Chapter 6: Something Feels Wrong

The world felt too loud.

Kairan lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, his heartbeat too clear in his ears. His breath sounded too sharp, too precise. The silence of his dorm was not real silence—it was filled with tiny noises he shouldn't be noticing. The rustling of fabric as he shifted. The faint hum of the academy's hidden generators beneath the floors. The distant footsteps of someone in the hallway, far too distant to be this clear.

It had been a week since the Hollow attack. A week since his body had started feeling… different.

His fingers twitched against the sheets. His vision, normally blurred by early morning grogginess, was sharp. He could make out the tiniest cracks in the ceiling, details he had never noticed before.

And then, as he turned his head toward the mirror by the door—

His own reflection was staring at him.

Not in the normal way.

Not in the way a mirror should reflect movement.

For a fraction of a second, his reflection didn't move when he did.

Kairan sat up so fast that his head spun, his pulse hammering in his throat. He looked again—

It was normal.

His reflection copied him perfectly now.

He exhaled slowly, rubbing his face.

"It's nothing. I'm just tired, that's all."

But deep down, he wasn't sure he believed that anymore.

The academy had always been full of noise. It was a school for the strongest Resonants in Zeyvaris, a place where students with impossible abilities trained to become warriors. Kairan had learned to ignore them years ago.

But today, the noise felt personal.

The moment he stepped into the halls, he felt eyes on him.

Normally, he was invisible. Students barely acknowledged his existence, treating him like part of the background. But now—

They whispered when he passed.

Some stole quick glances. Others paused in their conversations, lowering their voices just slightly.

Kairan pretended not to notice.

"Keep walking. Don't react."

But then—

"Did you hear? That janitor survived a Hollow attack."

"Pfft, as if. More like the Hollow just didn't think he was worth killing."

"I heard the professors asked him questions, but he barely spoke."

"Maybe he's hiding something."

"Yeah, hiding the fact that he's weak as hell."

"Whatever. Not like a non-Resonant matters."

Kairan's grip tightened around the mop handle.

They weren't afraid of him.

They were afraid of not knowing.

He could have handled the mockery. He was used to it.

But this was different. They weren't laughing.

They were uneasy. Because a Hollow had hesitated before him—and no one knew why.

The janitor's supply closet was in one of the academy's back corridors—normally empty.

But today, Lily Valnera was waiting there, leaning against the wall.

Kairan sighed. Not now.

Lily grinned the moment she saw him, arms crossed.

"So, what's it like being the most famous janitor in Celestia Academy?"

Kairan didn't break stride. "If I'm famous, I think I missed the paycheck."

"Shame," Lily sighed. "If you got rich off the gossip, I'd totally take my cut."

Kairan opened the closet door, shoving the mop inside. "No one's paying for rumors about me."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you think it's just rumors?"

Kairan didn't answer.

Then, before Lily could tease him further—

Iris Valnera stepped forward.

Unlike her sister, she wasn't smiling. She studied Kairan with the cold, unreadable gaze of someone who had already decided something about him.

"Great. Both of them."

Iris tilted her head slightly. "You don't look injured."

"That's what happens when you're not attacked," Kairan replied.

Iris didn't blink. "Hollows don't hesitate."

Kairan stilled for just a second.

Lily, sensing the shift in mood, raised her hands. "Okay, wow, heavy mood. Let's all remember that we're talking about a janitor, not some lost heir to a secret Hollow-hunting bloodline, alright?"

Kairan exhaled, forcing himself to relax. "Guess I got lucky."

Iris didn't look convinced.

Then, quietly, as if she was testing him—

"Luck doesn't exist."

Kairan met her gaze, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then—

The academy's broadcast system lit up.

A holographic screen unfolded from the wall, displaying a live military report.

"NEWS TO ALL OF ZEYVARIS. A NEW TITAN-CLASS HOLLOW HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED BY HELIOS. ALL CITIZENS ARE TO REMAIN CALM IN CASE OF SUDDEN EARTHQUAKES"

"CODENAME—EARTH BREAKER. MULTIPLE RESONANT TEAMS DISPATCHED. HIGH-LEVEL COMBAT ZONE DECLARED."

"THE FOURTH TITAN SIGHTING THIS MONTH."

Kairan frowned.

"Four Titan sightings in a single month? That's… not normal."

Titan-class Hollows aren't something a normal resonant could handle. Heck, most of humanity could be extinct by the appearance of one of them. they are the embodiment of disasters, a force that even we can barely avoid. And now they're telling us there is 4 of them?!

But when Kairan glanced at the students around him—

No one even reacted.

They kept talking, moving, training. To them, this was just another normal announcement.

Lily stretched, unimpressed. "Oh, another Titan? Yawn. Let me know when it reaches five, then I'll pretend to care."

Kairan stared at the broadcast for a moment longer before turning away.

"This country is in more danger than anyone wants to admit."

Later, as Kairan finished cleaning one of the main halls, he noticed someone watching him.

Professor Aven Lioris.

The man was walking past, but his eyes lingered on Kairan too long.

Then—he deliberately dropped a piece of paper.

Kairan didn't think.

His body reacted.

He caught the paper before it even touched the ground.

Too fast. Too precise.

Aven stopped. Smirked.

"That was fast."

Kairan forced himself to relax. "Good reflexes."

"Strange." Aven tilted his head. "I heard non-Resonants don't have those."

Kairan said nothing.

Aven smiled slightly, nodding to himself. "Interesting." Then, without another word, he walked away.

Kairan exhaled, tension coiled tight in his spine.

"I just made things worse."

After work, Kairan returned to his storage room.

And froze.

Another note sat on his cot.

But this time, there were no words.

Just a black, jagged spiral.

Kairan stared at it, his pulse slowing. Something about it felt wrong.

For just a second, the ink seemed to pulse.

But when he blinked—it was just paper again.

He clenched his jaw. Who the hell was doing this?

Then, that night—

He dreamed.

And this time, the voice in the void whispered, louder than before—

"Found you."

Kairan woke up, breath sharp and uneven.

Somewhere, something was watching him.

And he didn't even know it.