The afternoon sun cast golden lines through the glass windows of Aurelian College, painting patterns on the tiled floor. Students dragged their feet to the last period, sighing, complaining, yawning. But not Long Shane. She leaned against the stair railing, arms folded, eyes glinting with playful rebellion.
"Let's disappear," she whispered.
Across from her, Best friend Shin Luna blinked, her sketchbook halfway open. "Dis… appear?"
Shane grinned. "We skip. Just this one class. Come on, Mind Queen, live a little."
Behind them, Lan Rio strolled in with two drinks and a half-eaten rice bun. "She's already in. You know Luna can't say no to you."
"Rio," Luna scolded, but he just winked.
A shadow moved behind them—Lei Xin. He said nothing, slipping his hands into his pockets, but the faint twitch of a smile on his lips said everything. He wasn't going back to class either.
So they moved like ghosts through the west corridor—past the library, down to the old east wing. No one used it anymore. Not since the incident. No one dared go near the Storage Room.
A rusted sign still clung to the door:
"OFF LIMITS – Principal's Order"
Shane kicked it open gently, with a mock bow. "Welcome to our secret base."
Inside, cobwebs hung like silk, and dust floated in beams of light. Broken furniture, cracked mirrors, forgotten projectors. The air was cold but somehow alive.
They sat on a patch of cleared floor—Rio passed out snacks, Luna started sketching the shadows, and Xin leaned against a bookshelf, silently scanning the room.
Minutes passed in laughter and crumbs until—
"Guys… what is that?" Luna's voice was soft, but it silenced them.
At the back of the room, something was pulsing.
A box—glowing faintly. Its silver frame shimmered, and symbols shimmered across its surface like water. The light flickered between blue and gold, like it was breathing.
Shane was already walking toward it. "Now this is interesting."
"Wait," Xin warned, stepping forward.
"Shane—" Rio started, but too late.
Her fingers touched the edge of the box.
The world blinked.
Time froze.
The floor vanished beneath them, and a rushing wind screamed through their ears—yet no one screamed. It was like falling without fear.
Light swallowed everything.
And then—
Nothing.
Only silence.
And a new sky.
To be continued…