Chapter 8 – Mysterious Dream

  A Few Days Later

  The afternoon sun spilled through the tall windows of Arcanmere Academy’s Great Hall, painting golden streaks across the desks. The last bell had just rung, marking the end of the day’s final class. Students were laughing, talking, and packing up their things — eager to escape into the freedom of the evening.

  Daniel was chatting and joking with Scarlett and Tom, halfway through shoving his books into his satchel. Scarlett was smiling softly while tying the ribbon on her notes when the door creaked open.

  The laughter around them died instantly.

  Light — a tall, arrogant senior known for his sharp tongue and his even sharper wand work — entered with two of his friends.

  Tom groaned quietly. “Great. Just what we needed.”

  Scarlett instantly lowered her gaze and bent over her bag, pretending to pack faster.

  Light smirked as he walked closer. “Why the rush, pretty? Hiding your face from us again?” His tone dripped mockery. “And why do your eyes look so angry?”

  Scarlett stiffened, saying nothing. But when Light’s hand touched her shoulder, Tom moved before anyone else could react.

  “Keep your hands off her,” Tom snapped, shoving him backward.

  Light stumbled a step, his grin fading. One of his friends, a bulky boy named Rex, stepped forward and punched Tom square in the jaw.

  “Watch your mouth, first-year,” Rex growled. “Show some respect to your seniors.”

  Tom staggered but didn’t fall. “Respect is earned,” he shot back, blood trickling from his lip.

  The room erupted in chaos — students gasping, a few whispering. Scarlett tried to step between them.

  “Stop it, please! You’ll get detention!” she shouted.

  Daniel rose from his seat, eyes narrowing. “Enough!” he commanded, his voice calm but sharp.

  No one listened. Light shoved Tom again. Chairs screeched across the floor.

  Daniel clenched his fists. “I said STOP!”

  The air changed.

  A sudden wave of energy pulsed through the room — silent but powerful. The torches flickered violently. Everyone froze.

  Daniel’s right shoulder began to burn under his sleeve. He winced, clutching it, but before he could say anything more, a blinding blue light flashed from his shoulder and his eyes.

  The glow spread across the floor like lightning veins. His voice came out — deeper, distorted, not entirely his own.

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  A chilling sound filled the air. Words — not in English, not in any language they recognized — echoed through the hall. It was like an ancient chant.

  When it ended, the boy who had punched Tom — Rex — was standing motionless, eyes wide in terror. His limbs went rigid, as if paralyzed by invisible chains.

  “W–what the hell just happened?!” Light stammered, stumbling backward. He looked at Daniel’s glowing eyes and shouted, “It’s his mark! The curse— it’s awakening!”

  He didn’t wait for another second. Grabbing his stunned friend by the arm, Light and the other boy bolted out of the classroom in panic, disappearing down the hall.

  Silence fell. Only the sound of Daniel’s heavy breathing filled the air. The glow slowly faded from his shoulder and eyes.

  Scarlett swallowed hard. “D–Daniel… are you okay?”

  He looked at her, confused. “Why are you all looking at me like that? And why did they run away?”

  Tom, still holding his jaw, said in a low, uneasy voice, “You… you didn’t just tell them to stop, Daniel.”

  Daniel frowned. “What do you mean? I only said ‘stop this’.”

  Scarlett shook her head slowly, fear flickering in her eyes. “No, Daniel. You said something… different. It wasn’t English. It wasn’t any language I’ve ever heard.”

  Daniel blinked, trying to recall the moment. “I don’t remember saying anything like that. I just thought it in my head.”

  Tom’s voice dropped, serious now. “Maybe that’s the problem. You thought it… and something else said it for you.”

  Daniel’s heart pounded. “You think it’s the curse?”

  Scarlett’s hands trembled slightly. “It could be. Maybe this is what Mrs. Elizabeth and the Headmaster were afraid of. The mark isn’t just a scar, Daniel… it’s alive.”

  Daniel looked down at his right shoulder, feeling the faint warmth beneath his sleeve. The mark pulsed once — almost as if it was listening.

  “I need answers,” he whispered.

  Tom nodded grimly. “Then we go to the Headmaster. Tonight.”

  Scarlett hesitated. “If he knows the truth about the curse… he might also know how to control it.”

  Daniel exhaled slowly, the echo of that strange language still ringing in his head. “Let’s hope so. Because if I lose control again…”

  He looked at the burn mark glowing faintly through the fabric.

  “…I don’t know what I’ll become.”

  When everything finally calmed down, Scarlett quietly returned to her common room, her mind still spinning with fear and questions. The faint glow that had flickered from Daniel’s shoulder haunted her thoughts.

  Meanwhile, Daniel and Tom walked back to their own common room in silence. The corridors were dim, lit only by floating candles that swayed gently in the draft.

  Tom glanced at Daniel, concern written all over his face.

  “You should rest for a while,” he said softly. “You’ve had enough chaos for one day.”

  Daniel nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah… maybe you’re right. My head’s pounding.”

  “Try to sleep,” Tom advised. “We’ll talk to the Headmaster tomorrow morning. Just… don’t think too much about it tonight, okay?”

  Daniel gave a faint smile. “I’ll try.”

  After saying goodnight, Daniel went up to his dorm room. The castle was unusually quiet—too quiet. The flickering lanterns outside his window cast shifting shadows that crawled across the floor.

  He lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling for a while, but exhaustion soon pulled him under.

  And that’s when it began.

  In the Dream

  Daniel found himself standing in a dark forest. The air was cold and thick with mist, the trees towering like silent giants. The moon hung low in the sky, its reflection glimmering faintly on the surface of a vast lake nearby.

  A faint wind whispered through the branches, carrying with it a strange, almost human voice—soft, broken, and echoing.

  “Daniel…”

  He turned sharply, scanning the shadows. “Who’s there?”

  No answer. Only the ripple of water in the distance.

  He started walking toward the lake, his boots crunching over the fallen leaves. As he got closer, he saw someone—a tall figure standing at the edge of the lake.

  The man’s back was turned, his long cloak fluttering slightly in the breeze.

  Daniel frowned. “Hello? Are you alright?”

  The man didn’t respond. Instead, he leaned forward and stared into the dark water as if something below was calling him.

  Daniel took a cautious step closer. “Hey! You shouldn’t go near that—”

  Before he could finish, two long, black hands burst out of the water. They were made of shadows, twisting and writhing like smoke.

  They grabbed the man’s shoulders and yanked him downward in one violent pull.

  The man screamed—a sound that froze Daniel’s blood. In an instant, the lake went still again, silent as death.

  Daniel’s heart pounded. “No!”