The sun hadn't yet risen.
Zeke woke to darkness. Not startled, not panicked. Just... awake. It had become a habit. His body knew the time before his mind did. Back home, this was when the yelling would start. Faint murmurs escalating into shouting, glass clinking, sometimes crashing. These pre-dawn hours were never peaceful.
He sighed.
His hand reached into his cloak and pulled out a folded photograph. Faded edges, a small tear on one corner. In it, three small faces smiled back at him. Amy, Sam, and Eli. Zeke stared at it for a long moment, thumbing over their little smiles like they were a map back to something he couldn't name. A warmth swelled in his chest, bitter and tender all at once.
"Yesterday I was reckless," he muttered to himself. "Running around without a plan like some lunatic..."
He let the silence hang for a moment, chewing on his own words. But before his mind could spiral into guilt or doubt, a voice—smooth, detached, almost gleeful—sliced through the air.
"Hmm... there's still a bit too many of you left. Let's make this more fun."
Snap.
A shockwave pulsed outward. The trees trembled. Leaves danced as though caught in the current of some invisible tide. A ripple swept through the undergrowth, bending grass and branches alike. The air itself felt denser, heavier.
Zeke stood in an instant, his body tense. His eyes darted to the shifting canopy.
Students all around stirred awake in confusion, some bolting upright, others fumbling for their gear. Whispers turned into panic as the voice continued, its tone light and unsettling.
"Since there are less than 600 of you left from the original 1300..."
A cold hush blanketed the group.
Gasps. Shocked stares.
"Six hundred...?"
"No way. That can't be right."
Kaito, still sluggish from sleep, suddenly snapped to attention. His fists clenched, brows furrowed. "You have to be alive," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
The voice went on, as if amused by their disbelief.
"I've decided to create a barrier. No, not to protect you. It'll form on the outer edge of the Wildlands. And it will slowly... close in. Pushing everything—and I do mean everything—toward the center. That includes the Hollows. Hahaha. Have fun, kids!"
Zeke let out a scoff, his tone laced with dry humor. "Crazy old man."
A few heads turned his way. A few chuckled, almost involuntarily. The laughter wasn't loud, but it was enough to break the fear's grip.
One student said. "We've got Zeke. He's strong."
Another nodded. "We made it this far, didn't we?"
Zeke noticed the attention and shifted his stance, almost hiding himself between Rian and Kaito—not out of embarrassment, but instinct. Truth be told, if the threath of death weren't looming over their heads, he wouldn't be with this many people at all.
Rian elbowed him. "You look like a scared cat."
Zeke cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "Alright, alright. Let's pack up. We move in ten."
Chatter resumed as students scrambled to break down camp. For some last night was their first proper sleep since arriving in the wildlands.
Zeke's eyes scanned the area. He began counting, lips moving silently.
1... 2... 6... 12...
36... 43... 57.
"Fifty-seven," he murmured. "This can work."
He quickly divided the students into units. A front vanguard to intercept, a mid-line strike team, long-range fighters, support units, and a handful of dedicated healers.
He stepped back, watching them prepare. Something about it felt surreal.
"Looks like a game," he said under his breath. "Only difference is... real lives are on the line. And they want me to lead. That makes me... responsible for all of them."
A bead of sweat trailed down his temple.
"I got this."
Rian clapped him on the back. "Hey, you already did great yesterday, and you didn't even know you were the leader. Imagine how awesome you'll be now."
More laughter. A few voices echoed the sentiment.
"Zeke! Just do your thing, we'll back you up."
"Yeah! And save some of those freaks for us. We've got payback to collect."
The laughter faded, replaced by a somber undertone. The pain of loss, of names unspoken, weighed on them.
"You guys are supposed to say things to make this easier, not some depressing crap," Zeke muttered, cracking a half-smile.
It worked. The tension broke again.
He turned, more confident now. "Alright. Let's move out."
They ran. The forest flew by. Leaves parted under their steps. The students moved with a surprising unity, picking up stragglers along the way—tired, injured, but alive. Every new face was a small victory.
68... 73... 80.
"Zeke, we might have the biggest group out here!" someone joked. "Should we start calling you 'Your Majesty'?"
Zeke snorted, yanked down a branch mid-run, and let it go—snapping it into Rian's face.
A collective burst of laughter followed.
But then—Kaito stopped dead in his tracks.
Zeke noticed immediately and slid to a halt. "What's wrong?"
Kaito's head tilted slightly. His nostrils flared. A flicker of something dark passed through his eyes.
"Blood."
Everyone froze.
Zeke stepped forward and sniffed the air. It was there—metallic, sharp, thick. Not the faint trace of injury.
Massacre.
Zeke's hands balled into fists. His grip tightened on the hilt of his blade. He looked at the others—no words needed. Their faces were pale. Their eyes, grim.
"Let's follow the smell," Zeke said, voice low but steady.
"If there's even a chance someone's still breathing—we're not leaving them."
No one argued.
Together, they moved.
Toward the smell of death.
Toward the truth.
They reached the clearing with weapons drawn, bracing for a fight.
The tension peaked.
Until they saw it.
This wasn't a battlefield.
No... it was a camp.
Silent. Still. Full of bodies. Students—atleast 30 of them. Slumped against trees, sprawled beside tents, some clutching weapons they never got to use.
The group staggered to a halt. A few dropped to their knees, unable to look. Others stared, too stunned to react.
And that wasn't the worst part.
No… definitely not.
Because the bodies weren't torn or burned. No claw marks. No corruption. No sign of the Hollows.
Zeke stepped forward. His expression, once focused, darkened like a storm front. Without a word, he let his aura uncoil steady, and suffocating. It spread like pressure in the air, dense and absolute.
Most of the students had never felt it before.
Some gasped. Others instinctively stepped back, eyes wide in awe and fear. But underneath the weight… was something steady. Unshakable. And in that, they found a strange comfort.
Then Zeke spoke.
His voice was cold, but every word filled with immense killing intent.
"This wasn't done by Hollows…"
He paused. Looked around at the peaceful camp. At the bodies.
"…This was done by humans."
A breath.
"Students."