CH.6 The Darkness Approaches

“Good news for a weak little punk like you,” the black-robed man sneered. “Normally, a nobody magic user like you wouldn’t have a shot at getting stronger. But if you do a few things for me, I can show you… that world.”

“That world?” Calvin asked, totally lost. “And you want me to do stuff? Like, what could I even do?”

“You’ll find out later. Explaining now’s a waste of time—you know nothing,” the man said with a cold laugh. Flames suddenly engulfed him, a gust of wind whipping the fire into a frenzy, and—poof—he vanished.

“Holy crap,” Calvin muttered, stunned. One thought screamed in his head: That guy’s crazy strong. And super weird.

Now, the man was gone, leaving Calvin standing alone in the empty park, gaping like an idiot.

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Lying in bed, Calvin replayed the afternoon’s run-in with the creepy dude.

He was definitely caught up in something big.

“Otherworld projections? What’s that supposed to mean?” he mumbled, his brain stuck on repeat. “Did I get these powers because of that? And who was that guy?”

“What if the stuff he wants me to do screws me over?”

“Is there, like, a secret magic society? What’s the deal with magic anyway?”

Calvin’s head spun, like he was lost in a fog. As a teen, he couldn’t see through the mess, and no way was he telling anyone about this.

Still… that guy looked kinda like Snape from Harry Potter?

“Cal, help with my homework! I’m stuck,” a little girl’s voice called from the door, followed by a knock.

“Sammy, you’re in third grade. Google it or ask an AI,” Calvin sighed, opening the door. “Or ask Mom and Dad.”

“They’re out shopping, and they’d just say, ‘Sammy, ask your super smart, super cool brother,’” Sammy said, batting her eyes.

“Fine, show me the problems…” Calvin groaned.

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Five or six teens were shooting hoops at a public basketball court three miles from Calvin’s house, their sweat glinting under the streetlights.

“Three-pointer!” a tall kid shouted, nailing a long shot as the ball swished through the net. He wiped his forehead, flashing a grin.

“Yeah, right, that’s a two at best!” a kid in a snapback teased. “You’re not pulling a Tommy with fake stuff, are you?”

“Come on, Tommy’s faking videos. This is a legit three!” the tall kid shot back. “Did I step over the line? We’re not even filming.”

“You were totally inside the line. Calling it a three doesn’t count!” a kid in a blue T-shirt chimed in. They were all students at Cleveland High, same school as Tommy and Calvin, out here playing under the streetlights.

“It’s just one shot, chill,” the tall kid grumbled, tossing the ball to another guy. “Your turn, dribble. I’m stealing.”

“Bet,” said the kid in a red jersey, catching the ball. “Yo, should we try a livestream like Tommy’s?”

“Nah, faking that kind of scare’s tough,” the snapback kid said. “Tommy probably worked hard for that effect, or the internet would be full of fake ghost-hunting vids.”

“Let’s try something simple,” the snapback kid suggested. “Like a video exposing Tommy’s fakes?”

“Haha, solid idea!”

They laughed, passing the ball, when the streetlight suddenly dimmed.

“Yo, what’s up with the light?” the tall kid frowned.

“Let’s call it a night,” the blue T-shirt kid said.

“Nah, it’s just a little dark. We can still play,” the red jersey kid waved it off.

“Wind’s picking up. Is it gonna rain?” the tall kid said, holding out his hand as a few drops hit his palm. He looked up—no clouds in the sky. “Weird, where’s the rain coming from?”

“Yeah, the sky’s clear,” the red jersey kid said, squinting upward.

The streetlight flickered, and a weird vibe settled over them.

“Something’s off. Maybe we should bounce?” the snapback kid said, voice low.

“What, scared of ghosts?” the tall kid forced a laugh. “If we see one, awesome! Start filming, we could go viral!”

“For real! Fake ghosts got views, a real one’s gotta hit a million!” the red jersey kid added.

The light kept flickering. The tall kid pulled out his phone to start recording—then froze. A shadowy figure appeared on his screen.

“Whoa!” he yelped, jumping back.

“What’s your deal?” the others snapped, startled, turning to him.

“No, there’s someone over there!” he pointed down the street.

But the street was empty.

“You’re messing with us,” the snapback kid said, annoyed.

“I’m not!” the tall kid insisted, staring at his phone. The dark figure was still there—on the screen, but not in real life.

“Look at my phone! It’s a ghost, for real!” he shouted.

The group crowded around the tall kid’s phone, gasping. A weird, dark figure stood under a streetlight on the screen—and it looked closer than before.

As the image sharpened, they saw it: a woman, pale as death, with pitch-black features. No eyes, no nose—just a void where her face should be. She stood there, motionless, but when they looked at the actual street, nothing was there. It was like she only existed on the phone.

“Uh… should we run?” one kid stammered, swallowing hard.

“No, what if running makes her chase us? Let’s, uh, stay chill…” the tall kid started, but his words died. On the screen, the woman’s head snapped up, revealing black, hollow eye sockets that seemed to stare right at them. Then her mouth opened—a gaping, endless void, no teeth, no tongue, like a silent scream. She started walking toward them.

“AAAH!” the group screamed, freaking out. The tall kid flung his phone to the ground, yelling as he bolted.

The street went quiet. Neighbors peeked out windows or cracked open doors, spotting a bunch of teens sprinting and shouting, “Ghost! There’s a ghost!” They muttered, “Kids these days are such punks.” “Seriously, pranks this late?” Then they shut their windows, and everything settled down.

At a corner nobody noticed, a kid stepped out.

“Serves you right for clowning me. Bet you’re scared stiff now,” he said with a smirk.

It was Tommy. This was his second time using his new power—creating illusions. The first was scaring off a panhandler who kept hassling him for cash by making him see a cop coming.

Tommy grinned, buzzing with excitement he could barely contain. This power was real. Even if it was just short-lived illusions, it was awesome.

“So… what’s next?” Tommy muttered to himself. Scare more people? Use it for videos? But illusions didn’t show up on camera—only the reactions would, and that was tricky to pull off right. If not videos, then what? He couldn’t think of anything solid.

Whatever, this power opens doors, Tommy thought, smiling at his hands. He didn’t know where it came from, but he had it, so he’d use it. Still, knowing the source would make him feel better.

Then, a red line appeared on his hand. Tommy froze as it split open, revealing a pair of glowing, cartoonish eyes.

“Don’t scream, kid,” a voice whispered in his ear. Tommy went rigid, too spooked to move.

“Heh, this is fun,” the voice said, sounding like a kid, a woman, and a growly dude all mashed together. “Let’s have a chat, you little chosen one of the dark.”