It was a cold night in Yaoundé.Only three days remained before Jase had to return to school.
Everyone in the neighborhood was asleep.But in the quiet streets of Essos, footsteps echoed — slow, deliberate, heavy.
An elegant man in a black suit walked alone.He took out a lighter, lit a cigar, and straightened his tie.Then, stopping before an apartment door, he knocked in a strange rhythm:
Toc... toc toc... toc toc toc... toc.
A moment later, someone opened the door.
"Trevis, the boss is waiting for you. This way, sir."
Trevis frowned."How many times do I have to tell you I know the way, you damn robot?"
He walked down a narrow hallway until he reached a dead end. Without hesitation, he tapped his foot on the floor — the same rhythm.
Toc... toc toc... toc toc toc... toc.
A hidden door slid open.
The air changed — colder, heavier.A faint metallic smell drifted through the dark corridor, mixed with the sound of piano music echoing from afar.
Trevis sighed.
"What the hell is he doing this time…"
He opened the last door.
Inside, a man was playing the piano — messy red-and-blue hair, a Hawaiian shirt, and tight pants with a silver belt.
Trevis crossed his arms."You play like crap. I should call the police for noise pollution."
The man laughed."You'll never change, huh, Trevis… So, how's my dear little Jase?"
Trevis shut the door behind him without a word.
Meanwhile, across town…
Eliana wasn't asleep either.She sat in her perfectly tidy, lavender-scented room, wearing a sleek VR headset.Blue light glowed softly around her as she fought monsters in a mystical video game.
Her father knocked gently."Come in!" she shouted, without removing the headset.
He stepped in, tired but smiling."Good evening, sweetie. I brought your medicine."
"Thanks," she said quickly, still moving her body to control her character.
"We have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow," he added.
"Ugh, I don't wanna go!" she groaned.
Her father's tone turned sharp."How many times do I have to tell you that you don't get to decide that?! …I'm sorry, Eliana. But it's for your own good. Don't forget to take your sleeping pills. Good night."
"…Good night," she muttered.
He closed the door.
Eliana slowly removed her headset. Her reflection in the dark screen stared back — pale, fragile.
She coughed hard, ran to the bathroom, and spat blood into the sink.Her trembling hands grabbed a paper towel. In the trash bin beside her, strands of her own hair were scattered.
"Who's going to kill me first… my disease or my fear?"
She looked at the pills her father had given her.
"These things don't even work anymore…"
Frustrated, she threw them into the trash again.
"If he finds out they're useless, he'll drag me back to the hospital and spend everything we have…"
She sighed, wiped her eyes, and turned on her computer.Movies would keep her company tonight.
Back in Essos…
At the Mengjon house, Jase was fast asleep.In the next room, his father was dreaming.
He dreamt of his wife — her soft black afro, her smile, her embrace.For a moment, everything was peaceful again.
Days passed.Jase trained hard.Trevis expanded his drug business.And Jase's father prepared for his son's departure, even buying him new clothes.
The Night Before School
It was Sunday night.Jase's room glowed red in the dark, the projector lighting up the walls as he and Eliana watched a horror movie.
They sat on a pile of pillows, a bowl of buttery caramel popcorn between them.The movie showed humans turning into zombies because of a cursed cult.
They laughed every time a zombie killed someone.
"These idiots should just hide," Jase joked.
As the movie's heroes kissed on screen, Eliana stared at Jase.Her heart beat faster.
"Maybe I should do it too… before I die," she whispered to herself.
But when she turned, Jase was already asleep.She smiled sadly, covered him with a blanket, and whispered:
"The only thing that'll separate us… will be my illness."
Then she climbed out the window and disappeared into the night.
The Next Morning
At 7 a.m., Jase's bags were ready.A black Mercedes with red mudguards and tinted windows pulled up in front of the house.
A tall man stepped out — dressed like a butler, with neat short hair and a trimmed beard.
He opened the door for Jase.Jase hugged his father tightly.
"I'm not leaving… I'm just gonna be gone for a while," Jase said softly.
The man spoke in a calm, firm tone:
"My name is Alfred, sir."
He guided Jase into the car.
Jase's father tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.He shouted — but no sound came out.
"Let me say goodbye to my son!" he cried.
But Alfred simply shut the door and replied coldly,
"Sir, take your money… and let go."
He snapped his fingers — click! — and Jase suddenly couldn't speak.Music filled the car. Alfred hummed along as if nothing had happened.
The School
When they arrived, Jase stared out the window, awestruck.
The school was massive, with a vast parking lot where Alfred parked smoothly.A giant black gate stood at the entrance, carved with strange ancient symbols that shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
The place didn't look like part of the city —it looked ancient, mystical, almost like a world of its own.
Alfred stepped out, opened Jase's door, and said,
"Welcome, Master Jase. This is your new home."
Jase stepped outside, still speechless.
The air was different here. Heavy. Alive.
Behind him, the iron gate creaked shut,echoing through the courtyard like a whisper of fate —deep, f