"AHHH, ATTACKKK!"
A choir of voices rippled through the treeline, wild and hungry.
Zeke blinked. "Who the hell—"
Before he could finish, the sound of charging footsteps thundered behind him. He turned around just in time to see a wave of students burst through the mist, eyes fierce, weapons raised, adrenaline singing in their veins. It was a full-on charge.
Dozens of them.
Forty, maybe more.
"What the—when did I start running a damn daycare?" Zeke muttered, baffled.
A few of the students actually laughed, even as they rolled their eyes. Most were used to Zeke's weird sense of humor by now.
They surged past him, their formation surprisingly fluid as they engaged with the beasts.
The surviving group of nine—wounded, cornered, barely standing—were immediately pulled into the protective embrace of Zeke's forces.
Healers sprinted forward, hands glowing a vivid green as light bloomed across the battlefield. The green radiance pulsed as wounds sealed, fractured limbs reset with painful snaps, causing people to shiver.
Zeke exhaled slowly
Gaze narrowing as he turned toward the monster responsible for the tree trail that led them here.
The same beast that took Kaito's hand.
Massive. Brutal. Vicious.
And about to die.
Zeke stepped forward. His new shirt clung to his body, half-torn from days of fighting and exposure. Where once his frame was lean and wiry, it had transformed. Now, dense with defined muscle, his body honed through chaos and war.
The beast snarled in challenge.
Zeke didn't flinch. He raised his blade.
Swwiiinnnngggg!
The air howled as the arc of steel traced through the beast's limb—then another. Blood burst like dark mist. Limbs hit the ground with heavy thuds. The monster stumbled back looking at the crazy sword wielding youth infront of him.
Kaito, seated nearby and catching his breath, watched with a strange mix of awe and exhaustion.
His eyes widened as he realized that Zeke would have had to fight many hollow beasts to get this good.
But he didn't comment.
He was just relieved.
Zeke pressed the attack, dancing around the beast's desperate lunges. He ducked under a claw, rolled across the blood-stained earth, and rose in one seamless motion moving as if he knew what would happen next. With one final slash, his blade sank deep into the creature's neck.
One brutal twist.
The beast collapsed.
Zeke stood over the corpse, chest rising and falling. Around him, his crew had split into small squads of ten, each group tackling a Hollow of their own. The forest echoed with magic, steel, and shouting.
Then—movement behind him.
Zeke spun, blade ready.
"Woah, woah, chill dude—it's me!" came Rian's voice, strained and breathless.
Zeke lowered his sword. "You look happy for someone who was almost Hollow food."
Rian flashed a grin, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Too soon. We lost too many."
Zeke's smirk faltered.
Only now did he notice it.
The corpses. Blood-soaked earth. The quiet, hollow gazes of the few that remained from Rian and Kaito's group.
Many had set out with them.
Only a handful returned.
Zeke clenched his jaw.
This damn school.
How could they do this.
Before he could speak, two hulking figures approached.
Darius and Bronn.
Big men. Built like walls. Battle intent still leaking out.
Rian glanced between them and Zeke.
"Dude... should we ru—"
"Hey, boss," Darius called out casually, his deep voice cutting through the tension. "We cleaned up the rest of the beasts. Survivors are healing up now."
Rian blinked. "What the f—did you just call him boss?"
Bronn just nodded respectfully at Zeke.
Rian's face twisted in disbelief. "Zeke. Did you break his arm too or something?"
Thunk!
Zeke's fist connected with Rian's shoulder.
"Ow—damn it! I'm already bruised, man!" Rian groaned dramatically, stumbling back and laughing it off.
The weight lifted slightly.
A few hours later, camp was made. Fires were lit. Shifts were organized. Some stood watch with weary vigilance while others laid back, eyes staring up at the stars peeking through the trees.
You'd never guess they'd spent the past week locked in a brutal life-and-death struggle.
By the campfire, Zeke sat with Rian and Kaito. A group of students sat nearby, trying to stay withing a 20 meter radius of Zeke.
They shared a drink.
Stories too.
"You guys saw a spirit?" Rian asked, eyes wide with jealousy. "No fair. All I had was a team who couldn't even laugh at my jokes."
A soft wave of chuckles rose from the fire circle. The few remaining from Rian's squad looked away awkwardly.
Kaito sat to the side, wrapping bandages over the stump of his right arm. He strapped a curved blade to the bandages.
Zeke glanced over. "Where's Tala? Is she resting?"
Silence.
Kaito's head snapped up. "What?"
"Is she resting? I didn't get a good look at everyone before." Zeke asked, confused.
Kaito stood abruptly, eyes wide and frantic. "No—I was hoping she was with your big group and was off helping someone"
Zeke's face darkened. He reached into his cloak and pulled out something small, delicate.
A leather cuff.
Tala's cuff.
"I found this," Zeke said quietly. "Caught in a tree. There was no blood, no body. That means she's alive."
Everyone heard it.
The strain in his voice.
The guilt.
The desperation.
Kaito took the cuff with trembling fingers. His eyes reddened.
"Please," he whispered, holding the fabric close. "Just... please be safe."
Zeke stared into the fire.
But the warmth didn't reach him.