Cydal's plan worked… Gunserr was dead. His attempt to absorb Null had backfired, rotting his blood, melting his skin, and tearing his body apart from the inside. The sheer presence of Null was too much for a mortal frame to endure. In the end, he didn't just die, he was erased from existence, as if he had never been.
Cydal exhaled a shaky breath, his first in what felt like eternity. His body was still half-dead and starved of energy. His recovery demanded fuel, and he hated what that meant.
With a grimace, his arm stretched unnaturally, like warped rubber, slithering toward a nearby corpse. His fingers wrapped around the cold chest, tearing it open with ease.
He yanked out the heart it was still faintly warm and crushed it in his hand, bringing the dripping mass to his mouth. The blood hit his tongue like fire. It wasn't hunger. It was a necessity!
And slowly the fiber, vein, blood, bone in his body began to regenerate. He stood again, rising from the ruins like it was all just a rehearsal.
After Gunserr's death, the ruined school began to be reversed brick by brick, beam by beam. Reconstructing itself like time was rewinding.
Cydal stood still, watching, eyes wide in disbelief as charred rubble transformed into pristine walls, shattered windows mended, and scorched ceilings resealed like nothing had ever happened.
He exhaled slowly.
Of course.
This was the Creator's work.
The school was under his hand. He couldn't allow the world to see the chaos that had unfolded. So, it was being quietly reset, returning to its prestigious condition, as if nothing had ever burned.
From within him, Null laughed, the sound rippling under Cydal's skin.
"Tell me," Null echoed, voice sly and mocking, "did you plan on letting him use me to kill himself? Or did that just... happen?"
Cydal didn't flinch.
"You were scared," Null continued. "I felt it. The moment he reached for me you weren't sure he wouldn't succeed."
"A bit of both," Cydal answered aloud, voice calm as ever. "Pure human and half-demon hybrids are built differently. I analyzed his structural build."
"He was a pure human just corrupted. He was not a hybrid like us like he said, his strength came from full submission to the System. When someone surrenders entirely, they mutate into a corrupted human, a transcender! It is a mockery of evolution but still, human."
He turned toward the horizon, distant eyes reflecting the dim light returning to the schoolyard.
"No human, no matter how twisted, can survive the weight of your soul, so I figured the system must have lied to him about being a hybrid like us, his death felt so easy after that.."
"Aren't you even a little worried?" Null pressed. "What if your little experiment failed?"
Cydal closed his eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply.
"It was a highly calculated risk," he said. "His death was inevitable the moment he reached for you."
"Hmm," Null hummed inside him. "Then what about the other one he mentioned? Our sibling that's born from the System, that wasn't a lie and you know it. And he is a boss player too. Are you ready to face someone like that?"
"I've beaten a boss player before," Cydal replied.
Null laughed hard this time.
"You mean Selphonie?" he mocked. "She's a mutant. Far more destructive than this reject you just killed. In a boss dungeon, even me imprisoned to you like this at my full strength can't defeat her. You wouldn't stand a chance if she took you seriously. So what's your plan, genius? Won't it be easier if you just gave me a physical form already and vanished? I will erase everyone."
"And let you reincarnate the creator?" Cydal responded. "You know I am not letting you do this. He is mine to erase!"
Null laughed. "So what's your plan, Cydal? Hunt the Creator when he's already dead?"
Cydal stayed quiet for a moment, remembering Gunserr's words. The Creator is dead. But both he and Null already knew that wasn't the full truth.
"The death of the Creator isn't like a human's," Cydal finally said. "He's not gone completely he is just trapped. He can't manifest here without a physical body. Every time he tries to possess a human, they burn out fast. His presence is too heavy for them. But he's still alive. And he'll come back."
"In the basement, there were five gates and five boss statues. But there was a sixth one too. That massive blindfolded statue seemed to have led to some kind of stairway, but it didn't work when that noisy man accidentally activated it." He pointed that to longs. "I think that's where he's hiding."
"That statue didn't respond because you lack the necessary elements," Null said flatly but offered no further explanation.
Cydal didn't press him. He was used to cryptic answers by now. Besides, he wasn't completely in the dark. He had been forced to play this game since he could walk.
There were five bosses. All had to be defeated before the final challenge.
The rules were cruel but simple: kill other players, survive, and climb to the top. The system was designed to push evolution only the strongest could rise. The weak either died or became stepping stones.
At the bottom were low-ranked players, levels 5 to 25 mostly cannon fodder.
In the middle were the Transcenders humans who had surpassed natural limits. They were smarter, faster, and terrifyingly skilled. Ranging from levels 30 to 70 and beyond, their abilities to adapt to anything and learn every other skill fast made them legendary.
But above them all were the Boss Players.
Each one guarded a dungeon gate containing a key to the Creator's lair. All a player had to do was defeat all five, gather the keys, and enter the final gate. There, the Creator waited. And if anyone ever defeated him, they'd become God.
That was the prize everyone chased.
But no one had ever won. No one had even cleared the boss dungeons. Let alone reached the Creator.
Until now… Cydal was planning to change that.
Null chuckled darkly. "So… you're planning to raid the dungeons, take down the bosses, and collect their keys to reach the Creator?"
Cydal didn't reply. He didn't have to. His silence said everything.
Now, his goal was to hunt down each boss player, clear their worlds, and gather what he needed. Only then could he face the one behind it all. Still, one question echoed in his mind:
What kind of trials wait in each world?
Charging in blind wasn't his way. He would study, plan, and strike because failure wasn't an option.
His eyes remained still as he planned his next moves, but his shadow beneath him began to shift.
It stretched unnaturally across the ground, twisting, bending, morphing.
Then it rose, It didn't take the form of his usual body. It was something else: a silhouette of shadow; he was human-shaped, but off. He was silent and watching.
And Cydal stared at him and he stared back, his face was unreadable.
A distorted voice rippled through the air, echoing from Cydal's twisting shadow.
"Congratulations," it said, deep and layered like multiple voices speaking in sync. "You two are shaping up far better than I anticipated."
Cydal opened his mouth to respond, but the voice cut him off.
"Don't bother, I'm not present. I'm speaking through your shadow. I can't hear you."
The shadow twitched unnaturally, flickering like fire.
"But listen closely. If you plan on fighting Selphonie in your current state, you'll die. I suggest you combine your strengths with both of your souls. You stand no chance divided."
From within, Null's voice pushed through, challenging him.
"Why are you concerning yourself with a random player like Cydal?"
Null's voice echoed into the void, addressing the silhouette of the shadow. "You can hear me, can't you? I'm speaking directly from his soul to yours."
A grin formed unseen but deeply felt.
"As far as I know, your job is to serve the Creator and keep the other boss players in line. No?"
The shadow didn't waste time with pleasantries. His tone was direct, laced with cold intent.
"You and that boy have what I need for my plan to succeed."
His presence pulsed through the soul-link like a curse.
"I will be watching you closely. If you make mistakes or fail to show the growth I expect, I'll eliminate you myself. You won't need to worry about the other boss players anymore."
Even as just a weak projection—a silhouette barely more than a drone—his voice was terrifying.
Null shrieked, trying to sever the soul-link. But the shadow held tight. It was like being gripped by death itself.
"You better be able to defeat Selphonie in an official match and take her key," the shadow hissed.
"I expect results by tomorrow. Then… we'll talk further."
In a blink, the presence vanished, shattering the connection like broken glass.
The pain faded.
Null gasped for air, sweat pouring down his face.
Whoever this shadow was… he was dangerous.
But Cydal? Cydal only got more excited.
Who was this entity? What was his plan?
And more importantly now he was excited to find more about him, if he was a boss player he'd be in one of those dungeons for sure, certainly he'd be the strongest.
Null chuckled as shadow faded completely.
"He's lying he is definitely fishing for something bigger than just us. Shall we inform his betrayal to the creator? He'd be in trouble."
And then—silence.
The hall returned to stillness.
Then came a different voice.
Familiar and normal, it was a teacher but Cydal hadn't directly met her before he had seen her at the principal's office a multiple times.
"What are you doing here this late?" she asked, heels clicking on the polished floor as she approached. "School let out hours ago. Children are to be home before dark."
She gasped the moment Cydal turned around.
"Oh my God… wh–what is that in your eye?!"
Her face went pale, like the color had drained right out of her. She hadn't even noticed he was nearly unclothed; all she could see was what heinous creature existed in the hollow socket of Cydal's eye.
"Oh yeah.. i forgot my eyepatch " Cydal glanced down at his torn pants, reached into the pocket, and pulled out his worn eyepatch. Without urgency, he placed it over the ominous eye.
He walked to her and gently held her face. She was still frozen in fear and her panic began to fade like mist burning in sunlight. In an instant he touched her and she forgot everything she just saw.
"What are you doing here this late?" she asked softly, as though this were the first conversation they'd ever had.
She blinked, confused.
"…And your clothes, God, what happened to you here?"
Her tone shifted again, more maternal than fearful now.
"Aren't you worried?" she asked, voice lower.
"Roaming the halls like this… people will believe the rumors if they see you shirtless and Injured, wandering like a delinquent. They'll say you're dangerous. Or worse."
She stepped forward and took his wrist, half-commanding, half-worried.
"Come with me. I'm taking you to the principal."
A pause.
"Tell me the truth… Do you even have a place to stay in this town?"
"I'll be honest… I am scared of you," she confessed as they walked. "I've heard all the rumors, and I believed some of them. But if Miss Beauty and the Principal vouch for you, then I want to believe there's more to you. So please… stay out of trouble for their sake, at least. They care about you."
Just then, a warm voice echoed through the hall.
"Oh my, dear child… what happened to you again?" Principal Kashi Muruo stepped out from his office, eyes wide with concern.
"Principal!" She gasped. "I was just bringing him to you, he was wandering the halls this late!"
"It's quite alright, Miss Irari," he said calmly. "I actually asked him to stay here with me. You see, neither of us has a proper home at the moment anyway. I thought it might be nice for both of us to live close to each other just like back at the church, he'll have a bed and clean clothes. This school gets a little too quiet after hours."
"Oh my god, Cydal? Where have you been?!"
It was Randa. Her voice cracked with worry as she rushed toward him, having clearly waited at the school long after everyone else left. She was in the principal's office all this time, hoping he'd come back.
"You vanished after going into the basement," she said, breath shaky. "I saw Longs and Shari… they were a complete mess. It scared me. Are you okay?"
She started cleaning his face gently with her napkin, brushing away the dirt and drying blood clinging to his skin.
But Cydal flinched slightly, pulling back. He didn't let her touch him for long. Something about it made him uneasy.
"Oh… I'm sorry," she said quickly, stepping back. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. We don't even know each other, and I'm acting like we're close."
She looked down, clearly embarrassed but also still worried. Her eyes suddenly lit with a soft, sincere sparkle.
"But… in this town, we're taught to treat each other like siblings, and help those in need."
She smiled awkwardly. "I just… I can't let you be all alone when you have no house, no family here. Especially since you only arrived today."
She kept talking, stumbling over her own concern, but every word felt honest. She wasn't just being polite she meant it.
Cydal could feel it. That warmth.
It reminded him of Beauty… and of his friend he once called "Big Brother" the one he lost.
He didn't know why. He couldn't explain it.
But something in him whispered… he could trust her.
Cydal stood there quietly, the weight of Randa's kindness sinking in—but not fully settling.
He had lived alone for most of his life. Trusting others was hard… but trusting himself was sometimes even harder. Every time he let his feelings lead, it brought either destruction or distraction.
Right now, what he needed wasn't comfort. It was shelter. Just a place to exist.
Principal kashi, standing nearby, had watched the exchange in silence. But Randa's concern moved him deeply. His eyes welled up as he gently put a hand on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Randa… truly."
Then he turned to her with a puzzled expression.
"Where is your friend, Longs? He was with you, wasn't he?"
"Yes," Randa nodded. "He went up to the hallways to look for Cydal. He didn't want to leave until we found him."
"Good boy," the principal said softly.
Then, with a more authoritative tone: "Please go fetch him. It's very late now. You two shouldn't be wandering the school anymore, now that your friend is safe."
Randa hesitated.
"B-but… what about Cydal?" Her eyes turned back to the boy standing quietly by the wall. "He doesn't have anywhere to go. We should help him."
Principal Muro sighed and looked at Cydal with tired concern.
"He'll stay here at the school with me for now. It's not much, but at least he'll have shelter."
But Randa immediately frowned, her fists clenching.
She remembered the stiff, dusty couches in the lounge. The shelves of expired canned food from some forgotten donation drive.
No. That wasn't okay.
Not for someone like him.
"I…I won't allow that!!"
Her voice cracked into a high-pitched yelp, far louder than she meant.
The room went silent. Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment.
She covered her mouth awkwardly and looked down, mumbling, "S-sorry… I just… I don't think that's fair to him…"
"It's n-not healthy to keep a student inside the confined walls of a school and make him sleep on a couch! He… he needs a real home! He n-needs people around! He has to know his N-Neighbors and a proper life in town!"
Her voice rose at the end, again it was louder than she expected. Her face flushed red, but she didn't back down.
She was nervous speaking to her principal but because he had treated them all like their children they were encouraged to always speak their minds to him.
The principal chuckled.
"Miss Randa… if you're saying Cydal should stay elsewhere, are you offering to take him in yourself?"
He smiled teasingly.
"But I must protest, I finally have him in my care again. I won't give him up so easily!"
"No!" Randa snapped, like a stubborn child. "He needs a clean place! He can't eat your expired canned food, he needs healthy meals, he's a growing boy!"
"So you want him to come with you, then?"
"Exactly!"
"Absolutely not!" The principal crossed his arms, pouting like a child himself.
"So what do we do, Principal?" Randa asked, her eyes narrowing.
"We can't both keep him."
There was a pause. A storm of intensity in the air.
"We will battle for him," the principal said. "Winner gets Cydal." Miss irari and cydal both couldn't believe themselves, these two were arguing like children.
"So be it," randa grinned. "I accept your challenge!"
Cydal braced himself for a fight.
…Only to see them both hold out their hands.
Rock… Paper… Scissors.
Round one—Professor wins.
Round two—Professor wins again.
Randa's eyes started to water.
Cydal blinked. This couldn't be real. He had wasted far too much time and it didn't seem to lead anywhere so he grew impatient and thought about leaving.
"I don't really mind where I go," he muttered, starting to walk away.
"I'm used to sleeping in trees or caves. I'm not great with people anyway… it'll just cause a scene."
"Oh my… a cave?" the principal covered his mouth in horror.
"Absolutely not!" Randa shouted as she threw scissors again. Kashi responded with paper.
He lost.
And sulked.
She had only won once, but to her that was enough, Randa was already tugging at Cydal's arm like she owned him. The poor professor slumped in defeat, he didn't really explain anything to randa about how she didn't really win he just kept muttering something about unfair luck.
"At least let me give him proper clothes before you whisk him away," Principal Kashi sighed, reaching into a drawer.
"And be careful on your way back. The town isn't safe after dark."
His eyes softened.
"Also… I'm sorry, Cydal. My students did this to you didn't they? That won't go unpunished. Do you… remember who they were?"
Cydal looked at him, expression unreadable.
There was no way the professor would ever understand what he'd been through to end up like this. So he said nothing.
Instead, he took the fresh school uniform and headed for the showers. Randa waited in the office with Miss Irari, sitting awkwardly in silence while the storm of emotions passed behind the walls, the professor was still crying from his defeat.
Down the hallway, Longs stood leaning against the lockers. He didn't say anything as Cydal walked past, just followed with his eyes.
In the showers, Cydal could still feel him. His presence lingered like heat behind the glass.
"What do you want with me?" Cydal asked flatly, not turning around.
"I figured you'd be avoiding me by now."
To be continued