The classroom was silent, interrupted only by the rhythmic scratch of chalk against the blackboard and the rustle of turning pages. Winter sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting pale light across the rows of desks where students silently took notes.
Leon sat in the back row, next to Natan, seemingly as focused as everyone else. But with every passing minute, a growing unease settled over him. First came the weakness—as if his body was becoming too heavy, too distant. Then the light began to pulse, the walls wavered, and the teacher's voice transformed into a hollow echo.
He blinked several times. He looked at his hand resting on the notebook—it blurred and trembled as if it didn't belong to him. His heart started beating unevenly, too strongly.
Suddenly, a voice reached him. Familiar. Piercing. Not from the outside world, but from deep within his own mind:
"It's not over…"
He froze. The voice was cold, ominous, painfully familiar.
"You thought you could get rid of me? That their love would save you? We are connected, boy. Forever. I am you… and you… are my vessel."
Leon clenched his eyes shut, trying to push it away, but images began flashing through his mind: the burning ritual hall, the General's triumphant twisted face, Maria's lifeless eyes, Hanna's blood on her hands…
"Evil always wins. Because evil does not die. It waits. In you."
"Leon?" the teacher's voice called. "Leon, are you all right?"
He raised his head. Sweat dripped down his temples, and his gaze was vacant, absent. Natan leaned closer, worry etched on his face, ready to support him.
"I… I…" Leon stammered. "I'm sorry… I need… to leave…"
He rose with difficulty, as if his body weighed a ton. He staggered. A few students lifted their heads, and Alicia and Nadia immediately glanced his way. Their eyes met—and though his gaze was glassy, Nadia felt a shiver. Something was trying to break through his consciousness again.
"Leon!" she whispered, standing, but he was already swaying in the doorway, disappearing behind it, leaving an echo of unsettling silence.
The teacher approached her desk, looking toward the closed door with concern."Who knows Leon best?" she asked, scanning the classroom.
Natan was already on his feet before she finished."I'll go," he said quickly. "I'll take him to the nurse."
The woman nodded."Make sure he doesn't faint on the way."
Without another word, Natan dashed from the classroom, leaving behind quiet whispers and anxious glances from Alicia and Nadia.
A few steps down the hallway, he found Leon leaning against the wall, head tilted back, eyes closed, face twisted in pain. He breathed heavily, as if fighting something inside him.
"Leon…" Natan called gently, approaching cautiously, like a wounded animal. "Hey, man. Are you okay?"
Leon opened his eyes. Red-rimmed, moist. For a fleeting moment, Natan felt as if he were looking at two people at once—Leon and something else—but only for a moment.
"No…" Leon rasped, barely audible. "He… he's still there."
"Who? The General?"
Leon raised a hand to his temple."The General. I hear him. Whispering that it's not over. That evil will win. That we are connected."
A chill ran down Natan's spine. He cautiously placed a hand on his friend's shoulder."Come on. I'll take you to the nurse. You need rest. Maybe… maybe Nadia's mother can do something before it's too late. Maybe there's a way to push him out completely."
Leon nodded faintly, but his eyes remained glazed."I don't want to hurt anyone again," he said quietly. "If he returns, I won't be able to stop myself."
"That's why we have to act before that happens. You're not alone, okay?"
Leon looked at him with a mixture of gratitude and lingering fear. Something else remained—a shadow of a presence that hadn't fully left.
Minutes later, Leon lay on the examination table in the nurse's office, Natan sitting beside him, never taking his eyes off him. They both knew this was only the beginning of a new battle—a quiet, internal fight to remain himself.
***
The sun slowly dipped toward the horizon, casting warm orange light across the floor of the empty classroom where everyone had gathered—Nadia, Alicia, Natan, Sara, and Leon, still weakened but conscious, his face tense, his gaze somewhat dimmed. Sara sat at the table, the Book of Maria open before her, pen in hand, solemnity etched across her features.
"Tomorrow, I have to leave the school," she began quietly but firmly. "Not because I want to, but because I must. The administration won't allow me to stay any longer, and… I know what's about to happen now belongs to you."
Nadia sat close to her, hands clasped tightly in her lap."Mom, I don't want you to leave. He… he could come back at any moment."
"I know. That's why we have to finish what we started. The General is weakened, pushed out of Leon's body, but his spirit still lingers. He's looking for a way to anchor himself."
Alicia leaned over the table."So he still needs the ritual? The bodies?"
"Yes." Sara looked at her with acknowledgment. "But not only that. He also needs an emotional anchor. Someone to hold him. Leon was perfect because he carried the past within him. But now… now he might try something else. And we must be faster."
Leon spoke for the first time in a while."I still hear him. Faintly, like from the far end of a tunnel. But he's there. Waiting."
Natan, silent until now, finally spoke."So… what do we do? What exactly?"
Sara flipped the Book of Maria to a marked page."Tomorrow evening, before the weekend begins, you must prepare the site. The ritual must take place by the pond—that's the boundary, where spirits are strongest. I'll be with you… from a distance. I'll leave instructions, notes. But you must do it yourselves."
"What about Alicia?" Natan asked with concern. "She suffered the most."
"That's why she can't be the main channel," Sara replied. "But her presence is necessary. She can see the souls, notice the General before he tries to hide or disguise himself. You, Nadia, must be the strength—the one who will complete the ritual. You carry the energy of the ancestors and the bond with this land."
"And me?" Leon asked quietly, as if unsure he wanted the answer.
Sara looked him directly in the eyes."You are the key. You were the vessel. Now you are the seal. Only you can close the General away forever. But you must be stronger than your fear."
Leon swallowed and nodded.
Silence settled over the room.
After a moment, Nadia whispered,"So tomorrow evening, it all comes down to this?"
"Yes," Sara confirmed. "And either you defeat him… or he finds a way to return. Stronger. More persistent."
Leon lifted his head."Then we cannot lose."
***
The gray sky promised rain, and a cold wind whipped Nadia's hair as she stood on the gravel path in front of the school's main entrance. Beside her were Alicia, Natan, and Leon—silent, focused, the growing tension crawling beneath their skin. The car engine already purred, the driver glancing occasionally in the rearview mirror. Sara held Nadia tightly, pressing her to her chest.
"Remember, you are not alone," she whispered into her ear. "You never have been. And you never will be."
Nadia closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of her mother's embrace, recalling carefree days from years ago.
"Mom… I'm scared."
Sara pulled back slightly, holding Nadia's face in her hands.
"I know, my love. And that's okay. Fear means you're human. But acting despite it… that means you are brave." She looked deep into her eyes. "You are strong. All of you. Stronger than we were back then. Because you know what you face. We only wandered. You already know the truth."
Leon stepped forward."Thank you… for everything. Even if this isn't over yet."
Sara smiled with a bitter edge."Not yet. But this is the final stretch." Her gaze lingered on him for a moment. "You are strong too. Stronger than he could ever be. Remember who you are."
Alicia looked at her sideways."And if something goes wrong?"
Sara crouched slightly to meet her gaze."You have each other. That is your greatest strength. No ritual, no book means as much as loyalty, trust, and courage." She stood, taking a deep breath. "Everything you needed is already within you."
Natan shoved his hands into his pockets."You'll come back, right?"
"If you need me—I will. But I believe you can handle this yourselves."
She looked at Nadia once more, pulling her in for a brief farewell."Remember who you were. And who you are now. It's no coincidence that you are here. You are the heir to this fight."
She approached the car, opened the door, and glanced once more at the youth standing against the gray building, where the ghosts of the past lingered.
"Finish this. For yourselves. For those we've lost. And for those who may still live in peace."
She got in. The door slammed shut with a muffled thud, and the car slowly drove down the path, disappearing around the corner.
No one spoke. Nadia kept staring at the spot where the vehicle had vanished."Let's finish this," she finally said. "Tonight. Let this be the end."
***
Night fell. Cold moonlight slipped through the treetops, casting bluish reflections on the path leading to the pond. The silence was almost unnatural, as if the air itself held its breath, waiting.
The four teenagers stood by the water, illuminated only by a flashlight and a few candles placed around a makeshift circle. Alicia held the Book of Maria, her fingers numb but steady. Her voice was taut, yet controlled.
"This is it. We must prepare the site, strengthen the circle, and seal the boundary between worlds," she said, looking at Nadia. "Water is the source of his power. We must close it first."
Nadia nodded, kneeling at the edge of the pond, placing her hands on the surface. She whispered the words passed down by her mother. The water rippled gently, responding to her touch.
Leon knelt nearby, holding a piece of wood engraved with an ancient symbol."This will be the anchor," he said quietly. "If he tries to possess me again… you know what to do."
"Leon…" Nadia looked at him, pain in her eyes.
"I know. But this has to end. Otherwise, he will always return."
Natan scattered powdered herbs around the circle according to the recipe in the book."We have until the full moon. By then, we must lure him here. Alicia, are you sure this will work?"
"No. But everything else has failed," she replied calmly.
When the circle was prepared, Alicia knelt in its center and closed her eyes. Her body trembled as she began the incantation—not calling the General, but his presence. The echoes of darkness. His shadow.
The air thickened. The leaves on the trees shivered, as if brushed by an icy hand. Something stirred in the water—not a fish, not a ripple. A shadow. Too human. Too dark. Too familiar.
Leon pressed his hand to his temple. He heard the voice. Again.
"You will not rid yourselves of me so easily."
Alicia's eyes snapped open."He's already here."
Nadia grabbed Leon's hand."You are not alone. Never again."
"I know," he whispered, squeezing hers tightly. "That's exactly why we'll defeat him."
As the moon emerged from behind the clouds, for the first time that night, its light fell directly on the center of the circle. Alicia began chanting in the ancient language. The circle glowed faintly with golden light. The ritual had begun.
The ground beneath them trembled, as if the place itself remembered every curse ever spoken there. The pond murmured softly, restless, as if trying to warn them, to push back. But it was too late.
From the mist above the water emerged a figure. Inhuman, distorted, made of smoke, shadow, and memories. The General—not a body, not a spirit, but the echo of all he had harmed.
"Did you think it would be that simple?" his voice echoed, too loud, as if inside each of their heads. "This place belongs to me. You belong to me."
Leon sank to his knees, fighting the maddening pain piercing his temples."No… not anymore," he rasped, rough but certain. "You have no power. You are not me. You never were."
The shadow hissed, lunging at him, trying to reenter his body.
Alicia raised her hands and screamed the words from the book. The circle flared with living light, halting the rushing shadow. It stopped, as if hitting an invisible barrier.
"Your bonds are broken!" she shouted, her voice trembling, but her power undeniable. "Your time is over!"
The General hissed."You, girl… your soul was my gateway. Now you will give me everything!"
Alicia cried out in pain. Blood ran from her nose. Her body shook.
"Alicia!" Nadia screamed, rushing to her.
"No… you cannot enter!" Alicia whispered with all her strength, pressing her hand to the ground. "The circle… must close."
Natan joined her, speaking the final words of the ritual. Together, the four voices—Leon, Nadia, Natan, and Alicia—spoke the closing words.
The General's shadow howled—not a scream of pain, but of fury, fear, and rage all at once. The entire clearing trembled. The pond bubbled.
And then… light exploded.
Leon shouted the final verse."From dust you came, to dust return!"
The shadow was sucked back into itself, as if its own power had shattered from within. It vanished in an instant, leaving only cold and emptiness.
Silence fell. The air was calm once more.
Alicia collapsed to the side, trembling, eyes closed. Nadia ran to her, holding her with fear."Alicia… she's breathing. Exhausted, but alive…" she whispered with relief.
Leon sank to his knees, tired but free. He looked at his hands, then at the faces of his friends."Is… it really over?" he asked quietly.
Nadia met his gaze."Maybe not entirely. But he has nowhere left to return. Not without a body. Not without a gateway."
And for the first time… they felt it truly possible—a life without his shadow.