Chapter 18 – Holy Saint Shadows
That morning at camp felt almost normal again.
Almost.
Like the universe was pretending nothing had happened with Baracudda, fire trauma, or JJ's temporary transformation into whatever that chaos version of her was.
JJ, for once, was quiet.
Too quiet.
She sat outside her tent tying her hoodie strings properly instead of her usual half-attention knot. Her movements were controlled. Clean. Focused.
Percy noticed instantly.
That was never a good sign.
"Baby sistah," Percy called, but even his voice had dropped its usual chaos volume, "why do you look like you're going to war?"
JJ didn't look up. "I need to go somewhere."
Aries, passing by, stopped immediately. "Where."
JJ stood up. "Old school. Holy Saint School. Pending documents for graduation."
That name changed the air slightly.
Percy's expression softened. "You going alone?"
JJ nodded. "It's nearby. I'll be fine."
Percy stepped closer, unusually serious. "JJ… don't go alone."
Silence.
That tone didn't belong to him.
JJ looked at him properly for a second.
No jokes. No chaos. Just concern.
Something in her expression softened briefly. Then she exhaled. "I'll be fine."
Aries didn't like it. Keifer didn't say anything—but his eyes followed her the entire time she left.
Too focused.
Too aware.
Like he already didn't trust the day.
---
Holy Saint School – The Place That Never Forgets
Holy Saint School stood unchanged.
Same gates. Same silence. Same sterile corridors that always felt like they were hiding something underneath their perfection.
JJ walked in alone.
Hands in hoodie pockets.
Face calm.
Expression unreadable.
But her steps slowed slightly with every hallway she crossed.
Memory didn't speak loudly here.
It whispered.
And JJ hated whispers.
She reached the administrative cabin, collected her documents, signed quickly, and left.
No interaction.
No pause.
No emotion.
Perfect exit.
Or so she thought.
---
The Gate That Waited
The moment she stepped out—
The air changed.
Not wind.
Not weather.
Something heavier.
She paused.
Then saw him.
Cyrus.
Leaning casually against the wall like he had been waiting there for hours.
Not alone.
His group stood behind him.
Smirking.
Watching.
Waiting.
JJ didn't react immediately.
Just sighed.
"So," Cyrus said, clapping slowly, "you came back."
JJ's voice was flat. "Move."
He smiled.
Wrong kind of smile.
"You still walk like nothing happened," he said. "After what you did to me."
JJ tilted her head. "You survived. That's the problem?"
A few of his friends laughed.
Cyrus stepped forward. "You broke me."
JJ didn't blink. "You broke yourself."
That laugh of his returned.
Cold.
"I want things even, JJ."
Something in the air tightened.
Her expression sharpened.
"No."
Simple.
Final.
Wrong answer for him.
---
The Attack Starts
Cyrus snapped his fingers.
And the group moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Hands grabbed her wrist.
Another pulled her shoulder.
JJ reacted instantly—turning, twisting, kicking one back hard enough to stagger him.
"Don't touch me," she snapped.
But there were too many.
One punch grazed her side.
Another hit her shoulder.
She stumbled slightly.
Breath tightening.
Not fear.
Just pressure.
Cyrus watched.
Enjoying it.
"Still strong," he said softly. "Still alone."
JJ glared at him. "You talk too much."
She broke one grip.
Tried to move—
But someone yanked her back down.
Dust hit her palms.
For a second—
Stillness.
Then chaos again.
She fought back harder.
But it wasn't enough this time.
Too many hands.
Too much weight.
And something old inside her flickered for a moment—
not weakness.
exhaustion.
Cyrus stepped closer.
Slow.
Deliberate.
"You always had to be the problem," he said.
JJ looked up at him from the ground.
Cold eyes.
"No," she replied. "You were."
That made his expression shift.
Anger.
Real this time.
He turned.
Picked up a metal rod.
Raised it.
No one stopped him.
The world narrowed.
JJ pushed herself up—
too slow.
too late.
Cyrus swung.
---
The Moment Time Breaks
A hand shot out.
Caught the rod mid-air.
CLANG.
Silence.
Instant.
Everything froze.
Even Cyrus.
The pressure in the air changed immediately—like something else had entered the scene that didn't belong to this world of school fights and teenage grudges.
JJ froze too.
Because that hand—
wasn't Percy's.
wasn't Aries'.
wasn't Keifer's.
It didn't belong to anyone she knew.
The rod slowly lowered as the grip tightened.
Controlled.
Effortless.
Dangerously calm.
Cyrus frowned. "Who the hell are you?"
No answer.
Not yet.
The stranger tilted his head slightly toward JJ.
Not fully looking at her.
Just acknowledging her existence like it was already known.
JJ's breath hitched slightly.
She didn't know him.
But something about him—
felt like recognition she hadn't earned yet.
Finally, the voice came.
Low.
Calm.
Unshaken.
"You should've chosen safer enemies."
Cyrus stepped back slightly. "Answer me."
The stranger finally turned his head more fully.
Still not revealing everything.
Just enough.
And said—
"That depends on who she is now."
Silence.
Heavy.
JJ pushed herself up slowly, eyes locked on him.
"…Who are you?" she asked quietly.
For the first time—
the stranger looked directly at her.
Not through her.
Not past her.
At her.
And in that gaze—
something unfamiliar clicked.
Like memory that didn't belong to her yet.
He didn't answer immediately.
Just held the rod tighter.
And the chapter ended there—
with JJ standing in front of a man she had never seen before…
but who clearly wasn't meeting her for the first time.
___
Who is he ?
Any guesses, readers ?