I woke up on what should have been a normal Saturday morning. I glanced over at my roommate, Lhong—the idiot was still fast asleep. I crawled out of bed, washed my face, and reflexively picked up my sword. But then, as I looked out the window toward the palace, I saw it: an arrow streaking through the sky and plunging into the royal grounds.
What's happening?
In an instant, soldiers began storming the palace. Then, they turned their sights on the academy. Panic flared in my chest. I rushed to wake Lhong.
"Lhong! Wake up, now!"
"No... why are you waking me up...?" he mumbled, refusing to budge.
I didn't have time for this. I grabbed him and hauled him off the top bunk. Thud! Lhong hit the floor hard, groaning as he clutched his back.
"My back... that hurt like hell."
"Look out the window, now!"
Lhong stumbled to the window. His jaw dropped as he saw soldiers swarming the school grounds, some already breaching the dormitory. Then—
BANG!
The sound of dozens of doors being kicked in simultaneously echoed through the halls, followed by the deafening clatter of clashing armor.
"Drop everything and get on the ground! Now!" a voice barked.
I didn't dare risk it. I dropped to the floor as ordered, and Lhong followed suit.
"John, what the hell is going on?" Lhong whispered, his voice trembling.
"You're asking me? How the hell should I know!?"
They blindfolded us and tied our hands before dragging us out. The wind howled around us, mingled with the guttural roars of hungry monsters and the bone-chilling screams of people in agony. I could hear the sickening crunch of bone being ground into splinters. When they finally ripped the blindfolds off, we were in the center of the academy courtyard.
Why are there monster sounds coming from outside the walls?
I looked around and saw other students in the same state. Then, without warning—
SCHLICK!
The sound of a blade shearing through a neck. The crack of vertebrae snapping.
Why? For what purpose? Why am I just sitting here doing nothing? Why didn't I fight from the start? If I had, maybe I could have saved them... but I didn't. And now, it's too late.
I tried to steady my breathing, forcing myself to stay calm. I looked to my side and saw Alice sitting next to me. Her face was a mask of pure terror, her entire body shaking uncontrollably. She looked like she was on the verge of a total mental breakdown.Then, the sound of a blade shearing through a neck echoed once more. Why...? No... I have to stay conscious. The screams of the students being executed rang out incessantly. But then, something strange happened—a high-ranking soldier fixed his gaze upon the fortress on the wall. He conjured a fiery spear and hurled it at the tower, causing it to explode and crumble instantly.
Why did he do that?
In that split second, a steel blade severed a head from its shoulders. There was no scream—only the sound of snapping bone, tearing muscle, and the rhythmic drip of blood hitting the pavement. The head spinning through the air belonged to... Lhong.
No... it can't be...
Suddenly, something streaked toward the soldier who had executed Lhong. It was an ice arrow. The projectile pierced straight through the center of the soldier's skull. Who was that? At that moment, I didn't care. I seized the opportunity immediately. I used light magic to sever my bonds and took advantage of their confusion. Ice arrows began raining down from nowhere in a frantic blur, then suddenly stopped. I rushed in with my light sword, killing as many as I could.
Out of nowhere, the Headmaster appeared and annihilated the remaining soldiers. He walked toward me, placed a hand on my shoulder, and spoke:
"You've done well. Go and rest now."
I collapsed to the ground instantly. Is it finally over...? No, not yet. We haven't even escaped the school. I sat there for a long time, my memory flickering and cutting out like a lost signal. When I finally regained my senses, I looked toward the dormitory.
Wait... why is that floor tile moving?
Someone emerged from beneath the tiles. I prepared to strike, but then I realized it was Phukan. That coward... hiding underground while everyone else was being executed. Rage seethed within me, but I forced myself to calm down. Phukan walked toward the Headmaster and exchanged a few words I couldn't hear. Then, he approached Alice, who seemed to be in a trance. He retrieved the staff he had bought for her, then walked over and whispered in my ear:
"Don't ask where I've been. Take this staff to Alice and find a way—any way—to restore her sanity."
"Huh?"
I did as he said anyway. I took the staff and walked over to Alice. "Um... Alice, listen to me. You need to calm down. Take a deep breath. I don't want to see anyone else die."
She wasn't listening at all. I let out a long sigh. Do I really have to do this? I pulled her in for a kiss to snap her out of it. (Author's Note: Are you sure that was to snap her out of it and not just taking an opportunity?) Her eyes snapped to mine instantly. Although her face was still etched with visible terror, she turned a slight shade of crimson. I smiled and asked:
"Are you okay? If you can't go on, you should rest first."
"U-um... I... I'm okay."
Even though she said that, her body said otherwise. I sighed once more before returning her staff to her. I watched as Phukan scaled the wall, scanning the area before descending slightly and calling out to me.
"Get up on the wall with me."
"Why? Are you going to throw me to the monsters as bait?" I shouted back, my suspicion flaring.
"Just get up there, will you?"
I did as he said. Once I reached the top, Phukan began constructing a massive ice pulley, about a meter in diameter. He then created an incredibly long ice chain, wrapping it around the pulley before securing one end to his waist and handing the other to me.
"If you see me about to die, pull," he said.
I nodded in acknowledgment. Phukan descended cautiously, creating an ice chain bridge between the wall and the nearest rooftop. Where on earth is he getting all this mana? I wondered as he carefully moved across. Once he reached the roof, he shattered the bridge connecting the house to the wall immediately. Why would he do that? Shouldn't he keep it in case the chain snaps?
Phukan moved along the rooftops, picking off monsters that tried to scramble up after him. He couldn't kill them, but he did enough to knock them back down. He seemed to be searching for someone... Then, suddenly, he smashed through a roof and dropped inside. The impact caused the ice chain in my hands to snap!
I froze. The chain had severed at my end, not Phukan's, which meant he must have disconnected it because the distance was becoming too great. I watched that rooftop for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Phukan emerged from the house and headed straight for the kingdom's outer wall. What the hell is that idiot thinking?
I stood there for an hour and a half. Phukan finally reached the outer wall; he looked like he was punching the stone floor. Why would he do that? Then, he lowered an ice chain into a crevice. A few moments later, a woman with purple hair climbed up. They seemed to exchange words, but it was too far for me to see clearly.
Suddenly, Phukan retrieved a massive coil of rope, summoned a path of ice, and began rushing back toward the school. It took a while, but when he was only five meters away from the academy wall, his ice path suddenly stopped extending. Phukan lunged forward, nearly falling to his death. I rushed over and hauled him up just in time. I stared at the kilometers-long rope in his grasp.
"John, go get the other students. Now!"
Phukan was wheezing, looking utterly spent. I didn't care to ask questions; the lives of the many were more important than one person. I hurried to bring the other students up the wall. By the time everyone reached the summit, Phukan had already vanished, leaving only the rope securely anchored to a stone pillar—the other end stretching toward the kingdom's wall, our only hope for survival.
The air was thick with the guttural roars of hungry monsters. I could hear the stone walls cracking and the sound of claws scraping against the rock; it sent a chill straight down my spine.
"One at a time!" I shouted.
I directed the students to move carefully. Judging by the thickness of the rope, it could likely hold everyone at once, but caution was necessary. One by one, they began to crawl across. None of them dared to look down or even glance back. Now, only Alice and I remained on the wall. Her mental state was clearly not ready for this climb.
"Alice, you go first."
"N-no... I can't. I won't make it..."
"You can do this. If you think you can't, then just hold my hand. I promise I won't let go."
"O-okay..."
I reached out and grasped her hand firmly, letting her lead the way since she probably didn't want to be the last one left. We slowly made our way across the rope. The wind whistled past my ears, but a sudden, sickening feeling washed over me.
"Alice, stop for a second."
She did as I said. I looked back and saw a spear hurtling toward the rope from a vast distance. I spotted Phukan near the rope's anchor, but in his current state, he looked completely spent. I timed it carefully and fired a bolt of light magic, but by the time it reached the projectile, the rope had already been half-severed. Fortunately, most of the students had already reached the kingdom's wall, so there was nothing left to worry about. I continued moving forward without looking back again.
Upon reaching the kingdom's wall, I encountered the purple-haired girl who had been talking to Phukan earlier. She looked like she attended our school, but I didn't pay her much mind. I turned back to Alice. She was still trembling and hadn't let go of my hand. I didn't mind it at all. (Author's Note: You don't mind, or you just don't want to let go?)
The students were huddled together, whispering in fear, while the roars of the monsters continued unabated.
"How are we supposed to get out of this giant red dome?"
"I don't know... maybe try to poke a hole in it?"
"Or use explosives?"
"Quiet down, students," the Headmaster's voice cut through the chatter.
He stepped toward the shimmering boundary of the field, placing his hand against it. "Now, one of you... use your mana to draw a circle with a ten-meter radius. Quickly."
A student followed his instructions. The Headmaster then drew his staff—it was only eleven inches long, unlike the meter-long staves typically used by mages. He began to trace intricate patterns within the mana circle. Moments later, the boundary wall fractured, splintering until a ten-meter-wide hole appeared.
However, the wall was still too high for the students to jump down. They had to use magic to sever the rope that had served as their bridge. They believed it didn't matter anymore; everyone who had survived was already across. At least, that's what they thought. They lowered the rope down the outer side and began their descent, finally reaching safety.
I let out a massive sigh of relief. Alice suddenly ran toward me, throwing her arms around me as she sobbed.
"We made it, John... we survived!"
"Yeah," I replied softly.
I looked at Alice. Her face was a mask of grief, yet there was a flicker of joy hidden beneath the tears. Suddenly realizing what she had done, she quickly pulled away, her face turning a deep crimson before she hurried off to join the other students.
But the one thing that weighed heaviest on my mind was Phukan. He hadn't made it across. He's gone... isn't he?