Chapter 8

...𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓...

...𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙾 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙰𝙱𝚈𝚂𝚂: 𝚂𝙷𝙰𝙳𝙾𝚆 𝙾𝙵 𝙵𝙴𝙰𝚁 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙿𝙾𝚆𝙴𝚁 𝙸𝙸...

ᴵᵐᵃᵍᵉ ⁷• ᶜʳᵉᵈⁱᵗᵉᵈ ᵗᵒ ᴾⁱⁿᵗᵉʳᵉˢᵗ•

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭

Yuri, a high school student, handIing intentionally gone to the campus that night when a loud crash echoed from inside the school building. He paused, his gaze locked on the structure.

He remembered the time he and Matthew had met in the hospital. Matthew had been conducting a morning search while Chugar lay unconscious, under Arclreign's care.

"Has the fight already started?" Yuri muttered to himself, standing still as his mind raced. 'So, the boy who approached me wasn’t lying about the weird thing he showed me on his phone,' he thought. 'My two seniors said they'd be back at 8 PM.'

Suddenly, a memory hit him, and a sense of urgency overwhelmed him. Without hesitation, Yuri sprinted toward the school. 'Jane and Mark are absolutely in danger!' he urged himself, his heart pounding as his feet moved faster.

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔.*:･･:*.ೃ࿔.⋆❀°°❀⋆.ೃ࿔.*:･･:*.ೃ࿔.⋆❀°

Another loud bang jolted him out of his thoughts. He came to a stop near the school’s entrance, hearing Matthew's words echo in his mind: “Don’t go back to school. Stay here.”

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔.*:･･:*.ೃ࿔.⋆❀°°❀⋆.ೃ࿔.*:･･:*.ೃ࿔.⋆❀°

"What the hell am I even doing?" Yuri muttered, clenching his fists tightly. "Am I really just going to follow what someone tells me to do?" His voice was filled with frustration as he stood frozen, unsure of his next move.

'What am I even afraid of?'

.

.

.

Death.

The thought struck him like a whisper in his ear. His heart raced as his unwanted thoughts surged back. A bitter smirk formed on his lips, but his face remained unreadable.

'I see...' That boy said there’s a Hexed Mutant inside the school, Yuri thought, his mind becoming eerily still. He said they’d take care of it, either together with his partner or alone. 'Is that why I can’t move forward?'

'No, that's not it.'

Suddenly, Yuri noticed something strange. Tiny droplets were falling into his palm. He blinked, realizing it was his own tears. He let out a soft laugh. "Haha," he chuckled, wiping his face. 'I’m not crying because I’m scared... Just a little sad, I guess.' The tears continued to fall, unbidden.

"Are you afraid of dying?" A soothing voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. Yuri turned to find the source of the voice.

The figure of a woman stood before him. She wore a modest, silky dress that shimmered softly under the moonlight. Her black hair was neatly tied, exposing a delicate neck. Her face was strangely empty, but there was no denying her beauty.

Yuri blinked, confused. "Uhm... It’s not like that," he stammered, backing up slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed. "How about you? Are you also a student here? What are you doing here so late?"

The woman remained silent as she stepped closer. Yuri instinctively took a step back, though he didn’t realize it.

"Eh?" He asked, perplexed, when she didn’t respond.

The woman extended a white, silky handkerchief toward him. Yuri stared at it, puzzled. "Huh?" he muttered, unsure of her intentions.

He took the handkerchief, feeling compelled to do so without question. The woman then turned and walked toward the school’s entrance, passing him without a word.

Yuri followed her with his gaze, unable to shake his curiosity. "Wait, where are you going?" he called out, his voice distant.

The woman paused and turned, her expression calm and composed. "I’m looking for my companions inside."

'Companions?' Yuri thought, his mind racing. Is she the partner of that boy mentioned?

"But miss," Yuri called out, his voice laced with concern, "it’s dangerous inside. Didn’t you hear the loud crash just a moment ago?"

"Dangerous..." The woman repeated in a low voice, almost as if testing the word.

"Yes, so—" Yuri began, but she cut him off.

"So?" She turned to face him fully.

Yuri fell silent for a moment, wondering why he had said those words. His mouth had moved on its own, but now, his eyes met hers with newfound determination. He let out a heavy sigh and spoke in a firm tone, "So, let me at least come with you, Miss."

And with that, Yuri had made up his mind.

𝓣𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓾𝓮𝓭...

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