"Get rid of her."
The unspoken words hung between us, suffocating, pressing into my ribs like invisible hands.
And then I realized where we were.
Theterrace.
The same place Vee fell.
The same place that basketball kid took his last breath.
A ledge was just a few steps away. Just like before.
Just like them.
I felt it then—the weight of it. The sheer, suffocating inevitability of it.
A warning. A message. A demand.
He was supposed to make sure I was gone.
And all it would take was one step.
One move.
One flick of his fingers—
My stomach twisted.
I looked at him.
Really looked at him.
His posture was relaxed. Too relaxed. Hands still in his pockets, gaze steady, breathing slow. Like he wasn't even thinking about it.
Like this wasn't the perfect moment to shove me off the edge.
But the realization sat.
It rooted itself deep in my bones, coiled around my spine.
Because the option was there.
The order was already given.
And he had done worse things for less.
My hands clenched at my sides.
I forced myself to breathe. To stay still. To think.
"…Is that what you're supposed to do?" My voice was quiet. Steady. But something inside me was shaking.
He didn't blink.
Didn't flinch.
But he heard me.
I swallowed. The words felt heavy on my tongue. "Get rid of me?"
Silence.
The wind picked up, cold against my skin.
He didn't step forward.
He didn't step back.
He just…stood there.
I was the one who finally moved.
Slowly. Carefully. A step away from the ledge.
And still—nothing.
Not a twitch. Not a flicker of violence.
Just watching.
I exhaled sharply. "You're not going to do it, are you?"
The air between us felt too thick.
He didn't look at the ledge. He didn't even tilt his head.
He just…existed in that moment.
And finally—softly, like a blade sliding into place—
"No."
I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.
Because that was it.
The choice.
I wasn't supposed to be alive. But I was.
And that meant only one thing—
This wasn't over.
---
I sat on my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to breathe past the weight in my chest.
It wasn't just him anymore.
Nihil knew.
Nihil knew I had seen too much. Knew I had started piecing things together. Knew I wasn't stopping.
And that was enough to make me a problem.
My hands curled into fists over the sheets. He wanted me gone.
He wanted Kaze to do it.
And he— he didn't.
I exhaled, forcing my mind to slow down, to focus, to think.
But then—
A slip of paper.
Folded neatly. Tucked under my door.
I stared at it for a second before reaching out, fingers brushing against the edge.
Another note.
Another clue.
I unfolded it carefully.
A single word.
"Gravitas."
My stomach turned.
The same word carved into that student's skin. The same word that lingered like a ghost in my head. The same word on the vile that night.
I swallowed hard. Someone was leading me somewhere.
And I wasn't sure if I was meant to find the truth—
Or my own ending.
It didn't stop.
Kaze hadn't killed me maybe Nihil wanted to end it himself now. End me.
More notes. More clues. One after the other.
Slipped between my books. Scribbled in the corner of a blackboard. A whisper of ink against my locker door.
Each one pulling me forward.
Each one leading me closer.
And then, finally—
A final message. A location.
Tonight. Alone.
I gripped the note tightly, heart pounding.
This wasn't a lead anymore.
This was a summon.
A trap.
And Nihil would be waiting. The location mentioned was terrifying. He could end me and wouldn't even need to hide my body because it would take more than a year at least for anyone to even visit that side.
The vacant , darker side of the uni. The one where lights flicker on their own and water's always dripping even when all the pipe connections are cut.
The place where I might go down but if I do , I better know the truth.