Chapter 2: Illusions

Bang!

Someone slammed their hand on the desk next to me.

The noise startled me awake, and I found myself back in the classroom. Most of my classmates had already returned from lunch.

Looking around, confusion set in. I had clearly fainted on the rooftop earlier. How did I end up back in my seat?

Was it all just a dream?

That strange man, those red eyes... Red eyes!

Realizing that my pupils might have turned blood-red, I quickly closed my left eye and stood up to head to the bathroom. But I noticed that the girl next to me was surrounded by several boys.

"You dare ignore me!" one of them shouted at the girl. I squinted with one eye and realized the one shouting was the class bully, though his name escaped me.

The bully was taller and stronger than the other boys in our grade. He always threw his weight around. I didn't know why he was picking on that girl today.

But none of this had anything to do with me.

"Can you guys move?" I asked them.

"Who do you think you are? You want us to move? Can't you see we're teaching her a lesson?" one of the bully's cronies pushed me.

"I need to go to the bathroom. Can you let me through?" I turned my head slightly to avoid showing my unusual face.

They took my head turn as a sign of disdain. The bully let out a low growl, and the others turned their attention to me, forming a semicircle to block my way.

The other students were used to this kind of scene and ignored us, going about their own business.

"Bi Yongnuo, you dare look down on me!" The bully grabbed my collar and lifted me up.

"I don't." I still didn't look him in the eye.

"Look at me," the bully demanded.

"My left eye is... Ah!" Before I could finish, the bully punched me hard in the stomach.

I doubled over, clutching my stomach, the pain making me retch.

"Look at me or not?" The bully pulled my hair, forcing me to look at him.

I still kept one eye closed.

"Look! I told you to look at me with both eyes!" Two cronies pulled my hands apart, another grabbed my hair, and the bully kept punching my stomach.

Punch after punch.

"Stop hitting him!" the girl screamed, but no one paid her any attention.

"Look at me! Does looking at me make you that uncomfortable?" the bully yelled as he hit me.

The punches got heavier, and I couldn't take it anymore. I tasted blood in my mouth, a red line of blood trickling from the corner of my mouth.

The taste of blood filled me with rage and sorrow, making me want to fight back!

But my hands and feet were held down by several people, leaving me unable to move. I could only glare at the bully with one eye, whimpering.

The bully saw the blood at the corner of my mouth and smiled with satisfaction, then punched me hard in the left eye.

At that moment, my left eye started to tremble slightly.

"Open your eye."

A voice, both eerie and magnetic, whispered in my ear, and my left eye naturally opened.

As soon as I opened my eye, everything around me was suddenly shrouded in black mist. Everyone except the bully was swallowed by the darkness.

I looked at the bully and saw that his entire body was frozen, his hand still in mid-air. His eyes were still filled with anger, but he stood motionless in front of me, as if possessed.

At that moment, the eerie voice spoke again in my ear.

"Well done, you have now entered this big guy's mind. Whatever illusion you want him to see in reality, just concentrate and imagine it," the voice said with a hint of a smile.

I was startled because the voice seemed to be right next to my ear, as if someone was speaking with their face close to mine.

"Who are you?" I looked around, but aside from the bully, there was only darkness. I couldn't see anyone else.

"Me? Consider me your companion," the voice replied.

"Then... what should I do now?" I asked anxiously, afraid I wouldn't be able to leave this quiet, dark environment. I just wanted everything to return to normal.

"I already told you, concentrate and imagine," the voice said, slightly impatient.

"Imagine? I don't know what to think of!" I shouted.

If it were someone else, they might have thought they were having a bizarre dream. But having just experienced the eye exchange on the rooftop, I understood that everything before me was real.

"Didn't he just beat you up badly? Now is your chance for revenge. Whatever terrifying illusion you want him to see, he will experience it as if it's real," the voice said with a sly smile. "Give it a try!"

Thinking about how he had beaten me until I bled, the taste of blood still lingering at the corner of my mouth, my anger flared up again.

I glared at the bully's fierce face, filled with malicious thoughts.

"You enjoyed beating me up, didn't you?" I sneered. "Since you like bullying the weak so much, let's see you bully to your heart's content!"

With that, I focused my mind and replayed the prepared scenario from start to finish.

Quickly, the darkness around me receded, and the environment returned to normal.

Just as I was anticipating what terrifying change would happen to the bully, his previously frozen fist landed on my face!

My face stung, and I was confused when the bully suddenly asked, "Why do I hear baby cries?"

Hearing this, I couldn't help but smile because I knew his nightmare was about to begin.

Everyone else was puzzled by the bully's words. Only he and I could see the dozens of babies crawling in through the classroom door, heading straight for the bully.

The babies all had innocent smiles, but they looked exactly the same, even their cries were identical.

The countless babies crawled towards the bully, who couldn't believe his eyes but had to step back step by step until he was pressed against the wall, unable to move.

The babies continued to approach him, their identical "wah-wah" cries rising and falling. When the leading baby reached the bully, its tiny white hands suddenly grabbed his calf.

Suddenly, all the babies let out identical joyful laughs, then stood up and stumbled towards the bully, grabbing him tightly!

The bully was horrified and desperately tried to throw off the babies climbing on him, but there were too many. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake them all off.

The other students, seeing the bully suddenly going crazy, talking to himself and gesturing wildly, kept their distance and whispered among themselves.

The babies swarmed over him like a tide, soon burying most of his lower body. Some even tore open his shirt and started biting his nipples.

The bully, not understanding what was happening, grew increasingly agitated. In a sudden burst of strength, he threw one of the babies holding his arm against the wall!

The bully's strength was immense, and with such a throw, the baby's head instantly burst, splattering brains all over him.

Just as the bully thought the baby was dead and tried to pull it off, the headless baby suddenly stared at him and let out a sharp scream!

At that moment, all the babies around him screamed sharply like the first one that died, and then their heads exploded simultaneously!

As brains splattered everywhere, the babies suddenly lost their innocence. Each one wore a terrifyingly evil face and opened their mouths to bite the bully!

The strength of the babies' bites was unexpectedly strong, causing the bully immediate and intense pain, with wounds all over his body and blood flowing non-stop.

He desperately swung his fists, trying to knock the babies off, but there were too many. Soon, they had pinned the bully to the ground.

Some babies bit his body, some pulled his hair, and several even pried his mouth open and poured the brain matter from their heads into his mouth!

The bully was pinned down and couldn't move, forced to swallow all the brain matter.

His throat made choking sounds, and his face showed a look of excruciating pain. But the babies holding him down showed no sympathy, instead grinning menacingly.

Finally, the bully couldn't take it anymore. His eyes rolled back, and he fainted.

Seeing him pass out, the babies all turned to me and grinned before disappearing into thin air.

The surroundings returned to normal, except for the bully lying on the ground, having lost control of his bladder.

The classmates were all stunned by the bully's earlier actions of hitting himself, standing frozen in place without a word.

One of the bully's cronies was the first to snap out of it, quickly running out of the classroom to get a teacher.

As I sat at my desk, admiring my handiwork, I suddenly remembered the oddity of my left eye and quickly closed it.

"No need to close it. Ordinary people can't see the Demon Eye, and besides, your Demon Eye is in a dormant state, no different from usual." The eerie voice sounded in my ear again. "Not bad at all, kid. The first time you used the Demon Eye, and you scared him into this state. I think he's going to be an idiot now."

With that, the voice's owner laughed heartily.

"An idiot? Is it that serious?" I asked softly.

From my observations, I realized that only I could hear the voice, and since I had this ability, I deduced that even if I spoke softly, he could hear me.

Sure enough, the voice's owner immediately responded, "Of course it is. Although I don't know what you made him see, it seems he was quite frightened. What's wrong? Do you regret it?"

"No, this guy was always nasty, and he wouldn't turn out to be anything good in the future. Making him an idiot now is fine." Seeing the bully's current state, I felt a sense of satisfaction.

"You're quite the evil little fellow, truly a devil."

"Devil?" This term was mentioned by the man during the eye exchange.

"Yes, you are a devil. Otherwise, how could you have the Demon Eye?"

"The Demon Eye? You mean my left eye?"

"Yes, that's an eye only devils can possess. Hey, your teachers are coming. I'll explain more to you later." With that, the voice fell silent.

Not long after the teachers arrived, paramedics followed and took the bully to the hospital.

The teachers gathered the students to ask about what had happened, but no one knew the full story. They only saw him suddenly go crazy and start punching and kicking the air after hitting me.

Of course, none of the students mentioned the bully hitting me, since who knew if he would return to school.

When the teacher asked about my injuries, I gave vague and evasive answers.

After the initial investigation was completed, the bell rang, signaling the end of class.

The teacher mentioned that any students who needed it could stay for counseling, but as the instigator of the whole incident, I went straight home.

When I got home, my dad wasn't back yet. I made some instant noodles in the kitchen and then went to my room.

Lying on my bed, I thought about everything that had happened today. The more I thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed.

Strange events kept occurring, increasing my confusion, but oddly enough, I didn't feel much fear. Instead, I felt a bit excited.

Am I truly a devil?

Is my left eye a symbol of the devil?

Then, is that man from today also a devil?

Countless questions swirled in my mind—devil, Demon Eye. These strange terms that suddenly appeared made my head spin, but I could only wait until that strange man or mysterious person appeared tonight to get answers.

"Kid, open the window for me."

The eerie voice suddenly sounded in my ear.

I was startled and quickly jumped up from the bed, turning to look outside the window, but the scene before me left me dumbfounded.

Sitting on the windowsill was a small, sleek black cat.

The black cat and I stared at each other in silence, but its overly lively emerald eyes made my hair stand on end.

Just as I was wondering if it was the mysterious person, the black cat suddenly spoke in human language, "Fool! Hurry up and open the window for me." It was the mysterious person's voice!

I quickly walked over and opened the window, but as soon as I opened a small crack, I saw a flash of black, and the black cat was already sitting on my bed.

"Hey, nice to meet you. My name is Rahab."

The black cat swayed its long tail and smiled.