The sound of that name-
"Ellie."
It struck Alan like a sudden blow.
For a brief moment, his eyes widened as he turned his head.
A girl was running toward another girl down the hallway.
Short brown hair.
Those eyes.
That familiar face.
Eight years had passed… yet Alan recognized her instantly.
Ellie.
Memories he had buried deep tried to claw their way back to the surface.
Lost in nostalgia, Alan stopped walking.
Daniel nudged his arm, confused.
"Alan?" Daniel said. "What's wrong? Why'd you stop?"
Alan snapped back to reality. His expression returned to normal, calm and unreadable.
"It's nothing," he replied quietly. "Let's go home."
He slid his hands into his pockets and continued walking out of the school.
Daniel blinked but shrugged.
"Alright then. Daisy and I are heading the other way anyway."
"Yeah," Alan said. "Have fun."
Daniel waved before leaving with Daisy.
Alan walked alone through the dimly lit streets, the night air heavy around him.
---
Somewhere hidden in the dark…
Bob, Andrew, and Coner gathered, their voices low.
"What do we do now?" Coner whispered. "If we stop bullying, Jack will kill us."
Andrew frowned. "Yeah, no doubt. But what if Daniel interferes again?"
Bob clenched his jaw.
"We stay together from now on," he said. "And we're careful. No more mistakes."
His eyes narrowed.
"We can't let anyone destroy our work again."
He paused before adding,
"From tomorrow, we move in the shadows."
---
The next day.
Alan entered the school gates.
Eyes followed him.
Some filled with fear. Some with jealousy. Some with curiosity.
But Alan wasn't paying attention.
His gaze subtly scanned the hallway.
Searching.
Hoping.
Ellie…
Daniel and Daisy arrived shortly after, heading to class with him.
---
Elsewhere.
Andrew and Coner cornered a random student.
The boy was shoved against the wall, fists raining down until his hands trembled as he handed over money.
"I'll keep watch," Coner said, glancing around. "You handle him."
Andrew nodded.
"Yeah. Let's be quick."
He paused.
"Where's Bob? Didn't he say we'd do this together?"
Coner scoffed.
"You know Bob. Acts tough when Jack's not around."
Andrew laughed quietly.
"True."
---
Back in the classroom.
No teacher. No principal.
Students were doing whatever they pleased.
Typical.
Alan sat quietly at his desk.
Daniel leaned over from behind.
"Bored?"
"Not really," Alan replied.
"Come on," Daniel said. "Let's talk then."
Alan glanced at him.
"Go ahead."
Daniel smiled.
"You once asked about other schools. I got some info."
Alan's interest sharpened.
"Really?"
"Yeah. There are three schools like ours in the city."
"Our school is one."
"The second one… I heard some rumors."
Alan listened closely.
"About its past," Daniel continued.
"Five or six years ago, there was a fight."
"Between two students."
"One was a B-rank fighter. Older."
"The other…" Daniel hesitated. "…was much younger. Around your age now."
Alan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What happened?"
Daniel shifted uneasily in his seat.
"The B-rank… lost."
"Badly."
Alan turned fully toward him.
"He lost? To a kid?"
Daniel nodded.
"Yeah."
He swallowed.
"They say he was beaten so badly that…"
Daniel lowered his voice.
"He died."
Alan froze.
"…He died?"
Daniel nodded again.
"The kid was jailed for two years. Or something like that."
Alan leaned back, eyes distant.
"So stories like that exist," he muttered. "People just don't talk about them openly."
Daniel sighed.
"Yeah. We like to think this world isn't dangerous."
"But it always is."
---
Elsewhere.
Jack sat in a dimly lit room.
Several men stood around him in silence.
"Call Bob, Andrew, and Coner," Jack ordered.
His fingers tapped slowly against the table.
"It's time to put those useless idiots back in line."
A faint smirk formed on his lips.
The shadows deepened.
To be continued.