He saw her standing in front of the void, looking hopeless and engulfed in nothingness. It was a girl with dark hair and sharp-looking eyes. He felt completely powerless, unable to even move a finger. Gazing at her made him want to approach her. "For God's sake, I know this is just another stupid dream. I'm sick of it!" he shouted in the depths of his slumber. As he focused on the mysterious girl, her presence began to fade from sight. "No…no! Come back! I want to ask you something; don't go yet!"
Mark jolted out of bed, sweat clinging to his skin. "MARK! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE AGAIN!" his mom yelled from the kitchen.
He glanced at the clock—it was 7:30 AM. "Shit."
After a lightning-fast shower, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. "Still handsome, even half-dead," he muttered to himself.
Downstairs, Chloe and Den were already waiting. "Look who just rolled out of the void," Chloe teased.
On their way to the train station, Den asked, "Hey, did you finish the English project?"
Mark stopped in his tracks. "...What project?"
Chloe groaned. "It's due today, genius."
"Relax," Mark replied with a grin. "I am Mark, the menacing genius."
Den whispered to Chloe, "He's lost it."
Ten minutes later, Mark dashed into the computer lab, completely blank on what the project was even about "Damn it… what is that project again?" He thought he was alone, but then someone whispered to him, "H-hey, need help?" Turning around, he saw Mikaela, a shy girl with glasses.
"Oh, hey, Mika… yeah, I think I need help," he replied. Mikaela giggled shyly and said, "For the English project, right?" Mark responded, "You know me so well." They both laughed, and Mikaela continued, "Sure thing! It's perfect timing since I need to revise my project too." Mark said "Oh my God, Mika, you're an angel!"
As time went on, Mark and Mikaela finished their project. "Finally! It's done. I owe you a lot, Mika," he said, grateful, "I-it's nothing, Mark… I'll help you any time." He thanked her once again for her help. "Anyway, let's go back to the classroom to submit this headache" Mark decided they should head back to the English room.
As they walked through the hallway, Mark bumped into a familiar big guy. "Yo, Carl!" It was Carl, Mark's childhood friend and Den's brother. "Hehe, Mark, you're with Mikaela again, huh? Hehehe, suspicious." Mark and Mikaela both blushed and exclaimed, "HEY, IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!" Carl laughed sarcastically, "Hey, hey, it's not what you think, hehehe… right, Mark?" said Carl, Mikaela walked away, her face bright red. "Oh my God, dude, you embarrassed her," Mark said to Carl, Carl looked at him with a teasing expression. "Dude, you hang out with her every Sunday. Is that what friends do?" Mark replied, "I owe her a lot, man. She's always there when I need help." Carl looked at Mark and felt bad about what he had done.
As time passed, Mark arrived at the English classroom, and there she was—Ms. Gonzaga, the teacher and a real tyrant. Mark felt a chill run down his spine, but he managed to pass his English project successfully.
"What a surprise, Mark! You finally care about your grades, huh?" Ms. Gonzaga said. Mark quickly responded, "Hehe, I'm always concerned about my grades, ma'am." Ms. Gonzaga looked at him as if she might eat him alive. "I see," she replied. Little thing she didn't know it is utterly lie.
The bell rang, signaling lunch time. Mark headed to the cafeteria, and as he walked through the hallway, someone suddenly clung to his shoulder—it was Chloe, along with Den and Carl. "Hey, sleepyhead! Are you going to sleep in the cafeteria again?" they laughed, recalling the time he dozed off there last week. "Dude, how dare you remind me of that mistake again!" he exclaimed, but their laughter only grew louder.
They sat in the empty space of the cafeteria, which was a perfect match for them. It had four chairs and one table. "What are you guys going to buy?" Chloe asked. "French fries, of course," someone replied. The four of them ordered food from the cafeteria, and suddenly Mark felt an uncanny presence around and his vision slightly becoming glitchy. He looked back, but there was nothing wrong; still, he knew in his gut that something was off.
"Mark… Mark, hey, heyyy!" his friends called out to him. "H-hey, what's up?" Mark stammered. "Bro, you totally zoned out for 15 seconds," Chloe said, and Mark jolted in surprise. "W-what?"
His friends looked at him with concern. "Damn, dude, are you okay?" Den asked. Mark quickly replied, "Probably just lack of sleep." His friends eyed him suspiciously, and Chloe added, "Come on, dude, order your food quickly. I'm getting hungry."
Mark ordered corn and vegetables with butter, and soon everyone had finished placing their orders and sat down at their table. His friends were chatting about random things when Mark suddenly brought up a new topic. "Guys, have you ever dreamt about something weird lately?" His friends paused for a moment. Carl was the first to respond, saying, "Oh yeah, I dreamt that I had a pet dinosaur-dragon hybrid, and I was really happy with him… but then my dad woke me up. Damn it!"
Mark felt disappointed by Carl's nonsensical dream. Then Chloe chimed in, "Hmm, for me, I dreamed that I had a large amount of money and bought a bunch of guitars. Oh, please dream lord, take me, please!" Mark lost hope of discovering if his friends had also dreamed about the girl he kept seeing in his own dreams. Just then, Den spoke up, "I have a dream, but I'm not sure if it was still a dream…it felt like a nightmare."
Mark was intrigued and asked, "W-what was it?" Den replied, "Some random rifts kept spreading around Burgos National High School… but I can't remember it clearly anymore." Mark was surprised by what he heard and said, "That's interesting."
Den asked, "Why did you ask this kind of question, Mark?" Mark hesitated, debating whether to tell the truth or make up a lie. "Uh… I'm just curious, to be honest," he finally responded. As time passed, the four of them returned to discussing their respective subjects in class.
At 1:00 PM, it was time for art class. Mark headed to the second floor to room 208, where he saw Mikaela. He greeted her, saying, "Hey, Mika! Doing some art, huh?"
Mikaela looked a bit unsure and replied, "H-hey, Mark. Yeah, Ms. Cruz gave us an assignment because she's taking the day off."
Mark was surprised to hear this about Ms. Cruz, who was known for her hardworking nature. "W-what? Ms. Cruz is taking a day off!? I can't believe it!"
"I know, right? It's surprising…. By the way, Mark, are you free this Sunday?" Mikaela asked, her face turning red.
Mark replied, "Oh, my schedule is clear on Sunday, so yeah, I'm free." Mikaela smiled at him, which made Mark's face turn red as well.
"Should we continue our novel? I miss 'Blooming Rose' so much," Mark said with a smile
"I'm pretty sure she misses you too! So do you have a better idea for the ending?" Mikaela said, smiling proudly.
"Haha, of course! I am Mark, the menacing genius!"
Mikaela looked at Mark, feeling a growing affection for him.
As time passed and the school bell rang, Mark walked through the hallway after his art class. Mikaela said her goodbyes as her parents waited outside the gate for her. As Mark continued walking alone in the hallway, he felt an uncanny sensation again. He kept looking over his shoulder, growing increasingly nervous, and his pace quickened.
As Mark reached the gate, an uncanny presence continued to haunt him. He walked alone toward the train station to head back home. When he finally sat down in an empty seat, his mind went completely blank as he couldn't shake off the ominous sensation that had taken hold of him. "This feeling... I've only experienced this in my dreams," he said.
As time passed, Mark finally arrived home and saw his mom waiting by the gate. He overheard her talking to a neighbor, saying, "Is it true? Mariel is cheating?" Mark quickly headed to his room and lay down on his bed. "Even though I'm awake, I still feel this sensation... damn it," he muttered to himself.
It was 8:00 in the evening, and Mark was still lying down, feeling the pressure in his mind. He closed his eyes and muttered to himself, "This is bad." Hours passed, and he drifted into sleep.
Once again, he found himself in a nightmare. He awoke in a dim, dark room, looking back and forth, realizing he was all alone in this unsettling dream. An uncanny presence haunted him, and he decided to walk through the empty hallway of the dark room. As he walked, he felt an overwhelming sensation of pressure. After what seemed like many minutes, he spotted a metal door in the distance.
As Mark neared the door, a wave of dread washed over him as it creaked open on its own. Suddenly, a thick cloud of red smoke engulfed the room, and the sound of footsteps grew louder, each step echoing with an unsettling rhythm. Paralyzed by fear, Mark could only stand frozen, his mind overwhelmed by the terror closing in on him "W-who are you? Leave me alone!" he cried out, but the footsteps continued.
As the smoke began to fade away, he finally saw a strange figure—a tall man with long hair and red eyes. Mark was frozen by the terrifying sight. He screamed and screamed, but no one could hear him in the dream realm. Mark woke up in an empty void. He felt like he was in the emptiness of space, yet it still seemed like a dream. "It can't be possible, two dreams in a row," Mark thought as he drifted through the void, seeing nothing but darkness around him."W-where am I?" A gust of wind suddenly pulls Mark awake, bringing him back to reality.
He opened his eyes, he woke up in his bed, sweat and tears streaming down his face and his body trembling in fear. He looked at his palm and was shocked to see blood in it. His nose was bleeding for an unknown reason. "A blood?"