calmly.
"I'm the one you'll need more than anyone in the future."
It jumped down from the desk, landing silently on the floor.
"None of this was a dream, Ivan."
Ivan shook his head violently, both hands gripping his hair.
"They were never your friends to begin with... Not anymore."
"What do you mean?
" Mark and Sarah... they're my best friends. We've known each other since we were kids. You can't just say—"
"I can say whatever I want."
The cat sat before him, its tail neatly wrapped around its neck.
"You never truly looked at what your friends became the moment they changed...did you?"
"Then... what have they become?"
"Shells."
"What?"
"Shells are the lowest rank of spirits، They're parasites، They make humans their vessels. Once they take hold of a body, the first thing they do is feed the host's mind with false dreams. Everything the person has ever wished for becomes real to them.
Then, at the height of their happiness, the dream turns into a nightmare, until all they can feel is fear, despair, sorrow, and the terror of being hunted. In those moments of weakness...possession becomes incredibly easy."
The cat stopped pacing and sat directly in front of Ivan.
Its yellow eyes reflected nothing except the terror on his face.
"They wanted you to die because your fear would've been a feast.A boy who sees what others cannot...who feels everything so deeply...You would've been easy prey. A banquet overflowing with emotion."
Ivan's hands were shaking so violently that he had to sit on them.
"Shells are parasites, but not all of them use the same method. There are countless ways. This one just happens to be the easiest...especially for those of the lowest rank."
Ivan stared at the cat, his mind struggling to process its words.
"Then... how do I get rid of them?"
"Kill the host."
"...What?"
"The host must be destroyed.A spirit is bound to its physical vessel.Sever that bond...and the spirit fades away.There is no other way.They will not leave willingly. And they will never let you go."
"But I don't—"
"They were never your friends. You need to understand that first."
The cat rose to its feet.
Its shadow stretched long across the floor, reaching toward Ivan's feet, its very presence filling him with dread.
"You should be on your knees thanking me for saving you.I caused that accident.I saved your miserable ass.I was the only thing standing between you and death. I...am Gylou."