Night fell over the academy grounds like a living curtain of mist. The moon hung low and fractured, its light barely slicing through the dense veil that covered the dormitory windows. Kajhunomo lay in his bed, his eyes wide open, heart pounding in rhythm with the faint hum that echoed through the darkness.
That hum again.
It wasn't the wind. It wasn't the mechanical pulse of the academy's generator.
It was… a voice.
Soft. Cold. Ancient.
> "Why do you struggle, chosen one…?"
Kajhunomo sat up, sweat running down his forehead. "Who's there?" he whispered, his voice trembling. No reply came — only a faint vibration, like the air itself was breathing around him.
His hand instinctively went to the black spiral mark etched near his collarbone. It was glowing again, faintly — just enough to pulse with each beat of his heart. The mark had appeared during his first contact with the Negativity mist, and ever since, it reacted to his emotions. Fear made it throb. Anger made it burn.
Tonight, it felt alive.
He stumbled out of bed, grabbed the thin coat hanging from the wall, and stepped into the hallway. The corridor was empty, torches flickering with blue light. Most students were asleep. A few were meditating, their doors sealed with protective runes.
Kajhunomo's seal had started whispering again.
> "The world rejects what it doesn't understand… as it rejected me."
He froze. "Who are you?" he whispered. "Show yourself!"
The air in front of him rippled — like heat waves bending light. Slowly, from the shimmer, a figure formed: tall, cloaked, without a face. Only two hollow eyes burned like twin embers. Kajhunomo's knees weakened as the shadow spoke again.
> "Do you remember the pain? The loneliness? That's where I was born… from your first despair."
His mind flashed — the night his family was attacked, the screams, the dark fog swallowing everything. He clenched his fists. "You're lying. You're not me."
The shadow laughed — low, guttural, ancient.
> "I am what you buried. The academy calls me Negativity. But you… you are my vessel."
Before Kajhunomo could react, the shadow lunged forward — and merged into him. His body convulsed, breath caught in his throat. Memories and emotions surged: rage, grief, hatred, and fear — all colliding inside his chest.
---
A Flash of the Past
He saw himself, years ago — a child, running through burning streets. His mother's voice calling his name. The shadows chasing him with twisted smiles. That was the first time he'd felt powerless.
That was when Negativity was born inside him.
---
Kajhunomo fell to his knees, gasping. His surroundings blurred — one moment he was in the hallway, the next, inside a world of pure darkness. A realm made of floating shards of memory. He was standing on nothing, yet the air was heavy with unseen gravity.
> "This is your inner domain," the voice echoed, now deeper and clearer.
"You, Kajhunomo, are connected to both worlds — reality and Negativity. Your heart is the bridge."
Kajhunomo spun around. The figure now stood before him in full form — a man draped in long, black robes, with markings similar to Kajhunomo's seal running across his arms and neck. His face was hidden behind a cracked mask.
"Why are you showing me this?" Kajhunomo demanded. "If you're my enemy—"
> "Enemy?" The shadow chuckled. "No. I am your reflection. You fight me, you fight yourself. The more you deny me, the stronger I become."
Kajhunomo took a step back. "Then what do you want from me?"
> "Balance," the voice replied. "You seek strength, yet you fear your own heart. Learn to control me, or I will consume you."
For a brief second, Kajhunomo saw something human behind the darkness — a flicker of sorrow in the shadow's voice, as if it too were chained by something greater.
Before he could ask more, light began to crack through the darkness — the real world pulling him back.
---
Back to Reality
Kajhunomo gasped awake, lying on the cold floor of the hallway. His head throbbed. The spiral mark had stopped glowing, but a faint symbol had appeared beside it — a smaller, curved rune, like a half-moon.
He had no idea what it meant.
"Kajhunomo!" A familiar voice called out. It was Reina, one of his classmates — her silver hair glimmered under the torchlight as she ran to him. "You okay? I heard shouting—"
"I… I saw something," Kajhunomo said, struggling to find words. "A voice… it spoke to me."
Reina's expression darkened. "A voice from the Negativity realm?"
He nodded slowly.
She bit her lip. "Then your mark is reacting faster than normal. The instructors said something like this might happen if the seal wasn't fully stable."
Kajhunomo looked down at his hand, still trembling. "It didn't feel like corruption. It felt… familiar."
Reina hesitated, then helped him up. "Listen, don't tell anyone else for now. The Division monitors all cases of direct contact. If they find out you're hearing Negativity, they might isolate you."
"Isolate me?"
She nodded grimly. "Worse. Some students vanish after their seals react like that. They call it 'containment for research.' Nobody returns."
Kajhunomo's breath caught. "Then what should I do?"
"Control it," Reina said firmly. "You have to make the voice obey you before it spreads. Tomorrow, we'll talk to Raizen-sensei. He knows about ancient seals better than anyone."
Kajhunomo nodded weakly, though his heart was still racing. As they walked back to the dorm, he glanced at the faint moonlight spilling through the window — and for a second, saw the shadow's reflection smiling back at him from the glass.
---
The Next Morning
Dawn broke with a crimson hue. The academy's bells rang six times — training hour. Students gathered in the courtyard, each wearing the white and black combat uniforms marked with runic symbols. The instructors stood tall at the front.
Raizen-sensei, the gray-haired master with calm, unreadable eyes, raised his staff. "Today, we begin Resonance Training — the art of controlling the flow of Negativity energy within your seals. Those who fail may experience backlash."
Kajhunomo swallowed hard. The shadow's words echoed in his mind — "Learn to control me, or I will consume you."
Reina nudged him. "Focus. We're partners today."
"Right," he said, forcing a smile.
As the training began, Raizen's voice cut through the morning air. "Close your eyes. Feel the energy, but do not command it. Let it show you its nature."
Kajhunomo inhaled deeply, focusing on the pulse within his chest. The spiral mark warmed, then began to hum — a low, steady vibration spreading through his veins. He saw flashes of black light beneath his eyelids, swirling like smoke.
At first, it was peaceful. Then came the whisper.
> "I told you, we are one. Why resist me again?"
Kajhunomo gritted his teeth. "Because I'm not your puppet."
> "And yet you use my power to breathe."
His concentration shattered. The ground beneath him cracked as a surge of black energy exploded outward, knocking nearby trainees off their feet. Screams filled the courtyard.
Raizen appeared instantly, his staff glowing blue. "Kajhunomo! Suppress it now!"
"I—I can't!" Kajhunomo's hands trembled as the mark blazed like fire. The shadow's laughter filled his ears.
> "Let it all out… break the chains they gave you."
Before Raizen could intervene, Reina ran to Kajhunomo, placing her hand over his mark. Her aura glowed white, pushing against the darkness. "Kajhunomo! You're not alone! Focus on my voice!"
For a moment, their energies collided — white light and black mist intertwining in midair. The air howled as two opposite forces clashed, shaking the courtyard. The mark dimmed slowly… and then went still.
Kajhunomo collapsed, panting heavily.
Raizen's expression softened, though his eyes betrayed concern. "Your resonance level is beyond the safe limit. If the voice continues to speak, we must act quickly."
Kajhunomo nodded weakly. "Sensei… that voice. It doesn't feel like corruption. It feels like it's trying to guide me."
Raizen frowned. "Guide you, or use you? Remember, Kajhunomo, Negativity is alive. It learns from its hosts."
He turned away, his cloak fluttering. "Report to my chamber tonight. There's something I must show you — about the origin of your seal."
---
Nightfall Again
The moon rose higher, its light slicing through the training grounds. Kajhunomo sat alone under the old tree near the dorm, the night wind cool against his face. Reina had gone to rest, but he couldn't sleep.
The shadow's voice returned — softer, quieter.
> "You resisted well today. Perhaps… you are not as weak as I thought."
Kajhunomo clenched his fists. "Why are you doing this?"
> "Because your world fears what it does not understand. I was once like you — until they sealed me away. The Division seeks control, not harmony."
"Lies," Kajhunomo hissed.
> "Search Raizen's chamber, and you'll know the truth. Even your mentor carries Negativity in his heart."
Kajhunomo froze. The wind howled louder. For the first time, the shadow's words didn't sound like manipulation — they sounded like a warning.
He looked up at the crimson moon, his reflection in the window now showing faint traces of the shadow's eyes.
"Then tomorrow," he whispered, "I'll find out who's lying — you, or him."
---