A shiver ran down my spine. Where had I heard that name before? There was something familiar about it. Something very unpleasantly familiar. I tried to peer into the crowd from a distance, hoping to catch sight of the newcomer. The group was already starting to disperse, and only those who were interested in the new boy remained. Although we had resumed playing, I paid very little attention to the cards—I kept squinting toward the cluster. Eventually, I excused myself, saying I needed to use the restroom, and slowly made my way to the door. Finally, I had a direct view. I knew some of the first years by sight, so I was able to spot the new student among them.
He was quite tall. He looked to be about my age, but classes at Ashkantt were mixed by age, so that wasn't too surprising. He had darker skin and long hair tied back in a ponytail. His eyes were black.
I stopped for a moment and stared at him. I had an unshakable feeling that I had seen him somewhere before, but I couldn't remember where for the life of me. My memories were suddenly revived by what I noticed under his right eye. It was a decorative, swirling tattoo. Everything clicked at once, and the memories of that terrible night came flooding back. I started sweating and couldn't move and almost stopped breathing. Then our eyes met.
At first, a frown passed over his face, followed by recognition. His face hardened mercilessly, then twisted into a cruel sneer. I gasped involuntarily at the sight. Faces turned toward me in surprise. I couldn't bear a single one of those curious stares, especially not that merciless sneer. I ran for the door, blindly bumping into others who yelled and cursed at me. I didn't register any of it—I just had to get away as far as possible.
The following weeks, I was on edge. An all-encompassing fear and paranoia surrounded me. At every corridor corner, I expected to see that cruel sneer waiting for me. I didn't even know why I was so afraid of him. I knew absolutely nothing about him. He was just a nearly forgotten shadow from my past. A boy from the Batui family, which I had found out was a criminal organization and a family with considerable influence in the Pox region. Maybe I had misread his expression, maybe he didn't even remember me. After all, he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of me once. But I had a gnawing feeling that wasn't the case. I was certain he had recognized me and wouldn't let the disgrace I had brought upon the Batui family go unpunished. For a long time, I didn't even dare leave the campus and spent most of my time in my room. I was afraid the Batui might come for me.
After a while, though, I reasoned that my encounter with the Batuis had happened too long ago for them to bother sending someone after me, and I also realized their influence reached only the areas around Pox. I started spending more time with my friends again, who had begun to worry about me, and I gradually calmed down. But the uncomfortable feeling of paranoia lingered.
We didn't often interact with the first years, mostly just in the common room, which I avoided going to for that reason. Over that half-year, I saw Kerluk only a few times, but that was enough to make my stomach knot with nerves and for me to quickly flee. Sometimes, however, I had the feeling someone was watching me. I could feel a cold gaze boring through me. But I never saw more than a flash of jet-black hair, which could've belonged to anyone.
I considered telling someone about it. Either my friends or the teachers. But I decided it would involve too much unpleasant explaining, and most importantly, I had no evidence that he was watching me or wanted to hurt me. Those were all just assumptions. The constant sense of unease even nearly drove me to want to finish my final exams as quickly as possible and not continue my studies. Eventually, I dismissed the idea and applied for follow-up studies, because the more time passed, the more ridiculous my feelings of paranoia seemed. I convinced myself nothing could happen to me, and it was all just in my head. As the school year drew to a close, I became increasingly busy with studying and had practically forgotten about Kerluk Batui.
That all changed on the penultimate day of school.
The exams were over, and for most people, that meant immense relief and joy. I was one of them. I had passed most of my subjects with top marks, and the worst grades I got were still praiseworthy. But there were others who had to retake their exams, and they weren't in the best mood. One of them was my friend Ywein. We were all trying to comfort her, promising to help her study. I offered to go to the bakery around the corner to get her something sweet to cheer her up. The other girls stayed with her. I set off in a cheerful skip.
I ran down the spiral stairs that led to the gardens behind campus. I always took this route because it only required weaving through ornamental shrubs, climbing over two low walls—which was no problem for me—and I'd end up in the alley behind the bakery. It was much faster than going through the main entrance. I jumped down the last few steps all at once—and immediately regretted it. A figure appeared from around the corner, and I didn't have time to avoid them. I ran straight into them. It was a miracle I didn't knock them over—they just stumbled with a curse.
"I'm so sorry!" I cried out in alarm as I picked myself up off the ground. Only then did I look at the person. My heart jumped when I saw the figure of professor Nekenghem looming there in the torchlight. "I'm sorry, profes—" I began to apologize again, but he didn't let me finish.
"You shouldn't be hopping around like a monkey. This isn't a circus. Or do you think you own this place with your excellent results? You wouldn't be the first—or the last—to get burned by such an idea." His voice was sibilant and chilling.
"No, I don't think that professor," I whispered, eyes lowered to the ground. "I'm sorry, I'll be more careful."
He just snorted disdainfully and began ascending the stairs. I also started moving again, cautiously. I was already at the door to the garden when his voice called out behind me.
"I'm curious—where are you headed at such a late hour?"
I froze in fear. It took me a moment to turn around, and even longer to answer. "I… I'm going for a walk in the garden. If… if that's alright." My stammering didn't help my case.
"A moonlight stroll, huh? How romantic. Just don't wander off too far." Even from this distance, Nekenghem's expression said: Try something, and you'll regret it. I saw you, remember that.
I nodded eagerly to show I understood. I waited until his footsteps had faded before I finally gathered the courage to open the creaking door and dash into the garden. I didn't want to return to Ywein empty-handed after I had promised her something, but I also wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.