"(The shadow didn't move. But it felt... like it was watching from afar, waiting.)"
-
-
Semuqu (stepping back slowly, voice hoarse): "If that's the school's guardian ghost, can it like... show up during class instead?"
Aryuhoewqe (trying to stay chill, voice a half-octave higher): "Dude, that might be an event NPC! Don't get close or it'll trigger a cutscene—I'm not ready for a boss fight yet!"
Qumuwaki (activating his analysis mode): "...Look closely. Its shadow isn't reacting to the light. That means... non-physical entity."
Wlein (squinting, adjusting stance): "...Or cloaking tech. Either way, we're being stalked."
"The mist began to spin faster, forming small whirlpools at their feet. A soft whispering noise emerged... distorted, faint."
Whispering voice (soft but clear): "...you two... have finally gathered here..."
-
-
"(Semuqu panics, staring at Aryuhoewqe.)"
-
Aryuhoewqe (defending himself while backing up): "UHH... I'm just your average anomaly, okay?! And seriously, who brings a flashlight the size of a toddler's head? Wlein, are you a time traveler?"
Wlein (confused): "...? I'm just a trained paranoid."
—————" "—————
"[Suddenly, one of the classroom doors behind them creaked open by itself.
A low, drawn-out 'BWWAAAAAAGHHHH' echoed—like a distant scream from another dimension.]"
Qumuwaki (sighs, tired): "Okay, whoever's in charge of tonight's narrative, please turn down the drama SFX. We haven't even mapped the plot yet."
Semuqu: "We need a plan. Or... fresh comedy. Whichever comes first."
Aryuhoewqe: "If I die, please rename the bio lab 'Aryuhoewqe Memorial Room'. For the aesthetic."
"(Wlein readies a secondary light source.)"
Wlein: "You guys keep joking... but whatever's in that mist looks far from funny."
"A silhouette began to crawl out of the fog—wolf-like but with skin like reptilian leather. Its movements were broken, erratic, as if playing on a glitched loop."
"The fog thickened around it, hardening—forming a viscous skin atop its malformed body. Its eyes glowed faint red."
-
-
"(Wlein stepped forward. Calmly, he slipped a black glove from his pocket and put it on.)"
Semuqu (startled): "Wait—Wlein?! What are you doing?!"
Wlein (without turning): "That thing's not new. It's back."
Aryuhoewqe (nervous, half-joking): "Back like... an ex?!"
Wlein (cold): "Like a sin left unpaid."
————" "————
"(The wind shrieked as the creature advanced. Its four limbs hit the ground with sharp CRIK-CRIKK sounds—like splintering bone. Its shadow stretched toward Wlein unnaturally.)"
-
-
Qumuwaki (tense): "…You've fought it before."
Wlein (activating a small device from his coat—bright blue light flashes): "Last night. It wanted something... and failed."
Aryuhoewqe: "Wanted what—"
Wlein (interrupting, edgy): "M'ah soul."
-
-
"In an instant, Wlein shot forward. The mist parted under the pressure of his steps. He slashed through the air with surgical precision, striking the creature squarely."
"It shrieked—GRHHHHK!!—and was thrown back, but not destroyed. Its body pulsed, mutating. Tentacles erupted from its sides."
Semuqu (screaming, still watching): "WHAT IS THAT?! WHY IS ITS BODY SPEWING BLOODY SPAGHETTI?!"
Aryuhoewqe (half-panicked, half-impressed): "Wlein… literally… boss fight mode activated!!"
Qumuwaki (eyes narrowing): "He's not just paranoid. He's a specialist. Also, where the heck did he get that lightsaber...?"
————" "————
"The air cracked as Wlein's blade scattered the fog. The monster was blasted out of the school building with a powerful 'WUUSSHH!"
"But it didn't stay down. It rose—its decaying body hardened—black spines grew from its back, curving toward the sky and striking unnaturally fast toward Wlein."
Qumuwaki (trying to stay calm): "It's adapting. Its attack patterns are changing."
Semuqu (trembling): "That's not adaptation... that's evolution in real time."
-
-
"Wlein leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the piercing strike. He landed on one knee, spinning his blade. The blue glow shifted—darkening to a purple-black hue. Second mode: activated."
Wlein (with dry irony): "Heh... you've gotten weaker since last night."
"(The creature roared—but not like an animal. It sounded like a layered scream—part human, part electronic distortion. The air vibrated with it.)"
Aryuhoewqe (gulping): "Bro... is it lagging in real life?"
"The ground around the creature froze. Cracks spread outward like shattered glass. Invisible dark energy rippled. But Wlein saw it all."
Qumuwaki (softly): "…There's a system behind its moves. Old patterns. Like… a ritual unlocking something."
Semuqu (soft): "Or... it's just the bait. The real threat is still hiding in the mist."
"Wlein clenched his jaw and charged without hesitation. He vaulted skyward with soldier's reflexes—then dove straight down, targeting the creature's spine."
"His blade crashed through the beast's back—black blood sprayed. But its tentacles lashed—twisting violently. Its lizard tail whipped Wlein's ankle—"
"—and slammed him into the ground."
GRRRAAAHHHHK—!!
Aryuhoewqe (shouting): "WLEIN!!"
"(Wlein rolled, blood dripping from his temple, still gripping his blade. But his eyes… had changed. No longer just cold—now burning with vengeance.)"
-
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Wlein (furious): "..Not this time. I'll end it here."
"[With a swift motion, he pressed a hidden switch on his weapon. The energy blade reshaped—becoming a jagged plasma scythe. He spun, slashing down a dozen tentacles in one fluid arc.]"
-
-
"The monster screamed and backed off—but not in fear."
"It laughed. The sound—like cracking glass—filled the air."
"Wlein raised the blade high, then slashed down—right into the creature's face."
-
"(A flash of white split the darkness.)"
"The strike tore through its thick, sludge-like flesh. The plasma's heat left a faint trail of smoke in the mist."
-
-
"The monster howled again—but it wasn't pain."
"(It was laughter. As if Wlein's attack had only triggered something worse.)"
"Then—"
"[One remaining tentacle whipped forward like a steel cable, striking Wlein's gut at an impossible speed. His body flew back, smashing into the classroom wall.]"
'BRAKK—!!'
"The wall cracked. Dust rained down. Wlein lay still. Unmoving."
Semuqu (whispering, in shock): "…Wlein…?"
Aryuhoewqe (shouting): "HEY—HEY!! Say something snarky, quick!! That's your whole thing!!"
—
"But there was no reply. Wlein's body slumped against the wall, his breathing ragged. His face was bloodied, his hand trembling. The plasma scythe dimmed… then faded out."
-
"(The monster... didn't finish him.)"
"It turned."
"Its glowing red eyes moved… slowly…"
"(Toward Semuqu.)"
Semuqu (frozen): "…Huh?"
"The creature crouched low."
"(Its elongated limbs bent in unnatural angles, like a spider preparing to pounce.)"
"Joints cracked."
"(Muscles beneath its skin coiled tighter, twitching like wires under strain.)"
"It stilled."
"No breath."
"No sound."
"(Only silence… thick, suffocating silence.)"
Then—
"It vanished."
-
-
"A blur—"
"A shockwave—"
"A flash of movement too fast for the eye to follow—"
"BWWAAAGGHH—!!!"
"It lunged straight at Semuqu—faster than anything she'd seen."
"The mist split."
"The ground cracked."
"Everything blurred."
"And just before the monster reached her—"
"(In a flash, her body was yanked away—pulled by Aryuhoewqe toward the same corner where Wlein had fallen.)"
"Semuqu opened her eyes. Her breath caught."
"[What she saw froze her in place...]"
————" "————
Next chapter: "[Out of nowhere, someone pulled off the unimaginable]"