Just before it landed, his fingers brushed against the handle of the axe. He didn't even question how it got there. Gripping it tight, Sola gathered every last ounce of strength his awakened mark could give him and swung. The axe cut through the air with terrible speed and power, cleaving halfway through Jean's skull. Jean dropped dead instantly.
[You have slain Tier I Ashen human]
[You have gained soul essence]
But Sola wasn't finished. Consumed by rage, he climbed on top of the corpse, grabbed Jean's lifeless head, and smashed it down against the floor over and over, until the back of his skull was nothing but a bloody, shattered mess.
"I am not summoning the devil, Jean, I am the devil."
He whispered.
After the mark's power faded, a sharp, piercing pain shot through his stomach, making him feel like he was burning from the inside. As the haze in his mind cleared, he noticed a girl standing nearby, staring at him and the corpse beside him with a calm expression.
The girl had long, flowing black hair, her skin pale as a ghost. A dark mist was enveloping her, as if her hair, fingers, and the edges of her form were dissolving into the shadows.
Behind her, a full moon cast its light through the large restroom window, making her seem otherworldly, like a moon goddess draped in a black and grey silky dress, woven from no fabric known to man.
She was Beautiful.
She was Lilly.
Sola froze, looking at her. he was so confused and so happy to see her.
"Don't look at me like that, wrap something around your wound and go to Edric fast!"
He felt his life force draining at a tremendous speed. Desperate, he lunged at her, staining her beautiful dress with his blood as he gave her a warm, defiant hug.
Then he dismissed the ability, and right before she disappeared, he mumbled quietly.
"See you soon."
He then tore his shirt and wrapped it over the wound.
He first checked the hallway for anyone, then sprinted toward Edric's room, doing the same at every turn to make sure no one saw him in that state.
Luckily, he managed to get to his room without anyone noticing him.
Banging on the door, Sola was met by Edric, who opened it within seconds. Edric gasped at the sight but didn't hesitate — without asking a single question, he helped Sola onto the bed and placed both hands over his wound.
Sola felt a warm, soothing sensation as Edric's hands worked over his wound, and within a couple of seconds, the bleeding partially stopped.
It was thanks to his strong body and Edric's healing ability that he managed to survive.
Waking up Sola saw Edrich who was sitting on the chair next to him, he was half asleep looking out of the window.
He slept for a while, and by the time he woke up, it was already morning.
Edrich was woken up by Sola, who was trying to get out of bed.
"Stay here for a bit. No one's allowed to leave their room or the academy. I'll finish healing you once I get some rest."
Sola looked at him for a moment, then lay back down while saying.
"What happened? Why can't we go out of the room?"
Edric turned back, looking out the window, and said:
"I was hoping you would have an answer for that question. What happened yesterday?"
Sola told Edric that he was attacked by Jean in the restroom because he wanted to steal his remnant, and he ended up killing that bastard.
Even though he trusted Edric, he still didn't tell him the truth. Maybe Edric would change his opinion of Sola if he found out about the mark. He couldn't take that risk.
He was in a bad spot, hoping no one would check the restroom, since the order to stay in the rooms had come late at night.
Which meant that they were already investigating the crime.
Sola was deep in thought, reflecting on Lilly and her changed appearance. Her golden hair had turned raven black, and so had her eyelashes and eyebrows. Her once blue eyes were now a moonlike silver, which suited her cute face well.
He suddenly heard a knock on the door, which threw him out of his thoughts.
His heart was not racing when Edrich opened the door, but he did feel uneasy.
They were told to go to the training room, so they did.
His wound still hurt, but it was bearable, thanks to Edric, who had spent the entire night healing him, and healing his face once he got the information that something bad happened.
Entering the room, He saw everyone he had been training with for the past week they were sitting on their usual spot, the wide and tall stairs.
In front of them stood a tall man in his forties with a brown beard. He wore a black hat and matching garb, holding a brown cane.
After he and Edric sat in their usual spot, the man waited for everyone to arrive. Once he was told that everyone was present, he began speaking.
"Something terrible happened yesterday, one of the students was found dead."
He had a deep, raspy, and commanding voice.
As soon as his voice reached them, everyone started whispering to each other, all of them were in shock.
Some of the students guessed who it was because of his absence, and some of them were hiding a grin on their faces.
"Before I start asking questions, I want to make one thing clear: killing each other, killing future hunters, isn't just bad for our country, it's a blow to all of humanity. With the way things are right now, losing even one person is a huge loss for everyone, and on top of that, the person who died yesterday was a hunter."
He was observing the room, looking everyone in the eye.