The breaking point

The next morning, the atmosphere at school felt different.

Students filled the hallways as usual, lockers slammed shut, and conversations buzzed loudly—but this time the whispers seemed louder when Jacoby Morrison walked in.

It started with a few snickers.

Then it spread.

“Did you guys hear?” someone said.

“Jacoby has a boyfriend.”

Another voice laughed.

“Yeah, some dude named Matthew.”

Jacoby froze for a moment when he heard Matthew’s name.

Matthew wasn’t at this school. They mostly talked through messages and late-night calls, supporting each other through tough days. Hearing his name dragged into the bullying made Jacoby’s stomach twist.

A group of seventh graders gathered nearby.

“Yo Jacoby,” one of them called out. “Where’s your boyfriend today?”

More laughter erupted.

Another student mocked him, pretending to hold an imaginary phone.

“Hey Matthew, come save your little princess!”

Even students who usually ignored Jacoby began joining in.

Sarah and Maddie stood nearby with a group, giggling.

“Maybe he’ll cry on TikTok about it,” Maddie said.

“Yeah,” Sarah added. “Post another outfit video for Matthew.”

Jacoby’s breathing grew heavier.

He tried to walk past them.

But then Carter stepped in front of him.

Carter crossed his arms and grinned.

“So it’s true,” he said. “You actually have a boyfriend.”

Behind him stood Wesley and Kannon, both snickering.

“Does he borrow your clothes too?” Wesley joked.

More laughter.

Something inside Jacoby finally snapped.

“STOP!”

The scream echoed through the hallway.

Students went quiet for a split second.

Jacoby’s face was red, his eyes shaking with rage and pain.

“I’m sick of all of you!” he shouted.

Before anyone could react, Jacoby grabbed a nearby stack of books from a desk and threw them across the hallway.

The books slammed into the lockers near Sarah and Maddie.

Both girls yelped and jumped back.

“What’s wrong with you?!” Maddie shouted.

Jacoby grabbed a loose water bottle and hurled it.

“LEAVE ME ALONE!”

The hallway erupted into chaos.

Wesley stepped forward angrily.

“Dude, chill!”

Jacoby lashed out, kicking Wesley in the leg, causing him to stumble.

Kannon tried to grab Jacoby’s arm.

Jacoby shoved him and kicked him back, knocking him into another student.

Then Jacoby locked eyes with Carter.

The anger inside him boiled over.

Jacoby rushed forward and swung his fist.

But before it could land, a teacher grabbed him from behind.

“JACOBY!”

Two staff members quickly pulled him back as he struggled.

“LET GO OF ME!” Jacoby shouted, tears already forming in his eyes.

Students stared in shock as he was dragged down the hallway.

—

Moments later, Jacoby sat in the principal’s office.

The room felt quiet. Too quiet.

His breathing slowed, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

The principal sighed and folded their hands.

“Jacoby… what happened today?”

Jacoby wiped his face but immediately started crying harder.

“You had that assembly yesterday,” he said between sobs. “You talked about respect and behavior… but nobody listened.”

His voice cracked.

“They bully me every day. Every single day!”

The principal looked uncomfortable.

Jacoby slammed his hands on the desk.

“You didn’t stop them! None of you did!”

Silence filled the room.

Finally, the principal spoke.

“Jacoby… because of the incident today, you’ll be suspended for one week.”

Jacoby stared at the floor.

It felt like everything had collapsed at once.

—

That night at home, things got worse.

His parents were furious about the suspension.

“You’re grounded,” one of them said firmly.

“No phone. No TikTok.”

Jacoby’s heart sank.

His phone was taken away.

That meant no way to text Matthew.

The one person who always listened to him… was suddenly unreachable.

Jacoby sat in his room, crying quietly.

Minutes passed.

Then an hour.

Finally, he couldn’t stay there anymore.

Jacoby slipped out of the house and started running.

Cold night air hit his face as he ran down the empty street.

Tears blurred his vision.

“I hate this…” he whispered. “I hate all of this…”

Above him, the night sky suddenly streaked with light.

A meteor tore through the atmosphere, burning bright as it crashed into the woods just outside town.

Jacoby slowed when he saw the glow in the distance.

Curiosity pulled him closer.

Smoke rose from a small crater where the meteor had landed.

Inside the crater was something strange.

A small pink parasite-like creature, pulsing faintly.

Jacoby stepped closer.

“What… is that?”

The creature twitched.

Suddenly—

It lunged.

Before Jacoby could react, the parasite shot forward and forced its way into his body, disappearing into his stomach.

Jacoby collapsed to his knees.

“What—what was that?!”

After a few seconds, the pain faded.

Everything felt… quiet.

Confused and scared, Jacoby slowly walked back home.

He snuck into his house and quietly returned to his room.

His hands trembled as he sat on his bed.

Then suddenly—

FWOOOSH.

A blast of thick black liquid shot from his hand and splattered across the wall.

Jacoby stared in shock.

“What… did I just do?”

The liquid slowly dripped down the wall like living ink.

Inside his mind, something ancient stirred.

A voice echoed faintly within him.

A presence.

Jacoby didn’t fully understand it yet…

But the parasite had chosen him.

Jacoby Morrison had just become the vessel of the Japanese sun goddess, Amaterasu.

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