The bathroom door slammed open. Liam entered in a hurry, almost slipping on the wet floor. He stared into the large mirror in front of the sink with a gasp.
And there... his reflection greeted him with eyes that hadn't stopped bleeding. Her body was trembling. Not from fear, but from anger-at herself, at her body, at all the things that were happening without control.
"What is this...?" she muttered, barely audible.
She opened the faucet, splashing water on her face, hoping the cool water would wake her up, calm her down-but the blood kept flowing, slow, as if playing tricks on her.
"Why just now? Why in front of them?"
Her head bowed, her hands gripped the sides of the sink so tightly that her knuckles turned white. But then her eyes lifted again. Staring at herself. Deeper. Sharper.
With trembling fingers, she slowly lifted her eyelids and pinched the tips of the softlens that were starting to come off. Slowly. Carefully. One by one.
Plak. The first softlens fell into the sink. Then the second. And that's when she saw it.
Her real eyes.
Fiery red. Not just like bleeding eyes-but as if they held living embers, glinting behind their sharp glare. And in the center of that iris... a pattern. A strange symbol, faintly glowing, like an ancient carving that lit up from within her eyeballs.
"Oh my..." she hissed, stepping back.
Her breathing was ragged.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps came from the corridor. Regularly.Getting closer and closer.
Liam gasped.
Without thinking, he reached back for the softlens that had been lying on the edge of the sink. His fingers were still trembling as he tried to put them back on. One.Then another one.
"Hurry..." she hissed, biting her lip.
As soon as she was done, she turned on the water faucet and washed her face repeatedly.Letting the cold water cover the remnants of blood and fear.Her breathing was still irregular, but she forced her body to calm down.To be quiet. To look "normal".
The bathroom door opened softly.
"Liam?"
The voice was familiar.
Levi.
Liam turned his head slowly, trying to hide the nervousness behind a flat stare.
Levi stood in the doorway with his breath still ragged, clearly he had been running.His gaze swept the room quickly before finally falling on Liam's face.
"You... are you okay?" he asked carefully.
Liam nodded briefly, still wiping his face with a tissue. "Yeah.Just... a little dizzy."
Levi didn't answer immediately.He just stared at his best friend silently, as if trying to read something unspoken.
"You know what... just now the whole class panicked, some even walked out," Levi said softly, trying to sound light, but his voice was heavy. "You're scaring everyone, bro..."
Liam didn't respond.He looked blankly at the mirror, as if he still saw the reflection of his eyes from earlier.Still burning.
Levi walked in, standing next to him. Then tapped Liam gently on the shoulder.
"If you feel sicker, I can tell the principal that you're sick now."
"Relax, no, I'm fine."
"Are you sure? Do you want me to accompany you to the principal's office?"
"No, I'm on my own."
"Okay. I'll go to class."
Not long after, Liam arrived at the door of the principal's room. He knocked lightly.
"Excuse me, let me open the door."
When the door opened, the principal was sitting quietly behind his desk. In front of the desk, an empty chair had been set up, complete with a glass of mineral water indicating that he had been waiting for Liam for quite some time.
"Please have a seat.You finally came too.How are you doing now? I'm sorry for your tragedy."
Liam pulled out a chair and sat down quietly, although his mind had not fully recovered.
"I'm feeling better, sir.Thank you for your concern."
"Thank goodness.Well, there are a few things we need to talk about.Let's start with the administrative matters. Since you now live alone, wouldn't you consider bringing in your grandparents as temporary guardians until you turn 17?"
"Is that necessary for school records, sir? You see... it doesn't seem possible for me to live with them."
"It's quite important, but if it's not possible, I'll make allowances for the time being."
Liam just nodded slowly.
"Let's move on to the next topic: school payments. I know this is a bit personal, but the school is considering a scholarship for you because of your outstanding performance in some subjects. So... just so you know, where do you get the money for your daily needs?"
"I still have savings from my parents, sir. So far, it's probably enough until I graduate."
"That's a relief. But for the future, you don't need to think about school fees.Use your savings for your daily needs.I know, living life after such a loss is not easy. Don't hesitate to ask for help."
"Thank you, sir.I'm very much helped."
"For the administrative process, you can go directly to the Administration room."
Liam nodded again.
"Okay, now on to something that might be a bit hard.But the school needs to convey it.
As you know, the tragedy that happened to you spread quickly within the school. Even though it wasn't officially published, rumors have already spread... including about you."
The principal opened the folder of investigation documents and handed Liam an official letter.
"I personally believe you don't have 'that power'. But since the investigation will be thorough, and our school is scheduled early, I think this could be an opportunity for you to clear your name. This is the last part of the settlement process, just this one step."
Liam was silent. There was a creeping sense of dread, but he remained calm as he read the sheet.
"Thank you, once again, for helping me get this far. Please give me some time to consider this."
"Alright, no problem."
Liam began to read the contents of the sheet.
Based on the Special Regulations for Initial Examination for National Anomaly Registration (PKPA-PAN) established by NEXARIS-Neuro-Experimental Xenogenetic Analysis and Regulation of Integrated Subjects-through the channels of international authorities and civilian surveillance branches of the Southeast Asia region, we hereby submit the following notification:
1. Your name, William Louren, has been placed under provisional surveillance based on the parameters of a high-profile incident that occurred on April 02, 2025.
2. You are required to undergo a follow-up biological screening procedure that will be conducted by a team of authorities within 14 days of receipt of this letter.
3. This screening is mandatory, and will be carried out in the form of standard genetic testing, neuro-response evaluation, and non-invasive physiological verification.
4. You have the right to be accompanied by your school, guardian or legal representative throughout the process.
5. This process is confidential and will only be distributed to authorities with a security classification of Level-C and above.Failure to comply with this procedure will result in immediate administrative suspension and potential isolation measures in accordance with applicable regulations.
This notice is hereby given. Please understand that the purpose of this procedure is to ensure safety, transparency, and stability in the environment.
A few moments later, Liam let out a long sigh-who knows what he was considering.
"At the bottom of this, sir?" he asked quietly, pointing at the agreement sheet.
"Oh yes, of course... this is the pen." The principal handed over the pen calmly.
Liam accepted it, and without hesitation, he signed the document with an expression that was hard to read. It was calm, even too calm-as if he had a hidden agenda. Soon, the break bell rang, breaking the silence of the room.
"That's it, sir," Liam said as he handed back the document.
"Okay... take it easy, there will be a normal examination tomorrow. It's not specific to you," the principal explained.
"Yes, sir. Thank you very much for your help. I will try not to disappoint. Permission to leave, yes, sir."
"Go ahead. Thank you for your time. Oh yes, one more thing-please keep tomorrow's examination a secret."
"Of course."