A blast of purple lightning split the corridor. It struck with a crack that shook the walls, tearing through the air and slamming into the creature at the far end. The monster screamed once before its body smashed into the wall hard enough to bury it halfway into the stone. Dust fell in a thick cloud, choking the air. Serena stood before it. Her arm still outstretched, fingers curled as arcs of purple sparks danced across her palm. Her black hair whipped lightly in the aftershock, strands glowing faint violet as her mana flared. Her eyes glowed like burning amethyst. As the dust settled. The monster’s form came into view. It was small, barely half her height, with skin so dark it seemed to swallow the light. Its limbs were long and wiry, ending in claws that looked sharp enough to gut a man in seconds. Its head was sunken, with beady yellow eyes that darted frantically even as it tried to pull itself free of the wall. Serena recognized it instantly. That’s what the books had called them. Fast, reckless little predators. Not especially strong, but their speed made them dangerous to anyone unprepared. And this one had made the mistake of facing her. Before the creature could even twitch, Serena vanished in a streak of violet. The next instant, she was there, right in front of it, her shadow falling over its struggling form. She drew her hand back, lightning crawling over her fingers. The air sizzled as pure mana gathered in her palm, shaping itself into a weapon. A spear of lightning bloomed in her grip, long and jagged, humming with violent electricity. She drove it forward without hesitation. The Skryth’s head punched as the spear pierced through its skull. Black ichor sprayed across the wall, spattering the floor. The spear detonated a split second later, sending a burst of violet light ripping outward. When the dust cleared. The monster’s headless body sagged forward and slid to the ground. A few drops of its blood had landed on her cheek, warm and foul. Serena lifted a hand, swiping it away with her fingers. She stared at the streak of black liquid on her skin, her expression tightening in disgust. She muttered, her lips curling into a scowl. Purple sparks flared in her palm again. The blood evaporated instantly, leaving nothing but the faint crackle of lightning in the air. Her eyes flicked across the corridor. The familiar yet unfamiliar space made her pulse quicken. This was the lobby of the academic building. She recognized the layout, the arches, the rows of windows that should have let sunlight through. But everything was wrong. Black vines coiled across the walls, thick and wet, pulsing faintly like veins beneath skin. From the ceiling and floor hung red fleshy tendrils, twitching softly with the rhythm of a heartbeat. The smell of rot was thick, clinging to the back of her throat. It was as though the entire building had been consumed and spat back out as something unholy. One second she had been in the classroom, sitting at her desk. Half-hidden behind a stack of notes as she flipped through her favourite fantasy romance novel. And then, she was here. She touched her temple. A sharp ache pierced behind her eyes. Her chest rose and fell slowly. With deliberate care, Serena reached to her side and pulled her glaive free from her storage ring. The Glaive shimmered into existence. A single-edged curved blade fixed at the end of a black pole. It was a hybrid of spear and sword, a weapon that demanded precision as much as strength. She walked slowly forward, her free hand brushing against the warped wall. The vines recoiled at her touch, twitching like living things. ’This feels like... a ’Fractal Veil’.’ She had read about it in passing, though no one truly understood it. Scholars claimed it was a disturbance in mana so violent that it tore open a space overlaid against reality itself. Some called it an alternate dimension. Others, a reflection of the alternate world. A Mirror Realm, feeding on the mana of those caught inside it. There had never been proof. Only theories, scraps of speculation how it formed. And yet here she was. Her grip tightened around her glaive. ’This is bad. Really bad.’ Serena stilled. Her senses brushed faintly against the air, probing. A ripple of mana signatures reached her awareness. They were faint, scattered, hard to place. ’...Are they human? Or monsters?’ The uncertainty crawled down her spine. She drew in a breath, setting her stance. The scream cut through the twisted silence, high and panicked. Serena’s head snapped toward the sound, her pulse spiking. "...Guess that answers the question." Without hesitation, she pushed off into a sprint, glaive in hand, boots striking the curroupted floor with practiced rhythm. Her hair streamed behind her as she darted through the corridors, following the echoes. The smell of blood grew stronger with every step. Another scream, closer this time. She turned a sharp corner into the left lobby. The sight before her was chaos painted in blood. A boy leaned against the wall, his face white with shock, one arm gone from the shoulder down. He clutched the torn stump desperately, blood soaking his uniform, his leg barely holding him upright. Beside him, a girl’s body sprawled on the floor. Her stomach was half gone, chewed open, blood pooling around her in a widening circle. Her glassy eyes stared upward, unblinking. Serena’s gut twisted, but there was no time to linger. Another girl stood near them, short purple hair matted with sweat. A sword trembling in her hands. Her whole body shook as she shifted her gaze back and forth, toward the monster, then toward the open passageway. Panic written on her face. She didn’t know whether to fight or flee. And before them all stood the creature. It was tall and skeletal, its skin stretched tight over bones. No eyes, just a massive maw lined with teeth that seemed too many to count. It stalked forward on two legs, each movement jerky yet purposeful, like a puppet pulled on invisible strings. A boy with blue hair met it head-on, a spear in his grip. His stance was low, controlled, his strikes fast enough to keep the creature’s attention locked on him. Sparks of fire mana flickered faintly along the spear’s shaft as he shouted with each thrust, forcing the monster back by inches. Serena’s eyes widened as she took it all in. Her body froze for half a second, instinct screaming at the sight of the carnage. But she crushed the hesitation and forced herself forward. ’That thing doesn’t have eyes.’ Her mind raced, sharp and calm despite the pounding of her heart. ’It’s sensing through vibrations... like a bat. Or worse.’ She quickly pushed mana into her boots, cloaking the soles with a layer that muffled every step. She moved, her approach masked by the hum of mana. But before she could act.. The purple-haired girl broke. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she whispered, almost too quiet to hear. With a scream, she abandoned the others, sprinting toward the passageway, her sobs echoing down the hall. "Oi! Fern, you bitch, don’t you dare—!" The blue-haired boy snarled mid-fight, his eyes burning with rage. The split second of distraction cost him. The monster’s claw swept aside his spear with terrifying strength, knocking it from his grip. His eyes went wide as the creature loomed forward, maw opening impossibly wide, teeth dripping with saliva. It lunged straight for his head. A violet flash cut the air. The monster’s head split clean from its body. The corpse hit the ground with a heavy finality. The blue-haired boy staggered back, staring in disbelief. The most update n0vels are published on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net His breath came hard and uneven, chest heaving. Slowly, his eyes tracked up from the monster’s body, to her. A girl stood near the corpse, black hair falling in waves around her shoulders, purple eyes still glowing faintly with mana. Glaive in hand, her stance sharp and unshaken. He knew the name. Everyone in their year did. "...Serena Blackthorn..." he whispered, voice cracking with a mixture of shock and awe. She didn’t look at him. Her gaze was locked past him, toward the passageway. She muttered under her breath, eyes narrowing. Leon the blue haired boy, followed her gaze just in time to see Fern’s desperate escape come to a brutal end. Another monster had crawled in through the shattered window of a classroom, its eyeless face twitching at the vibrations of her footsteps. It pounced in a blur of speed. Fern screamed, the sound cut short as the creature’s jaws clamped around her head. There was a sickening crunch. Her body went limp before she even hit the floor. Leon swallowed hard, bile rising in his throat. His fists clenched uselessly at his sides as the horror of it washed over him. The image burned itself into his mind, their classmate, devoured alive in a heartbeat. And then, Serena’s voice. Calm, steady, pulling him back. "Can you still fight?" He blinked, dragging his gaze toward her. She stood firm, glaive resting lightly in her grip, her eyes locked onto him. Not cold, but sharp, demanding. For a heartbeat he just stared, the surreal weight of her presence cutting through the chaos. Her purple amethyst eyes seemed to glow faintly in the dark, framed by hair that shimmered black with streaks of violet light still dancing from her last strike. Her stance was confident, unyielding. As if the nightmarish world twisting around them meant nothing. Leon’s chest tightened. He muttered, the word slipping out without thought. Even now, drenched in fear and blood, with death all around them, she looked untouchable. Leon tightened his fists, chest heaving. His voice finally came, rough.