A dull thud broke the silence of the dormitory.
Rayan stumbled to the floor, coughing violently. Blood splattered against the wood, deep crimson under the pale moonlight that filtered through the tall dorm windows. His chest heaved as if the very air around him had grown poisonous. The strain of Time Stop—the ability he'd only recently begun to master—had exacted a heavy toll. His vision swam, spots of darkness dancing before his eyes, and a sharp ringing blared in his ears.
"Damn it…" he groaned, clutching his chest, blood dribbling from the corner of his lips. "Too long… I held it too long..."
The room tilted. Cold sweat rolled down his temple. His katana lay nearby, pulsing faintly, as if trying to warn him or call him back.
Just as his strength gave way and he collapsed again, a figure stood at the open window—ajar, casting long shadows into the dorm.
The shadowy figure in the cloak didn't move, its crimson eyes glowing like coals in a dying fire. It stared at Rayan's crumpled form, as if evaluating whether to end his life now or savor the moment.
But then—
A blur shot through the dormitory door.
Yeon, wide-eyed and breathless, skidded to a halt at the sight of the blood.
"Rayan!" he shouted, instantly rushing to his friend's side.
He knelt, shaking the barely conscious Rayan. The blood on the floor seeped into Yeon's sleeves, but he didn't care.
"Stay with me, man. Don't you dare check out on me—I haven't finished insulting your haircut yet."
A low growl from the window reminded him they weren't alone. He glanced up.
The figure hadn't moved.
Yeon's eyes narrowed. Gritting his teeth, he gently placed Rayan back onto the bed. "Alright, moody sword boy. Rest up. I'll handle the creeper."
He stood.
And something snapped.
A surge of blood burst from Yeon's palm, twisting unnaturally. With a snarl, he formed a long, jagged sword entirely made of blood. It throbbed like a living thing, vibrating with rage and resolve.
"You hurt my friend," Yeon muttered. "That's my job, actually."
With a shout, he charged the figure.
They crashed through the window, glass exploding in a flurry of shards and wind. The two plummeted toward the ground. But Yeon twisted in midair, driving his blood-forged blade into the cloaked figure's side. The impact slammed the shadow into the stone courtyard with a deafening crunch, cracks spidering across the pavement.
Back inside the dormitory, students were waking up to the sound of chaos.
Screams erupted in the halls. Doors burst open. Confused students scrambled into the corridor, some catching glimpses of the battle outside. A few summoned minor warding spells in panic. Familiars popped into existence accidentally. Chaos spread like wildfire.
"Is that blood?!"
"They're fighting someone—someone's using real magic!"
"No way! That was Yeon?! And Rayan?!"
A few started recording with memory crystals. The panic clogged the hallways and overwhelmed the academy guards.
Instead of heading straight to the source of the threat, the guards were forced to wade through terrified students, shouting orders that no one listened to. It took precious minutes—long, painful minutes—before they could reach the courtyard.
Meanwhile, Cezar and Tonio arrived at the broken window.
"Guards! We need the academy guard now!" Tonio yelled, already running to Rayan's side.
"I'll help Yeon," Cezar said, summoning orbs of spectral light and vaulting over the windowsill with a spell that slowed his descent.
But Rayan stirred.
Wincing through pain, he grabbed his katana and staggered to the window.
"I… I'm not done yet."
He leapt.
Wind surged beneath his feet, cushioning his fall. As he descended, his katana glowed—darker than night, with a glowing edge of lightning tracing its length.
Yeon and the figure were locked in a fierce melee. The shadow was fast, its strikes inhumanly sharp. But Yeon, driven by fury and fear, held his own, parrying and retaliating with wild slashes. His blood blade hissed with every swing.
"I'll gut you!" Yeon shouted. "You don't get to mess with my friends unless you're me!"
The cloaked being reeled, then lunged forward with claws that extended like tendrils. One swipe tore across Yeon's shoulder, splattering red across the cobblestones.
Yeon grunted in pain—but then Rayan landed behind the figure, his katana striking in one clean, arcing slash.
The figure twisted just in time to avoid being cleaved in half, but the blade cut deep into its side. A scream—not human—ripped from its throat.
Cezar landed a second later, firing bolts of arcane energy that exploded into shimmering nets of light, binding the figure's limbs for a moment.
Tonio leapt into the fray next, calling forth thorned vines that erupted from the ground, wrapping around the shadow.
The figure shrieked again, flailing violently as it tried to free itself.
"Everyone! Together!" Rayan shouted, ignoring the pain tearing through his body. "We end this now!"
Yeon charged again with a second blade now formed in his other hand, both glowing red-hot with his blood magic. "Hey, shadow freak! Let's dance! And I don't mean the slow kind!"
Rayan dashed in from the other side, his katana like a dark comet. Cezar and Tonio followed close behind, raining magical support.
Steel clashed. Magic flashed. Blood spilled.
And finally, the figure—overwhelmed and pierced by dozens of vines, blades, and energy bursts—let out a last distorted screech and vanished in a blur of smoke and sparks.
The silence after was deafening.
The four stood there, breath ragged, the courtyard in ruins around them. Windows above were filled with curious, shocked, and terrified faces of students. Some had recorded everything.
Then, in the distance—finally—footsteps. The guards were coming.
Yeon panted, turning to Rayan with a weak grin. "So… what do we tell them? 'Sorry, shadow boogeyman broke our window?'"
Rayan cracked a smile despite the blood and pain. "We'll say you were trying to impress someone with an aerial duel. Again."
"Ah yes," Yeon coughed. "Blame the good-looking one."
By morning, rumors had swept across the academy like wildfire.
"Did you hear? A demon tried to assassinate a student last night!"
"No, no—I heard it was a secret duel! One of them summoned a blood sword!"
"I saw someone fall from the sky like a literal angel of death. He was glowing!"
"They said Yeon smiled while fighting. Like, actually enjoyed it!"
The dormitory was buzzing, and it didn't take long before the four were summoned to the Headmaster's Office.
End of Chapter 8