The old house in Quiapo smelled of dust and
decay. Joel, 17, stood at the threshold,
clutching his backpack like a shield. His father,
Antonio, hadn’t spoken to him in six years—not
since the day he left for Dubai, leaving Joel
with his grandmother and a promise that he’d
return. Now, Antonio was back, not as a man but
as a ghost, trapped in Joel’s body after a
strange ritual gone wrong during the
university’s annual cultural festival.
The ritual had been part of a secret society
within the University of the Philippines Diliman—
students who believed the campus was built on
ancient ground, where spirits still lingered.
Joel had mocked their superstitions until he saw
the symbols carved into the walls of the library,
identical to those in his late mother’s journal.
She had died young, her last entry warning of a
mirror that could break the veil between worlds.
Antonio’s spirit had latched onto Joel during
the festival, swapping places in a flash of
silver light. The moment the switch happened,
Joel felt his limbs go numb, his mind invaded by
memories not his own—of boardrooms, of betrayal,
of a man who once loved his son but had let fear
and pride drive them apart.
At first, Joel tried to undo it. He sought out
the society’s leader, a quiet girl named Marla,
who had known his mother. She warned him that
the mirror was still active, and that if they
didn’t find it before dawn, both souls would be
lost. But Antonio, now trapped in Joel’s body,
refused to help. He blamed Joel for everything—
the divorce, the silence, the years alone.
The university was changing. Students began
reporting strange occurrences—books flying off
shelves, shadows moving when no one was there,
whispers echoing in empty classrooms. The same
night the swap happened, the head of the history
department was found dead, his face frozen in
terror.
Joel discovered the truth in the basement of the
library, beneath layers of rot and forgotten
records. The mirror was there, cracked and
pulsing with an eerie blue light. It wasn’t just
a portal—it was a trap set by Antonio’s
ancestors, meant to bind those who dared to
challenge the old ways.
Marla had known all along. She had orchestrated
the ritual, not to bring Antonio back, but to
free Joel from the guilt of a father who never
returned. The final rule of the society was
clear: only the living could close the mirror,
and only the dead could see its true form.
In the end, Joel stood before the mirror,
Antonio’s soul flickering behind his eyes. With
a deep breath, he shattered the glass with a
stone. The room filled with light, and when it
faded, Antonio was gone. Joel stood alone, the
weight of six years lifted—but the echoes of the
past still clung to him, whispering in the dark.
