The silence of the night had deepened around the college. Darkness seemed to have taken hold everywhere, and the cold breeze whispered an untold story. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed in the corridors of the old college building, each step intensifying an unknown fear.
Far off, hidden on a wall, there were traces of blood stains. A few weeks ago, yet another student had disappeared. This was the fourth time in the college that someone had vanished without a trace. In an office filled with police files and investigation notes, Inspector Arjun was seated, bent over an old case file. He had combed through those clues countless times, but each time he reached the same conclusion—this was no ordinary disappearance. He knew there was a serial killer lurking in the college, quietly choosing their prey.
Meanwhile, Jack was sitting in his room, lost in the pages of his books. But inside him, there was something else, something beyond books, that took hold of him each time he found himself in a dilemma. As he gazed out of his window into the ink-black night, an unfamiliar gleam shone in his eyes. This gleam wasn't that of innocent Jack—it belonged to someone else, as if another face within him was ready to surface.
A faint smile spread across Jack's lips, and he murmured softly to himself, "You don't even realize, do you, when it's me and when it's 'Zain'... maybe even I don't know." In his smile was a hint of unknown fear, as though even he didn't know when his innocent face might transform into something monstrous.
On the other side, Inspector Arjun once again looked at the photographs of the missing students pinned to the wall. Each picture seemed to warn him that danger was very close. He knew this was no ordinary disappearance; it was a serial killer's game.
Jack kept looking outside the window. The darkness spread across the college campus always felt like a mystery to him. But tonight was different. Even the faint gusts of the cold wind seemed to carry an untold tale. Somewhere far away, the guard's flashlight would flicker momentarily, as if even it was trying to avoid some unknown danger. Jack's heartbeat grew faster, and an unfamiliar fear began to seep into his innocence.
Suddenly, darkness started clouding his vision, and an echoing laughter filled his ears. Jack closed his eyes, trying to ignore the voice, but it only grew louder.
"Jack… do you really think you can forget me?" The voice had a chill to it, like ice from ages past was flowing through him.
Jack took a deep breath and slowly smiled, "Zain… I want to forget you, but somehow, you always come back."
As he opened his eyes, his gaze landed on a dark shadow right in front of him. In the mirror, his face no longer held that soft innocence. Instead, a sinister face stared back—Zain's. His eyes held a strange cruelty, and a violent smile lingered on his lips.
Just then, his phone rang. It was his friend, Beck—the girl who had quietly stirred something in his world. He answered, her gentle voice carrying a hint of fear.
"Jack, can you meet me behind the library tonight? I have something to tell you," Beck whispered, a strange unease in her voice.
Jack nodded, and for a moment, that unsettling smile faded from his eyes. "Alright, Beck. I'll be there."
But as soon as he ended the call, his expression changed again. Zain's silent, terrifying laughter cut through him like a blade. He knew why Beck wanted to meet him. Deep down, he wondered how much longer he could hold onto Beck's innocent love while Zain's cruelty gradually grew stronger within him.
Meanwhile, an unresolved question kept echoing in Inspector Arjun's mind. The pattern emerging in the college's missing students cases made him think deeply. After each incident, he felt as if he was closer to the truth, but each time the truth slipped further away. There was a question in Arjun's eyes—was he really facing a serial killer, or was it a hidden darkness within someone, emerging each time in a new form?
Arjun took a deep breath and said to the officer next to him, "Sometimes, it feels like every clue in this case is leading us toward a dangerous game. It's as if someone is playing with us… someone who's right in front of us, but invisible."
Jack was slowly making his way toward the library. His steps were hesitant, but his heartbeat quickened with every step. Each stride felt like an internal battle. He wanted to meet Beck this time just as Jack, the innocent, simple boy. But somewhere deep inside, Zain's violent urges were growing stronger.
Behind the darkened library, Beck waited. As soon as Jack reached her, she noticed a strange change in his eyes. She stepped back a little, an unfamiliar turmoil in her gaze.
"Jack, are you okay?" she asked softly, though perhaps even she didn't know the answer to the questions rising within her.
Jack lowered his head and murmured, "I'm fine, Beck. But there are some things that may be hard for you to understand… maybe it's better if you keep your distance from me."