Chapter 101: How are you guys? We’re not well, Adrian.

Under the black sky filled with stars, a golden light shone brighter than anything visible above the sea of sand. Alex walked leading the students from various races, his footsteps never slowing as if he was not tired, but his face showed the opposite.

His breathing started becoming ragged with exhaustion, cold sweat started soaking his face, his lips started turning pale, but he did not speak and he did not stop walking.

His ears still heard the singing voices of the students that calmed him, his eyes kept glancing in various directions to see the movement of the sand mounds that kept trying to approach.

Alex let out a tired breath, the screeching sound of a desert eagle was heard together with the singing of the students. A soft hand touched his left shoulder as if it never let go, that hand belonged to Sesa.

"Can you still walk, Alex...?" Alex nodded several times even though Sesa could not see it because she was wearing a blindfold "of course...I will say it when I almost reach the limit."

Alex returned focusing on his steps and his view ahead, but after several steps on the sand that started becoming cool, his ears buzzed loudly which made him close his eyes in pain.

The singing voices of the students now started being covered by the buzzing, his eyes started closing and could no longer see the sand mounds surrounding them, the golden light shining from his body started flickering.

Alex gritted his teeth ’shit! Krystal?! Is this the limit?!’ Krystal stayed silent for several moments, before a screaming voice was suddenly heard in Alex’s head that added pain after the ringing in his ears ’Alex!!! My room is starting to change!!"

Alex’s forehead furrowed, slowly the buzzing sound in his ears started fading ’what?! What do you mean the room is changing?!’ The screaming voice was heard again followed by Krystal’s panicked voice ’I don’t know!! Everything suddenly changed....Alex...Ale...Al–’

Alex’s black eyes widened, he immediately looked at the golden light on his body that was still shining, he gritted his teeth and tried speaking to Sesa and the others.

But his mouth stopped moving, no sound came out because he felt something wrong on the soles of his feet. Alex looked down while walking and leading the students, the singing voices of the students were still heard in his ears.

Alex’s heart beat quickly, now the sea of sand had disappeared, now the place he stepped on had turned into cold concrete ground, Alex tried processing what happened, but he did not try stopping his steps, he did not try informing his friends, Alex started looking ahead, dozens of sand mounds had disappeared and only showed endless cold concrete ground with a white sky.

Alex’s heart beat quickly, he kept trying to speak to Krystal but Krystal never answered him, Alex then glanced slightly to the left where Sesa followed him while holding his left shoulder, his voice sounded restrained but could be heard by Sesa "hey...Sesa. How do your feet feel touching the night sand?"

Sesa stayed silent for several moments, she stopped singing and answered Alex’s question "just like usual...it only feels annoying." Alex’s breathing became even more irregular, he looked at the concrete ground that now became his footing ’what is this? Am I the only one who can see and feel this?’

A light slowly shone which made Alex raise his head, slowly a dark old factory appeared, the black sky slowly became painted and thunder sounds started being heard as if wanting to strike Alex’s group. But the students did not react, they were still singing and laughing.

Meanwhile Alex only stared at the dark old factory with an empty gaze, he still kept walking and now tried entering the factory area, his golden light still illuminated himself and his group amidst the newly painted environment.

Alex held his forehead ’this...this factory should not exist here...’ Alex again wanted to speak but two figures were seen approaching toward himself and the students who were still singing.

Alex slowly stopped his steps which made the students stop suddenly, Sesa who stood right behind Alex tried asking "what is it, Alex-" Sesa’s words were immediately cut off by Alex "sorry, let’s rest for a moment."

Alex no longer listened to the conversation of the students, his black eyes only focused on the two figures running toward them. One was an old man with a white shirt running while holding a pistol in his grip.

And in front of that old man, a short yellow-haired girl ran with her black jacket, inside her black jacket a pair of knife handles could be seen, and she held the same pistol as the old man behind her.

Alex’s heart almost stopped beating when seeing the old man and the yellow-haired girl, his breathing became uncontrollable ’old man? Lucy? What is this? I don’t have memories like this-’ Alex’s muttering was immediately stopped when a sound like mouse squeaking was heard from behind the two figures.

Alex looked toward the source of the mouse squeaking sound, there a bullet shot quickly toward the back of the yellow-haired girl’s head, Alex could see it clearly as if the movement of the bullet slowed down.

The old man who also heard that sound immediately pushed the back of the yellow-haired girl roughly, he replaced the girl’s head with his own head.

A sound of a bullet piercing a head was heard, Alex only stared blankly at that event, the sound of the yellow-haired girl hitting the concrete ground finally awakened Alex, but his body remained stiff while seeing blood starting to come out from the hole in the old man’s head, his blood pooled around the concrete ground.

Alex’s breathing became ragged, this time he could not breathe properly while the students who realized Alex’s condition immediately surrounded him with questions while they still stood neatly in line

"Alex? What happened are you no longer strong enough?"

"Friend...if you can’t continue anymore, we will prepare..."

"Honestly, I’ve been itching to beat those monsters"

Alex did not answer the questions of the students he led, but the students did not suspect him because they were also not attacked by the monsters even though Alex did not speak.

Alex slowly lowered his head looking at the concrete ground, his eyes trembled violently, the golden light from his body reflected in his black eyes.

A crying sound was heard in Alex’s ears which made him raise his head again only to see the yellow-haired girl crying over the old man’s corpse. The crying sound mixed with the whispering voices of the students behind Alex.

The yellow-haired girl shook the old man’s body that was starting to stiffen, her tears soaked the old man’s back "what are you doing you perverted man!! Why are you like this?!..."

The yellow-haired girl hit the old man’s body that had become a corpse "I should have been the one to go...what about them?! What about the revenge?!"

Alex held his forehead, now his head started heating up as if it would explode, slowly a raindrop fell, that drop rained upon the old factory along with the yellow-haired girl, those raindrops also soaked Alex but did not soak the students who were still busy talking with each other.

Alex’s expression turned empty when the cold rainwater covered his entire body and erased his cold sweat, his golden light was unaffected by the rain while something started shaking his empty expression.

From the opposite direction of himself and the students, dozens of white masked figures slowly appeared, they walked together wearing black clothes, each of them carried a short sword they gripped.

Their steps headed toward the yellow-haired girl who was in the middle between Alex and the dozens of masked figures.

The yellow-haired girl shifted her gaze toward the dozens of masked figures, she gritted her teeth and started aiming her pistol at the crowd of figures.

She fired her pistol several times, the sound was muffled by the rain but could still be heard by Alex but did not reach the other students who seemed to be in a different world.

The group of masked figures did not dodge, those who were shot immediately fell and did not rise again while the others filled the gaps of the dead and kept walking without turning.

They did not stop even until the final shot came out from the yellow-haired girl’s pistol, they stopped when standing in front of the yellow-haired girl.

Alex gritted his teeth, his body started trembling ’no no....Lucy....you must not do that, no no...’ tears slowly fell flooding Alex’s face, but the raindrops disguised them well.

The yellow-haired girl slowly stood amidst the rain, now her face no longer had expression, her tears no longer came out, she took out two knives from behind her wet black jacket.

The crowd of masked figures immediately moved and surrounded the yellow-haired girl, they blocked Alex’s view of the yellow-haired girl.

Alex could only hear the screaming voice of the yellow-haired girl, screams followed by the sound of flesh being sliced and splashes of blood scattering.

Alex’s blood heated up instantly, his black eyes could see the yellow-haired girl who kept slashing her enemies even while she herself was injured, Alex slowly stepped forward without realizing it but his step was restrained by the grip of two hands on his shoulders.

"Alex...where are you going? Aren’t we blindfolded right now?"

"Hey friend why do you want to leave? You won’t abandon us right?"

Alex’s lips trembled, he saw with his own eyes when a short sword pierced the yellow-haired girl’s leg. The girl fell and could no longer rise, dozens of sword blades immediately targeted her body and tore her repeatedly, the sound of flesh and bones colliding with dozens of swords made Alex fall because he was no longer strong enough to stand.

His face turned into a grimace, he cried soundlessly under the heavy rain, the students tried speaking to him, they touched Alex who was now kneeling, the worried voices of the students slowly moved away from Alex’s ears, their voices disappeared together with their figures. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Now only Alex was left alone amidst the rain, those masked figures started leaving with their sword blades covered in blood, they did not even care about their own comrades.

They left the yellow-haired girl’s body that was now torn apart, her blood flowed flooding the concrete ground, now she was as stiff as the old man she cried over.

Alex was unable to raise his head, he did not move for a long time, meanwhile the world where he was slowly started being repainted, now a room appeared, warmth enveloped Alex that had never been present before.

Voices were now heard in Alex’s ears, voices he believed he had heard millions of times, Alex slowly raised his head, his eyes were slightly hit by blinding light, that light came from fire burning inside a giant oven.

Three figures stood before the giant oven, they looked at something being burned inside the oven through a small window there, they saw two bodies starting to burn and turn into ashes.

The one standing on the far left was a woman, her eyes were red not because of the reflection of the giant oven’s fire, but because tears continuously came out from her eyes, dark circles were carved under her eyes while her silver hair hung messily.

She did not speak until a voice came out from the man on the far right, his black hair swayed when he turned left where a one-eyed man stood between himself and the silver-haired woman.

"I already said...we should just leave and hide-"

the one-eyed man immediately turned toward the black-haired man, he grabbed his shirt collar "what do you mean?! Adrian already opened the path!! We must continue his sacrifice!!"

The black-haired man gritted his teeth, he gripped the hand grabbing his collar "you are not continuing his sacrifice you bastard!! You are only burning in your own revenge!!"

The black-haired man pointed at the giant oven beside them, its fire embers seemed to rage after being pointed at "because of you, old man and Lucy died!!! I already said we should retreat and make a new plan!!"

The one-eyed man’s breathing started becoming wild, he pulled his grip making his forehead and the black-haired man’s forehead collide "then Adrian’s death will become meaningless you bastard-"

The argument of the two men was finally stopped by the silver-haired woman, she did not turn toward them, she still looked at the blazing fire inside the oven "let’s end this here..."

One of the one-eyed man’s eyebrows rose, he did not release his grip on the black-haired man "do you want to give up, Clarisa? What about your revenge-"

The silver-haired woman clicked her tongue, she turned toward the two men while pointing at the heating oven "what revenge anymore? The revenge that brought me here has now turned my siblings into ashes..."

The silver-haired woman bit her dry cracked lips "do you think Adrian would smile when you avenge him while sacrificing your own siblings..."

The woman’s lips trembled "Tika has also disappeared, the three of us will not be able to continue the plan or take revenge..." tears slowly fell from Clarisa’s already red eyes "I am already tired, I don’t want to lose anyone anymore..."

A faint smile slowly formed on the woman’s face, a smile that made the conflict of the two men slowly calm down "I will leave..."

The silver-haired woman slowly walked away from the two men, they did not chase her, and the woman passed by Alex who only stared blankly at their argument, he slowly tried standing up, he started following the steps of the silver-haired woman out of the room.

He saw the back of the silver-haired woman growing farther away in a corridor only lit by small lamps, Alex slowly tried following her ’my death? Is this after my death? But what is this? Are these memories? POV from whose perspective is this?’

Alex now stepped through the damp corridor with soles of feet only wrapped in cloth, he kept following the steps of the silver-haired woman ’Tika also disappeared? Where did she go?’

The woman’s back slowly became more upright, her clothes now changed into a white dress, her hand now held a shopping bag filled with vegetables.

Slowly the damp corridor started changing, the blazing sunlight started dazzling Alex’s eyes, he closed his eyes while his feet only wrapped in cloth started feeling hot.

Alex opened his eyes, now hundreds of people walked around him, the shouting voices of merchants were heard offering their wares, Alex looked at the back of the silver-haired woman that started moving farther away, he started walking quickly to follow her.