Happy weekends always go by quickly.
After his early morning run, Sebastian rode his bicycle to school, his schoolbag slung over his back.
He parked the bicycle, noticing Sean approaching. With a smile, Sebastian immediately asked, "Sean, why do you have such heavy dark circles?"
Sean scratched his messy hair, which he hadn't had time to wash, and sighed. "Don't ask, I tried to clear Assassin's Creed last night, but that game is really tough. I played for hours, barely getting halfway through before the sky started turning white."
"I hope you don't fall asleep in class, otherwise, I don't think Teacher Frey will let you off. You know how strict she is."
"I'll try my best. Honestly, I regret playing the game last night. Really…"
Sean continued speaking, but Sebastian's attention shifted. He frowned slightly, his gaze falling on a girl walking into the school from the outside. Sebastian could clearly sense the overwhelming evil thoughts radiating from her, far surpassing all the Death Eaters he encountered in his previous life. Even Voldemort was inferior. The darkness she emanated was pure and deep, as endless as the void itself.
Such a person entering the school could only mean trouble. After a while, things would surely take a dangerous turn!
"Hey, Sebastian, which girl are you looking at? Is the famous iron tree of our Midtown Science and Technology High School about to bloom?"
Ignoring Sean's teasing, Sebastian pointed to the girl radiating evil thoughts and asked, "Sean, do you know who that girl is?"
"Which girl? Let me see... her? Hah, bro, I didn't know you liked her. You really are... unique."
With a helpless pout, Sebastian replied, "I don't like her. I've never even met her. I'm just curious."
"Her name is Akanksha. She transferred here from outside about half a month ago, but she's very withdrawn, doesn't talk much, and doesn't make friends, so not many people know her."
"She's always been a bit of a loner, and it's like she gets fixated on people she barely knows. She tends to latch on to someone in whatever she does. If I hadn't overheard some things about her before, I wouldn't even have an idea about her background."
"Also, I've heard recently that she's been in a really bad mood the past couple of days. She's become much darker and more unsettling. People are really avoiding her now—no one wants to be around her. Even the teachers are a little wary of her, concerned that she might do something unpredictable."
"You know how things can get out of hand in schools sometimes, and with all the tension around, it's probably safer for you to steer clear of her, Sebastian."
The two of them walked into the school while talking. Sebastian just wanted to know who she was. In truth, he wasn't interested in getting involved with the evil thoughts she was emitting. He knew all too well that dealing with that kind of energy was beyond his current abilities.
But sometimes, trouble doesn't wait for you to come looking for it—it finds you anyway.
When Sebastian and Sean walked into the teaching building, Akanksha slowly raised her head, which had been lowered, and looked at Sebastian's back from the gap in her drooping hair, with a look of inquiry and joy in her eyes.
The time of day was fleeting, and school was ready to end at three o'clock in the afternoon.
Sebastian got on his bike, said goodbye to Sean, and was about to head home directly. His working hours were Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, so he had Monday free to allocate his time as he pleased.
Riding his bicycle down the one-way street leading to his house, there were not many pedestrians, and the trees were slightly lush. Sebastian personally liked this road very much. The peaceful atmosphere allowed him to think deeply about many things.
But today, this road was doomed to be anything but peaceful.
Halfway through the ride, Sebastian suddenly saw a person standing in front of him, blocking the road.
Wrinkling his brows slightly, Sebastian looked carefully at the person blocking the road, and immediately felt the evil thoughts emanating from them. It was then that he realized the person blocking the road was Akanksha!
Squeak...
Sebastian suddenly pressed the brakes of his bicycle and looked at Akanksha, who was now in front of him, with a bad feeling gnawing at his heart.
Just when Sebastian was about to turn and ride away, Akanksha, who had been thirty or forty meters away, suddenly emitted a black aura around her. Her body flickered three times, and in an instant, she appeared right beside Sebastian, almost like a ghost. She reached out and grabbed the handlebars of his bicycle.
"Sebastian, I checked your information today, and I'm very interested in you."
Why does she notice me?
Is it because of the way I looked at her earlier?
Or is it because my attention triggered some reaction in her?
Although he probably knew why she had stopped in front of him, Sebastian didn't want to escalate things. The evil thoughts surrounding her were far beyond anything he wanted to provoke.
"Sorry, I'm heading home to do my homework. If you want to talk about something, we can chat tomorrow at school. How about that?"
Sebastian hoped to de-escalate the situation, but it was clear that Akanksha's obsession with him wasn't so easily deterred.
"No, no, no! Did you see it just now? Did you see my ability? But even so, your reaction is just so ordinary. You're really not an ordinary person, are you? Let me see what makes you special! Come on! Come on! Come on!!!"
Akanksha's hair fluttered wildly, the black aura swirling around her like a storm, floating behind her head. As the shadows parted, her face was revealed—her forehead marked with thick dark circles and red lines that formed a strange, unsettling symbol.
I feel like I've seen that mark before... what is that?
Without warning, Akanksha reached out toward Sebastian, but her hand grasped nothing but empty air. In a swift motion, he abandoned his bicycle, its handlebars still gripped by Akanksha, and cast a Levitation Charm under his breath. The spell allowed him to float away quickly, distancing himself from her.
Being targeted by someone like her... this is trouble. I can't fight her right now. Why me? Why did she choose me?
As Sebastian floated away, Akanksha's excitement began to fade, replaced by a chilling calm. She tilted her head, her eyes darkening with dangerous intent as they fixed on him.
"So it's you, huh? You're the same as the others. You hate me, don't you?" Her voice grew colder, more venomous. "Hehehe, a guy like you... there's no need for someone like you to exist!"
The black aura around her contracted suddenly, squeezing the bicycle she was holding as if it were nothing more than a fragile toy. With a flicker of movement, Akanksha reappeared next to Sebastian, the dark tendrils of her aura reaching out like malicious tentacles, twisting and coiling around him.
What is this power? It's overwhelming with evil thoughts...
In an instant, Sebastian raised his wand and shouted, "Wingardium Leviosa!"
The Levitation Charm was effective on the bicycle, but against someone as formidable as Akanksha, who was saturated with dark energy, the spell was useless on her. The bicycle, however, was sent flying into Akanksha's back with a loud crash, staggering her momentarily.
Using the opportunity, Sebastian quickly levitated himself further away, gaining some distance between himself and the unpredictable danger that was Akanksha. He knew he wasn't strong enough to defeat her now, but he couldn't simply retreat to his home either.
She's not just any normal person. If I don't stop her now, she might follow me—hunt me down until I'm dead. I need to deal with her before she becomes a bigger problem.
With his mind racing, Sebastian quickly formulated a plan. The Holy Sanctum in New York—there, he could face her with a better chance of survival. The question was whether he could lead her there before things got any worse.
But just as he thought he might have a chance to escape, a sudden boom reverberated through the air. Black flames erupted from the ground, sending a wave of heat and smoke toward him.
If I hadn't dodged that...
Sebastian's eyes widened as he saw Akanksha standing in the distance, her expression twisted with fury. The red mark on her forehead was glowing brighter than ever, casting an eerie, oppressive light. Behind her, the air seemed to warp and twist, and Sebastian caught the fleeting glimpse of a massive figure lurking within the dark space that had begun to form around her.
Just as the black flames closed in on him, a barrier appeared—shimmering like shards of crystal, an irregular formation of mirror-like crystals surrounding him.