7. Light after Dark

That day marked a turning point for Jayden. He had apologized to Benjamin, a gesture that melted the icy tension between them, even if only slightly. This wasn’t the first time they’d clashed, but deep down, Jayden knew things couldn’t keep spiraling the way they had. Time wasn’t waiting, and neither was the weight of his conscience. For Jayden, change wasn’t an option; it was a necessity. He had grown into someone more compassionate, someone who tried to look out for others instead of shutting himself off from the world. Yet, this transformation came at a cost—an unshakable conviction that he was cursed. Jayden carried the guilt of having killed an innocent student, a young life snuffed out for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That guilt consumed him. No amount of kindness could rewrite the past, but redemption, however hard it seemed, became his only focus. One night, as he walked through the quiet streets, an unsettling sensation prickled at the back