The midday sky was still bright blue, the sun shining fiercely overhead, yet the atmosphere around the open school felt odd—as if the air itself knew something was wrong.
Faint magical lines shimmered around the school, forming a transparent protective dome. The runes drawn by Nirea glimmered softly, merging with the Etherium energy flowing in the air. Nothing should have been able to penetrate it from the outside; they should have been safe.
They should have been.
Then, something began to change.
The magical light coating the barrier trembled, like waves forced to withstand a great storm. The air around them suddenly felt heavy, making chests tighten for no clear reason.
Reynard, standing among the volunteers, felt the hairs on his neck stand on end. It was as if invisible fingers were touching his neck, whispering something inaudible yet felt in his very bones.
"This isn't an earthquake…" he murmured, then his eyes fixed on a point outside the barrier.
Jaron.
A hard impact shook the air. The ground trembled, and Jaron's body was flung, hitting the protective barrier with an ear-splitting sound. The boy's eyes were wide open, empty, like glass that had lost its shine. His breath was still there, but so weak, as if a part of him had been ripped away. He lay outside the barrier, his body unmoving.
For a moment, tension hung in the air. The atmosphere, once filled with commotion, suddenly fell silent. It was then that the shadow began to move.
From the ruins, the figure emerged, calm, as if unaffected by the piercing sunlight. Its cloak fluttered slowly in the wind, and beneath its hood, faintly pulsing organic tissue was visible—like living fungal roots, infiltrating beneath its skin.
The Mycelic Executioner.
Beneath it, the ground began to change.
White filaments crept from the hem of its robe, spreading like roots seeking cracks. They seeped into the soil, penetrating the earth's pores, then approached the magical barrier.
Neir clutched the hem of her dress tightly, her eyes widening as she felt the Etherium within her magical runes vibrate violently—not from imbalance, but because something was gnawing at it from within.
"He's absorbing the Etherium from our barrier…" she murmured, her small voice nearly drowned by the commotion behind her.
Reynard watched as, slowly, the runes began to lose their glow. He couldn't stay still.
"We have to stop him before the barrier collapses!" he shouted.
Tadric and the volunteers moved quickly, forming a line in front of the students. Even though his arms were still tightly carrying Nirea, he tried to maintain his balance, his eyes wary as he watched the threat ahead.
Alarisse raised her hands, trying to add another layer of defense, but nothing happened. "The barrier… it's almost broken," she muttered with an anxious tone.
Reynard glanced at Nirea, still cradled in Tadric's arms. The protective magical layer that should have held was now full of cracks, trembling as if it would collapse any second. Nirea's breath was ragged, her body trembled, her face pale—she had pushed her limits.
"She's the one who formed it earlier," said Edric, his voice sounding understanding. "But she's run out of mana."
They only had a few seconds before the protection completely vanished. And the enemy ahead wouldn't wait.
Neir jolted, her eyes wide, almost unable to believe what had just happened. "Jaron…?" Her voice nearly choked in her throat, so low and full of confusion.
In the distance, she saw Jaron's body flung, hitting the transparent magical barrier hard. A loud crashing sound was heard, like something hitting a solid wall—a sound that echoed, shattering the momentary calm. Jaron's body bounced back, falling helplessly to the ground after hitting the barrier wall.
Neir could only stand frozen, her eyes fixed on Jaron's body which appeared severely injured. What happened? Why was Jaron here? He hadn't been seen since morning, and suddenly, amid this chaos, he appeared in such a terrifying way. Why? Why did it have to be him who became part of all this?
Neir's gaze moved to Jaron's prone body, questions swirling in her mind. She knew how Jaron had bullied her—just as she had once been a victim of his cruelty. But seeing Jaron now, injured, powerless, and trapped in a situation even more horrifying than she could imagine, left Neir feeling confused.
Was this what he deserved?
Confusion, anxiety, and even a little guilt enveloped Neir. There was no more hatred in her heart, only crushing bewilderment. Maybe Jaron had been a bully, but that didn't mean he deserved something like this... Was this truly what should have happened?
Neir couldn't look away. Her heart was in turmoil, feeling the tension from afar. But at the same time, she knew this wasn't the time for contemplation. Jaron wasn't the only problem here—a greater threat was approaching.
---
Then she saw it—those eyes, empty yet full of whispers. Jaron was no longer Jaron.
And then, before anyone could react, the boy's body moved with impossible speed, charging toward the barrier.
"STOP!" Tadric shouted, but it was too late.
BOOOM!
The magical barrier that had been protecting them shattered in a single blow.
An explosion of light sent several people tumbling back, dust and fragments of energy flying in all directions. Neir fell to a sitting position, her breath caught as she felt how the Etherium around her suddenly turned cold, as if life itself was avoiding this place.
The figure beneath the hood stepped forward, passing through the remnants of the shattered barrier.
It didn't need to rush.
Its mushrooms had already spread.
Reynard took a deep breath, gripping something beneath his cloak. His eyes were now fully focused.
This wasn't just murder.
This was a hunt.
Then, the silence broke.
Reynard moved first. A swift motion, almost impossible to see with the naked eye, as he stepped forward with his hands still hidden beneath his cloak. His gaze was sharp—not merely fear, but calculation.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Dani witnessed everything with uncontrollable panic. His breath was ragged, his mind screaming in helplessness. This wasn't a movie, not a nightmare. This was real. Neir was there, and she… she could die.
"NEIR, RUN!" Dani wanted to scream, but his voice only echoed in his own mind.
Neir herself couldn't move. Her legs seemed rooted to the ground. Jaron… or whatever remained of him, stood with his head bowed, his body trembling in an odd posture. The executioner remained in place, calm, as if waiting for something.
Then Jaron lifted his face.
His eyes… empty. But not truly empty. There was something inside them, something writhing, whispering, alive.
And the next second, he ran towards them.
Not a normal run. Not a human movement.
He burst forth with unnatural speed, his steps creating depressions in the ground. His mouth was open, but no scream came out—instead, a strange hum that made Neir's ears ring.
Reynard finally acted. His hand rose, and for a moment, the air around him vibrated.
"Enough."
That word wasn't just a sound. It was a command.
Instantly, the ground in front of Jaron exploded, creating a wave of energy that forced the boy to be flung backward.
But he didn't fall.
In mid-air, his body spun agilely, as if guided by something invisible. And when he landed, it wasn't Jaron who turned towards Reynard.
But something inside him.
That smile didn't belong to a human.
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