Tira walked with quick steps, carrying several small bags of food from the canteen. Her eyes scanned the area, searching for the figure she hadn't seen around the school grounds. When she finally spotted Neir under the shady oak tree, she sighed in relief and immediately approached her.
"Neir! I was looking for you earlier!" she exclaimed, slightly annoyed but still cheerful.
Neir turned, looking at Tira with a flat yet friendly expression. She had guessed Tira would find her here. Without waiting for an answer, Tira sat beside her and opened one of the food bags, taking out some typical school canteen snacks.
"You didn't come to the canteen, so I brought you these," she said, offering a piece of sweet bread. "The school atmosphere feels more comfortable today, right? That troublemaker isn't here."
Neir only gave a faint smile. She knew who was meant—Jaron, the mischievous kid who always caused a ruckus. Tira seemed to genuinely enjoy this peaceful moment.
"Eat a little, you must be hungry," Tira continued, still offering the food.
Neir shook her head. "I'm not that hungry."
Dani, watching all this from Neir's perspective, observed Tira with mixed feelings. The girl was so attentive and cheerful, reminding him of Susanto, his best friend in the real world. A warm feeling enveloped his heart, as if he could feel the same closeness as before.
But before their conversation could continue further—
THOOM!
A rumbling sound suddenly erupted from the distance. Not just an ordinary explosion, but something that echoed powerfully, as if colliding with something at high speed. The shock made the ground tremble slightly, causing leaves around them to fall.
Neir and Tira jolted. Their eyes widened, breath caught in their throats. The school, which had been calm moments ago, descended into chaos within seconds.
Dani jolted, his vision swaying slightly. The sound—not too loud, but enough to make his hair stand on end. "What was that?" he thought, his brow furrowing. "Neir's left eye... why is it shaking? Something must have happened there."
His heart began to beat faster. "Neir and Tira must be panicking. But me? I can only listen. Can't do anything. If this gets worse… am I just going to be a spectator?"
Panicked voices began to be heard from all directions. Students who had been in class now spilled out, running aimlessly. Some guardians who happened to be around the school area tried to calm their children, but the chaos only grew.
"What happened?!" Tira cried out, her eyes trying to locate the source of the sound.
Neir didn't answer, her mind racing. Something big had happened, and her instinct told her this wasn't just an ordinary accident.
"We need to get to the open field!" Neir finally said, grabbing Tira's hand.
The two of them immediately ran, trying to reach an open area before the situation worsened.
"What actually happened...?"
"Who could do something like that?"
Among them, some children cried silently, while others lowered their heads, their faces deathly pale. Even the volunteers struggled to hide their anxiety.
Near the crowd, Tadric stood with a clenched jaw. His eyes tried to stay focused, but his palms were clenched tightly—a sign he was just as shocked as the others.
"Listen," his voice finally sounded, firm but trying to remain calm. "I know this is terrible, but we must keep our heads clear."
Some students looked at him with fearful eyes. Alarisse, standing nearby, slowly sighed before speaking.
"We're all safe here. What's important now is not to let fear control us."
"But... that wasn't a normal occurrence!" someone shouted from the back row. "You saw it yourself, right!? That... that wasn't something ordinary!"
The crowd murmured again. Some even glanced towards the magical barrier still standing in the distance, obscuring the view of the mangled body.
Reynard, who had been silent until now, finally stepped forward.
"I agree with Tadric," he said, his expression serious. "Now isn't the time to ask who did this or how. What's clear is, there's someone out there dangerous enough to do this without being seen."
"Then we shouldn't just stand here!" shouted one of the volunteers. "Should we wait until there's another victim!?"
The atmosphere grew heated. Tadric frowned, trying to remain calm even as the pressure mounted.
"Listen," he said again, this time more strongly. "We won't stay idle. But before we do anything, we need certainty. We mustn't act recklessly and endanger ourselves."
The volunteers exchanged glances. Although fear still enveloped them, slowly, Tadric managed to contain the spreading panic.
But among that crowd, one student stood still—Kieran.
His eyes were fixed on the magical barrier covering the mangled body. There was something in his expression... not just fear, but more than that.
"Why... does it feel like I've seen something like this before?"
Meanwhile, in the distance, behind the shadow of buildings, a pair of eyes watched from afar.
---
Alarisse stepped forward, approaching the still-standing magical barrier. Her heart pounded loudly. There was something about that mangled figure—something that felt… familiar.
Then, her eyes widened. That hair color. That body shape.
"Wait..." Her voice was almost inaudible. Her jaw tightened, her breath caught.
It can't be.
"That's... Jaron..." she uttered in a trembling voice.
Jaron. Her student.
Someone who shouldn't be here. Who should still be suspended.
"What happened...?" she whispered, her eyes still locked on the torn body.
Tadric turned to her, noticing the change in her expression. "Alarisse? What's wrong?"
However, Alarisse didn't answer. Her gaze remained fixed on the figure that was now just a remnant.
"Why... did Jaron end up like this...?"
---
Jaron was no hero. He knew that. In fact, he tended to see himself as someone in the wrong place—but for some reason, there was a strange urge within him to act. Maybe it was ego, maybe just buried curiosity. What was clear, he wouldn't just stand by.
Life in Valebrook, his hometown, never gave him freedom. When his family was forced to move to Beysolun, Jaron felt as if his life was starting over.
His father got a new job, his mother worked hard to balance the accumulating debts. Behind all that, Jaron felt he was just a shadow, nothing special. When life gave him the choice between a boring routine or taking a risk, he chose the latter. But upon arriving in Beysolun, he realized how vast this world was—and how small he was within it.
School wasn't a comfortable place for him. He dropped out, feeling what he learned was pointless. Instead of choosing the straight path, he decided to seek answers in a darker place.
About a month ago, whispers began to be heard. Disturbing rumors about something bigger than just everyday trouble. Behind the walls of the newly opened open school, Jaron heard about changes happening. Suspicious people. And one of them—that voice—belonged to a man known by the moniker "Mycelic Executioner."
Jaron couldn't stay idle. He wasn't an expert, not a great witch, and clearly not a trained soldier. Yet there was one thing he knew: if something needed to be fought, he would do it. And he started in a rather extreme way.
Creating chaos. Disrupting students, unsettling teachers, stealing small items, and even acting like a fool in front of the guards. His goal? To make this school a noisier place, so those hiding in the shadows would feel anxious. That was Jaron's way—imperfect, not meticulously planned, but he believed it could draw attention.
But his plan fell apart. The anesthetic he made to knock out the guard didn't work. The disruptive device he prepared failed. Instead of becoming a serious threat, he was seen as a nuisance—a whiny kid who needed to be stopped.
That was his lowest point. Suspension came like lightning. And he had only been at the school for two days. All his hard work to protect this school, to make the people threatening it think twice, ended in vain. Without warning, everything fell apart, and he was trapped in it.
But worse—that's when the real problem emerged. Disappointed? Yes. But Jaron knew this wasn't just about him anymore. A bigger threat was lurking, and this time, he couldn't just stay silent and wait.
---
Shadow at Dawn's Edge
The dawn air was still cold. The sky above Beysolun was fading from deep black to bluish-gray, but the sun hadn't risen yet. The city wasn't fully awake—a few traders starting to open their stalls, some workers walking lazily towards their workplaces.
Jaron walked aimlessly.
His mind was still filled with the scolding from the open school teachers. He was suspended, they said he caused too many problems. He knew they weren't wrong, but still…
"Dammit…" he murmured softly, kicking a pebble on the road.
He needed fresh air. Needed something to distract his thoughts.
And that's when he saw it.
Someone.
The figure stood still in the distance, near the open school. Wrapped in a tattered cloak torn in places. A hood covered their face, leaving only a small portion of skin visible—and even that… wasn't ordinary human skin. Something moved beneath it, as if a living creature was crawling beneath the surface.
"Shit… what the hell is that?!"
His instincts immediately screamed. Danger. Don't approach. Don't look for trouble.
But his legs moved on their own, tailing the figure from afar.
The hooded figure stepped towards the five guards stationed around the open school. It wasn't usual to have this many guards here. Jaron knew the city had been more vigilant these past few days, but he didn't expect guards to be stationed right in front of the school.
He hid behind a wall, peeking.
One of the guards raised a hand.
"Stop right there. Identify yourself."
No answer.
Only silence.
Jaron held his breath. "Why is this person just silent?"
The air around them suddenly felt heavy. The wind that had been moving slowly now seemed restrained.
The guards glanced at each other. One of them, who seemed to be the group leader, stepped forward with his hand still on his sword hilt.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. State your name and purpose—"
FWSHH!
Something flashed through the air.
Jaron couldn't see it clearly, but suddenly one of the guards jerked backwards. Something like white dust scattered in the air…
Then, the guard's body split in two from the middle.
Blood sprayed. The body halves fell to the ground with a thud.
Blargh!
Jaron almost vomited. His hand immediately covered his mouth.
"What the hell was that?! Did he even move?!"
The guards immediately reacted. They drew their weapons.
"Attack!"
Two of them charged simultaneously. One slashed towards the neck, the other stabbed towards the abdomen.
But the hooded man… disappeared.
FWSSH!
"No, he didn't disappear. He moved too fast."
In an instant, he was behind them.
Jaron couldn't see what happened, only the sound of clashing metal—
CLANG! CLANG!
Then the sound of tearing flesh.
SHLUK!
One guard's head was decapitated in one swift slash.
Jaron froze. His breath caught.
"D-Don't let him get closer! Defensive formation!"
The remaining guards retreated, forming a defensive position with their shields and swords.
But the hooded man just stood there, letting the white dust around him spread further.
That dust… wasn't ordinary dust.
Jaron could see it now. Each particle glowed faintly, then vanished into the air.
Mushrooms.
He was spreading Etherium spores!
One of the guards seemed to realize it too. He covered his mouth with cloth and slowly retreated.
Too late.
"Ugh…!"
One of them staggered, his sword falling from his hand.
From beneath his skin, something crawled.
Mushrooms.
They grew rapidly, spreading over the guard's body like climbing plants, crawling onto his face, ears, mouth—
SHING!
In one motion, the hooded man slashed his head off.
THUD!
His body fell to the ground, blood soaking the street.
Jaron took a step back. "H-He's not human. He's a monster."
The last two guards gritted their teeth. One of them immediately used magic—a ring on his hand shone brightly, creating an energy wall between them and the hooded man.
"Go! I'll hold him!"
The other guard ran, but—
SHLUK!
Something shot from the darkness.
The hooded man's hand moved only slightly, and instantly a black root-like tentacle pierced the fleeing guard's back, through his chest.
His eyes widened, blood flowing from his lips.
"Ghh—!"
He didn't get to finish his words. His body jerked before the root pulled itself out, dragging some of his organs with it.
Only one guard remained.
He stood trembling behind the energy wall, his breath ragged.
The hooded man tilted his head.
Then, he raised his hand.
BZZT!
The air around him vibrated.
The energy wall—shattered just like that.
The guard's eyes widened in terror.
Then—
SHING!
His neck was decapitated in one swift attack.
THUD!
His body fell to the ground, his head rolling on the stony road.
Silence.
Jaron couldn't move.
He knew he should run. He knew he shouldn't be here.
But his legs seemed petrified.
The hooded man turned towards him.
Shit, he sees me?!
Jaron immediately turned, activating his magic.
"Etherium Pulse!"
Blue energy pulsed from his body, accelerating his reflexes, making his muscles work more optimally. He ran.
THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!
His feet hit the ground quickly, shooting forward as fast as he could.
He didn't look back.
Didn't dare.
Because he knew…
If he stopped, he would die.
---------