Drip… drip…
The sound echoed across jagged stone, fading into a bottomless void.
A drop of crimson fell.
Then another.
Then another.
My breathing was uneven.
Ragged.
Each inhale burned—like shards of ice tearing through my lungs.
"…So this is how it ends…"
My voice sounded hollow.
Unfamiliar.
Like it didn't belong to me anymore.
Darkness surrounded me.
Thick.
Heavy.
Alive.
It pressed against my skin.
Then—
GRRRRR…
Low growls crawled through the air.
I forced my head up.
Pain shot through my neck.
Grinding. Sharp.
Glowing eyes.
Dozens.
Yellow.
Cold.
Hungry.
Watching.
Waiting.
For me to die.
My vision blurred.
Black spots spread.
My body screamed.
And deep inside—
One word echoed.
Death.
"…No."
Barely a whisper.
But it didn't break.
Earlier
The campfire flickered under a starlit sky.
Laughter filled the forest.
"This trip is the best!"
"Way better than class!"
I sat apart.
Back against a tree.
Watching.
"…Something feels off."
The forest was wrong.
No wind.
No insects.
No sound.
Only silence.
Too deep.
Too intentional.
Then—
FWOOSH
The fire vanished.
"…Huh?"
"What just happened?!"
A glowing circle formed beneath us.
Symbols pulsed.
Alive.
"WHAT IS THIS?!"
The light intensified—
White.
Gold.
Blinding.
Everything disappeared.
Silence.
A vast white hall stretched endlessly.
Cold.
Empty.
And she stood there.
Floating.
Untouchable.
Aurelia.
"You have been summoned."
Her voice wasn't loud.
But it echoed inside us.
"…Summoned?" someone whispered.
Her gaze swept across us.
Cold.
Judging.
"To serve as sacrifices."
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Crushing.
A crystal appeared.
Floating.
"Step forward."
A student moved.
Touched it—
FLASH
"S Rank."
Gasps.
Hope ignited.
"A Rank."
"B Rank."
"C Rank."
"D Rank."
Strength defined everything.
Then—
My turn.
Step.
Step.
Step.
I touched the crystal.
…
Nothing.
No light.
No reaction.
"…It didn't react…"
Whispers spread.
Aurelia's eyes narrowed.
"Remove your hand."
I looked at her.
For a moment—
Something shifted.
A faint crack appeared inside the crystal.
Almost invisible.
Her voice turned cold.
"This one…"
A pause.
"…must be erased."
The ground vanished.
I fell.
Into darkness.
I looked up.
Faces stared down at me.
Classmates.
Silent.
Still.
No one moved.
No one helped.
"…I see."
Darkness swallowed me.
Present
The monsters lunged.
Claws tore through the air.
Time slowed.
No—
It broke.
I could see it.
Their movements.
Before they happened.
My body moved.
Not by thought.
Not by choice.
Instinct.
I stepped aside.
A claw missed me by a hair.
CRACK
A sharp snap echoed.
The monster collapsed.
Dead.
Silence.
The others froze.
Their growls faded.
For the first time—
They hesitated.
I stood still.
Breathing hard.
My body trembled.
"…I can't keep this up…"
Blood dripped from my lips.
Pain surged.
But my eyes—
Were calm.
I looked at them.
"You called me a sacrifice…"
A faint smile formed.
Cold.
Broken.
"…Then I'll become something worse."
---Something in the darkness…
was watching him back.---
[ END OF CHAPTER 1 ]