"Damaz… go away!"
Yuudie's scream tore through the darkness, sharp with agony.
"Get away! Get away!" he shouted, his eyes filled with tears.
Damaz trembled on the cold tiled floor of a dark room. The light above flickered erratically—red, green, blue, then black—glitching like a broken signal. Shadows twisted along the walls as if the room itself were breathing.
With shaking hands, Damaz dragged himself forward across the tiles, crawling toward Yuudie.
"Please don't go mad, Damaz!" Yuudie cried.
Tears streamed down his face— then they turned into blood.
"Go! While I'm buying time for you!" Yuudie shouted.
Blood poured from his eyes, his nose, his ears. He coughed violently, crimson spilling between his fingers as he struggled to stand.
Then suddenly—
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
The alarm shattered the nightmare.
Damaz jolted upright in his bed, his entire body shaking. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"What kind of dream was that?" he muttered, breathless. "How come I've never seen anything like that before?"
The alarm continued ringing.
He ran a hand through his hair, irritation building.
"Shut up!"
He slammed the alarm clock off the table. It hit the floor and broke apart with a dull crack.
Damaz sat there for a moment, breathing heavily.
"And why was that fool acting like that…?"
The dream clung to his mind like cold fog. It had felt real—too real.
After a moment he exhaled slowly.
"It was just a dream," he told himself.
He had never even seen that fool before.
Damaz slid his feet onto the floor and rubbed his eyes before getting up. After washing up in the bathroom and eating a quick breakfast, he returned to his room and picked up the broken alarm clock.
"Wow…" he muttered. "6:43 a.m."
Classes didn't start until nine.
Still, he decided to go early. Maybe the walk would help clear his head after that strange dream.
The dream followed him the whole way. By the time he reached the school compound, the campus was still quiet. Morning fog lingered around the buildings, thin and pale in the early light.
Somewhere nearby, children were laughing.
Two little boys were playing basketball.
Thack. Thack. Thack.
The rhythmic bounce of the ball echoed softly through the mist.
Damaz climbed the stairs toward his classroom. Near the door, the watchman was talking to someone. Before Damaz could greet him, the person walked away down the corridor.
Damaz pushed the door open.
THUD.
He stopped in the doorway, his jaw dropping.
"Unbelievable… unbelievable," he muttered under his breath.
The fool was already there.
Yuudie stood on top of his desk, staring out the window as if the outside world held some secret only he could see.
Yesterday he had arrived late, today he had somehow arrived first.
Did he even wake the watchman just to get in early? he wondered.
Shaking his head, Damaz walked over to his desk, grabbed the broom leaning against the wall, and began sweeping the floor.
The room stayed quiet.
Damaz swept calmly while Yuudie continued staring out the window, unmoving. Then Yuudie spoke.
"What's troubling you?"
Damaz paused for a moment. He assumed Yuudie was talking to someone outside the window, so he continued sweeping without replying.
"I'm talking about the faint yellow string," Yuudie said calmly. "It started to flicker."
Damaz frowned.
"Are you talking to me or someone outside that window?"
Yuudie didn't answer.
Instead, he climbed down from the desk and sat on the windowsill like a monkey. He pulled out his phone and began scrolling casually while watching Damaz sweep. When he finished, he returned to his desk and pulled a psychology book from his bag.
Damaz tried to study, but the dream kept returning again and again. He held the book in his hands, staring blankly at the cover without blinking.
"I can't believe something like that could appear in my—"
"Now it's flickering again," Yuudie interrupted.
Damaz blinked and adjusted the book on his desk.
"What are you talking about?"
"Why did you do that?"
"Do what?" Damaz frowned. "I'm studying. Stop talking to me."
He turned a page, irritation creeping into his voice. "And don't talk to me again unless you explain what happened yesterday."
Yuudie laughed softly.
"You'll know sooner or later," he said with a smirk.
Damaz clenched his jaw. I really hate people who refuse to explain things, he thought. He closed the book with a quiet thud, stood up, and walked out of the classroom.
After some time, the classroom gradually grew noisy as students continued to arrive. Bags thumped onto desks, chairs scraped against the floor, and conversations filled the air.
At last, the bullies arrived.
Leo walked in first, followed by Nahim and Jackson. Gwod, the buzz-cut one, entered last. As he stepped inside, he casually kicked Nahim from behind for no reason other than amusement.
From the back of the classroom, Yuudie watched them. The sight was apparently too funny for him to ignore, he suddenly burst out laughing.
The sound echoed through the room.
The four boys froze mid-step. Slowly, they turned their heads toward him. They glanced at each other and exchanged smirks.
Nahim stepped forward. "What are you laughing at?" he asked coldly. "Do you want to get kicked too?"
Yuudie stood up calmly.
"Try me."
The four boys burst into laughter.
"Wait, wait," Gwod said, raising a hand. "He asked for it. I'll do it."
He tossed his bag to Nahim and stepped forward.
Yuudie remained where he stood, wearing a strange smirk.
Gwod rushed forward and swung his leg with all his strength.
Several students gasped.
But the kick hit nothing.
Yuudie had already stepped aside. Not quickly or frantically—simply where the kick was never going to land. He laughed again, a strange manic sound that echoed through the room.
Gwod frowned in irritation. "Oh, you want to act tough?"
He kicked again.
But Yuudie had already shifted his weight before Gwod's foot even left the ground.
It was subtle—almost impossible to notice. Yuudie wasn't watching the leg itself. Instead, his eyes focused on the tension in Gwod's hips, the twist of his shoulders, the direction his balance was beginning to move.
To Yuudie, faint lines seemed to stretch through the air.Trajectories. Invisible paths that revealed where every movement would go.
He already knew where the kick would land, so he simply wasn't there anymore. The second kick missed. Then the third.
"Stand still!" Gwod barked.
But Yuudie only laughed louder.
Soon the other three joined in, throwing punches and kicks from every direction. Yet to Yuudie everything seemed slow.
Leo's punch would swing from the left.
Nahim's kick would follow from the right.
Jackson would rush forward a moment later.
The invisible lines appeared before each movement happened.
So Yuudie stepped between them, twisting and leaning, moving only a few inches each time. Occasionally he nudged a wrist or redirected a shoulder just enough to change the outcome.
At one point Nahim's elbow slammed directly into Jackson.
"Ow!"
The classroom erupted with laughter.
"Why can't they hit him?"
"He's not even fighting!"
"He's just dodging!"
"Like a ninja!"
To everyone else it looked impossible. But to Yuudie the room was filled with moving lines—every step, every kick, every punch following a predictable path. He simply walked between them like someone strolling through falling rain without getting wet.
Eventually the four bullies lost patience.
"Catch him!". They lunged toward him together.
Yuudie dashed toward the door and slipped through it with a sudden burst of speed, laughing as he ran.
"Just wait, you fool!" one of them shouted after him. "We'll see if you dare come back!"
Yuudie only clapped his hands mockingly and continued laughing as they chased him down the hallway.
When the bell rang for lecture time, Yuudie returned to the classroom. The bullies were still in the bathroom.
Yuudie quietly walked to their desks and opened their bags. One by one, he removed everything—every pen, every pencil, even the erasers. Not a single writing tool remained.
The class watched silently.
Someone whispered, "A fool is always a fool."
"Let it be… let it be."
A few minutes later the bullies returned. They headed straight toward Yuudie's desk, but halfway there they stopped.
Yuudie slowly stood up.
Between his fingers he held several uncapped pens. His hands formed a sling-like grip, the sharp tips pointing outward like tiny spears.
He stared at them with an unsettling expression. Cold. Unpredictable. Almost sinister.
The four boys hesitated. None of them dared come closer.
Damaz, who had returned earlier after hearing the commotion, felt a chill run down his spine. Even he avoided looking directly at Yuudie, afraid those pen tips might suddenly turn toward him.
At that moment the teacher entered the classroom. Reluctantly, the bullies returned to their seats.
The lecture began.
After a while the teacher wrote notes on the whiteboard and said, "Copy everything."
Yuudie slowly smiled.
The bullies searched through their bags. Nothing.
They checked again.
Still nothing.
Then they looked at each other before their eyes slowly shifted toward Yuudie—and they realised the pens in his hands.
Gwod glared at him and was about to raise his hand to complain. But Leo stopped him.
"We don't know what he might do after class," Leo whispered.
So the four of them sat silently, unable to write.
Soon the teacher noticed.
Her expression darkened. "No excuses in my class!" she shouted. "Why not one—but four of you? Are you trying to mock me?"
The boys said nothing.
"Get out of my class. Right now."
She pointed toward the door.
They slowly stood up and walked outside, glaring at Yuudie as they passed him.
Yuudie only smirked. His eyes followed them like a predator watching prey, and he nodded slightly as they disappeared into the hallway.
Damaz remained silent, staring at Yuudie.
That smile again.Cold.Cruel.
Not foolish at all. He's not a fool, Damaz thought.
Not even close.
And he couldn't stop wondering what else had happened while he had been outside.
While the class was busy copying notes from the whiteboard, Yuudie leaned over his desk and began writing lazily. As he shifted his bag aside, it tilted unexpectedly. Suddenly, several pens spilled out and fell onto the floor.
The sharp clattering sound broke the quiet rhythm of the classroom. The teacher stopped writing and slowly turned around. Her expression darkened immediately when she saw Yuudie bending down to pick up the scattered pens.
"What now?" she snapped. "Can't you copy quietly for once?"
Yuudie looked up at her calmly. Instead of apologizing, he simply shrugged.
"As if you're perfect like me," he replied.
The classroom went silent for a moment.
The teacher's face flushed with anger.
"OUTSIDE!" she shouted, pointing toward the door.
Damaz, who had been sitting nearby, glanced at Yuudie in amazement. He almost gets kicked out every day, he thought. The thought amused him so much that he accidentally let out a small snort.
The teacher immediately turned toward him.
"Damaz!" she barked.
He straightened up. "Yes, ma'am?"
"OUTSIDE!"
Damaz sighed quietly and stood up. As he walked toward the door, Yuudie was already there, laughing loudly as if the whole situation entertained him.
The teacher grabbed her attendance sheet and crossed out Yuudie's name.
"You're absent," she said coldly.
Yuudie looked back over his shoulder. "Just like your mind."
The class burst into laughter.
"Silence!" the teacher shouted, clearly losing patience.
Outside the classroom, the four bullies were already waiting in the hallway.
Leo, Gwod, Nahim, and Jackson stood together across from Yuudie and Damaz. The moment they saw Yuudie, they started laughing loudly, clutching their stomachs.
"Instant karma," one of them said mockingly.
They continued laughing.
Damaz glanced at Yuudie, expecting him to laugh along. But something felt strange.
Yuudie's lips curved into a smile, yet his eyes remained sharp and focused. He watched the four boys carefully, as if studying them rather than reacting to them. His gaze moved subtly from one to another, observing their posture, their balance, the way their weight shifted.
It almost looked as if he was calculating something. "Did he do that on purpose?," Damaz wondered.
"Was Yuudie trying to provoke them? Or trying to scare them?"
Damaz couldn't figure it out.
After a moment, the bullies noticed that Damaz wasn't laughing. They whispered among themselves.
"Look at him."
"The topper."
They laughed again.
Yuudie smirked. "I can turn you into a topper too."
The bullies laughed even harder, assuming it was another joke. But Damaz felt uneasy. The way Yuudie said it didn't sound playful at all. It sounded like a threat.
Later, when the teacher stepped out for a moment, the students were allowed back inside the classroom. The room was still filled with laughter as several students continued imitating Yuudie's earlier remark.
"Just like your mind!"
"Just like your mind!"
Yuudie ignored them and walked over to the bullies' desks. He placed the pens he had taken earlier on the table. But each pen had been disassembled. Caps, refills, and barrels were scattered across the desk. The bullies stared at the mess, realizing they now had to rebuild every pen themselves.
"Fucking idiot," one of them muttered.
Yuudie chuckled quietly as he walked away.
Before returning to his seat, he raised his hand for a moment.
Between his fingers were still a few pens—the most expensive ones.
He spun them lightly before slipping them back into his pocket.
When the final bell rang, the classroom quickly emptied as students rushed out.
The bullies left earlier than usual. Yuudie, however, remained seated quietly at his desk.
Damaz stayed as well. Since he usually left last to close the classroom door, he waited until everyone else had gone.
Once the room was completely silent, Yuudie stood up and walked out. Instead of heading downstairs like everyone else, he walked toward the upper floor. Damaz locked the classroom door and noticed.
Why is he going upstairs? he wondered. Curious, he followed.
When Damaz reached the upper floor, he stood beside Yuudie and looked in the same direction.
His eyes widened.
Beyond the school building stood a massive fenced area surrounded by high concrete walls. Armed guards patrolled the perimeter, holding rifles. A sign attached to the outer wall read PROHIBITED AREA 921.
From the school fence to the guarded checkpoint was nearly a twenty-minute walk. Realization slowly dawned on Damaz.
So that's what he saw… the day he dragged me away.
Yuudie spoke without turning.
"Why are you here?"
Damaz crossed his arms. "What about you?"
Yuudie chuckled softly. Then he turned Damaz's head slightly to the left. Behind a distant gate, the four bullies were standing there, watching them.
They waited in silence until the bullies finally gave up and left.
Later, as they walked home together, neither of them spoke for a while. When they reached the road where their paths separated, Damaz finally said, "Are you afraid of them? I could file a complaint."
Yuudie smirked. "Do you think so?"
"I can predict their death."
Damaz froze. The words lingers through his ears.
After a moment, he slowly took out his phone and handed it to Yuudie. "You can contact me if you need."
Yuudie took the phone and then slipped it back into Damaz's pocket.
"Don't move," he said.
"Think of your phone number."
"Why?," Damaz raised his brows.
"Just do it."
Confused, Damaz thought about his number.
Yuudie pulled out his own phone and typed something quickly.
A moment later, Damaz's phone vibrated in his pocket.
"That's my number," Yuudie said with a small smile before turning and walking away.
Damaz stood there in stunned silence, staring at his phone. His thoughts raced—
Did he read my mind?
Did he see my thoughts the whole time?
He remained standing on the quiet road, unable to find the words to explain what had just happened.