Shadow of Death (SOD)

Chapter 15

"Wanna know everything? I can tell you."

The words echoed through Asher’s mind.

Slowly, he turned around.

And froze.

Standing behind him was a girl.

Honestly, after the strange presence he had just experienced, Asher had expected to find a monster staring back at him.

Not a girl.

And funnily enough, he recognized her almost instantly.

"Nuel?"

"..."

The students who had frozen in the hallway earlier were already scattering back toward their classrooms.

Some wiped the sweat from their faces.

Others exchanged nervous glances as they hurried away, clearly eager to put as much distance between themselves and whatever had just happened as possible.

None of them had heard the conversation between Asher and the other girl.

They had no idea what had triggered that terrifying sensation.

Asher remained where he was.

Unlike the others, he wasn’t trembling.

Aside from the beads of sweat that had naturally formed across his temples, he looked relatively calm.

He wasn’t afraid.

Not exactly.

What bothered him was the girl standing before him.

Nuel.

’How did she appear behind me without me hearing or feeling her?’

His eyes narrowed.

’Has she been standing there the entire time?’

His mind replayed the previous moments.

’Or was I so overwhelmed by that pressure that I didn’t notice her approaching?’

"What did you say?"

His voice was calm, but suspicion laced every word.

Nuel smiled.

That same unsettling smile.

The one that somehow looked warm while making Asher feel like something was wrong beneath the surface.

"I said I can give you all the answers you’re looking for."

Asher studied her for several seconds.

Then he stepped closer.

"Really?"

His curiosity immediately resurfaced.

"Then tell me now."

Nuel shook her head.

"You felt that just now, didn’t you?"

Asher’s expression hardened.

"Well, unless you want something like that happening again, I can’t say anything here."

His brows furrowed.

"Then why are you here if you’re just going to waste my time?"

He clicked his tongue and turned to walk past her.

"I only said I can’t say anything now."

Nuel’s voice stopped him.

"Not that I can’t say anything at all."

Asher’s foot halted mid-step.

He slowly turned around.

"Then when?"

Nuel turned to face him completely.

"We close by six every day."

She paused.

"Unfortunately, I usually attend extra classes and sometimes stay behind to study until seven."

Her eyes remained fixed on his.

"So if you can wait for me in the art classroom around seven, I’ll explain everything you want to know."

Asher stared at her.

His brows slowly knitted together.

"And why seven?"

He folded his arms.

"Can’t you just skip whatever you’re doing and tell me now? Isn’t seven going to be too late?"

Nuel rubbed her slightly tired face.

"I chose that time because it’s important."

Her hand dropped.

"And I can’t postpone my responsibilities for whatever reason."

She shrugged.

"Besides, you’re the one looking for answers. If you can’t wait, then let it be."

She turned around and started walking away.

Asher watched her retreating figure.

Something about this entire situation bothered him.

He had spent days searching for answers.

He had watched people suffer.

He had seen children hurting themselves just to remain awake.

He had seen fear in the eyes of people who had lived here far longer than he had.

And now someone was telling him she knew everything.

He couldn’t simply let her walk away.

"Why?"

Nuel stopped.

Asher stared at her back.

"Nobody is willing to tell me anything."

His expression hardened.

"So why are you?"

Silence.

For a few seconds, Nuel didn’t answer.

Then she slowly turned her head.

"Maybe..."

She paused.

"...because my family and I were in the exact same position you’re in now."

Asher’s eyes narrowed.

"Two months ago."

His expression changed.

’Oh?’

He quickly processed what she had said.

’So she’s relatively new too?’

His gaze moved over her face.

’No wonder she doesn’t have bags under her eyes as badly as everyone else.’

Then—

His eyes widened.

’Wait.’

A chill ran down his spine.

’Her family too?’

His thoughts began racing.

’Does that mean something is going to happen to my family?’

The peaceful image of his parents and siblings flashed through his mind.

His stomach tightened.

’What the hell is going on in this city?’

Nuel tilted her head slightly.

"So..."

A faint smile returned to her lips.

"Are we meeting or not?"

"..."

Asher remained silent for a few seconds, weighing his options.

Then he sighed.

"Sure. I’ll wait for you in the art classroom at seven."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Don’t be late."

’I just need to cook up an excuse. And I already have a few good ones.’

Nuel’s face brightened.

"Great, then. Hurry up to class."

She turned around and walked away, leaving Asher standing there.

He watched her disappear down the hallway before his expression slowly went blank.

’Seven PM, huh?’

He shrugged.

’No problem.’

Turning around, he began walking back toward his classroom.

But despite his calm exterior, his mind was anything but calm.

The strange pressure from earlier kept replaying in his head.

It had appeared at the exact moment the girl was about to reveal the truth.

That couldn’t have been a coincidence.

And Nuel...

Why was she so confident that the presence wouldn’t appear again at seven?

Had she done this before?

Had she tried telling someone else?

Or did she simply know something about whatever that thing was?

Too many questions.

Asher clicked his tongue.

He decided to shelve them for now.

He would get his answers soon enough.

Pulling out his phone, he glanced at the time.

**1:00 PM.**

Six hours.

Six hours until he finally had a chance to uncover the truth behind Vespers City.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket and returned to class.

The students had already settled down.

One after another, different lecturers and professors came in to take their respective classes, each spending roughly two hours teaching different topics and courses.

Normally, Asher would have paid attention.

Today, he couldn’t.

Every few minutes, his gaze drifted toward Nuel.

Sometimes, she was taking notes.

Sometimes, she was staring at the lecturer.

And sometimes...

She was already looking at him.

Almost every time their eyes met, Nuel wore an unreadable expression before calmly returning her attention to her work.

Asher frowned.

There was something about her.

Something he couldn’t put his finger on.

And the more he tried to ignore it, the more obvious it became.

Still, he remained quiet.

His mind was busy constructing possible explanations.

’Could Vespers actually be haunted?’

He frowned.

’Or is there something much deeper going on?’

The possibilities kept multiplying.

What if the city really was dangerous?

What if whatever was happening had already marked his family?

What if they had stayed here too long?

And most importantly—

Could he get them out before something happened?

His fingers slowly tightened around his pen.

He had told himself he needed proof.

That was still the plan.

He checked his phone beneath the desk.

**Seventy percent.**

Perfect.

He would use it to record everything Nuel told him.

Then he’d take the recording home and show his family.

That would finally prove he hadn’t been imagining things.

And if what Nuel revealed was as dangerous as he suspected...

They were leaving.

Immediately.

Fuck the university.

Fuck education.

And fuck whatever promotion his father had just received.

None of that mattered if there was nobody alive to enjoy any of it.

Asher’s fingers began tapping anxiously against his desk.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

His eyes remained fixed on the lecturer, but his mind was already somewhere else.

Six hours became five.

Five became four.

Then three.

Time dragged on.

And throughout it all, Nuel kept occasionally glancing at him.

Her expression remained impossible to read.

Finally—

The final class ended.

**6:00 PM.**

The students immediately began packing their belongings and filing out of the classroom.

Chairs scraped against the floor.

Backpacks were slung over shoulders.

Conversations filled the room as students hurried toward the exits.

Asher slowly packed his own things.

One hour.

Just one more hour.

He looked toward Nuel.

She was still preparing to attend whatever extra classes she had mentioned earlier.

Asher didn’t wait.

He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out.

He decided to get a head start and wait for her at their designated location.

The art classroom.

At seven.

He had spent days searching for answers.

Now, he was finally going to get them.

Asher stepped into the hallway.

His footsteps echoed through the increasingly empty university.

He glanced at his phone.

**6:03 PM.**

His grip tightened around it.

One hour.

Just one hour until he uncovered the secrets of Vespers City.

Or at least...

Until someone claimed she could.

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