After I said it—
That I would face whatever was coming—
Haroku didn't reply.
Not immediately.
He just stood there, silent, his eyes lowered… as if something from the past had surfaced again.
Something painful.
---
I didn't push him.
I didn't need to.
I already knew—
This wasn't going to be a normal fight.
---
Without saying anything further, Haroku turned and left.
That same night—
He began preparing.
---
Inside his room, the lights were off.
Complete darkness.
The kind that swallows everything.
---
He sat down on the floor, crossing his legs slowly, his posture steady.
Then—
He closed his eyes.
---
At first…
Nothing happened.
Just silence.
Stillness.
---
But gradually—
Something began to change.
A faint dark aura formed around him.
Barely visible.
But real.
---
The air inside the room started to vibrate.
Soft at first.
Then stronger.
---
His breathing slowed.
Deepened.
Controlled.
---
Memories began flashing through his mind.
Pain.
Suffering.
That one moment—
When he had used this power before.
---
The same power that had nearly destroyed him.
Left him unable to move for months.
Broken.
Helpless.
---
His fingers tightened.
"This time…" he muttered under his breath, his voice firm, "I won't lose control."
---
Meanwhile—
I was preparing too.
---
My room had turned into something else entirely.
Not a room.
A workshop.
---
Papers were everywhere.
On the table.
On the floor.
Even scattered near the walls.
Different inks. Ancient symbols. Open texts.
Everything laid out in chaos—
But controlled chaos.
---
I sat in the center of it all.
Working.
---
Creating what I call—
Legendary Papers.
---
Each one had a purpose.
Some to seal.
Some to trap.
Some to destroy.
---
Every symbol had to be perfect.
Every line precise.
Even the smallest mistake—
And the paper would be useless.
---
I didn't stop.
Not even once.
---
Ten minutes.
Fifteen.
Per paper.
---
Hour after hour—
I kept going.
---
My hands started to ache.
My fingers stiff.
My eyes burned from lack of sleep.
---
But I didn't look away.
Not even for a second.
---
"To defeat Jason…" I whispered, my voice barely audible, "I need to be ready for everything."
---
By the end of the second day—
Hundreds.
---
Fire seals.
Shadow binders.
Spirit traps.
Even experimental ones—
Designed from my own understanding.
---
But preparation wasn't just about tools.
---
It was about power.
---
I stood in front of the mirror.
Staring at my reflection.
Studying it.
---
"The only thing I need…" I murmured, "…is control."
---
Then—
I activated it.
---
X Form.
---
In an instant—
My eyes began to glow.
My veins surfaced across my skin.
A powerful aura exploded around me.
---
The air grew heavy.
The temperature shifted.
The room itself felt… unstable.
---
But within seconds—
I stopped.
---
"Not enough…" I said, breathing heavily.
"I still don't have control."
---
Again.
And again.
And again.
---
I pushed my limits.
Trying to extend the time.
Trying to stay in control.
---
Days passed.
Three.
Four.
---
We both trained.
Relentlessly.
---
Haroku—trying to master a power that could destroy him.
Me—preparing for every possible outcome.
---
Everything was going according to plan.
---
We were getting ready.
For the final battle.
---
But then—
Something changed.
---
One evening—
As I was organizing my papers—
My phone rang.
---
Unknown number.
---
I stared at it for a moment.
Then answered.
"Hello?"
---
"Symen… where are you?"
---
I recognized the voice instantly.
The Principal.
---
"Sir… we're at home. We were just—"
"You both left without informing anyone," he interrupted.
His tone was different.
Strict.
But underneath it—
Something else.
---
"I didn't say anything before," he continued, "because the situation wasn't that bad…"
A pause.
Then—
"But now… you've crossed the limits."
---
My expression changed.
"What happened, sir?"
---
Silence.
For a moment.
---
Then—
"Five to six staff members… have disappeared."
---
Everything inside me stilled.
---
"What… do you mean disappeared?"
---
"We don't know," he replied. "They were here… and then suddenly… gone."
"No trace."
"Nothing."
---
My grip on the phone tightened.
---
"People are scared," he continued. "Almost everyone has left the area."
"No one wants to stay there anymore."
---
My mind started racing.
Faster.
Connecting pieces.
Too quickly.
---
"I didn't want to pressure you before," he said, his voice now unsteady, "but this is serious."
"We need you."
---
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Took a breath.
---
"Alright, sir," I said calmly. "We'll come tomorrow afternoon."
---
A pause.
---
Then—
His voice softened.
"I'm sorry…"
Another pause.
"…but I'm afraid."
---
Those words—
Carried more weight than anything else.
---
"I live near the school," he continued. "And whatever is happening…"
"It's getting worse."
"Shadows… movements… nothing feels normal anymore."
---
I stayed silent.
Listening.
---
"Everyone is leaving," he said. "But I can't."
"So please…"
"Come as soon as possible."
---
I looked around my room.
At the papers.
At the symbols.
At everything I had prepared.
---
"Don't worry, sir," I said finally. "We'll be there."
---
The call ended.
---
The room fell silent again.
---
For a few seconds—
I just stood there.
Holding the phone.
---
Then slowly—
I lowered it.
---
Something had changed.
---
This wasn't preparation anymore.
---
It had already begun.
---
And whatever was waiting for us—
Was far more dangerous than we had imagined.