Aarika reached school late.
Of course.
After a morning where time froze, a stranger appeared in her room, and reality glitched… punctuality wasn't happening.
She hurried into the hallway, clutching the silver key hidden in her pocket.
It felt like it was softly pulsing. Like it knew something.
Her best friend, Nishi, spotted her immediately.
"Girl! Where were you? I called you like ten times!" Nishi grabbed her arm. "Did you oversleep again?"
Aarika opened her mouth.
She almost said, Actually, time froze in my room, a boy from nowhere appeared, and apparently my entire future is gone—
—but stopped.
Kairon's warning echoed in her head:
Trust no one.
"Uh… yeah. Overslept," Aarika said instead.
Nishi narrowed her eyes like she could sense a lie.
"Hmm. I'll interrogate you later. For now, hurry! First-period test today."
Aarika groaned. As if her life needed more suffering.
They rushed through the corridor… when suddenly Aarika felt the temperature drop.
Her skin prickled.
A strange humming sound filled her ears—like static from a dead radio channel.
Then she saw him.
A boy stood at the end of the corridor.
Not Kairon.
Someone else.
He looked normal at first glance—black hoodie, messy hair, hands in pockets.
But his eyes…
His eyes weren't normal.
Too still.
Too focused.
Too sharp, as if he wasn't looking at her but through her.
The silver key in her pocket vibrated.
Aarika froze.
The boy's gaze locked onto her instantly—like he'd been waiting.
Her heart thudded painfully.
Nishi nudged her. "Uh… Aarika? Why are you staring at that guy?"
Aarika opened her mouth—
—and the boy smiled.
A slow, cold smile that didn't reach his eyes.
He lifted his hand.
And every light in the corridor flickered violently.
Students gasped as the bulbs crackled, buzzing like angry insects.
Then—
BZZZT—
The entire hallway plunged into darkness for half a second.
When the lights came back—
The boy was gone.
Aarika's hand trembled as she grabbed her pocket.
The key was burning hot.
Nishi stared at her. "Aarika… are you okay? You look like you saw a ghost."
Aarika whispered, barely audible:
"…Something worse."
Because deep in her chest, she felt it—
The boy wasn't a normal student.
He wasn't even from this time.
And he knew she had the key.