The men's restroom behind the old school building was rarely used during the day.
With its cracked tiles and flickering fluorescent lights, it was like a dark corner forgotten in an old photograph.
But today, this place had suddenly been sealed off.
There were wires and railings, and the vigilant Night Squad was present.
Three students were being carried onto stretchers, muttering the same phrase over and over:
'He's watching me... the wall is watching me...'
Rei Kazama looked up at the terrified students outside the restroom.
He had barely entered the scene when he felt a thick, heavy spiritual pressure in the air, as if it knew he was there.
'You smelled it too, didn't you?' Yuuki Mio slowly approached him, her voice low.
Li nodded. 'The smell... it's not just blood; it's sinful. Very strong.'
Mio frowned. 'No major cases have ever happened here before. But today..."
Before she could finish, the vice-president of the Night Watch jumped out and beckoned them over.
'Li, Mio, you two,' he said. 'The chairman has designated you to go in. The others will keep watch outside.'
Li took a deep breath and stepped into the restroom.
—
Under the dim light, the wall was immediately visible.
Huge, deep red characters covered the entire wall, as if blood had been used to write on it.
The characters formed one sentence:
[Those who open their eyes will die].
They seemed to be dripping; moist and warm, as if they had just been written.
Mio gasped. 'This isn't something an ordinary spirit could do. This is like—'
'It's like "manifestation of evil intent".' After Li had finished speaking, an even more horrific possibility occurred to her.
In that instant, an invisible tremor swept across the wall.
Mio: 'Wait a minute. Did you feel it? It... it's moving?'
Li stared at the blood-red characters, his brow furrowed.
The wall seemed to be staring back at him.
The edges of the characters slowly writhed as if they were alive.
Suddenly—Thump!
It felt as if something had hit the inside of the wall.
The members outside the Night Walker murmured in commotion. 'Is someone inside?!'
Mio took a half-step back, but her eyes remained fixed on the wall.
'Li, it's watching you...'
Just as she spoke, the blood-red characters began to seep out.
The red liquid flowed as if it were alive, and the original message, 'Those who open their eyes will die', twisted and extended as if it had been forcibly altered by some outside force.
Mio's pupils contracted. 'Wait, it's changing!'
The blood lines solidified again, forming new characters:
'Are you one too?' The entire restroom seemed to be instantly hollowed out.
A chill ran up his spine from his feet.
Mio was speechless with shock while Rei's heart pounded in his chest.
He felt his karmic mark being 'touched', 'confirmed' by something.
It was as if something behind the wall was whispering:
'I know you...'
The black lines on Rei's forehead reappeared faintly for a moment.
Mio exclaimed in shock, "Rei! Your ability is reacting!'
'It's not me moving.' Rei stared intently at the wall. His voice was stiff.
'It's calling me.'
The next second, the lights flickered wildly.
All the blood-red words seemed to be sucked back into the wall.
accompanied by an extremely soft yet chillingly clear voice:
'Those who open their eyes... will ultimately be judged.'
The entire wall returned to pristine white, as if nothing had happened.
But traces of the three students' mental breakdown remained, as did the spiritual pressure and the sin.
Mio turned to look at Rei, her face pale.
'Rei, what did it recognise?'
Rei was silent, then answered softly:
'It wasn't just that it recognised me...'
He raised his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly.
'A word suddenly surfaced in my mind, like some kind of memory.'
Mio: 'What word?'
Rei looked up, a dangerous glint flashing deep within his pupils.
'The Eye of Judgment.'
The lights snapped off completely.
The old teaching building shook.
Rei knew that his awakening was accelerating.