𝚁𝙴𝙳 𝚁𝙾𝚂𝙴𝚂

Chapter 5

Y/N froze in his seat. He didn't know what to do. He'd be alone in the halls if he left the classroom. But, if he stayed... What would happen then?

The clock was ticking as he heard footsteps approaching. He looked around, frightened by how loud the sound was getting. But his classmates were none the wiser. They couldn't hear what he could, making his heart race with fear.

All of a sudden, all went quiet. He gripped the fabric of his pants tightly, feeling a cold sweat run down his face. Then, he heard a voice right next to his ear.

"I told you I'd come back."

He jolted, his body temperature quickly dropping. Hearing that quiet, yet maniacal laughter made goosebumps run up his entire body. The figure began to slowly circle around his desk.

"You could've run, you know," the figure said, but stopped and cackled. "Though it wouldn't have saved you, anyway."

The figure stopped in front of his desk, but Y/N refused to look up, his gaze glued to the table. At this moment, he was paralyzed by fear. He was oblivious to the classmates that had finally noticed him.

However, they were unaware of the current danger he was in. To them, he was simply acting strangely. While others began making hushed comments, others were worried if something was wrong. The figure looked around and grinned.

"Wonderful. Just look at how many vessels are here," it said, barring its sharpened teeth. "But..."

The figure turned back to Y/N and leaned closer. "I think I'd rather have you as a vessel."

Past the trembling, Y/N managed to mutter something out. "Why...?"

"Well... You can see me, can't you?" it said. "Humans like you possess high levels of cursed energy. And besides... you created me."

Y/N lifted his head, looking up at the figure. Though he didn't say anything, the figure understood and grinned wider. 

"To these pathetic humans, you're abnormal. You're different. You see things that they can't, so they shun you away. In their eyes, you don't belong here--"

Y/N immediately stood up, finally meeting the figure's gaze. In doing so, he caught the attention of his classmates and teacher. The figure waited to see what Y/N would say. But when there was nothing, it smirked.

"Is something wrong, L/N?"

Y/N turned to the teacher. "I need to go to the nurse."

The teacher nodded. "Go ahead."

The (h/c)-ette quickly stepped out, ignoring his classmates' judgemental gazes. He briskly walked down the hall but was stopped when something stepped out of the shadows. It was the figure again, that smirk still on its face.

"Tsk, tsk... I wonder if you thought you'd be able to escape from me."

Y/N's gaze darted around him, trying to find some sort of escape route, but the figure simply cackled. "You won't escape going that way."

The figure then began approaching him. "As long as your marking remains, I'll always have a way to get to you."

Just before its hand could reach him, Y/N turned on his heel and ran in the opposite direction. The figure simply smirked and disappeared into the shadows behind it. The (h/c)-ette ran as fast as his legs could carry him. All of a sudden, from out of the corner, shadow-like hands branched out, reaching for him.

He narrowly avoided their grasp and continued running. Then, more of the same hands appeared out of nowhere, aiming to grasp at whatever they could. In the midst of all this, Y/N was oblivious to some attention he had gotten.

A few students nearby heard the commotion and glimpsed to see Y/N running down the hall. They were left bewildered by the sight but had no clue as to the life-or-death situation he was currently in. A teacher caught sight of him as well and immediately called out to him.

"Young man," the teacher called.

In the moment that Y/N took to glance their way, the shadow-like arms took the chance and reached for him. His heart stopped, feeling the hands wrap themselves around one of his legs and arms. He was dragged into another hallway and pushed against the wall.

Y/N inhaled sharply, the brutal impact knocking the air out of his lungs. No words could escape his mouth for a moment as he struggled for a breath of air. Out of the shadows came the figure, smirking down at him.

"Just can't sit still, can you?"

Just as Y/N was regaining his ability to breathe, the figure kneeled in front of him. "No matter. I've finally caught you, after all. Now... To get rid of you."

The figure reached out and placed its hand on Y/N's throat, beginning to press down with its thumb. Gradually, Y/N felt it harder to breathe. "Stop..." he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper

He tried to move away, but the shadow-like arms only tightened their grip on him. His lungs slowly began to burn as the need for air grew stronger. The rest of his body grew hot, feeling as though he was being consumed by flames.

"Give in," It said. "It'll only hurt more to stay conscious."

Y/N was on the verge of giving into the temptation of the darkness when a loud voice cut through the heavy ringing in his ears. "Don't give in, kid!"

He tried to direct his gaze to where he had heard the voice, but his vision was getting slightly hazy in some places. He could roughly make out the silhouette of the man and simple details. Just then, glowing light of some sort engulfed him, and from his mouth, he chanted out an incantation.

The pressure around Y/N's body then vanished and, at last, air filled his lungs. He gasped, the burning sensation on his body seeming to be dissipating. He could hear wails of agony, which brought his gaze to the figure. It was being constricted by some sort of red rope.

The (h/c)-ette's eyes trailed over to the man. In his hands was a paper talisman. The man noticed Y/N's state and kneeled beside him. "Are you alright?"

He nodded, still trying to bring his breathing back to normal. "This curse... It must be sealed," the man said. 

Y/N was confused as to why he was being told this until he saw the man bring the talisman closer to him. He backed away, not wanting to be near it. The figure struggled against the constraints of the ropes.

"Damn these cursed chains!" it yelled, desperate to get out of them.

The man ignored the shouts from the figure and continued looking at Y/N. "It must be sealed immediately. The ropes will only hold it for so long."

"What... are you going... to do?" Y/N asked.

The man had a look of guilt on his face. "Sorry, kid. But it's going to hurt."

Before another word could be said, the man placed the talisman on Y/N's arm. Immediately, Y/N's body began burning again. It was as though his body was being burned from the inside out. 

Shouts of despair left his mouth as he laid helplessly on the cold floor. Soon, the pain became too much to bear and his consciousness slipped away from him, engulfing him in dreary darkness.