The night arrived without warning.
San Espiritu High, usually so mundane under the quiet moon, now pulsed with an unnatural crimson glow. Emiliano stood at the edge of the courtyard, Lucía clinging to his arm, Isabela hovering nearby like a statue carved from silver light.
The sky above them was no longer the calm canvas of stars they'd seen only hours ago. The moon had turned fully red, bleeding into the clouds. Shadows stretched unnaturally, twisting along the walls, the trees, even across their own skin.
Emiliano's chest tightened. The burning sensation beneath his ribs returned, stronger this time, as if something beneath his bones demanded release.
"I can feel it," he whispered. "He's… he's here. He's coming."
Isabela's expression remained unreadable, but the color in her silver eyes darkened. "He is no longer contained. The Blood Moon has returned to awaken him fully. This is no longer a warning. This is the birth."
Lucía swallowed hard. "The birth…? Emi, what does that mean? Are we talking about—like—he's gonna…?"
"Yes," Emiliano said, voice low, trembling. "If he's born… if El Oscuro fully comes through, there's nothing left of me."
He stared at the red sky. Shadows writhed along the courtyard ground as if alive. Each flicker, each twitch of the darkness made the air thick, heavy, almost acidic.
A deep, resonating hum rolled through the earth, vibrating through Emiliano's chest.
The sound didn't come from the sky.
It didn't come from the school.
It came from inside him.
1. The First Strike
Suddenly, the courtyard lights died. Total darkness. The students inside the buildings screamed, banging on windows. Sirens wailed faintly, drowned by the pulse of a low, continuous vibration that shook the walls.
Lucía grabbed Emiliano's hand tightly. "We need to get somewhere safe!"
Emiliano shook his head. "There is no safe place. Not tonight. He's everywhere. He's—"
A shrieking roar cut through the night, so loud it made the air tear in their ears. Shadows flared like tongues of fire from the edges of the buildings, moving toward them.
Emiliano instinctively raised his hand. A wave of energy burst from him—part instinct, part terror—and the shadows recoiled slightly, hissing like burned serpents.
Isabela's eyes widened. "You're stronger than I imagined… but controlling him will not last. He will consume the bond."
"What bond?" Lucía yelled. "You mean Emi's blood, or—"
"Yes," Isabela replied grimly. "The same bond that opened the Thirteenth Door. He feels it, and he wants it."
The shadows surged forward again.
Emiliano's instincts screamed, and he pushed outward with everything he had. A dome of black energy flared around them, pushing back the encroaching darkness.
Lucía stumbled, shielding her face. "Emi—don't let it take you!"
"I won't!" he shouted, but even as he said it, a tendril of darkness broke through the barrier, brushing his cheek like cold iron. It whispered…
"Deja… entra…"
Let me in…
2. The Hall of Mirrors
Without thinking, Emiliano and Lucía ran toward the nearest building: the old gym, beneath the new clock tower. The entrance, barricaded months ago after the dance incident, groaned as they forced it open.
Inside, the gym smelled of damp wood and burned candles—remnants of the previous ritual. The floor reflected their panicked faces, magnifying every shadow. Mirrors lined the walls, placed by someone who didn't want the past forgotten.
The moment Emiliano stepped inside, the mirrors shivered. His reflection multiplied—dozens of Emilianos, each one darker than the last, each with glowing red eyes and a grin that was too wide.
Lucía grabbed his arm. "What—what is this? Emi?"
He swallowed, feeling his pulse in his ears. "It's him… it's reaching through. These are… illusions. But if I stare too long, he can grab me."
From the mirrors, a voice—his own, but wrong, layered, distorted—echoed:
"Open the door, Emiliano… Let me in…"
Shadows slithered from the mirrored reflections, stretching into the gym like living water. They wrapped around the ceiling beams, the floor, and toward Emiliano, moving as if each mirror contained a fragment of El Oscuro's body.
Isabela stepped forward, silver light radiating around her. "You must focus. Control your center. If you break now… he will devour everything."
Emiliano's legs shook. He forced himself to look at Lucía instead of the mirrors. Her face—human, terrified, alive—anchored him.
The shadows hissed, screeching in frustration. Tendrils recoiled, but they did not disappear. The door of the Thirteenth Threshold still hovered in the reflections, faint, glowing crimson.
Lucía's voice trembled. "Emi… you have to fight him. You are the key. But you don't have to let him win."
He clenched his fists. The shadows pressed harder. They wrapped around his chest, pulling at his soul. He gasped for breath.
But then—
A sudden, piercing silver light cut through the gym.
Isabela raised her hands. Words older than time itself flowed from her lips, chanting in a cadence that rattled Emiliano's bones. The shadows shrieked, convulsing violently as the light burned through them.
The mirrors cracked under the strain.
One fragment fell to the floor. In it, Emiliano saw not his reflection… but a vision of El Oscuro, looming, monstrous, eyes like burning clocks, reaching for him through a black void.
"Esta vez… te poseeré completamente…"
This time… I will possess you completely…
3. The Warning from Within
Emiliano stumbled, clutching his chest. The red mark on his forearm burned brighter than ever.
A whisper traveled along his veins, but this time, it wasn't El Oscuro speaking.
It was Daniela.
Her voice, soft but clear, pierced through the darkness.
"Emi… don't let him in. Fight him. Fight the bloodline."
His stomach dropped. "Dani… you're gone…"
"I'm here, Emi. Not in body, but in the bond. Remember what we trained. Remember the seal. You are stronger than him—stronger than the blood he wants."
Emiliano's eyes widened. Memories of the previous year flashed—Daniela warning him, the Thirteenth Bell, the basement rituals, every fight, every whisper.
He felt the bond pulse inside him. His own blood. His own shadow. The key to the Thirteenth Door.
The mirrors shook violently. One shattered completely. A fragment of red light escaped and formed a shadowy hand, reaching toward him.
Emiliano inhaled sharply. "No. I'm not opening the door. Not tonight. Not ever."
He clenched his hands, focusing on the pulse in his veins, on Daniela's voice, on Lucía's presence.
And the shadows screamed.
4. The First Confrontation
The Thirteenth Door shimmered in one mirror fragment, fully visible for the first time. Crimson, carved with ancient sigils, vibrating with hunger.
El Oscuro's voice thundered through the gym.
"Open. The. Door. Your blood is mine. Your body is mine. I am eternal!"
Emiliano stumbled forward, focusing every ounce of his energy. He raised both hands. His shadow, black but alive, erupted around him, forming a dome of resistance.
The shadows shrieked, clawing at the dome. Tendrils of darkness collided with his energy, sparking like lightning.
Lucía fell to her knees. "Emi… you can do this!"
Isabela hovered above, chanting, silver light cascading down. The fragments of the Thirteenth Door twisted and spun, but they didn't fully open. Not yet.
Emiliano's body shook violently. Sweat poured. His eyes glowed red. His shadow raged, battling the darkness like a living army.
Then, with a guttural roar, he pushed outward—forcing the shadows away from the door. A shockwave exploded through the gym. Mirrors shattered. The Thirteenth Door flickered and retreated, leaving only the crimson glow in the air.
El Oscuro's voice echoed in frustration:
"You delay me, Emiliano… but you cannot hide from eternity…"
Emiliano fell to his knees, exhausted, shaking. Lucía ran to him, holding him tight.
"You… did it," she whispered.
Isabela's eyes narrowed. "For now. But this was only the beginning. The Blood Moon is only rising. And he will try again."
Emiliano pressed his forehead against Lucía's shoulder. "Then… we fight. Together."
The red moon above bathed the gym in light, blood and silver intertwined. The world outside shook, screaming, alive. The Blood Moon had ascended fully—and El Oscuro was only waiting.
And Emiliano… Emiliano was the only one standing between the world and its end.
The gym was a war zone.
Shattered mirrors littered the floor, reflecting crimson light in jagged, bleeding fragments. Smoke hung low, curling through the beams, carrying the acrid stench of scorched wood and burnt shadows. Emiliano stood at the center, chest heaving, shadow still coiling protectively around him.
Lucía crouched nearby, bruised and trembling, clutching Emiliano's arm. Her knuckles were white, her eyes wide with terror.
Isabela hovered above them, hands glowing silver, chanting words that made the air vibrate. Her voice cut through the silence, commanding the shadows to retreat, forcing the tendrils to curl back into the fragmented mirrors.
But the Thirteenth Door remained—a faint crimson outline in one broken shard of glass. Pulsing. Waiting. Hungry.
El Oscuro's voice echoed again, low, guttural, searing through every corner of the room:
"Emiliano… open. Let me in. Your blood… your life… mine!"
1. The First Possession
Emiliano stumbled backward, clutching his chest as the red mark on his forearm flared violently. His shadow writhed like a living thing, but it trembled.
"I… I can't…" he whispered. "I can't hold him…"
Lucía ran to him. "Yes, you can! Look at me! You're stronger than this! You've survived him before!"
His vision blurred. A hand of pure darkness shot out from the mirror shard, wrapping around his wrist, burning cold, tugging him toward the Thirteenth Door.
"No!" he screamed, struggling against the force. Shadows crept along his skin, invading, whispering, trying to burrow into his veins.
El Oscuro's voice layered over his own thoughts:
"Let go… become one with me… you are the door… and I am eternity…"
The whispers slithered inside his mind, coiling around his memories, twisting his fears, planting the seed of submission.
Emiliano's eyes glowed red. His body trembled violently.
"Fight it!" Lucía yelled. "Fight it! You're Emiliano Rojas! Not him! You're—"
A shadow tendril shot toward her. Emiliano, instinctively, slammed his hands forward. A pulse of dark energy exploded from his body, knocking her backward—but shielding her at the same time.
Isabela's voice rang above him, sharp as a blade:
"You cannot do this alone. Let me bind the door temporarily. Focus on your center, Emiliano. Anchor yourself."
Emiliano gasped. His shadow coiled tightly around him, merging with the red energy from the door. He gritted his teeth. The whispers inside his skull grew louder, more violent, demanding surrender.
"I will not—ever—let you in!" he shouted.
The shadow convulsed violently, splitting in two. One half clawed toward the door, trying to merge, while the other protected him like a living shield.
2. Isabela's Ritual
Isabela descended slowly, her hands pressing against the cracked gym floor. Symbols glowed beneath her palms, silver and white, forming a circle of energy around Emiliano.
"Hold your mind steady! Anchor it in reality!" she commanded. "I will seal the door temporarily, but he will retaliate. Once the Blood Moon fully descends, it will be your final choice!"
The Thirteenth Door pulsed violently, almost breathing. Its edges flickered, threatening to tear through the gym's reality.
Emiliano forced himself to focus. He pictured the school courtyard, Lucía's hand in his, the warm sunlight filtering through the broken windows. He clung to the smallest threads of life, the human, the ordinary.
The shadows screamed. One tendril lashed across the floor, narrowly missing Lucía, hissing in frustration. Another clawed at Emiliano's chest, trying to reach the red mark.
El Oscuro's voice boomed:
"Do not resist, bearer. You belong to me!"
Emiliano roared, and the shadows around him recoiled. He felt himself breaking, tearing against the pull of El Oscuro.
Isabela chanted faster, the silver circle glowing brighter. Energy surged, radiating outward. The Thirteenth Door shrank slightly, its pulsing slowing, trapped within her ritual.
Lucía crawled toward Emiliano, gripping his arm. "I'm here! Don't let him take you! Fight!"
He looked at her. Saw her. Felt her. And for the first time, he realized that the bond was not just blood. It was love. Friendship. Memory. Hope.
With a guttural scream, Emiliano expelled all the darkness he could reach. His shadow coiled violently, pushing outward. Tendrils broke, shrieking as they slammed back into the mirror shards.
El Oscuro's roar echoed faintly, distorted, fading.
3. The Enemy Revealed
Silence returned to the gym—heavy, trembling, temporary.
But one mirror shard vibrated violently. From it, a figure slowly emerged: human-shaped, but dripping with darkness, eyes glowing molten red. Its lips curled in a sadistic grin.
Emiliano staggered back, horror clawing at his chest.
"El Oscuro…" he whispered.
The figure's voice was layered, powerful, terrifying.
"You cannot hide behind her light forever, Emiliano. You are mine. And soon, the Blood Moon will be full. You will be the vessel… and I will rise."
Lucía gasped. "Emi… what do we do now?"
Emiliano looked at Isabela. Her face was pale, strained. The silver glow around her hands flickered.
"There is a way," she said, voice low. "But it is dangerous. If it fails… he will not just take you. He will destroy everything you love."
"What way?" Emiliano demanded, voice steady despite the fear.
"The ritual of the Ancients," Isabela said. "It can suppress the door… bind it within you temporarily. You will survive, but you must carry the seal. And you cannot open it again. Not until the Blood Moon wanes."
Lucía's hand flew to her mouth. "Emi… no… you can't—"
"Yes," Emiliano interrupted, voice trembling but determined. "If it's the only way to save everyone, I'll do it."
Isabela nodded. "Then focus. Trust me."
4. The Ritual Begins
Emiliano knelt at the center of Isabela's silver circle. His shadow coiled around him protectively, still resisting the pull of El Oscuro. The red mark on his arm burned like fire.
Isabela pressed her hands to the floor, chanting words older than any language Emiliano had ever heard. Silver light wrapped around him, fusing with the dark energy trying to escape from the Thirteenth Door.
El Oscuro shrieked from the mirror shard, tendrils lashing, clawing at reality. The glass cracked, vibrating violently.
Lucía held Emiliano's hand, whispering, "You can do this… I know you can… fight him, Emi…"
He gritted his teeth, every nerve burning, every muscle screaming. His shadow surged, clashing with El Oscuro's tendrils. The gym shook violently.
The red door flared one final time. For a moment, it seemed as if it would break free.
Emiliano screamed, pouring every ounce of will, blood, and life into the seal. His shadow fused with Isabela's silver energy. A pulse of light and darkness collided, obliterating the mirror shards.
Then… silence.
The red door vanished completely.
El Oscuro's roar faded into a low, menacing echo.
Emiliano collapsed, chest heaving, trembling. Lucía wrapped her arms around him, tears streaming.
Isabela hovered above, exhaustion written into every line of her body. "It's done… for now. The Thirteenth Door is sealed. But the Blood Moon… will rise again. And he will return."
Emiliano buried his face in Lucía's shoulder. "I thought… I could fight him alone. I wasn't ready…"
Lucía kissed his forehead. "You're never alone, Emi. Not while I'm here. And not while we fight together."
Isabela's eyes gleamed faintly silver, a warning lingering. "Remember this night. Remember the Blood Moon. And prepare… for the next time. He will come, stronger than ever."
The gym was still. The shadows dissipated. The Blood Moon glowed faintly overhead, crimson and distant.
For the first time since the dance… Emiliano breathed.
But deep in the darkness, beyond the Thirteenth Door, a single whisper lingered:
"He delays me… but soon… I will rise."