It was a girl's scream but I don't know whose. I ran out of my room. Everyone must have heard that because we were all up, standing in our doorways.

"What's going on?" I asked Leo. His hair was still hard with wax so he probably wasn't asleep too.

"I don't know," Leo said.

Harmony ran past in front of me. "It's Cana." We all rushed after her, to Cana's room.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Hey, Cana," Harmony said. "Can you hear me? Is everything okay?"

For a moment, there was no reply. There was tension in the air around us as we waited.

We've heard people marching up the stairs. "What happened?" Major Coleman said. He and his men had searchlights with them.

"We don't know..." Leo said.

Then we've heard shuffling on the floor on the other side. The door opened.

"Hi..." Cana said with a weak, croaky voice. Her face was white and beaded with sweats. "I'm fine...it was just a stupid nightmare."

We breathe a sigh of relief. The tension disappeared.

"You," Major Coleman said to one of his guy. "You're on guard duty. Stay with her."

Cana cleared her throat. "Major Coleman please..." she said with a dismissive wave of her hand, her voice back to normal. "I'm fine, really. Just a bad dream."

Major Coleman studied her for a bit. "Very well," he said. "If you kids need anything..."

We nodded and thanked him. Then he ordered his men down.

"Can I get you some water?" Indigo offered Cana.

Cana waved her hand again. "Thank you...but I'm all right. I'm sorry for waking you up."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Scarlet said. "I couldn't fall asleep no matter how hard I try."

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Caprice said to Cana. "Just until you sleep."

"Thanks but I don't think I'll be going back to bed anytime soon."

"They say that the nightmares are more frequent when you're alone." Cato said.

"Dude," Leo said. "Not helping."

"Then we shouldn't be alone." Harmony suggested. "What do you think about having a pajama party, right now?"

Indigo beamed. "I think that's great."

"Me too." Caprice added. "But I don't think any of the room will fit all of us, especially with the mattresses."

"How about downstairs, on the floor?" Leo said. "We'll help with moving down the beds, right, guys?"

"We'll take you up on that offer. Thank you." Harmony said. "Of course, you guys are welcome." But we all just looked at each other, as if daring one another to say yes to the invite.

After moving the mattresses, we all went to our room to change out of our sweaty clothes. I didn't have any pajama so I wore a plain white shirt and black shorts. I wasn't sure of going down. I kind of feel weird about it. But I'm also not sleeping alone tonight. So I joined them downstairs.

The girls were sitting down on the mattresses pushed together to make a giant one on the floor. There was a pile of branded cupcakes and snack cakes in the middle. Everyone had steaming cups.

"Hey," Cana called out. She was wearing gray shorts and a white shirt with a print of a cartoon Pug in a birthday hat puking rainbow over a cake.

"I thought we were sleeping." I said, sitting beside her. We were sitting in front of Caprice, who was sitting like a mermaid in her long, white night gown—sitting on her hip, one hand propping her up, with her feet tucked on one side.

"Who sleeps in a pajama party?" Scarlet said.

"Right," I said. "So, you guys talking about ghost stories or something?" I winced immediately after saying that.

"Yeah," Scarlet said. She must really love red because she's wearing matching red pajamas with white polka dot. "Because we don't have enough horror in our lives already. No. This is when you bring out board games. Play truth or dare. Eat cake in bed!"

"Or talk about boys." Caprice said.

The girls giggled. Indigo nodded. She was wearing a purple unicorn onesies so that when she nodded, so did the unicorn.

"I thought you weren't coming." Cana said while the girls talk about their Kpop crushes.

"Why not?"

"Guys aren't really into this sort of thing." she said.

"Then what's he doing here?" I said, staring at the one thing that didn't belong with the rest.

"What?" Darius said while eating cake. He was wearing the same pajamas as Scarlet only his was blue with white polka dots. "My sister dragged me, okay?"

Scarlet looked confused. "No, I didn't."

"Actually, I don't think the boys would like that." Harmony said when Indigo started ranking the hottest Kpop stars. Then she pulled out UNO cards from the pocket of her two-piece long, pink pajama with ruffled ends that she was wearing. "Maybe we could play instead? My mom thought it would be a good ice breaker but I didn't really have the chance to show it to you guys until now."

That's Miss Congeniality for you. Always considerate about everyone.

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Darius said, jumping on Harmony's suggestion instantly.

"I'll play," I said. "Are we playing with the standard rules or can we steal?" We all sat in circle. Harmony started dealing the cards.

I was expecting Leo to be here. Cato...well, is Cato. But I was sure Leo likes this stuff—talking and flirting with girls. But maybe this is too girly for him. Or maybe he still thinks about Eris...

Stop that! I commanded myself. That kind of thinking wouldn't do me any good. I shook my head and tried my best to be present. So I hit Cana with a +4 card.

Warm and bright light on my face woke me up. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. It was already morning. Sunlight was beaming through the glass sliding door. I slept though the entire night without my mind interrupting my sleep with horrible images. I looked around. The rest was still sleeping. I didn't see Cana around. She must have gone up early. I stood up and went to the dining area to wash my face.

"Morning," Cana greeted. She was sitting at the table, holding a steaming cup.

"You're up early," I said, walking to the sink. "Did you sleep okay? No nightmares?"

"No nightmares," Cana confirmed.

I splashed myself with cold, tap water. That did the trick of waking me up. After drying my face, I just realized how chilly it was. Then I noticed that the glass sliding window was opened. Cold and fresh mountain air was circulating in and out of the room. I grabbed a packet of 3-in-1 instant coffee and made myself a cup and joined Cana at the table. Caprice actually brewed a pot yesterday. I could just reheat it but it's too strong for my taste.

We just sat there for a while. Just absorbing the peaceful silence the room had to offer. Daylight from outside made the room bright and clear. I breathe in a lungful of the sweet, pleasant aroma of my creamy latte and took a sip. I had both hands on the steaming ceramic cup to keep warm.

"Uno was fun," Cana said. I'm sure she brushed her hair but there are plenty of spots where they just won't stay down. The sunlight makes the bags under her eyes more pronounced. She wasn't wearing any make-up but somehow she still looks...kind of nice.

"It was," I said. My heart was already palpitating like crazy. And it's only been my second sip. Are creamy latte this strong? Maybe it's the brand. "That face you did last night was especially funny."

I remembered how her jaw dropped when I hit her with a +4 card. Like I betrayed her trust or something. Then her glaring at me as she drew four cards was the cherry on top.

I can't help but smile again. She looked at me, annoyed, and then we both laughed.

"You know," she said. She was circling the rim of her cup with her finger. "We've never talked like this before, at school."

I took another sip. My tongue enjoying the smooth, creamy taste of my coffee. "You had your friends. I had mine. There just wasn't a lot of reason for us to talk, I guess."

"So it took the Shade for us to talk?" Cana said. "Not exactly a meet cute story."

I laughed. "Can you believe it's just been last week?"

She took a sip of her coffee, staring at my neck. Then she reached out. "There's almost no trace left." She said, feeling the spots in my neck were my wounds were. Her hand was warm. It felt nice. I placed my hand over hers, keeping both at my neck. She looked up and met my eyes.

"I thought it was hopeless," I said, squeezing her hand. "I was really scared. I didn't even know if it would work. I thought I would die."

Her expression turned soft. "But you didn't," Cana said. "You saved us. You saved me."

"And doomed the world in the process." I said.

She threw her arms around me, her head resting under my chin. "You did what you had to do," she whispered. "You're a hero. If anyone disagrees, well, I'll fight them."

I hugged her back. Her hair smelled of sweet strawberry. Her slender body offered the warmth no amount of coffee could provide. I put a hand on the back of her head and pulled her closer. I let go of my worries and close my eyes, savoring every second that I can get.

"Geez..." It was Leo. Cana yelped, bumping to the table, spilling our coffee. I didn't even hear the door open but now everyone is here. "It's like five in the morning."

"It's cold, okay? We were just...conserving heat." I don't even know what I'm saying at this point. And I didn't need to "conserve heat" because my face was already burning. Cana didn't back me up. Instead, she shrunk to her seat, hiding behind her hair.

"Sure, buddy," Leo said. "You made a fresh brew?"

"It-It's instant coffee..."

The cooks passed by but Caprice stopped at our table, gave us a funny look, and then went to the storage room.

"Don't mind Leo." Harmony said, sitting in front of us. "He's just teasing you guys." She said, sipping coffee from her mug. She kept staring at us as if she's waiting for the show to start.

"Good morning, Harmy," Cana said. Her voice got squeaky. She was holding her hair in front of her nose so that only her eyes are visible.

"Morning, bestie!" Harmony said. She kept her eyes at Cana while she motioned her head to me but Cana just shook her head.

"Good morning." Major Coleman said. "How is everyone?" He looked at us one by one. "I guess that's a stupid question." He continued. "I apologize. I should've seen this happening. Don't worry. I'll arrange for a clinical psychologist to help you with your nightmares. But for now, I have something I want you to see."

He opened the bag he was carrying and brought out a laptop. He put it on the table. We all huddled together so we can see.

"This was taken from one of our bases." Major Coleman said. It was already on so we didn't need to wait for it to boot up. He clicked a file and a video popped up. "This particular one houses sensitive information about our entire operation here."

Looks like a CCTV footage of some hallway. He hit play. We've heard people screaming and guns firing out of the view of the CCTV. Then, people in corporate uniform running away in terror came into view, followed by a couple of soldiers. The soldiers stopped and turned around, shooting down the direction they came from.

Another figure came running into the shot. He slammed into one of the soldiers and threw him to the ground. The soldier fought back, shooting the head of his assailant, while his buddy was busy putting codes in the panel inside the wall.

The assailant stood over his victim. The downed soldier kept shooting at him but the man didn't seem affected. There was no blood. He looked like he wasn't in pain. He didn't even staggered back from the barrage. Instead, he made a sweeping motion with his hand below him and the soldier's head was decapitated!

A collective gasp escaped us. Just then, two, thick, metal sheets dropped down the ceiling. The other soldier managed to jump under the falling partitions, leaving his enemy trapped inside.

The mystery figure looked up at the CCTV. He was in all-black wearing a stereotypical wool, robber's mask. There was a blinding flash and a loud explosion. The video went static. The replay icon appeared at the center of the video player.

Indigo leaned back to her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't get it..."

"That soldier...his head just got..."Leo said, making a slicing motion at his neck. "How?"

"The cameras didn't capture it," Major Coleman said. "But according to the survivors, the man in question was engulfed by black, thick liquid that originated from the man himself. The point of origin is not determined but the black liquid covered every inch of our culprit here. This liquid armor swallowed the bullets and spat it out again."

Major Coleman moved his finger on the touchpad and jumped to the scene where the figure in black was just about to do the sweeping motion.

"This right here." Major Coleman said, pointing at the masked man's arm. "The surviving soldier reported that the black liquid surrounding the man's arm change into a blade."

"So that's why the soldier—" Darius said. Then his eyebrows knitted together. "Wait a minute. That sounds awfully familiar."

"You think he's back?" Cato said, casually sipping coffee. "Daniel?"

Major Coleman stood up straight. "That's what I first thought. But—"

"But the only physical part of Daniel is his head." I said, keeping my eyes on the video. "So if the camera couldn't capture the Shade, then we should only be seeing a floating severed head." I raised my head and looked around. "Right?"

"And this person wasn't alone." Major Coleman added. "There were a dozen of them, all possessing the same Shade-like ability. They attacked multiple locations at once. They got in, got out in less than ten minutes."

"So what?" Leo said. "Daniel can possess people now? Bestow his powers somehow?"

"One thing's for sure." Major Coleman said. "Last night tells me that the cultists aren't just inbred lunatics who drink blood. They know the layout of the base, they are coordinated and patient. They planned ahead and executed it perfectly."

"You didn't have U.V. lights installed at the other bases?" Cana asked.

"Why would we? When there was only one Shade? And when that one Shade only appeared near you haunteds?"

"Did you figure out why they attacked?" Caprice followed.

"They took everything," Major Coleman said. "Your personal records, where you live, and what school you go to. But most importantly, the location of this place—its defenses and layout."

"But that would mean—" Caprice said.

"There's more," Major Coleman clicked on another folder. "You remember our friend back at the train?"

"The one you karate-chopped?" Leo said.

"Yeah, what happened to that guy?" Cana asked.

The folder popped up, containing images. Major Coleman clicked on one. "We've found him like this at his home." He said, clicking on one file.

It was a photo of a guy in red shirt and sweatpants sprawled over the bloody tiles. His torso was disconnected from his lower limbs, causing his internal organs to spill out.

"How did you even find him?" Leo asked.

"My guys broke into his phone, it was password-protected," Major Coleman said.

"The one you confiscated?" Cana said.

"Correct," Major Coleman said. "Once we're in, my guys called "Home". His mom picked up. She agreed to cooperate after I told her that her son is in danger. Of course I kept the details vague."

"You think the same group was responsible?" Caprice asked.

"His house was turned over but none of his appliances were missing. Even his wallet still has his money inside. And judging from the cause of death, robbery is not an angle we are pursuing." Major Coleman said. "It is unfortunate, but the good news? We managed to get to him first and confiscate his videos before the cult did."

"But why did they target him?" Cana said. "He didn't know anything. He just took a video."

"Maybe the cult didn't know that? They thought he had something more than just the video." Indigo said.

"All this time, they have this...invincible army," Leo said. "Why stay quiet for a long time? Why attack now?"

"Because they didn't have them before," Cato said. He put his empty cup on the table. "At least, that's the explanation that makes most sense to me."

"So what changed?" Harmony asked. "How did they get this strong now?"

The answer came to me quickly. I lowered my head. My stomach felt like it was churning inside out. "Because I opened the seal..." I said in almost a whisper.

I got everyone's eyes on me now.

What do you think your friends will say when they found out?

Azgarmoth's words came without warning. I looked down.

"You don't know that..." Cana said in a soft voice.

Do you think she'll remain your friend?

"That's right." Harmony followed. "Let's not jump to conclusions."

I appreciate what they were doing. But this made me realize the seriousness of the consequence of my actions, of the deal I've made with the Primordial Being. Forget about us. I put civilians in danger. Now, a situation worse than the Dark Year looms over us. And...

Have you forgotten why Eris died?

The guilt forces my mind to focus on one thing only—I have to undo the damage I've done.

I forced myself to look up. "Major, do you know any good historians?"

End of Book 1