It was too quick for me to process. But then again, just a few seconds had passed and I was still alive, with the blade at my neck.
The katana trembled, struggling to move, but failing. A few more seconds went by before the man reluctantly pulled back his weapon, the blade snapping in half once again.
I spun around, taking a step back.
"That was close."
My eyes caught sight of someone familiar, Haizer. I couldn't recall his name for a moment, but it came back to me eventually.
From the interaction, I could see that Haizer had stopped the atoms in the blade of the katana from moving, but was that even possible? If it was, then one could easily kill by halting their heart or choking them by popping their veins. These were questions I wanted to ask Kain, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to know the answers.
Once again, the fragments of the blade hung in the air, before being absorbed back into the katana.
As the man was about to continue his attack, a group of unfamiliar faces appeared on the scene. I felt uneasy and uncertain about the masked man's motives, who seemed particularly menacing. To avoid any unnecessary risks, I swiftly made my way back into the safety of the intact building.
I could hear the man mutter,
"Activate"
Before he vanished into thin air, leaving behind only stunned onlookers shouting,
"Where did he go?!" except for Haizer, who followed me inside.
The man's sudden disappearance only added to the air of mystery and danger surrounding him.
Honestly, I think I'd be dead right now if Haizer hadn't shown up. It's not like I'm grateful or anything, but it just wasn't my time to go. Or maybe the heavens have forgotten about me...
"Sei, did you get a good look on his mask?"
"No," I replied honestly. I saw no point in lying since I suspected Haizer might provide me with some valuable information about the man.
"I see, I gotta go then," said Haizer before he quickly departed, running off in the direction of Kain's office. Another unexpected twist in an already eventful day.
I really should have considered the possibility of something like this happening. As I thought about the recent events, it became apparent to me that the man with the mask had been targeting the Hero. He left with ease, seemingly unfazed by the arrival of Kain's backup. I doubted that he was afraid of them; he likely had already accomplished his mission and was free to leave. His mission was to kill the Hero, or perhaps even the Heroes, and that made things interesting.
I had many questions running through my mind, but my focus was on the goal. From what I knew, the Heroes were not necessarily all powerful, but they had the potential to be. That masked man, on the other hand, was most likely an enemy of this academy.
The problem was, I wasn't certain which side this academy is.
I walked into my classroom and saw that it was completely empty. I felt a sense of disappointment wash over me, but I didn't let it get to me. Instead, I decided to make my way to Kain's room.
"Hey, you-"
Just as I was about to leave, someone tapped me on the shoulder.
Quick as the wind, I turned around and grabbed the person's throat. I slammed him down to the ground with a thud. It was strange to feel the guy's skin under my fingers. It felt like an animal's skin, he also tried to say something, but I didn't let him.
I looked down at him and could see that he was out cold. That's when an idea struck me - if someone could control blood, maybe they could make a clone of a human. It would be hard to control, but the idea of having that kind of power excited me.
As I continued to hold the man's throat, I examined him closely. His veins weren't pumping any blood, and he hadn't even soiled himself when I choked him. It was clear to me that he was a threat, and the possibility of a clone of a human expanded. It felt like, his veins, in the first place isn't pumping any blood.
Humans couldn't die from a choke that fast.
However, since I didn't have any weapons, I carried the guy by his throat and started walking towards Kain's office. It was strange how light he was, as if he didn't have any organs inside him.
"Hm?!"
The veins on his throat began to throb and pump blood, so fast and deep that I could feel it in my hand. With a sudden surge of revulsion, I threw him to the ground, watching in surprise as his body convulsed violently, like he was having a stroke.
It wasn't long before there was a deafening explosion, and his body was torn to shreds. Blood splattered everywhere, covering me from head to toe. I could feel it in my hair, on my face, on my clothes.
What a mess.
"It wasn't a clone? Or maybe it's just a random man that's on their side?" I muttered to myself, shaking my head in disbelief.
In a split second, my body instinctively ducked down, narrowly avoiding a sword that had been aimed for my head. I quickly rolled and moved some stones and granite from the floor and wall with Quatom, which I formed into a sword.
I held it firmly in my hand, watching as the man stopped his attack, staring at me intently. It was the same masked man as before, and we locked eyes, neither of us daring to move. The hallway was eerily quiet, and I didn't want to be the first to make a move.
We remained frozen in that tense moment for what felt like an eternity, before suddenly, the man disappeared again.
"Shit!" I cursed, looking around frantically for any sign of him, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Could it be teleportation? I pondered, but then another possibility occurred to me. If he could reflect light from his body, he could make himself invisible.
I listened intently for any sign of him, but I heard nothing. I waited for a few more moments, but still, nothing happened.
"Well, whatever. I should get out of this place as soon as I can," I decided, not wanting to risk my life any longer.
I ran away, throwing the makeshift sword I had formed as I went to Kain's office.
Kain's office was likewise empty when I arrived. Is the entire structure vacant, and what precisely happened there? I was unable to locate anyone other than the masked man after Haizer left. I approached Kain's table directly and found that it was empty when I unlocked the drawers. When I turned around, I could see the windows, but there was an abnormality.
The absence of the sky and the ground is something I just can't ignore. Simply put, it was completely black outside.