CHAPTER 11, THE PAST THAT WAS SEALED
The night felt unusually heavy.
Not just quiet—but dense. As if the air itself had weight.
Jay stood in front of the mirror in his room, his eyes fixed on his own reflection. The faint light from the window barely illuminated his face, casting soft shadows that made his expression look sharper, more serious than usual.
His eyes looked normal.
Dark. Calm. Human.
But he didn't trust them anymore.
"The power that shouldn't exist…"
Mr. Arvind's words echoed in his mind again.
Jay's jaw tightened slightly.
"Then why is it inside me?"
No answer came.
Only silence filled the room.
But this time, Jay didn't turn away.
He stepped closer to the mirror.
Closer.
Until his reflection filled his entire vision.
"Show me," he whispered.
His breathing slowed.
His thoughts narrowed.
Everything else faded.
The room.
The noise outside.
Even his own heartbeat.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
A flicker.
A faint red glow appeared deep within his eyes.
Unstable.
Like a weak flame struggling against the wind.
But real.
Jay's heartbeat quickened, but he didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't break focus.
The glow grew slightly stronger.
For the first time—
It didn't disappear immediately.
"…I can control it," he whispered.
But the moment that thought formed—
Something shifted.
The glow pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
And suddenly—
His vision collapsed.
—
Darkness.
Endless.
Silent.
Jay stood there again.
The same place.
The same void.
But it felt different this time.
Closer.
Heavier.
More real.
And in front of him—
The shadow.
Not far away.
Not distant.
Standing directly before him.
Watching.
Waiting.
Jay didn't hesitate.
"What are you?" he asked.
The shadow didn't answer.
Its form wavered slightly, like smoke moving without wind.
Jay stepped forward.
"I know you can hear me."
Silence.
But the pressure in the darkness increased.
Jay clenched his fists.
"You said I'm not ready," he continued. "Then tell me what I need to be ready for."
A long pause.
Then—
The shadow moved.
Not by walking.
Not by stepping.
It simply… was closer.
Right in front of him.
Jay felt it immediately.
A presence so heavy it made breathing difficult.
Cold.
Ancient.
Unnatural.
Then—
It spoke.
"You are breaking the seal."
Jay's eyes narrowed.
"I didn't ask that."
Another pause.
"You cannot stop it."
Jay's jaw tightened.
"Then what happens when it breaks?"
Silence.
Then—
The shadow raised its hand.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
And placed it against Jay's chest.
The moment it touched him—
Everything exploded.
Energy surged through his body like fire.
His vision shattered into fragments.
Images.
Flashes.
Memories that didn't feel like his.
A battlefield.
Endless destruction.
Flames rising into a dark sky.
The sound of screams echoing in every direction.
And in the center of it all—
A figure.
Standing alone.
Still.
Unmoving.
Eyes glowing red.
Not human.
Not even close.
Jay's breath caught.
"What is this—?!"
The shadow's voice echoed around him.
"Memory."
Jay's breathing became uneven.
"This… this is me?"
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Jay froze.
"…Then what is it?"
A long silence.
Then—
"Your past."
The words struck him like a shock.
"My… past?"
The images intensified.
The battlefield became clearer.
More detailed.
More real.
The red-eyed figure slowly turned—
As if sensing him.
Jay stepped back instinctively.
"No… this isn't real…"
"It is."
Jay shook his head.
"I don't remember any of this!"
"You were not meant to."
The pressure increased.
Jay dropped to one knee, gripping his head.
Pain exploded through his mind.
Sharp.
Relentless.
"Stop…!"
The shadow leaned closer.
Its presence overwhelming now.
"For now…"
Its voice was quieter, but heavier than before.
"You will remember."
The moment those words ended—
Everything shattered.
—
Jay's eyes snapped open.
He stumbled backward, his back hitting the wall hard.
His breathing was fast.
Uneven.
His entire body was drenched in sweat.
"That… wasn't a dream…"
He could still feel it.
The heat.
The destruction.
The fear.
Jay looked at his trembling hands.
"My past…?"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"No… that's impossible…"
But deep inside—
He knew.
That wasn't imagination.
That was something real.
Something buried.
Something sealed.
Jay slowly stood up and walked back to the mirror.
His reflection stared back at him again.
But now—
There was doubt in his eyes.
Fear.
Confusion.
And something else.
"…Who am I?"
—
The next day—
School didn't feel the same.
Not even close.
The whispers had changed.
They weren't just curious anymore.
They were cautious.
Tense.
Students kept their distance from him.
Even the teachers seemed slightly uneasy.
Jay noticed.
But didn't react.
His mind was somewhere else.
Still stuck in that battlefield.
Still hearing those screams.
Still seeing those red eyes.
The moment he entered the classroom—
His gaze moved instinctively.
Searching.
And found him.
Mr. Arvind.
Standing near the window.
Watching.
Waiting.
Jay didn't hesitate this time.
He walked straight toward him.
Step by step.
Until he stood right in front of him.
"I saw something," Jay said.
Mr. Arvind didn't look surprised.
"I expected that."
Jay's voice lowered.
"A battlefield."
"Fire."
"A red-eyed figure."
Silence filled the space between them.
Then—
Mr. Arvind spoke quietly.
"So… the memories are starting to leak."
Jay's fists tightened.
"Tell me the truth."
The air felt heavier again.
Mr. Arvind looked directly into his eyes.
"The truth," he said slowly, "is not something you're ready to accept."
Jay didn't step back.
"Try me."
A brief pause.
Then Mr. Arvind stepped closer.
His voice dropped.
"You are not what you think you are."
Jay's breath stopped.
"What does that mean?"
Mr. Arvind's gaze sharpened.
"It means…"
A pause.
Long enough to make the silence feel unbearable.
"…your past is not human."
Everything went still.
Completely still.
Jay's mind froze.
"…What?"
But Mr. Arvind stepped back.
"That's enough for today."
Jay's frustration broke through.
"You can't just say that and walk away!"
But Mr. Arvind turned.
"You'll understand soon."
That word again.
Soon.
Jay clenched his fists tightly.
Confusion.
Anger.
Fear.
All mixing together.
And deep inside his mind—
In that endless darkness—
The shadow stood silently.
Watching.
Waiting.
Because the truth…
Was getting closer.
And when it finally arrived—
Nothing in Jay's life would ever be the same again.