Chapter 34: The Fall and the Void

[11th April 2024]

James and Evan moved briskly through the school corridors, heading toward Peter’s cabin. Word had spread that Rey had been summoned for punishment again—and this time, it sounded serious.

Meanwhile, inside that very cabin, Rey stood silently in front of Peter, his head lowered like a guilty student in a textbook scene.

“You're late. Again,” Peter said sternly.

Rey gazed at the floor as if it were studded with diamonds, silently enduring the never-ending lecture on

attendance

and

academic discipline

—topics that drained the life out of every student.

“Rey, are you even listening to what I’m saying?” Peter asked, narrowing his eyes.

Rey’s head shot up, a perfect mask of sincerity.

“No, sir—I mean yes, sir! I’m listening very carefully.”

Peter raised a skeptical brow but chose not to press further.

“Look, kid… I understand your situation,” he said, his voice softening. “Ever since your father's accident, you’ve been helping your mom. I respect that. But please—try to be more attentive in class. Good grades could land you a decent university. A stable job. A better life.”

“I understand, sir. I really am trying,” Rey replied earnestly.

“Have you looked at the math help book I gave you?” Peter asked, recalling the notes he'd specially prepared.

“Yes, sir. I'm studying it… very carefully,” Rey said with a pause and a strange glint in his eyes, as if thinking,

{You can study it too if you check out my second book—seriously, go read it}.

Peter nodded, but he wasn’t done yet.

“Still, I can’t let you off scot-free. You need to face some consequences.”

He turned, scanning the room for inspiration.

Rey, who had just started to feel relief, stiffened again. As his gaze drifted toward the window, his heart skipped a beat.

Outside, just beyond the glass pane, two very familiar silhouettes stood frozen.

James and Evan.

Watching him get grilled.

Peter’s eyes followed Rey’s line of sight—and stopped. There, on top of a cabinet near the same window, were two large bundles of paper sheets.

Peter walked over, his movement startling the two eavesdroppers, who immediately ducked below the windowsill like guilty spies.

“Take these sheets to the ground floor storeroom. And make sure it's done before lunch. Only then can you eat,” Peter instructed, placing the stacks on the desk.

Rey, still distracted, stood motionless.

“Did you hear me?” Peter asked again.

“Oh—yes, sir! I’ll do it before lunch!” Rey replied quickly.

Peter walked past him, pausing only to whisper with a faint smirk,

“Tell your friends not to come looking for you again. Next time, I won’t let them off without punishment.”

He exited, leaving Rey stunned and blinking at the door.

After a moment, Rey stepped to the window.

“Where are you two going?” he called out casually, catching them mid-sneak.

“Wha—oh! Uh… we were just passing by and saw you getting yelled at. Thought we’d check on you,” James said awkwardly.

“Come inside. Help me out,” Rey muttered.

“Peter sir won’t get mad?” Evan asked, visibly nervous.

“He already knows you were there,” Rey replied with a tired sigh.

Once inside, the boys stared at the towering bundles of paper.

“What are we doing with these?” James asked, eyeing the workload.

“Storeroom. Ground floor,” Rey said, lifting half the stack.

Evan grabbed the other half.

James, in classic James fashion, tried to lift an entire stack by himself.

Despite struggling, he pushed forward, unwilling to back down.

They made their way down the stairs. But just as they reached the final steps, two younger students came bolting through the corridor.

BAM!

One collided with Evan.

“Ah—!”

Evan stumbled. His foot missed the stair. Then, in one heart-stopping instant—

he fell.

THUD!

Papers flew into the air like white confetti.

“Evan!” Rey yelled, dropping his bundle.

Students nearby gathered instantly.

Evan wasn’t bleeding—but he wasn’t moving either.

“Help me carry him!” Rey shouted to a nearby student. Together, they rushed Evan toward the infirmary.

Meanwhile, the others collected the scattered papers.

James returned moments later, learning what had happened. Panic set in as he rushed to the nurse's office.

Inside, the nurse examined Evan.

James turned to Rey, who quietly led him outside.

“He’s okay, bro. Just unconscious. The nurse said he needs rest.”

“Got it. You go eat, lunch is almost over,” James said, trying to stay calm.

Rey nodded and jogged off. James stayed behind, sitting on a bench.

Inside the infirmary...

Evan stood in complete darkness.

His eyes were shut. When they opened, they revealed a world of nothingness.

Black. Endless black.

Cold swept over his skin. His breath caught.

“Where... am I?” he whispered.

He tried to walk. His footsteps made no sound.

“Hello?” he called out. “Anyone there?”

No answer.

He tried to remember.

I fell... down the stairs. Did I… die?

His mind raced. Was this that void from all those novels? The one you enter before you’re reincarnated or meet some cosmic being?

No way. I’m not that unlucky—or lucky.

But before he could finish the thought—

the void

shifted.

A ripple surged across the blackness.

And then—

Something moved.

A twisted, shadowy figure slithered from the darkness, its form barely visible but

felt

deep in Evan’s gut.

Eyes—countless, glowing, watching—opened in the abyss.

Evan took a step back.

“No... no, no, no—what is this?!”

His voice echoed into the void.

The thing moved again—closer.

He screamed.

What exactly did Evan see that made him scream in terror?

And what does this darkness have to do with his real body back in the infirmary?

To be continued…