The air grew thick with tension as Lilac stepped forward, her scythe gleaming under the harsh lights. Her silver hair swayed with each step, her eyes alight with an unsettling calm. Beside her, Teacher Martin straightened, brushing off the blow Alex had landed as if it were nothing.
"You're not leaving this place unharmed," Martin said, his voice eerily composed. "No more secrets, Alex."
Alex tightened his grip on the golden dagger. He couldn't afford to lose, not here, not now. But with Lilac joining the fight, things had just become far more dangerous.
Martin moved first.
He was fast—faster than Alex expected. Each of his strikes was calculated, precise, as though he already knew how Alex would react. Mind-reading wasn't just an advantage, it made Martin almost impossible to predict. Every time Alex planned a counterattack, Martin adjusted, weaving through his defenses like a shadow.
"You can't beat what I already know," Martin taunted, narrowly avoiding Alex's dagger and landing a kick to his ribs.
Alex staggered but didn't fall. He forced his thoughts to scatter, making his mind a maze of half-formed ideas and instinct. If Martin wanted to read him, he would have to sift through chaos.
It worked—just barely.
Alex lashed out with a sharp twist of his wrist, catching Martin's arm and slicing through his sleeve. Blood blossomed against the fabric. For the first time, Martin's composed facade cracked.
"Impressive," Martin murmured, his eyes narrowing. "But you're still hiding something. What is it, Alex?"
Alex didn't answer. Instead, he surged forward, abandoning finesse for raw strength. His dagger clashed against Martin's defenses, the sound of metal ringing out. Blow after blow, Alex pushed harder, driving Martin back.
He could feel the pull of his necromancy beneath his skin—a temptation to end this quickly. But revealing that power would cause more problems than it would solve.
Martin lunged but this time, Alex was faster.
He feigned a strike high before twisting low, sweeping Martin's legs out from under him. As Martin fell, Alex drove his dagger toward his chest. At the last second, Martin rolled away but not fast enough. The blade carved deep into his shoulder.
With a hiss of pain, Martin clutched the wound. For the first time, his mind-reading faltered.
Alex didn't give him a chance to recover.
In a blur, he seized Martin by the collar and slammed him against the nearest wall. "Stay. Down," Alex growled, twisting the dagger just enough to make Martin flinch.
Martin's mouth curled into a bitter smile. "You're stronger than I thought," he admitted. "But you're still not strong enough to protect yourself."
Alex's breathing was heavy, the sharp tang of blood in the air as he stood over Teacher Martin. The man groaned, but Alex knew he couldn't leave it that way, not after everything. Martin had seen too much.
The knowledge of Alex's necromancy was a threat, one that couldn't be allowed to walk away.
"You should've left me alone," Alex said coldly, his voice low as he tightened his grip on the golden dagger.
Martin coughed weakly, lifting his head. "You are going to die…" he rasped.
Alex didn't flinch. Maybe he was going to die but that didn't bother him, he won't die yet until he is done. Without another word, he plunged the dagger into Martin's chest, driving it through his heart. The man gasped, body jerking once before falling limp. His eyes glazed over as the last breath left him.
The silence that followed was thick and heavy. But Alex didn't have time to dwell on it, Lilac was still standing.
And she was furious.
"You're stronger than I thought," she admitted, her voice cool despite the sharp gleam in her eyes. "But killing him… That's a mistake you won't survive."
Without waiting for a response, she charged. Her scythe glinted as it slashed through the air, aiming straight for Alex's throat.
He dodged, barely. The blade scraped his cheek, leaving a thin trail of blood.
"You should've run while you had the chance," Alex said, his tone colder now.
"I don't run," Lilac hissed. "Not from you."
Their weapons clashed again and again, the gym echoing with the sound of metal meeting magic. But Alex wasn't holding back anymore. With each strike, his strength grew—fed by the energy he had drained from all the monsters he had killed.
Lilac moved fast, her silver hair a blur, but Alex was faster now. He ducked under her next swing and drove his dagger deep into her side.
She gasped, staggering back, but still held her ground.
"Not enough," she spat, raising her scythe again.
Alex didn't give her a chance. He surged forward, catching her wrist in a crushing grip. With a brutal twist, he wrenched the weapon from her hand and slammed her against the nearest wall.
Lilac struggled, but he was too strong. The power surging through him was unstoppable now, a cold, relentless force that wouldn't be denied.
"You shouldn't have come here," he murmured.
Her eyes flashed with defiance, but there was fear there, too buried beneath the rage.
"Do it," she challenged. "If you're going to kill me, then do it."
Alex didn't hesitate. He drove the dagger into her chest, straight through her heart.
Lilac's body trembled, her lips parting as if to speak but then, no words came. A final breath escaped her, and then she fell still.
Alex let her body fall to the floor beside Martin's. The gym was silent now. No more threats, no more voices trying to expose his power. He made sure all the masked men died too, thankfully, the students escaped before the fight begun so it was just him and his opponents.
He wiped the blood from his dagger, his expression unreadable. They had learned his secret and had somehow paid the price.
He was already exhausted but he could not help but feel more happy because not only has he dealt with one of his problems, he will be facing more of such confrontations in the future. To him, it was better to face them directly than being secretive and all that — it was too much of a hassle.
"Elizabeth!" His friend, Peter suddenly screamed.
Alex had forgotten about them, lost in his own moments. But the sudden shout from Peter made him turn and see that he wasn't alone, his friends were there with him.
His eyes moved from Peter to Elizabeth who was lying motionless in his arms. He froze for a second before rushing over to their side.
"Wh-what happened to her?" He asked Peter.
"Y-you know she is not supposed to engage in battles because of her health, I had wanted to warn her not to join us but I was carried away with the fight and she ended up fighting as well," Peter replied sadly.
"Let's take her to my hostel first," Alex said and didn't waste a second carrying her. With Peter's help, he placed Elizabeth on his back and they rushed back.
After returning to his hostel, Peter immediately sent for a nurse who came and ran a test on Elizabeth.
"Nurse, how is she doing?" Peter asked the nurse after she was done.
"Her case is really complicated," the nurse said an sighed before continuing. "She has been frail from her birth and is not supposed to do carry out heavy task such as fighting... But from the looks of it, it seems she did and now, it has affected her greatly..." The nurse paused, unsure if it will be okay to tell them the truth.
Noticing her hesitation, Alex spoke. "Don't keep anything from us, please."
The nurse sighed. "I am afraid, she won't be able to use her ability again," she said and then left the room.
Alex felt a heavy weight settle in his chest as the nurse's words echoed through the room. Elizabeth lay still, her breathing shallow. She had fought beside him despite knowing the risks and now, she could never fight again.
Peter clenched his fists, his expression torn between anger and guilt. "If I had stopped her, she—"
"It's not your fault," Alex cut in, his voice low but firm. "She made her choice."
But deep down, he knew the truth. Elizabeth had fought because of him, because of the chaos his presence brought. And no matter how much stronger he became, there were some things he couldn't protect his friends from.