Shadow of Death (SOD)

Chapter 16: Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Asher sat in the middle of the empty art classroom, surrounded by rows upon rows of vacant chairs.

The lecturer’s platform stood at the front of the room, with a large whiteboard mounted against the wall behind it.

Above him, fluorescent lights hummed softly, flooding the entire classroom with an almost unnaturally bright glow.

Every window was shut.

The entrance was closed.

Even the exit remained sealed.

The ceiling fans spun steadily overhead, pushing cool air around the otherwise silent room.

For the moment, Asher was completely alone.

He sat with his phone in hand, lazily scrolling through the screen.

A quick glance at the time made his eyes narrow.

6:30 PM.

Still thirty minutes.

His phone suddenly vibrated.

A message from his mother appeared.

{Ash, where are you?}

Asher stared at it for several seconds.

He already had an excuse prepared, but he still hesitated.

Looking toward the empty classroom, he inhaled deeply before exhaling.

Then his fingers moved across the screen.

"I’m still at school."

He stopped.

That wasn’t enough.

His thumb hovered over the keyboard before he added another message.

"I’m still at school. I’m in the library trying to research an assignment a lecturer gave us. I also want to read and revise a little. I’ll be back home in a few minutes."

He stared at the message one last time.

Then pressed send.

His gaze shifted toward his battery percentage.

50%.

Asher sighed.

"Come on... how much longer is this going to take?"

He didn’t want to waste his battery scrolling through social media, especially since he might need his phone later.

So, remembering the excuse he’d just given his mother, he reached into his backpack and pulled out his textbook.

If he was going to lie about studying, he might as well actually study.

He opened the book.

His pen began spinning between his fingers as he read through the material, memorizing important points and occasionally jotting down notes.

After a while, he became absorbed enough in his studies to temporarily forget about the empty classroom.

Then his phone vibrated again.

Another message from his mother.

{Okay. Just don’t be too late. Make sure you’re back home by 7:30.}

A small smile appeared on Asher’s face.

"Sure, Mum. I won’t be late."

He sent the reply before placing his phone back on the desk.

Then he returned to his textbook.

Minutes passed.

6:40.

6:50.

6:59.

The second hand on the clock seemed almost unbearably slow.

Asher eventually stopped reading.

He closed the textbook and leaned back in his chair.

His eyes shifted toward the classroom door.

One minute.

Just one more minute.

He checked his phone.

7:00 PM.

Not a second earlier.

Not a second later.

Exactly seven.

Click.

The classroom door slid open.

Asher’s gaze immediately snapped toward it.

Nuel stepped inside.

Books were tucked beneath one arm as she walked into the room with an exhausted expression.

Asher glanced down at his phone again.

7:00 PM.

Right on time.

He exhaled quietly and shoved his textbook into his backpack.

Then he opened his phone and quickly navigated to the recording application.

His thumb hovered over the button for half a second.

Then—

Record.

The tiny indicator confirmed that the audio was being captured.

Asher locked the screen and slipped the phone into his pocket.

Then he rose, backpack in hand.

"You’re right on time."

Nuel nodded.

She stopped in front of him and released a tired sigh.

Before Asher could step out from between the rows of chairs, Nuel suddenly moved past him and sat down beside his previous seat.

She dropped her books onto the desk and rubbed her face.

"Man... that was tiring."

She groaned.

"The lecturer kept yapping and yapping. I’m honestly tired of these private tutoring sessions."

Asher stared at her for a moment before sitting down beside her.

"You get privately tutored by a lecturer?"

His brows lifted.

"Damn. Your family must be pretty influential."

Nuel merely shrugged.

She began sorting through her books, arranging them neatly on the desk.

Asher watched her for a few seconds.

Then he cleared his throat.

Once.

Twice.

Loudly enough to get her attention.

"Time is of the essence."

Nuel’s hands froze above her books.

Asher leaned forward slightly.

"May I finally know everything I’ve been searching for?"

For several seconds, Nuel didn’t move.

Then a faint smile slowly appeared on her face.

She pushed her books aside.

Turning her head, she looked directly into Asher’s eyes.

"All right, then."

Her expression became serious.

"What do you want to know?"

"...."

Asher tapped his finger against the desk once.

His brows furrowed deeply.

"Everything."

His voice was calm, but the urgency beneath it was impossible to hide.

"Why does everybody look exhausted? Why is sleeping forbidden? And what was that presence in the hallway earlier when that girl was about to speak?"

His eyes narrowed.

"What exactly is going on in this city?"

Nuel stared at him silently for several seconds before finally nodding.

"It’s understandable that you have no idea."

Her expression slowly darkened.

"You just arrived. You haven’t had enough time to figure everything out."

She lowered her gaze.

"Even I couldn’t figure it out in time until it was already too late..."

Her hands tightened around each other.

"And my... my family had to pay the price."

Asher’s expression changed.

His fist slowly clenched.

"Wh-What price?"

Nuel remained silent for a moment.

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before releasing it.

"Vespers City is not a normal city."

Her voice became quieter.

"When someone enters this place, if they are observant enough, they will feel something strange."

She lifted her gaze.

"A strange tingling sensation throughout their body."

Asher froze.

His mind immediately flashed back to the day his family arrived.

The strange feeling.

The way his skin crawled.

The way every hair on his body seemed to stand on end.

"I-I felt it."

His voice lowered.

"A strange sensation. Like something was wrong."

Nuel nodded.

"Exactly."

Her fingers squeezed tightly.

"You felt the invisible barrier."

Asher’s eyes widened.

"Barrier?"

"Yes."

Nuel looked toward the classroom windows.

"The barrier surrounds the entire city."

A pause.

"Anyone can enter Vespers City willingly."

Her eyes returned to him.

"But once you settle down here..."

Her voice dropped.

"You can never leave."

Asher felt his heartbeat accelerate.

The words felt impossible.

Yet somehow, deep down, they felt true.

’A barrier?’

His breathing became heavier.

’We... we can’t leave?’

"Wh-What are you saying?"

Nuel closed her eyes.

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"It’s not a fantasy."

Her voice trembled.

"It’s real."

She wiped the tear away.

"We are all trapped here by the Unseen Ruler."

A cold expression appeared on her face.

"The one responsible for all of this."

Asher’s heart pounded harder.

"Unseen Ruler?"

Then another thought struck him.

"The sleep."

His eyes widened.

"Why can’t anyone sleep?"

Nuel looked at him.

For a moment, she said nothing.

Then—

"That?"

Her expression became hollow.

"That’s because anyone who sleeps..."

She paused.

"Dies."

"...."

Silence.

A suffocating silence filled the classroom.

It was so quiet that Asher could hear his own heartbeat pounding inside his ears.

His throat became dry.

His fingers trembled slightly.

"Wh-What do you mean?"

His voice cracked.

"How... how does that happen?"

Nuel suddenly turned her head toward him.

The movement was unnatural.

Too sudden.

Too sharp.

Asher froze.

For some reason, the way she looked at him sent a chill down his spine.

"I can show you."

Her voice echoed throughout the empty classroom.

Each word bounced against the walls.

Before Asher could even process what she meant—

Nuel was suddenly standing directly in front of him.

His eyes widened.

He hadn’t seen her move.

Hadn’t heard her footsteps.

Nothing.

Her face was inches away from his.

Close enough for him to feel every breath against his skin.

Then he noticed it.

A smell.

A horrible smell.

She reeked.

Asher’s instincts screamed.

Something was wrong.

Before he could move, Nuel’s hand shot forward.

Her fingers wrapped around his neck.

And with impossible speed, she pulled him closer.

So close that their faces nearly touched.

Then—

"Aaaaaargh!"

A scream of pure agony erupted from Asher’s throat.

Pain exploded through his body.

Nuel had bitten into his neck.

A chunk of flesh was ripped away.

Blood sprayed into the air like a fountain.

The classroom fell silent once again.

But this time...

Only Asher’s scream remained.

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