"Good. Stay alive. That’s all you need to do" Lightning coiled around Kyle’s calves, buzzing faintly before snapping into a sharp crack of energy. The surge launched him forward in a blur, his figure vanishing down the corridor before the five students behind him could even breathe properly again. The echo of his movement was drowned out by the heavier weight that still pressed against their chests, an aftertaste of the "Sovereign of Dread." That silence lingered, heavier than any scream could have been. Their knees still trembled. Their breaths still caught. Even after the presence was gone, the shadow it left behind clawed at the edges of their minds. Kyle, though, wasn’t spared from the backlash. The instant he rounded the corner, his head flared with a stabbing pain. ’Tch, damn it...’ His hand shot to his temple, pressing hard as if that would keep it from splitting apart. ’Feels like my skull’s about to crack open.’ He staggered a step but forced his legs to keep moving, carried forward by the thin threads of lightning still sparking along his calves. The ability had worked. The title, the so-called "Sovereign of Dread," wrapped itself around him like a curse and a crown at once. To those who felt its weight, it wasn’t something they could resist. Knees buckled. Voices stilled. Their courage evaporated before they even realized it. The cost, though, wasn’t mana. That part was easy, almost insultingly so. What it drained instead was something less tangible. Mental grit. Focus. Willpower. And that drain came hard. ’Probably because I used it over an area... too many people at once.’ He dragged another breath through clenched teeth, forcing the pain to settle somewhere he could ignore. A familiar voice of Zalrielle brushed across his thoughts, steady and cool. "Maybe, with practice, you can refine it. Direct the effect toward a single target instead of blanketing everyone." ’Single target, huh? That... might actually be better. At least it won’t fry my brain .’ The thought lingered, followed by another, lighter, crooked at the edges. ’Still... I have to admit. It looked kinda cool, don’t you think?’ Zalrielle didn’t miss a beat. "Cool, sure. But let’s focus on saving the students first and get out of this exam. Then, maybe, we can talk about eating... a lot of cake." Kyle blinked, thrown by the shift. The sword spirit’s reply came with a dry, matter-of-fact sharpness. "Yes. Cake. Don’t look at me like that." Kyle let out a short laugh. His sigh fogged faintly in the cold air of the hallway. The corner of his mouth twitched upward, despite the pounding headache. He shook his head, still moving forward, lightning trailing faint sparks behind him like fading footprints. "Do you think... it’s safe up ahead?" The question came in a whisper, almost swallowed by the silence of the hallway. A girl with long green hair stood just behind Cedric, her voice trembled as she spoke. Cedric lifted a hand and pressed a finger to his lips. She quickly covered her mouth, mouthing a quick sorry before shrinking back. The rest of the group huddled close behind her, two boys and three girls, all leaning against the wall, all wounded in some way. Torn uniforms. Bandages hastily tied with strips of cloth. Blood crusted on their skin and armor. Cedric’s blue eyes flicked down the left corridor. What he saw made his stomach twist. ’Damn it. That way’s packed too.’ Shapes shifted in the dim light, bipedal things with claws longer than daggers, skin stretched tight over bones. Their heads jerked unnaturally, eyes bulging and gleaming faintly, like they had been plucked out of the dark itself. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novèlfire.net Among them, some are. Wolf-shaped monsters, fur matted and jaws stretched too wide, teeth catching the faint glow of mana lamps. Cedric’s hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. He could already feel the weight of what came next pressing on him. Behind him, the other students were trembling. They were first-years like him, but weaker, greener. He had pulled them out of ambushes, cut down monsters that would’ve gutted them, and dragged them through blood-stained halls to this point. Some of them had stopped crying only minutes ago. Now, they stood quiet, eyes hollow, barely holding themselves together. Cedric gritted his teeth. ’I couldn’t save them all...’ Faces flashed in his mind, students he’d seen torn apart before he could reach them. Screams that still rang in his ears. His chest tightened, and for a moment, he thought he’d choke on the guilt. ’No. Not now. Focus.’ He forced the memories down, burying them beneath the sharp edge of determination. Where were the instructors? Why hadn’t they intervened yet? Surely they’d felt what was happening. The academy was strong. It had defenses. So where were they? Another thought clawed at him, sharper, darker. ’Why are we only seeing first-years?’ Every corpse he’d stepped over, every broken body he’d passed, they had all worn the first-year uniform. No upperclassmen. No instructors. Just them. He didn’t know what that meant, but the questions gnawed at him... Who brought them here? Why only them? His thoughts flickered toward his friends. Were they safe? Were they even alive? He clenched his jaw. They were strong. But that didn’t erase the gnawing worry curling in his chest. One thing was clear... If he wanted to keep these students alive, he needed to find shelter. The dorms crossed his mind first, but he dismissed the thought immediately. To reach them, they’d have to cross the open grounds, which were crawling with monsters. He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could clear that alone. The public training grounds, though... They were on the ground floor of the academic building. Reinforced. Equipped with defense systems. If he could get the group there, they might stand a chance. But the lifts were down. That meant taking the stairs, and to do that, they’d have to carve a path down. They were on the fourth floor. Three more to go. Cedric exhaled slowly, ’Let’s just clear the path ahead.’ He turned, studying the group behind him. Some of them looked a little steadier now. Fear still clung to their faces, but there was a spark. Thin, fragile, but there. Enough to fight, maybe. Enough to survive. He drew his sword with a smooth motion. His voice was low but steady, carrying weight. "...I’m going to take the lead. Which of you can still fight?" The students exchanged uneasy looks. A couple of them lifted their chins, nodding despite their trembling hands. Others looked away, guilt and fear etched on their faces. Cedric gave a short nod. "Good enough. Here’s the plan. I’ll draw their attention. Those of you with magic or bows, support me from a distance. Keep your eyes sharp and don’t waste shots. Anyone who thinks they can handle close combat, stay near the others and protect them. If you’re confident enough, join me at the front." The green-haired girl hesitated, then gripped her staff tighter. One of the boys raised his short sword with a shaky hand. A girl with bruises along her jaw set her jaw and readied an arrow. Cedric’s lips curved into the faintest smile. ’Not bad. Better than nothing.’ His eyes flicked back toward the monsters. The clawed bipeds shifted, restless, their hunched forms twitching like they could smell prey. The wolves padded low, growling deep in their throats. He pressed his back against the wall and stretched his left hand forward, still hidden from the monsters’ view. Mana pulsed through his veins, gathering at his palm. A sphere of golden-white light flickered into existence, brightening with every heartbeat. The others obeyed instantly, squeezing them shut. Cedric hurled the sphere. It sailed through the air in an arc and landed squarely in the middle of the clustered monsters. A flash brighter than sunlight filled the hallway. The monsters screeched and howled, clawed hands flying to their faces as the burst stunned them. Their movements grew jerky, clumsy, as though their bodies no longer obeyed. Cedric’s eyes narrowed. He surged forward, his legs igniting with golden mana. Light trailed his steps, and in an instant in front of them. His sword swung back, then slashed horizontally in a golden blazing arc. Golden fire sparked to life along the blade, leaving a trail of searing heat as the strike cut through the first wave. Five monsters fell in a single motion, heads severed cleanly, their bodies collapsing. The others reeled back, but before they could recover, spells lit the air behind him. Bolts of flame seared across the hallway, exploding against the monsters twisted limbs. Shards of ice whistled through the air, piercing throats and shoulders. Gusts of cutting wind sliced across the stunned monsters, staggering them into Cedric’s reach. He didn’t waste any time. His sword became a blur of light and fire, carving through flesh and bone with ruthless precision. Every step forward pushed the monsters back. Every swing of his blade cut down another obstacle. Behind him, arrows whistled past his shoulders, burying themselves into snarling jaws. Fireballs detonated, filling the hall with heat and smoke. The students had shaken off some of their fear, fighting with everything they had left. For the first time since this nightmare began, Cedric felt something flicker in his chest. ’We can do this. I’ll get them to safety.’ His blade flared again, leaving a blazing streak of fire in its wake as it tore through another monster’s chest. The creature collapsed, twitching, before falling still. The hallway echoed with screams, monsters dying, students shouting, Cedric’s voice cutting through the chaos as he gave sharp commands. Step by step, they pushed forward.