Sitting on the bed, Nadia breathed heavily, trying to calm herself and make sense of the situation she had found herself in. The look Leon had fixed on her terrified her so much that she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. She stared blankly at the wall ahead, her behavior worrying her friends.
"Can you tell us what happened?" Alicja, holding her hand on Nadia's shoulder, sounded nothing like her usual self. "Apparently you scared Leon to death. He went off to talk to someone, and you fell into the pond. He jumped in to save you and gave you first aid, and then you called him the General..."
That was the moment when Nadia finally found the courage to look him in the eyes. He was watching her intensely, trying to understand what was wrong.
"So you really didn't push me into the pond, Leon?" she asked in a frightened voice.
The boy furrowed his brows and glanced at the others with concern before fixing his gaze on her again.
"What are you talking about, Nadia? Why would I push you into the pond? Where is that coming from?"
Alicja shifted an untrusting gaze toward Leon, wondering if there wasn't a grain of truth in what Nadia said. She, too, felt something was off about him. He had been acting differently, like someone else entirely.
"We were talking by the pond, and you pushed me, saying you wanted to show me something, something that would prove I was connected to this place. You looked really terrifying then."
Natan's eyes widened as he stared at his roommate, clearly unnerved.
"Dude, is something actually wrong with you?"
"You guys are crazy. Are you getting paranoid?" Leon asked. "I was genuinely worried, I pulled you out of the pond, and now you're telling me I pushed you in?" His words were directed at Nadia. "I thought we trusted each other, but fine. If you all think something's wrong with me, let's go find the guy I was talking to. Maybe that'll clear things up."
Nadia looked confused as she listened to his words.
"Really? Then tell me what actually happened. Why do I have a different vision in my head? And... I had a dream. I was a woman during the war, and... I had a close and tragic relationship with the General."
Alicja turned so pale she was almost translucent.
"What kind of dream?" she asked in a whisper.
"I'll tell you after I hear what Leon says really happened at the pond."
The boy sat on the edge of the bed and looked Nadia in the eyes to show he wasn't lying.
"Yes, we left the school and went to the pond together. We talked for a while. I told you I felt fascinated by the water, that I could see spirits wandering there. You asked me if I wasn't scared, especially since I had fallen in the first day. Then, behind us, we heard one of my friends shouting. I told you I'd be right back, and you were staring at the water like you were hypnotized. When I turned around, you were gone. I ran back and jumped in without thinking, I had a bad feeling. I saved you. I don't know what would've happened if I hadn't noticed you were gone. You scared me to death, Nadia."
"That's exactly how you scared me on the first day. You stared into the water like you were hypnotized, then vanished into the pond. I don't get it... what's pulling you all in there?" Natan asked.
"Maybe it's the spirits trapped in that place..." Nadia whispered. "I think they hypnotize us somehow, make us go into the water. Each of us had visions there, didn't we?"
Leon and Alicja nodded.
"Did they also show you those visions in your dream?" Alicja asked.
"Yes. Those spirits were part of the dream. I know how they died, why they're haunting us... They were the twins, brutally murdered in the pond by the General. I was there. I witnessed it. I helped cause it—as the General's woman, as Hanna..." Nadia said, making goosebumps appear on Alicja's arms.
A shadow of a sinister smile passed over Leon's face—unnoticed by anyone.
"Then that explains why they're taking revenge on certain people... I'm the reincarnation of Alan, the General's grandson. You're the reincarnation of Hanna, and a descendant of people connected to the history of this building. And you, Alicja... what's your connection to all this?" Leon looked at her with curiosity.
"I... I'm the reincarnation of Nadia's great-grandmother," she whispered.
Natan looked confused—but not more than Nadia herself.
"You're the reincarnation of my great-grandmother?" the girl asked, shocked.
"Then maybe I'm your great-grandfather's reincarnation?" Natan joked sarcastically, feeling completely out of place in this puzzle. At this moment, he truly was the odd piece.
"I wish..." Alicja snapped. "Even in a past life, I wouldn't have looked at you." She turned to the bewildered Nadia. "Yes, I was a medium back then too, and you were my best friend—at first. But when you sided with the General, you betrayed me, became my enemy. That's why in this life, you're my karmic person. We won't be friends, but you have a chance to fix what you destroyed back then."
"I feel like I can't breathe," Nadia whispered, laying her head on the pillow. "Let me rest."
Leon felt a rush of excitement. He had two people beside him who had wronged him in the past—and on whom he longed to take revenge.
He would give them a hell worse than in their previous lives. Though these days, he had to follow modern rules.
After all, he couldn't kill anyone, right?
But torture... that sounded far more exhilarating.
*
For the next few days, an unsettling silence lingered. Everything seemed too ordinary, as if someone had hit pause on the ongoing nightmare. Nothing happened. Despite the girls' fears, Leon behaved completely normally, although he was spending more and more time with the popular students in the club. Apparently, they were thrilled with him. He had already been chosen to become the new student council president, set to replace the current one at the end of the semester.
According to what Natan had told the girls, Sebastian was very jealous—he had expected to be the first choice himself.
It was nearing 4:00 p.m. Students were wandering through the building, most already finished with their classes.Nadia walked down the main corridor, having no idea where her friends had gone. Even her haunted roommate had disappeared since classes ended.It was Friday afternoon, and she had nothing to do. Wandering aimlessly through the school, she hoped someone would take pity on her and suggest spending time together. She didn't want to sit alone in her room—it was too boring. Studying for the upcoming week hadn't even crossed her mind.
At some point, she noticed something strange—one of the side corridors appeared darker than the rest. She was completely alone here. When she stepped beneath one of the lamps, the bulb began to flicker.
Nadia felt a wave of unease. She looked around, sensing someone was watching her.
"What the hell…" she muttered under her breath, and when she looked ahead, she froze. At the end of the hallway stood a motionless figure, staring at her with an intense gaze.
For a moment, chills paralyzed her body. She couldn't move. She felt something was deeply wrong with this person. A woman with dark hair, dressed in a white, bloodstained shirt, stared at her with terrifying eyes.
"Who are you?" Nadia asked, her voice trembling.
"You dare to ask who I am?" The predator-like, piercing voice cut through her. The girl took three steps back and tried to run, but stopped mid-motion. The figure instantly appeared right in front of her—ghastly, with bloodshot eyes. "Do you not remember how many people died trying to help you, you selfish girl?"
Nadia felt like her heart had stopped beating. Fear nearly paralyzed her.
"Are you talking about my past life?" she whispered.
"It will happen again... Innocent people will suffer because of you, because once again, you've entered his life, you cursed witch."
"You mean Leon... or the General?" she asked softly, then fell silent, unable to say more.
"I didn't care that hell awaited you. You deserved it. Help the defenseless in this life by giving yourself in return. Stop being selfish, Hanna. You killed me, and I was the one who trusted you most... until the very end. Don't expect my modern reincarnation—who is now with you—to give her life for you again. This time, it should be you. Even though she hates you—protect her with your whole heart. Protect Alicja, because she is the only chance to destroy the General once and for all and send him back to hell."
"How could Alicja do that?"
"She will find a way. While protecting the cursed boy. Trust her and do everything you can to save her. Don't let the General hurt her. Don't trust that man. Don't repeat the mistake of the past."
"So... Leon really isn't himself? I don't understand what's going on. Are my suspicions true?"
"As it happens, Hanna's soul was reborn in the body of my great-granddaughter, so it's hard for me to say this—but you must sacrifice yourself. Don't let another tragedy happen. Don't be as weak as you were before."
"So I have to fight him? The General, who has possessed my friend's body?"
"You can do it. These days, he won't kill anyone openly—not under the eyes of others, not while in a student's body. He'll kill in other ways—from the inside."
"Why do you think so? How can he kill us internally? Do you mean he'll use Leon's family influence? That he'll torment others?"
"I don't know. I truly don't know what's going on inside his head—I can only guess. Show that you are strong. Don't let him see that you recognize the General in him. Treat him like a friend... but fight when the time comes. Don't give up. Not until the end. Send him to hell, Hanna. Help my reincarnation do it."
The woman vanished.
Nadia opened her eyes. She was in her room, on her bed. She had dozed off after classes.It had only been a dream. Another dream that felt painfully real... But was it really just a dream? Should she take those words to heart?
One thing she knew for sure.She hadn't been wrong.Leon wasn't himself. He was under the General's influence.And she had to pretend she knew nothing. She had to fight him—but only when the time was right.
To reclaim her honor.To correct the mistakes of the past.Hell was coming.