I opened my eyes.
The classroom.
Daylight.
Students laughing.
The sun shining through the windows.
"Finally awake, huh?" the teacher yelled.
I stared at her.
Was it all just a dream?
"Go wash your face in the washroom," she added.
I chuckled nervously. "That was a terrifying dream..."
I splashed cold water on my face. The fear hadn't left me.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message?
I checked—
A photo.
Jace and Theo. Laughing in Jace's car.
My hands trembled.
What the hell…
I stepped out of the washroom and immediately called Theo.
"Sorry we didn't invite you, man," Theo said on the other end.
"Are you two at the cricket ground?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"No reason," I mumbled and hung up.
I glanced out the window.
The sky turned black.
Lights gone.
No doubt left. That wasn't a dream. I died. And I got a second chance.
I had to move. Fast.
If my memory's right, Jace and Theo will head to his house. I need to get Lumi before she dies.
I grabbed my bag and bolted out of the classroom.
Chaos had already begun.
Students were panicking.
A girl was also sprinting through the hall like she already knew something.
"Hey! Where are you going?" the school guard shouted.
I caught up to her outside. "Why are you leaving school?" I asked.
"That's none of your business," she snapped.
"Yeah, fair," I said, flustered.
She looked at me sideways. "Where are you going?"
"To pick up a little girl."
"Gross."
"No, no—it's not like that! She's my friend's little sister!"
She smirked. "I'm Yuki, class 10."
"Ash, class 12."
"Why are you running?"
I paused. "Please don't ask. Just… trust me."
I couldn't explain the loop. The death. The guilt.
"I read an article about shapeshifters," Yuki said calmly. "Just now. When I was bunking class."
She knows?
If I reach Lumi before her death, Jace and Theo's timing should line up with mine, I thought.
"Hey, senior. Can I come with you?" Yuki asked.
"Sure. But what about your family?"
Her expression hardened. "Don't ask about my family, okay?"
I nodded.
We reached her school.
Gates were wide open.
Students were being evacuated into the ground.
"Lumi!" I called.
No response.
"Yuki, stay at the gate. I'll go inside."
I found Lumi crying at her desk in Class 5-A.
"Lumi, do you remember me?"
She looked up. "Big brother Ash? What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to take you to your brother. Come with me, okay?"
She nodded, wiping her tears.
I felt… relieved. This time, I'll save them.
We walked out.
But Yuki wasn't at the gate.
Where did she go?
Suddenly, two arms grabbed us from behind.
We were yanked into the guardroom.
We hung mid-air.
Lumi screamed silently—tears streamed down her face, but no sound came out.
Lying on the floor… was Yuki's corpse.
A shapeshifter had taken her place.
Before I could react, Lumi was slammed into the ceiling.
Bones cracked.
Her lifeless body dropped beside me.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to die.
This is my fault.
I was useless.
Jace or Theo would've saved her.
"Lumi… I'm sorry."
My vision blurred.
Then—
My eyes opened one last time.
I'm dying again.
The shapeshifters tore at my flesh—bit by bit.
I cried. Screamed.
The pain was endless.
And then… silence.
Please… please let this be the last time.
Please… just let me save them.
—
"Why are you standing there? Go inside and get the girl already."
I turned.
Yuki was there.
Standing at the gate.
Alive.
Tears streamed down my face.
A third chance.
"Yuki. Come with me. We'll go inside together this time."
This time, I had to be smarter.
If I die again… the world might reset again.
But if I don't do things right—if I keep failing—someone else will die instead.
And I don't know how long this second-chance curse will protect me.
I need to save Lumi. I need to find Jace and Theo. And I need to find out... what's really going on.