The hallway buzzed with noise. Students laughed, lockers slammed, sneakers squeaked on the floor. But Takeshi barely heard any of it. His eyes were locked on the screen of his phone.
"Meet me after school. I need to show you something. It's about Nehvarra."
That one message from Rei had wrapped around his mind like a vine. He didn't know why, but it felt heavy. Like it wasn't just a text. It was a door.
"Takeshi! Earth to Takeshi!"
He blinked and looked up. Yua stood in front of him, arms crossed, lips curved in a smirk.
"You gonna move or just stand in the hallway all day like a statue?"
"Sorry," he said, stepping aside.
Yua looked at him for a second longer. "You okay? You look like you haven't slept."
"Maybe I haven't."
She raised an eyebrow. "Still having those weird dreams?"
Takeshi nodded slowly. "Yeah. But they're getting worse."
Yua was about to say something else, but the bell rang. She gave him one last look before heading into class.
---
The day dragged.
Math felt like static. History blurred together. Even lunch didn't taste like anything.
All Takeshi could think about was the gate, the glowing rune, and Asami's voice telling him he shouldn't be there. Her eyes had looked different. Not just serious. Sad.
And now Rei wanted to talk. About Nehvarra. About something he had found.
When the final bell rang, Takeshi grabbed his bag and rushed out.
Rei was waiting behind the gym.
He looked different. Tense. Like someone who had seen something they couldn't explain.
"You came," Rei said, hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets.
"You said it was about Nehvarra."
Rei glanced around. "Follow me. I don't want anyone else hearing this."
They walked to the back field, where no one really hung out. There was a shed there — old, rusted, barely standing. Rei opened the door, and they stepped inside.
Dust floated in the light. It smelled like metal and old paper.
Rei pulled something from his bag. A notebook. Thick. Worn.
"I didn't write this," he said. "I found it. In my locker. This morning."
Takeshi frowned. "What?"
"I opened my locker, and it was just... there. No name. No note. Nothing. But look."
He opened the notebook. Takeshi leaned in.
Every page was filled with strange symbols. Spirals, marks, and shapes that almost looked like writing but not quite. Some pages had drawings. Of gates. Of masked figures. Of places Takeshi had seen in his dreams.
His chest tightened.
"This... this is from Nehvarra."
"I know. But that's not the weirdest part. Look at the back."
Rei flipped to the last page. One sentence was written there.
"The boy with no Drift has already stepped beyond the line."
Takeshi's heart skipped.
"That's me," he whispered. "They know."
Rei looked at him. "What does that mean? No Drift?"
Takeshi hesitated. Should he tell him?
He nodded. "I only have one Drift. A singular one. No marks. No shine. Nothing else. It... doesn't grow like the others. But somehow, it brings me to places no one else goes."
Rei stared at him. "That doesn't sound like a weakness. That sounds like a key."
Takeshi didn't know what to say.
Rei continued, "And this notebook? I think someone wants you to find something. Or remember something. I think there are people in Nehvarra... watching."
---
That night, Takeshi didn't sleep.
He studied the notebook. Page by page. Symbol by symbol.
Some parts made no sense. Others felt familiar, like half-forgotten memories.
And then, in the middle, he found a drawing.
It was a boy. Standing before a giant clocktower. Chains wrapped around the tower. The sky above was cracked like glass. And behind the boy... was a shadow. His own.
But the shadow didn't match his pose.
It moved differently.
It smiled.
Takeshi dropped the notebook.
He was shaking.
Then his phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: "The clock has started ticking. Don't let your shadow win."
His heart pounded. The room felt colder.
And for the first time...
He wondered if Nehvarra was starting to bleed into the real world.
---
End of Chapter 32