The hallway was still.
Too still.
Students whispered, but no one got too close.
Ren stood there, breathing slowly.
His heart was still racing from what just happened.
"…We should go," Ren muttered.
Kai was about to reply—
Then he noticed something.
"…Wait."
Ren looked at him.
"What?"
Kai pointed slightly.
"One of them dropped something."
Ren looked down.
A phone.
Lying on the floor near one of the lockers.
He hesitated for a second…
Then bent down and picked it up.
"…It's just a phone," Ren said.
Kai stepped closer.
"…No. Look at it."
The screen lit up.
A message.
Ren's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…A message just came in."
The notification didn't look normal.
No contact name.
No number.
Just a symbol.
A strange mark.
Dark Red.
Sharp.
Unfamiliar—
but not to Kai.
Kai froze.
"…That's it."
Ren looked at him.
"…What?"
Kai's expression changed completely.
Serious.
Focused.
"…That symbol."
"…It was on them."
Ren's grip tightened slightly on the phone.
"…What do you mean?"
Kai stepped closer, staring at the screen.
"…The people who killed me."
Silence.
Ren's heart dropped.
"…You're sure?"
Kai nodded slowly.
"…I saw it during the ritual."
"…On their clothes… carved… marked…"
The air around them felt heavier.
Ren looked back at the phone.
The symbol stared back at him.
Like it wasn't just a message—
but a warning.
Or worse.
A connection.
"…Why would they message a random bully?" Ren whispered.
Kai didn't answer immediately.
"…Maybe," Kai said slowly,
"…it's not random."
Ren's eyes sharpened.
The pieces didn't fit yet.
But something was forming.
The bullies weren't just bullies anymore.
They were connected to something bigger.
Something darker.
And now—
Ren was holding proof.
The phone vibrated again.
Another message.
Same symbol.
But this time—
text appeared under it.
Ren's eyes widened slightly as he read it.
Later The Night —
Night covered the house again.
The world outside was quiet—
but inside Ren's room, nothing felt calm.
Ren sat on his bed, the bully's phone in his hand.
The screen dimly lit his face.
That symbol…
Still there.
Kai stood nearby, watching.
"…So," Kai said,
"…one of them is connected to the people who killed me."
Ren didn't look up.
"…This is serious."
"…We need to tell the police."
Kai scoffed immediately.
"…And they're going to do what?"
He stepped closer.
"You've seen it yourself."
"…They don't care."
Ren's grip tightened slightly on the phone.
Kai's voice got colder.
"…We have to find them ourselves."
Ren finally looked up.
"…And do what?"
Kai didn't hesitate.
"…Kill them."
Silence.
Ren's expression hardened.
"…You know I'm not going to kill people."
Kai stepped closer.
"…You don't have to."
Ren frowned.
"…What?"
Kai pointed at the ring.
"…We switch."
"I do the killing."
"…You figure things out."
"…Find the ones who did this."
Ren shook his head immediately.
"No."
Kai didn't back down.
"It's simple."
A small smirk.
"…Bad cop and good cop."
Ren stood up.
"…No."
His voice was firmer now.
"That's still me."
"…It's still my body."
Silence.
Kai stared at him.
Not angry.
Just serious.
"…You think they're going to stop?" Kai said quietly.
"…You think they won't kill again?"
Ren didn't answer.
Kai turned slightly toward the window.
"…Sooner or later…"
"…he's going to notice."
Ren frowned.
"…Who?"
Kai looked back at him.
"…One of the bullies."
Ren's eyes sharpened.
Kai continued:
"The one whose phone you took."
"…He's going to come looking for it."
The room went silent again.
Ren looked down at the phone.
Then at the door.
Then back at Kai.
"…Then we'll be ready."
Kai smirked slightly.
"…Good."
Outside—
the night stayed quiet.
But not for long.
To be continued...