"LOOK… THE SHADOWS!!" Haroku shouted.
"Start chanting—FAST!!" I yelled back.
---
The air changed instantly.
It grew heavy… suffocating… like something massive had descended into the space around us.
From the walls—
From the cracked floor—
From the shadows beneath broken desks—
They began to emerge.
Dark figures.
Twisting.
Crawling.
Watching.
---
This wasn't like before.
Not even close.
---
Haroku stepped forward, raising his hand.
His expression hardened.
His eyes—faintly glowing.
"Spirits of the underworld…" he spoke, his voice deep, commanding, "obey me."
A dark aura burst around him.
Unstable.
Dangerous.
Forbidden.
---
I felt it immediately.
That power—
It wasn't meant to be used lightly.
It was the kind of magic that didn't just control spirits…
It dragged them into something worse.
---
The shadows screamed.
Their forms twisted violently as the force pulled against them.
But—
They didn't break.
They resisted.
---
I gritted my teeth, my breathing growing uneven.
"We need to leave… NOW," I said, struggling to hold my ground. "I can't hold them anymore."
My grip tightened around the papers.
"These shadows… they're too powerful…"
---
And then—
Everything changed.
---
Right in front of us—
Space itself tore apart.
A portal opened.
Slowly.
Silently.
---
Something stepped through.
---
A man.
Tall.
Still.
Wrapped in darkness so dense it felt alive.
---
And with just a slight movement of his hand—
The shadows multiplied.
Dozens.
More.
Endless.
---
My eyes widened.
"This… this is impossible…"
---
Haroku tried to stand firm.
But the pressure—
It crushed him.
His body trembled—
Then gave in.
He collapsed.
---
"Haroku!!"
I rushed toward him, lifting his unconscious body.
The shadows closed in.
From every direction.
No path.
No escape.
---
For the first time—
I felt it.
Not fear.
But something dangerously close.
---
Then—
His eyes opened.
---
Weak.
Fading.
But determined.
---
"I won't…" he whispered, his voice barely audible, "let you die…"
---
And in that moment—
He released everything.
---
A surge of energy exploded outward.
Blinding.
Violent.
Overwhelming.
---
The shadows were pushed back.
The corridor shook.
Reality itself seemed to tear apart.
---
And then—
A door appeared.
Light.
Pure.
Unnatural.
---
Without thinking—
I moved.
Carrying him.
Through it.
---
In a single instant—
We were outside.
---
Cold air hit my face.
Sharp.
Real.
Alive.
---
Haroku slipped from my grasp, collapsing onto the ground.
Breathing.
Barely.
After a few moments—
His eyes opened again.
Weak… but conscious.
---
I didn't waste time.
Pulling out my remaining papers, I began chanting.
The strongest spell I knew.
Every word precise.
Every symbol burning with intent.
---
One by one—
I sealed every entrance of the old building.
Doors.
Windows.
Even the unseen paths.
---
A final lock.
Not permanent.
But enough.
For now.
---
We returned to the house.
Neither of us spoke.
Not until we were inside.
---
Haroku finally broke the silence.
"Bro…" he said, his voice serious, "that man…"
He looked at me.
"Who was he?"
---
I didn't hesitate.
"You already know."
---
His eyes widened slightly.
"That was… Jason?"
---
I nodded.
"Yes."
A pause.
"The real Jason."
---
"What…?" he whispered.
---
I looked down at my hands.
They were trembling.
Slightly.
But enough.
---
"Now I remember," I said slowly. "Everything."
---
Silence settled again.
But this time—
It wasn't empty.
It was heavy with truth.
---
"He's the one… who killed my grandfather."
---
Haroku froze.
"What are you saying…? Your grandfather—he was that strong guy, right?"
I nodded.
---
"My grandfather…" I began, my voice steady but low, "was a paranormal expert too."
"Stronger than anyone I've ever seen."
"He solved thousands of cases."
People called him a legend.
---
"One day…"
"He went to a place just like this."
"Silent. Abandoned."
"And there—he saw them."
---
"Shadows."
"Performing rituals."
---
Haroku didn't interrupt.
He didn't move.
---
"He tried everything."
"Every spell."
"Every power."
---
"But he couldn't defeat…"
I paused.
"…Jason."
---
"At the end…"
I clenched my fist.
"…Jason cursed me."
---
The words felt heavier than anything I had said before.
---
"My grandfather…"
"…used all his remaining power…"
"…and took that curse upon himself."
---
"He saved me."
---
Haroku's voice was quiet now.
"Then… how did you…?"
---
"I was fifteen," I replied.
"He told me everything."
"He trained me."
"Taught me how to create these papers…"
"…and how to survive."
---
My vision blurred slightly.
But I didn't stop.
---
"And then…"
"On my seventeenth birthday…"
"…he died."
---
Silence.
Complete.
---
I exhaled slowly.
"His last words were…"
---
'You can finish this case.'
---
The room grew colder.
Not because of spirits.
But because of what it all meant.
