Rowan walked alone down a dirt trail, surrounded by twisted trees and a low fog that seemed to rise from the ground.
He still had no idea where exactly he was.
He stopped in front of a crooked wooden sign, jammed awkwardly between a fork in the road.
"The sign says the academy is down this path to the left."
He looked toward the direction it pointed. The trail was darker, covered in dry branches that formed a sort of shadowy tunnel.
"Damn it... that damn driver."
He grabbed his bags and followed the left path.
"I don't really have a choice."
He glanced around, feeling the atmosphere tighten around him.
Cruuuuuuuu
Huuh! Huuuh!
The sounds of owls and crows echoed through the branches.
'I can't just stand around in a creepy place like this.'
"What kind of school is in a place this weird?"
Crack!
A branch snapped behind him.
"Agh—! Damn crows."
Rowan flinched.
He picked up the pace, gripping his bags tighter.
'If only my phone worked here... I could call someone.'
And so, he kept walking.
"...."
"....."
Everything was calm...
Until he heard louder noises.
Thump... thump... thump...
Footsteps? Branches breaking? It was hard to tell.
"Shit..."
He tightened the straps of his bags and started running.
But the sounds seemed to speed up too.
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
'Fuck... fuck... fuck...'
'Is this how it ends? I'm gonna die without even meeting a girl?'
He looked back in panic — and at that moment, tripped over a branch and fell flat on his back.
THUD!
SMACK!
His bag slid to the side, kicking up leaves and dust.
"Argh... my day's just getting worse."
"Tell me about it."
Rowan turned quickly, heart racing.
An unfamiliar voice — cold and calm.
From the bushes ahead, a girl appeared.
She stepped out like she had been there the whole time. Her expression was neutral, almost bored, and her half-lidded eyes studied Rowan with a strangely calm look.
She wore the same uniform as Rowan.
A dark outfit with elegant cuts, and underneath, part of a white dress shirt could be seen, with its collar slightly bent and a loosely tied navy-blue tie.
Her skin was pale, her long silver hair flowed like snow, slightly wavy at the ends. Her eyes, a dim red, seemed to glow faintly in the gloom.
Even standing still, saying nothing else, she had presence.
Rowan swallowed hard.
"W-who are you?"
The girl raised an eyebrow, as if the question was pointless.
"You're lost."
"Apparently, yeah..."
She took a few steps closer.
"And running around like that is going to attract the wrong kind of attention."
Rowan slowly stood up, brushing off his clothes.
"Wrong kind like what, exactly?"
She didn't answer. She simply turned her gaze toward the dark trail behind him.
"You're really naive."
And then she turned around.
"If you're coming or not, make up your mind. I don't like walking slow."
Rowan stood still for a second, still a bit unsure.
But staying alone in that creepy forest seemed like a much worse idea.
He picked up his bag, dusted off his clothes a little, and followed after her.
The two started walking down the trail in silence. Only the sound of their steps on dry ground echoed through the twisted branches.
"H-ha... thanks for guiding me. I'm Rowan..."
"You don't need to thank me."
The reply came dry, emotionless.
"I'm only doing this because I was asked to."
"You were asked to?"
"Yeah. You think I'd be walking around this forest just to escort some lost guy to school?"
'Huh... she's cold.'
He glanced at her from the side, trying not to look weird.
She walked steadily, eyes fixed ahead. Her presence was calm, but there was something about her that made him uneasy. Like she could turn around any second and stab someone with a wooden stake.
'Weird... her irises are red? Who wears red contacts like that?'
"Hey... I don't like being stared at."
"Ah— my bad."
"If you don't wanna fall again like a sack of potatoes, keep your head straight."
"Right..."
'Sack of potatoes? Great, now I'm a walking vegetable.'
Sera kept walking without saying anything else, and Rowan just followed, trying to keep up.
Time passed slowly. The forest looked the same at every turn, like they were walking in circles.
"...Sorry to ask, but... what's your name?"
She kept her gaze forward.
"Call me Sera."
'Phew... at least that.'
"Sera, are we almost there?"
"Yes. Just keep walking."
'Well... she's not much different from that crazy driver.'
"Hey, Sera... why is the academy in such a remote place?"
She slightly turned her head toward him, without stopping.
"What kind of question is that?"
Rowan felt the air grow heavy. He swallowed hard.
"Sorry... it's just really far from the city. And my phone has no signal. Just thought it was weird."
She narrowed her eyes for a second.
'Is he pretending to be dumb or is he really like this?'
They kept walking down the trail.
Suddenly, the fog started to thicken, rising from the ground like hot vapor. In seconds, the forest was covered in a dense white layer.
"Stay close to me so you don't get lost."
"I'm trying..."
They kept walking.
"..."
"Is this really the right path?"
But Rowan, distracted, stopped when he saw two small glowing points among the branches.
Eyes? Reflections? He wasn't sure.
"Sera, I think something's watching us..."
He turned his head to the side—and she was gone.
"Hey...? Sera?? Sera?!"
She had vanished.
'Damn it... where did she go?'
He picked up the pace, trying to find some trace of her.
The fog kept getting thicker, and with it, the sounds.
Crack...
Branches snapping...
Tchhh...
Something dragging...
tchack...
And almost imperceptible whispers in the air.
"Shit... how did she disappear like that?"
Then, a louder noise made him turn in the opposite direction.
CLANG...
Something metallic, like iron scraping against stone.
"Is that you, Sera?!"
Ahead, a silhouette emerged. It was tall and imposing. Standing still in the middle of the fog.
Rowan let out a sigh of relief.
"Jeez... how can you leave me alone like that?"
He took a few steps forward, but as the figure became clearer... something was off.
Very off.
The figure had its back turned. It hovered slightly, with no visible legs, and its form was covered in layers of dark rags that moved as if breathing. The ends of the cloaks touched the ground but left no footprints. A wide-brimmed hat hid the top of its head.
It seemed... motionless. But there was something disturbing about that stillness. Something that made Rowan's spine shiver.
He hesitated.
"Sera...?"
That was when the creature began to turn.
A slow, silent motion. As if the air around it bent to its presence.
Its face came into view.
Or rather, something that hid its face.
A white, smooth mask completely covered its eyes, without holes, as if the creature didn't need to see.
In one hand, it held a greenish glass lantern. The light inside it was faint, almost dying... until it started to pulse gently, as if reacting to Rowan's presence.
In the other hand, a black curved scythe, the blade still clean, but threatening.
Rowan froze.
The air felt heavier. He could barely breathe.
His whole body trembled. He wanted to run, scream, do something... but he couldn't.
'Is this real...? I'm really not dreaming?'
He stepped back, stumbling on a root.
TRUP!
He fell on his back, the dry sound echoing through the fog.
The noise instantly caught the creature's attention.
The lantern glowed brighter, as if it had found what it was looking for.
The creature gripped the scythe tightly... and in an instant, swung it straight toward Rowan.
.....SHAAAA!
That was when Sera appeared from the fog like a blur slicing through the air. Her body spun midair, and with a precise kick, she struck the creature's scythe right on the shaft.
THOOM!
The sound echoed like muffled thunder. The pressure from the blow tore through the fog around them, scattering it in swirling currents. Rowan, still on the ground, had the distinct feeling that, for a moment, the world had stopped.
'Was that real...? I... I was about to die?'
The impact was strong enough to launch the creature backward.
The air exploded in a burst of wind and dust.
Rowan, lying on the ground, stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Sera glared at Rowan at that moment.
"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?? RUN!!"
She grabbed him by the collar, pulling him up in one go.
"MOVE!!"
Rowan stumbled to his feet and started running alongside her.
"Shit... what was that thing?!"
He asked Sera, panting and clearly panicked.
"It's a Mourner. They linger in the forests around the academy."
"But why the hell is there a monster that can kill people here?!"
"They don't usually attack us."
"What do you mean by that?!"
Sera didn't answer right away. She was also trying to figure it out.
'This is weird... why did it go after this guy?'
She had never heard of a Mourner attacking a student.
These creatures only approached beings with disturbed souls, broken in some way.
'I need to look into this later...'
But without warning.
While they were still running, two more silhouettes emerged in the fog, materializing in front of them.
"More of them...? Sera, what do we do?!"
"Damn it..."
And before they could react, the first creature, the same one from before, came from behind at unnatural speed.
Sera turned immediately, but it was too late.
The creature grabbed Rowan by the neck with a dark, thin claw, like the branch of a dried tree.
"Ghh—Agh!"
Rowan was lifted off the ground, his feet kicking in the air.
Sera lunged forward, ready to attack, but the other creature intercepted her, striking her chest with a harsh blow.
"Ughh...!"
She was thrown against a tree and hit the ground with a heavy thud.
"Shit... if I'd known this would be such a pain, I wouldn't have come..."
Meanwhile, the creature holding Rowan raised its lantern.
The once faint light now glowed brightly, pulsing, surrounded by a strange green aura.
Rowan writhed, feeling the air escaping him, but the worst part wasn't the pressure on his neck...
It felt like something was entering him, pulling out everything inside. He tried to breathe, but couldn't. The sounds escaping his mouth were dry, wet, and desperate.
Hckk!
Khhg...!
Ghhhr...!
It felt like drowning. Like he had swallowed too much water and his lungs were burning. Every attempt to pull in air only brought more panic. His eyes watered, and his muscles trembled.
Something was being drained from Rowan.
It wasn't blood.
Or mana.
Something deeper. As if the creature was... rummaging through his soul.
The lantern's light pulsed in sync with Rowan's heartbeat.
Faster.
Stronger.
Deeper.
'I... I'm... being... drained...?'
"..."
Sera then got back up.
The two creatures noticed the movement.
One approached her in a threatening way, while the other remained guarding, protecting the one still holding Rowan by the neck.
"Looks like I really have no other choice."
A dark aura began to flow around her body, swirling like living smoke. Her hair lifted slightly, floating with the rising energy. Her eyes glowed a deeper red, and sharp fangs subtly appeared in her mouth.
She took a deep breath, like letting go of all the patience she had left.
"This time, I'm going all in."
In a blink, she vanished from sight.
FWHOOM!
With a sharp and swift strike, she hit the creature that tried to block her. The impact launched it backward, breaking branches and clearing space in the fog.
She knew she had to move fast. Mourners didn't feel pain, and the more time passed, the more could appear.
With a new burst of speed, she rushed toward Rowan.
The second Mourner, standing guard, took a defensive stance to intercept her.
But Sera didn't hesitate. She dashed in a straight line, fast.
The moment the creature prepared to counterattack, she vanished from sight.
THACK!
A sharp kick echoed.
Sera had appeared from behind, landing a high, direct kick against the creature holding Rowan.
The Mourner was thrown far, partially dissolving into dense fog. Rowan fell to the ground, gasping.
The other creature quickly spun to attack Sera from behind, but froze.
Sera was already facing it, holding a scroll in one hand. The tip began to glow with a clear, pulsating light.
"Tsk... Didn't think I'd have to use this. What a waste."
The light intensified, releasing waves of resonance that vibrated through the air, making the forest tremble.
The creatures began to retreat. Not by choice. Their bodies trembled, as if pulled away, dragged by the force of that light.
The fog spun around the beam born from the scroll, bathing everything in white.
One by one, the creatures vanished, dissolved, exiled from that space.
Rowan was still on the ground, not fully understanding what had just happened.
Silence returned.
Sera extinguished the glow of the scroll, which crumbled into light particles.
She looked over her shoulder, breathing slowly.
Rowan remained on the ground, trying to regain control of his own breathing. His gaze was lost, unsure of where he was, or what he was anymore.
As the fog began to clear, he finally managed to think with more clarity.
A weird school in the middle of nowhere.
Creatures made of shadow and mist trying to kill him.
And a strange girl who came out of nowhere, fought with superhuman strength, conjured magic, and was now staring at him.
Her eyes... once just red, now seemed to glow on their own.
The fangs he'd seen before... they were big and sharp. Not fake. They were real.
Everything was real.
Rowan let out a strained breath, his throat still burning.
I'm going crazy...
===
◆ Character Profile - Sera ◆
➤ Age: 17
➤ Height: 1.72 m
➤ Class: ???
➤ Appearance: Silver hair, dark red eyes, calm and distant expression
➤ Likes: Silence, old books, cold places
➤ Dislikes: Noise, being touched without permission, too many questions
➤ Personality: Cold and direct, but highly observant
➤ Curiosity: Always reacts quickly in dangerous situations, even without clear reason