Janryc awoke abruptly, his senses alert and heart racing. The source of his sudden awakening remained a mystery until he heard muffled screams echoing from somewhere outside his room. In haste, he scrambled out of bed, hastily donning pants, a tunic, and boots before cautiously approaching the door.
An eerie silence pervaded the hallway beyond. Despite his extensive training, Janryc couldn't suppress the gnawing fear that gripped him as he reached for the doorknob. Steeling himself with a whispered mantra of bravery, he turned the handle.
Peering down the hallway, bracketed torches flickered feebly, attempting to dispel the encroaching darkness, but they only accentuated the growing unease that had taken hold of him.
He ventured a single step into the desolate corridor, and then, he heard it—a distant scream, originating to his right. More anguished cries followed from the opposite direction, sending a shiver down his spine.
This uncharacteristic fear bewildered him; he had never been one to easily succumb to terror, yet tonight felt different. It was a instinctual, overpowering fear: of the inky blackness, of the shrouded night, and, most significantly, of his own inadequacy in confronting whoever was preying upon his fellow students.
A harrowing scream pierced the air, accompanied by the desperate pleas of a female voice—someone he thought he recognized. Gathering every ounce of courage he could muster, Janryc hugged the wall, his senses heightened to a painful degree, as he edged closer to the source of danger.
As the corridor approached a junction, he came upon a gruesome sight: the lifeless form of a young man, a long spear impaling his stomach. Janryc's heart pounded, for he had never before witnessed death in such a chilling manner. Passing the lifeless body, he couldn't help but notice the vacant, unseeing gaze of the victim directed at the ceiling.
Fear clamped down on him even harder, planting seeds of self-doubt deep within his core. Janryc felt as though death lurked in either direction, but he took a steadying breath and pressed onward.
The corridor terminated in a T-junction, with the study to his right and a hallway leading to the senior quarters on his left. Janryc swiftly weighed his options and decided that heading toward the senior quarters was his best course of action if he wanted to find help. Stepping into the dimly lit corridor, he ventured halfway down its length only to encounter two more lifeless bodies drenched in blood. One was Jin, a respected senior student, while the other was an unfamiliar face, a newcomer to the school. The grim realization struck him like a hammer: "If Jin died, what chance did he have?"
As he continued further down the hallway, he discovered even more bodies strewn about, including that of Teacher Lai, with whom he had shared a meal just hours earlier and an expert in the Mantis style. His disbelief and horror whispered in a trembling voice, "How is this possible?"
Echoes of combat reverberated from a distance, and Janryc contemplated fleeing the horrific scene. However, just as he was about to make his escape, a hidden door on his left unexpectedly swung open, revealing a young woman holding a glowing rock.
"Janryc," she whispered urgently.
"Kova?" he responded in surprise.
"Come inside quickly, before they find us," she urged, gesturing for him to enter.
Janryc cast a final, troubled glance down the corridor before complying. Kova promptly closed the door behind him.
"What's happening out there?" Janryc inquired.
"I believe they're thieves," Kova replied, her voice was hardly above a whisper.
"I saw Teacher Lai. He's dead," Janryc expression was grim.
"What? Teacher Lai?" Kova's shock mirrored his own.
He nodded gravely. "Do you know if anyone else is alive?"
Kova hesitated briefly before urging, "No. Let’s move quickly."
"To where?" Janryc asked, his anxiety mounting.
"Follow me," Kova implored, grasping his hand, and led him away into the unknown.
As they navigated the narrow passageway, Janryc and Kova began to hear the muffled cries of their classmates calling for help, instilling a deep sense of terror within them. Powerless to intervene at that moment, they hurried along until they reached a door.
Kova pushed it open, and as they stepped into what appeared to be a storage room, they were suddenly ambushed by a group of armed men. In a matter of seconds, they were overwhelmed; rough hands yanked bags over their heads, casting them into a world of darkness and uncertainty.