The Oldest Dream of Eternal Night
Chapter 27: I Feel...

Chapter 27: I Feel...

Carter swore again. "Shit, we need a prescription for that. And we don’t have time to play pharmacist."

Hassan raised a hand, a cold smile on his lips. "Let me handle it."

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. A professional voice answered, "How may I assist you, Master Hassan?"

"Find me some L-dopa. Parkinson’s medication. I want it within three hours, max."

The voice replied calmly, "It will be done."

Hassan hung up, slipping his phone away as if nothing had happened. The group stood there, stunned.

Carter clicked his tongue. "Talk about the perks of being rich."

Hugo grew impatient. "Alright, now what? What do we do?"

Yuki sighed, crossing his arms. "We wait, man. We don’t have a choice."

The cafeteria buzzed around them, but for the group, time seemed frozen. Ben was out there somewhere, possibly in danger, and their only hope rested on some meds and Kaiser’s unpredictable gift.

...

The bell rang, sharp and shrill, signaling the start of class. The classroom reeked of sweaty, hormonal teenagers. Kaiser had settled at the back, near the window, his hoodie pulled up. But his eyes were alert, scanning the five suspects Yuki had identified.

So far, nothing. Not a hint of anything supernatural. The suspects—two guys and three girls—looked completely normal. One guy fiddled with his pen, a girl doodled in her notebook, another checked her reflection in her phone. Nothing screamed "vampire" or "Wunder." Kaiser growled inwardly. Maybe the meds he’d taken that morning had dulled his senses too much.

He tried to focus, squinting as if it would help him see through their masks. Nothing. Nada. The hours dragged on, monotonous, between math equations and the history teacher’s rant about the Industrial Revolution. Kaiser could feel his impatience rising. Ben was out there, maybe dying, and here he was, stuck playing amateur detective in a stinking classroom.

When the final bell finally rang, Kaiser shot up from his seat, his bag half-zipped. Outside, the schoolyard was chaos as students shoved their way toward the exits. He spotted the five suspects, each heading in a different direction. He tracked their movements, noting nothing unusual—no weird vampire behavior.

Anyway, it wasn’t like he could tell who was a vampire just from their actions.

Hassan was waiting for him near his black pickup truck, parked in the middle of the lot. Next to him stood two men in dark suits, their faces expressionless, radiating serious Men in Black energy—black sunglasses, earpieces, muscles taut under their jackets. Kaiser raised an eyebrow.

"You sure you’re not some Middle Eastern royal or something?" he quipped, half-mocking.

Hassan smirked, adjusting his glasses. "Nah, man. My great-grandpa just struck it rich in oil."

Yuki, who had just joined them, shrugged. "If you say so."

The two bodyguards didn’t react. One of them handed Hassan a small plastic case containing a bottle of pills. L-dopa. Kaiser’s stomach twisted. It was now or never.

The group huddled near the truck, out of sight. The schoolyard was emptying fast, the last few students disappearing beyond the gates. Kaiser opened the bottle, rolling five capsules into his palm.

Carter’s eyes widened. "Dude, that’s too much!"

Hugo frowned. "Isn’t that overkill?"

Kaiser flashed a cocky half-smile. "Relax. Worst case, I get some nasty nausea and shakes. No big deal."

*In the long run, it could trigger psychosis in those predisposed. But that’s not me, right?* he thought, pushing the doubt aside. He grabbed a water bottle from his bag and swallowed the pills in one go, grimacing at the chemical aftertaste.

"How do you feel?" Carter asked, arms crossed.

"See anything yet?" Hugo added impatiently.

Kaiser shrugged. "Not really. Might need a minute."

He raised the bottle to take another sip, but his hand started trembling. First, a slight shiver, barely noticeable. Then full-on spasms, like his muscles had decided to party without him. His heart raced, pounding against his ribs. "Ahhh... fuck."

He swayed, his legs buckling. His friends closed in, panicked. "Kaiser! You okay?" Hassan yelled, grabbing him.

But before he could answer, the world flipped. Everything went black. Not normal darkness, like when you close your eyes. A deep, icy blackness that seemed to swallow light itself. Kaiser blinked, disoriented. "Huh?"

He looked around. The schoolyard was still there, but different. Everything was in black and white, like an old film. Students, teachers—they all moved in slow motion, their movements fluid but unreal. The temperature had dropped, and the air smelled like... nothing. No scent, no life.

"A world without gods..." he murmured, unsure where the words came from.

His gaze swept the scene. The suspects he’d watched all day were there, but none had the aura of a vampire. No amulets, no fangs, no unnaturally cold body heat. Just dull, monochrome Wunder high schoolers—none of them looking like vampires.

But there was something else. Faint, barely visible silhouettes emitted a soft, colored glow.

*Wunders.*

Kaiser narrowed his eyes. He could see through walls, as if reality had cracked open. Tiny blue and green flames flickered in the air, drifting like spirits. "Ghosts?" he muttered. "Damn, this is creepy."

Yet he wasn’t scared. On the contrary, a smile spread across his face—first small, then wide, almost manic. To see everything, to understand everything... it was intoxicating. Like the world belonged to him. "I feel..."

"Good?!" he shouted, his voice distant, muffled.

Kaiser turned his head toward his buddies. They were there, but different. Their silhouettes were blurred, but he could see... something. Shadows around them, fragments of their emotions. Anger in Carter, worry in Yuki, impatience in Hugo. Hassan, on the other hand, was strangely neutral, almost too calm. So this was it... Kaiser thought, something clicking in his mind. But before he could dig deeper, a flash of light caught his attention.

In the gymnasium, about fifty meters away, two silhouettes shone like neon lights. Multicolored fluids seemed to flow over their bodies, like a living painting. "The twins?" Kaiser murmured. He knew these two girls; they were this year’s new girls. But here, they were... something else. Not human like the others. And not wunderkinds.