Mariah didn't waste time.
By the time the first lecture ended, the message had already been sent.
A single image.
Claire's face.
Attached with a short instruction.
Deal with her.
Samuel replied with no hesitation:
Got it.
That evening, Claire left campus later than usual.
Cleo had already gone.
The hallways were quieter now, drained of noise, only echoing footsteps and fading sunlight slipping through tall windows.
Claire adjusted her bag and walked faster.
Something felt… off.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
Just a pressure at the back of her mind.
Like being watched from somewhere just outside her vision.
She stopped for a second.
Looked around.
Nothing.
Just empty corridor.
She exhaled slowly.
"…I'm imagining things," she muttered.
Then she kept walking.
Behind her, in the shadows of the corridor near the stairwell—
A figure stood still.
Not moving.
Not breathing normally.
Just watching.
Samuel.
He wasn't wearing anything unusual. Just a hoodie, hands in pockets, posture relaxed.
But his eyes weren't normal.
They tracked her like she was already caught.
"Target confirmed," he whispered into his phone.
Mariah's voice came through immediately.
"Good. Don't mess it up."
He smiled slightly.
"I won't."
The call ended.
Claire reached the courtyard.
The air outside was colder than expected.
The sky was dimming into early evening orange.
Students had mostly left.
Too empty.
Too convenient.
She slowed her steps again.
The pressure in her chest returned.
Stronger this time.
Then—
A sound.
Footsteps behind her.
She turned.
Nothing.
Her heartbeat picked up.
"…Okay," she whispered. "Now I'm officially freaking myself out."
She turned forward again—
And froze.
Because someone was standing in front of her now.
Not there a second ago.
Samuel.
Close enough that she could see his expression clearly.
Calm.
Too calm.
"Hey," he said casually.
Claire took a step back immediately.
"Do I know you?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"No," he replied. "But I know you."
That sentence made her stomach drop.
Something about him felt wrong.
Not just dangerous.
Disconnected.
Like he didn't belong in the same layer of reality as her.
"Mariah sent me," he added.
Claire's face tightened instantly.
"…Of course she did."
Samuel chuckled softly.
"She said you needed to be taught a lesson."
Claire's breath sharpened.
"I'm not interested."
She turned to leave.
But—
The air shifted.
The sound of the world dulled.
Like someone had lowered reality's volume.
Claire stopped mid-step.
Her body didn't respond properly.
Her fingers went numb.
"What—"
Samuel sighed.
"Don't make this harder than it needs to be."
And then—
Something behind him moved.
Not physically visible at first.
Just a distortion in space.
Like shadows bending wrong.
Claire's eyes widened.
No… not again.
A shape began forming behind Samuel.
Not fully solid.
Not fully real.
A shadow entity.
Long.
Thin.
Wrongly proportioned.
Its head tilted toward her.
Recognizing her.
Claire's breath stopped.
Her legs trembled.
"No… no, no, no—"
Samuel stepped aside slightly.
"Let's see what you are," he said calmly.
The shadow moved.
And the moment it did—
Claire's vision warped.
The corridor flickered.
Like reality was cracking at the edges.
She tried to run—
But her body wouldn't respond fast enough.
The shadow stretched forward—
And just before it touched her—
A sudden pressure exploded in the air.
CRACK—
The entity jerked violently backward.
Like something had struck it without physical contact.
Samuel's eyes widened slightly.
"…What?"
The space around Claire stabilized abruptly.
Her breath returned in a rush.
Her knees nearly gave out.
A presence had appeared.
Not visible yet.
But unmistakable.
Controlled.
Focused.
Cold.
Samuel slowly turned his head.
And behind Claire—
A voice spoke quietly.
"Step away from her."
Alex.
Standing at the edge of the courtyard.
Expression no longer calm.
No longer casual.
Something darker now sat behind his gaze.
Samuel narrowed his eyes.
"…So you're the reason she's protected."
Alex didn't answer.
He just took one step forward.
And the shadows around Samuel stopped moving.
Completely.
Mariah, watching from her phone later that night, received only one message back.
From Samuel.
Don't send me there again.
No explanation.
No details.
Just fear.