It was a cold, gray morning, barely illuminated by a sun that seemed to have forgotten about us. A sharp blow to my head ripped me from the little comfort sleep had given me. I opened my eyes, still disoriented, and my sister's voice broke the silence.

"Hey, get up! It's time to go study."

I sighed, resigned, and slowly got up from the desk where I had fallen asleep the night before, exhausted from the endless hours of studying. A sharp pain shot through my back, a mix of accumulated fatigue and the bruises that covered my body.

Without waiting for a response, my sister left my room and went downstairs. Moving mechanically, I put on my uniform, gathered the scattered notebooks from the table, and stuffed them into my bag. When I got to the living room, I saw her sitting at the table, eating breakfast with the same serenity she displayed every morning. From the kitchen, my mother looked at me with a smile that attempted, unsuccessfully, to soften the tension that hung in the air.

"Good morning, son," she said, with a tenderness that couldn't conceal the worry in her voice.

I sat down in front of my sister and began to eat in silence.

"I'm going to school today to talk to the principal," my mother announced, her tone firm like a promise. "I won't let them hurt you again."

"Don't worry, mom," I replied with a calmness that was only superficial. "I think they won't bother me anymore. Minata's boyfriend defended me."

Minata's knife, poised to cut a piece of bread, froze in midair. Her reaction was immediate, almost violent.

"What boyfriend!?" she exclaimed, surprised.

"Oh, really?" my mother chimed in, with a smile creeping across her face. "And who's the lucky guy?"

"It's a guy she's always hanging around with," I replied, feeling the weight of their inquisitive stares.

"He's not my boyfriend. Don't listen to him, mom. Besides, I'd rather die than have a boyfriend."

"Her 'non-boyfriend' can fight pretty well. He knocked them down with ease. I doubt they'll mess with me again."

"I'm glad to hear that, but I'm still going to talk to the principal," my mother insisted, unwavering.

Time passed, and soon we found ourselves walking toward the school. When we arrived, we entered the classroom. While I headed to my desk, Minata walked straight to hers, right next to where Takeda Kiyo was sitting.

Kiyo, lounging in his seat with a relaxed posture, exuded a confidence that was hard to ignore. His smile, assured and slightly ironic, seemed to serve as a reminder to the world that he had everything under control.

"Thanks for protecting my brother."

Takeda looked up slowly.

"You don't have to thank me. It was the least I could do, considering no one else in this school has the ability to stand up to those idiots," he replied, his tone dripping with an almost mocking confidence. "Besides, it wouldn't be fair for my best friend's brother to have any problems, would it?"

"I hope they don't bother him again. They hurt him a lot yesterday."

Takeda leaned in slightly toward her.

"Don't worry," he said. "As long as I'm around, no one will dare touch him. The last time someone tried, you saw how it ended, right?" he concluded, winking at her with a hint of complicity.

"True."

Ten minutes later, the teacher burst into the room, beginning her lesson with a routine that seemed suspended in time. I, lost in thought, didn't notice that she was calling my name insistently.

"KIRATA HIMEHIMA! I'm paid to teach, not to be ignored. So, you'll teach today's lesson."

"Of course, ma'am. I'm sorry," I replied.

I stood up from my seat, feeling the eyes of my classmates on me. As I took the chalk, my movements were automatic, almost tedious. The equation I wrote was so simple that it barely held my interest; just a basic number game that I had already solved a thousand times in my head.

Just as I was about to finish my explanation, a deep creaking sound reverberated through the walls of the classroom. The air grew thick, as if the very space was compressing, stealing our breath. Without warning, the windows exploded with a deafening crash, and shards of glass flew like blades, cutting through the air.

Before the echo faded, a massive figure emerged from the wreckage. It wasn't a creature from this world, but something torn from the unfathomable depths of the human mind. Its skin, grayish and marked by scars, stretched over rippling muscles. Its eyes, two burning embers, gleamed with a malice that chilled the blood. It was a presence that defied reality itself, imposing a primal terror that froze everyone in place.

The alarms echoed. In the distance, screams mingled with the crunching sound of shattering glass and the thunder of frantic footsteps. I was paralyzed, eyes wide open, unable to comprehend what was happening. My body, trembling and covered in cold sweat, refused to obey my desperate internal pleas.

Then I saw it, that abomination that could not be described with human words. It fixed its gaze on a nearby boy, and with an unnatural, malevolent motion, lifted him by the neck, bringing him close to its face to sniff him, as if searching for something deep within his essence. Without further hesitation, it threw him with disdain through the window, and the boy's body disappeared into the darkness outside. That grotesque display of power unleashed chaos in the classroom. Everyone ran, gripped by a primal terror, except for Kiyo, Minata, and me.

"Why can't I move?" I thought, trapped in a whirlwind of panic. "Move! Run!" But my body didn't respond, and beads of sweat rolled down my forehead as the creature slowly turned toward me, its hungry gaze piercing my soul. Each of its steps echoed in my head like the inescapable sound of a death sentence. I was doomed.

Suddenly, Minata, with a courage bordering on recklessness, threw a book directly at the creature. The projectile hit its grotesque skin, barely provoking a reaction, but it was enough to draw its ire. The beast roared in fury, its eyes flashing with a primal hatred, and it charged at Minata with terrifying speed. I collapsed to the floor, my legs giving way under the weight of a fear I couldn't control.

Then Kiyo appeared. With agility that defied human limits, he pushed Minata aside, placing himself between her and the creature. His face displayed a confident, almost amused smile, as if the entire situation was nothing more than a game to him.

"Is that all you've got?" Kiyo said, with that soft arrogance that seemed intrinsic to his being. With a near-effortless movement, he dodged the creature's first attack, his figure flowing like a calm river. The abomination, frustrated, launched a second attack, but Kiyo, with an elegance bordering on insulting, dodged the blow once again, letting out a short laugh.

The creature, enraged, roared with a sound that reverberated through the air, charging at Kiyo with unleashed fury. But Kiyo, as if playing a macabre game, evaded each onslaught with bewildering ease. However, a momentary distraction betrayed him; his attention shifted to Minata, who was trying to calm me as I, paralyzed by fear, couldn't move. That instant was enough for the creature to strike. With a brutal swipe, it threw him to the ground, and before Kiyo could react, it grabbed him again and hurled him violently against a wall, crashing through it.

The creature, now more dangerous, advanced toward us. Minata, with determination, lifted a stick with both hands.

"Stay away!" she shouted with conviction.

But the creature, with a disdainful gesture, slapped her with such force that it knocked her down, leaving her injured. Without hesitation, it approached me, still paralyzed by terror. It lifted me by the neck and began to sniff me, emitting a guttural laugh before letting out a howl that seemed like an ancient signal. With me in its grasp, it started moving toward the window.

Before it could escape, Kiyo suddenly appeared, attacking the creature with deadly precision. With a swift blow, he knocked it to the ground, forcing it to release me. Without giving it time to react, Kiyo struck a vital point, and the creature, with a final groan, collapsed, unconscious.

Kiyo, his face serious, approached Minata with his voice firm and confident, devoid of any trace of doubt:

"Take your brother and leave the school."

"But... come with us. It's dangerous here."

Kiyo let out a confident laugh, his expression showing not a hint of fear.

"Me? Dangerous place? All I see is a field full of strong creatures... and as you can see, none of them can harm me."

"Mmm... fine, just don't take too many risks."

"Don't worry," Kiyo responded, a half-smile appearing on his lips, just as a scream, seemingly from hell itself, echoed in the distance.

Without wasting any more time, Minata firmly took Kirata's hand and guided him toward the exit. The school hallways were in chaos, a sea of abandoned backpacks and belongings.

As they neared the main door, the air grew heavier, as if the fear of those who had passed before lingered in every corner. Kirata's eyes fell on the ground, where traces of blood seemed to follow them, and he felt his heart race.

Finally, they crossed the threshold of the school and ran toward home, as if with each step they left behind a fragment of the horror they had lived through. Upon arriving, their mother greeted them at the door with a warm smile, a smile that seemed capable of erasing any nightmare.

"Hello, children... how are you?" she asked softly, but her smile faded when she saw them.

Kirata was so pale he seemed to have lost all the blood in his body, sweat soaking him as his breathing became increasingly rapid and erratic. Fear had him in its grip, his chest tight, as if every breath was insufficient. His heart pounded desperately, beating with such intensity that it threatened to break through his ribcage, while his mind sank into a panic he couldn't control.

Minata, on the other hand, bore the red, vivid mark of a recent slap on her face.

Without needing words, their mother led Minata to the living room, where she made her sit with the same gentleness she used to cradle her when she was little. From a small first aid kit, she took everything necessary to tend to her daughter's wound. As she worked, her hands moved with the precision of someone who has spent a lifetime healing others, but her gaze was that of a mother suffering in silence.

"Tell me what happened, my love," she said, her voice so calm that Minata couldn't help but feel safe.

With the composure that had always characterized her, Minata began to recount the events, describing the chaos at school, the sudden appearance of creatures straight out of a nightmare, and how she stood firm for her brother's sake.

"You did the right thing by leaving," her mother replied, a mixture of pride and relief in her voice. "The most important thing now is that you're safe."

After finishing treating Minata, their mother turned to Kirata, who was trembling, his breathing out of control. Without hesitation, she hugged him and led him to his room. She tucked him into bed, covering him with a blanket, as if doing so could protect him from all the evils in the world.

"I'll stay with you all night, darling," she whispered, as she sat beside him, holding his hand firmly.

Kirata, though still frightened, began to relax as his mother started humming that old song that always managed to calm him during his darkest nights. Little by little, his breathing stabilized, his body relaxed, and though the fear hadn't completely faded, his mother's presence gave him the security he so desperately needed.

His mother didn't move from his side, and when Kirata finally fell asleep, she remained there, gently stroking his hair, whispering promises of protection.