Prologue

I am deafened by the loud shouts while watching the students kill each other. Even the spattering of blood and the flying parts of their bodies are visible to my two eyes.

As time goes on, the clock slows down. It's as if my body has a mind of its own, moving to engage in killing my fellow students.

"Die, Mei!"

Various voices scream my name. But before they can reach me, they immediately fall to the ground, split into two.

"I'll kill you, Mei!"

They act like savage beasts unleashed from captivity, eager for my blood!

"Don't let her live!"

Many endings have passed. But this seems to be the most brutal killing. The senior students are excessively taking lives! And even though I know the reason, I still can't understand why they target a junior student like me?!

Why me? Why me?!

"Aaaaaaaah!!" I raise my sword in the air to slash anyone who dares to approach me until their last breath!

Every splash of blood on my face darkens my vision even more! My teeth grind together in frustration! I am no longer in control; I am hurting even myself!

In the growing darkness, the katapusan usually lasts only an hour, and it should have ended a while ago. But, like the state of the students now, Dean Chicago is no different; instead, he became the leader of the relentless killing. He leads the destruction of the laws of the Murim School for the first time in the school's history.

"Aaaaaah!!" Every time I recall, my thirst for blood intensifies!

"M-Mei! Don't!"

I bury my sword in the throat of the last man blocking my path. As I withdraw, he collapses to the ground. At this point, I am standing on top of a mountain of corpses, my body covered in blood.

"This can't be!!! At this point, many students will die!!!" I hear the urgent voice of Sir Danilo from afar, along with two other teachers joining in.

Our eyes meet, and I see his surprise. Suddenly, an excessive fear appears on his face. I grin mischievously.

It is the law of the end and even the Murim School that teachers, guards, deans, and anyone who is not a student cannot interfere. It is a fight between fellow students until death. If anyone interferes, their head becomes a decoration at the gate of Murim.

But to see Sir Danilo helping the students, the laws of this school are truly shattered. It's as if the dignity of Murim School, once held in high regard, has lost its meaning and importance.

"All of you!!! Finish her!!!" Sir Danilo's urgent voice prevails again.

"Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!!" That is enough to send another wave of students rushing towards me.

My hearing is almost gone. I am stunned by that sight. I never thought of this situation. It's terrifying, insane for someone like me who has been hiding, not seeking any attention while locked inside the school. It's the opposite of what I planned.

Where did I go wrong? When did Dean Chicago start targeting me? And when did the students' blood turn hot against me?

I touch my forehead and laugh looking into the distance. It's not me. I am not the one at fault for everything.

"MEIII!"

"AH--!"

We roll in the flowing blood on the ground, and it only stops when she hits my head with a large rock, darkening my vision.

Mal Yaotzin, my half-sister from my father, only a month older than me.

"You have no escape now, Mei!!!" Her chilling scream as she smashes my face into the ground.

Her face cannot be described as I look at her now. Tears stream down her eyes out of sheer joy, while her mouth stretches into a wide laugh.

Unlike all of us, she alone is not covered in wounds. It is clear that her sword is very clean, hanging on her back.

"You know my sword is reserved only for your blood!" She screams in a crazy laugh, looking at my face as if she's going insane.

She always takes the lead in rank even though we are just Junior students. She surpasses the Seniors with one to three years of experience in killing.

She earns almost all the praise and respect of the students, young and old alike.

And why... why did I realize just now that she planned and did all of that to lead to what is happening now? To make... my death brutal and more savage than that of an animal?

***

"S-Stop... please... I-I beg you... don't bury me... Mal, have mercy... s-stop."

As they bury my body in deep graves with thick layers of soil, I shed bloody tears that have been accumulating in my eyes for a long time. I can't move because of the weight of the dirt on me and the injuries I've sustained. With the pouring rain, the soil turns into mud that becomes even heavier on my body and even drowns me.

"That's right, Mei! Beg like that! If you knew your position from the beginning, we wouldn't have ended up like this!" Vee exclaimed while pointing a shovel at me. "After all this time, our suffering because of you will finally end!!"

I want to shake my head. I want to shake my head hard, but if I could move my own body, I would have done it already. All of them are under the control of Mal. And if their minds work more than emotions, they wouldn't be Mal's pawns now, like chess pieces.

"The rain is getting stronger, the soil is getting heavier! Hurry up with the digging!" I hear again the dominant voice of Sir Danilo.

I can only laugh instead of crying. Their actions are truly laughable. Just by violating the rules of our school for the sake of someone like me.

I looked up at Mal when she finally peered into my grave. The state of her appearance is worse than earlier, which I can only see now for the first time in a few years we've been together. Her lips are stretched even wider with a smile, and her large eyes overflow with tears. Her teeth are clenching, and her shoulders are shaking with occasional laughter.

"Mei, Mei, Mei!" I heard her laughing while I watched. It lasted for a few seconds before she suddenly jumped into my grave.

"Mal..." I groaned at her name. I couldn't continue as she bent down to my level, resting her knees on my stomach.

Our faces were inches apart when she bowed down to me. Her laughter did not stop, overflowing with joy.

"Since you arrived, Mei, my life has become hell!" She pressed her anger onto my cheeks, squeezing them with a depth that only her hand could reach. "So I thought... why not make your life and death a hell too?"

Our tears mixed on my two cheeks. I don't want to die, Mal. Not in the way you want, and certainly not by your hands.

"And everything I worked for in this school bore fruit! I regret nothing." She stepped away from me and stood up to raise her sword in the air, its edge aimed at my stomach covered by thick soil and rocks.

I tried to lift the corner of my lips. "I-I regret nothing too, Mal..."

"What?" Her smile faded, and I saw a sharp look of surprise.

"I-I don't regret that..." I suddenly choked on blood, so I continued with my lips, unable to produce sound.

Her eyes widened as she understood my message. But anger surged in her face, and she shouted loudly before darkness finally engulfed my vision.

And it happened, a year later... Before me now is the Murim School that I can see.