Chapter 1

The first rays of daylight caressed the grand windows of the decrepit mansion. The stained glass cast eerie shadows inside the room, which danced as the wind rustled the creepers outside. The view was spectacular, meant to be enjoyed by the charming mistresses of the estate. But the windows had been shut for years now, And today they were finally being moved, Only to be firmly sealed with black.

Stepping back, the man made sure no light entered.

What a shame, he mumbled when he realized that the intricately painted glass would never open for spectators to admire. But he, of all people, knew that some sights were better hidden. And some truths were convenient unspoken.

The school bell rang, deafening everyone who stood nearby. Hilary opened her mouth to complain about the shrill bell but was interrupted by a blue blur that swished past her. It was followed by a blonde and black one. Only the black-haired teen paused to give a hurried apology and rushed away with his companions.

"Will they ever learn?" Hilary was beyond furious.

"Statistically speaking, Never. " Kenny replied while fixing his glasses. Usually she would chase those lads demanding an explanation, but she wasn't rock-hearted enough to witness them being punished again. Yes, they had been late for every day of the month. Seeing that no other punishment worked on them, the teachers had drowned them neck-deep in homework, but what use was it against Tyson's gang? The next day they came late and shamelessly explained that they were late because they spent the entire morning completing the homework.

Left with no choice, the teachers unleashed a secret weapon, authentic to their school. Hilary smiled when she saw the 'weapon' emerge from the class nearby and drag the boys back to his cave. From behind the door, Hilary heard his aloof voice say:

"Still ten minutes late, and recklessly running around the campus."

"Cut some slack Tala. Ten minutes is nothing." Tyson replied, his voice devoid of the usual arrogance. Their school leader had an aura that could intimidate anyone. With his icy eyes, the stares would pierce your heart. How did such a person become the school leader? Well, hail democracy. It was a fair vote….. by the teachers.

"Then ten laps around the school ground will also be nothing," Tala replied.

Hilary was fortunate not to be in the boy's bad books. He was the ideal student, and the teacher's favorite Head boy. Tyson had been so right in saying his fate was sealed the moment their class teacher appointed Tala to monitor his academics.

The final bell rang indicating all students be seated in their classes for prayer and-

BANG.

All heads turned to the headmaster's office, out of which came a distraught looking Ms. Kim. "HE'S COMING! Lord give us strength" she wailed. The students gathered around the commotion, and Hilary sensed a wave of unease wash over other teachers who were waiting outside the office.

"Ms. Kim, this is a school, and I request you not to scare the kids. At the end of the day, he is just a boy." their headmaster emerged.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID LAST TIME. LOOK HOW IT ENDED" another teacher pointed out.

That was enough for most students to get the clear picture. In Beigoma Academy, there were not many famous 'last Times's….. in fact there was just one.

And one was enough.

"This can't be real! You are letting that psycho in again?"

"How much donation did you get for this?"

Just the thought of having him back made even the quiet kids rebel, the seniors drowned Mr. Dickenson with questions, while the juniors wriggled around hoping to catch bits of rumor. Hilary ran towards the room where she had seen Tyson and Tala. Breathless, she opened the door. The boys were wrestling over a sharpener, but stopped when they saw their friend panting like that.

"K-kai is coming back" Hillary announced.

The entire school was in turmoil, and the teachers were trying their best to force children back to classes. By now the news had spread like wildfire, no matter how much the teachers wanted to suppress the kids, they knew it wasn't wise. This wasn't as simple as them reprimanding a child in class. If parents got to know, they would also join in the protests.

Tala slowly slipped out of the room and went to help get the juniors back to class. Most of them didn't know what was happening, and he could already sense the confusion being a breeding ground for their fictional stories. Sighing, he continued to get them back to their classes. It was two years back. Of Course they don't know, Tala thought. He thanked God that his batch was busy with exams and most of them weren't present today. He had come to study in the library, and keep an eye on Tyson. He also felt grateful towards Hillary for letting him know about that bastard's arrival beforehand. Yes, she had done it for him. Hillary was extremely loyal to her friends and thus helping Tala, their arch nemesis, was out of question. But that girl had a soft heart, so she made sure to he was listening while she reported the news to others.

The school ended an hour early. News like this was bound to make students glow with joy, but the two senior most batches went home furious…

"Come in" Mr. D barely took a second to respond when Tala knocked.

Their current headmaster was among the very few people who had been in the school throughout Tala's time there. Tala liked the old man. He had been his favorite teacher before becoming the principal.

"How is that boy still eligible for admission" Tala asked.

"Why shouldn't he be, Tala? There is no evidence yet, and he behaved as a model student in the other school. The director himself recommended him to me."

"But what about public opinion? Sir, do you think par-"

Mr. Dickinson slammed his first on the desk. Tala was startled. After all these years, he could read this old man like an open book. But tonight he seemed too distant. Too impulsive and irritable.

That's when his eyes fell on a stack of papers lying on the desk. On closer inspection he realized it was a crudely designed magazine cover. "The Era Echoes" the title stood proud.

"Again? With all due respect, this has to be a joke" Tala was speechless.

"One that has gone on for too long" the headmaster admitted. "Whoever is making these surely knows how to take advantage of a situation and make it ten times worse. This was confiscated from 10th grade girls."

Even while leaving, Hiwatari had left a scar on the school. Tala wondered whether blaming that boy for this was just, but he needed more reasons to hate him.

Since the incident, every week their school saw an issue of this magazine. It looked innocent enough, and students could be found reading it in every nook of the school. Every week a new edition popped up, and the teachers were perplexed as to what motivated their textbook-phobic pupils to read this intently. The magazine was simple, and for over a year no one paid it attention… until the kids started changing.

At first it wasn't obvious. Some of the religious kids came to school wearing symbols to ward off evil. But over the weeks their number increased. The second change was too abrupt to go unnoticed. The current 11th and 12th grade stopped using the gym during PE period. Amidst a bunch of muscle worshipping teens with a cult like obsession over gyms, such a change was like the moon glowing red. The general attitude of students towards each other changed completely. It was no longer uncommon to see students go around in groups talking in whispers and constantly glancing back as if they were being followed by something deadly.

All of this drama occurred around the spot it happened.

Finally the teachers read through every edition of that cursed magazine, and felt chills run down their spines when they saw a story. It was a series continued in each edition. The story was about spirits, but it struck too close to home. With every chapter they realized this nameless protagonist wasn't a fictional character. This boy and his gruesome epics were too familiar…

And tomorrow the hero was going to join them at school.

"You can't blame them for being scared. Given what happened last time…" Tala reasoned.

"Praise the lord! Please don't tell me you believe he is actually jinxed" Mr. D said.

"Never. I'm a realist" Tala replied.

With nothing left to discuss, Tala took to leave, but midway Mr. D caught up with him.

"Will you be okay?" He asked. "My boy, he has changed. I know you won't keep petty grudges…. But please restrain yourself. Things cannot go back to normal, but please try..." his words trailed away.

Tala just smiled and nodded.

Whether jinxed or not, Hiwatari would be out to get him.