Eclipse of the Chronicles

Chapter 14: Resonance of the Destined Deejay

(Scene opens where Chapter 12 left off)
Jake, still under Lilith's mental pollution, clutched his head as intense pain surged through him. Memories of his days as Spike's friend flashed before his eyes, lingering on their time at the orientation camp.

"Jake... Lim..." Lilith's voice echoed in his mind, her curse weaving tighter around his thoughts as Jake struggled against it. "Your friendship with him is over. You will forever remain alone. That is your destiny—inescapable, unchangeable." Her whispers grew louder, weakening his resolve.

"SHUT UP!" Jake shouted, trying to push back her influence. A flashback surged through his mind.

From a young age, Jake was a bright and strategic thinker, celebrated for his intellect and talent as a deejay. His list of awards in both academics and music seemed endless, but those accolades never brought him happiness.

His brother Bernard was always the golden child. A prodigy in both sports and studies, Bernard was adored by their parents, who were both successful professionals—a lawyer and a head surgeon. In their household, accomplishments were all that mattered. For Jake, growing up in constant comparison to Bernard fueled a deep-seated frustration. No matter how hard he worked, his parents always asked for more, urging him to be like his older brother.

When Jake was 12, the pressure mounted as he prepared for the grueling Primary School Leaving Examination. Bernard had achieved a near-perfect score of 280/300, a result their parents never failed to remind him of. The weight of expectation was crushing.

One afternoon, while taking a break from studying, Jake wandered to a nearby park, sitting alone on a bench. He watched as families played happily at the playground, their laughter a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere at home.

As he sat in silence, Spike appeared beside him.

"Hey dude, wanna hear a joke?" Spike grinned, leaning on the bench. Jake glanced up but said nothing.

"What do you say to someone who asks if you're a joker?" Spike asked, his smile widening. Jake shrugged, not really caring.

"You say, 'Yeah, because you're the joke!'" Spike burst into laughter, but Jake remained stone-faced. "Come on, not even a little smile?" Spike pressed, sitting beside him.

Their conversation started slowly, but soon they found common ground in their shared frustration with their parents' high expectations. Spike, too, struggled under the weight of his parents' ambitions for him, and over time, the two became inseparable.

When the time came for their secondary school assignments, both boys were thrilled to discover they'd be attending the same school. But Jake's joy was short-lived—his parents were unimpressed by Hua Yi Secondary, believing it was beneath the standard set by Bernard's school. Their disapproval hung over him like a cloud, but Spike remained a bright spot in Jake's life.

They grew closer during their first year, often daydreaming about building a super-fast vehicle that could take them around the world in a day—an escape from the expectations and pressure of their families. It was their shared dream.

But everything changed after the orientation camp.

During the camp, the ruby containing Lilith's power was found, and one night, as everyone slept, Lilith cast a spell over the students. The spell wiped out the memories of their time at camp and twisted them. By sheer chance, Jake had been listening to music with his headphones at full blast that night, leaving him unaffected by the spell. Unfortunately, Spike was not so lucky. The spell struck him harder than most, wiping out his memory of Jake entirely. It was also due to this, where Spike was able to absorb memories that was supposed to be regained by everyone during his battle with Stephanie in the fated chronicle clash.