"Run!!" Lucian's voice echoed through the crisp air, a desperate plea that sent shivers down Adbeel, Adrian, and Gabriel's spines.
Adbeel, Adrian, and Gabriel swiveled their heads toward Lucian, a mere silhouette against the backdrop of the distance.
"Run? Why should we run?" Gabriel queried, squinting his eyes to discern any impending threat.
"I don't know, but I have a feeling that we should just listen to him," Adbeel murmured, a tinge of unease in his voice, taking a cautious step backward.
"Awww, is our dear Adbeel scared? Haha! Come on! I'm sure he's just joking," Adrian chuckled, attempting to lighten the tense atmosphere.
As Lucian drew nearer, a billowing dust cloud trailed behind him, an ominous herald of the unknown.
Gabriel narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the odd spectacle.
"Hey, last time I checked, the school wasn't that dirty. So why is there a dust cloud behind Lucian?" Gabriel pondered aloud.
Adrian nonchalantly shrugged.
"I don't know, maybe a sandstorm is on its way here."
"A sandstorm? Really? Bro, we're like 15,000 feet up in the air. A sandstorm of all things?"
"I don't know, it was just a wild guess, but it should be possible, no? What do you think, Bell?" Adrian turned toward the now distant Adbeel, who had retreated a dozen meters away.
Adrian scanned the area for Adbeel, finding him in swift motion—running.
"Heyyyyy!!!! Bell!!!! Why are you running?!" Adrian amplified his voice with mana, ensuring his question reached Adbeel.
"Run! Just run! Last time this happened, I got a bad feeling, and I got the exact same feeling just now!" Adbeel's explanation came amidst his frantic escape.
"Huh? What is this guy talking about?" Gabriel inquired, finally catching up to Adrian's nervous disposition.
"Hey? What's up?" Gabriel asked as soon as he perceived the tension on Adrian's face.
'Bell's gut feeling has always been right, so maybe I should just run,' Adrian mused internally.
"Hey! What's up?!" Gabriel queried, gripping Adrian's shoulder.
"Hey… Gabriel, can you look behind us for a second?" Adrian requested, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
Gabriel complied without a word, turning to witness the unfolding threat.
Once Gabriel's eyes locked onto the pursuers, his pupils dilated, conveying sheer horror.
"Hey! Tell me what's behind me! I don't want to look."
"..run..." Gabriel whispered, a tremor in his voice.
"What?"
"RUN!!!" Gabriel erupted, abruptly turning and sprinting for his life.
"Hey! Can you at least tell me what we're running from?!" Adrian's voice trailed behind as he chased Gabriel.
Fear etched on Gabriel's face as he ran, Adrian's curiosity overcame him, compelling a backward glance.
Adrian's expression shifted from nervousness to sheer shock and horror.
What did he see? A relentless horde of no less than 100 students, all in pursuit of a lone figure—Lucian Elysia.
The surprising revelation? These weren't ordinary students; they wore blue blazer uniforms, marking them as second years.
"Shit! Shit! Shitt!!!!!!!" Lucian's expletives echoed as he sprinted for his life.
Suddenly, Lucian experienced an ominous shiver, his eyes widening in realization.
He instinctively leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding a fiery onslaught where he once stood.
"Fuck! A fucking fireball?! Really?!!!" Lucian shouted at the relentless swarm of second years.
"Kill him!!!!!" A resounding roar from the second years intensified their pursuit, fueled by a fervent thirst for revenge.
'Shit shit shit!!!! I need to increase my speed! Come on, legs! Work! Work, ya pieces of shit!' Lucian's mental pep talk aimed to coax every ounce of speed from his limbs.
Another shiver prompted Lucian to evade a lightning bolt, narrowly escaping its lethal touch.
'Shit! Oi! Legs! If you run faster now! I'll give you a bunch of protein and whatever you want! In fact! I'll not eat any fast food for an entire month!'
The promise resonated in Lucian's mind as he maneuvered with lightning reflexes, dodging yet another impending strike.
'Okay! Okay! A whole year! I promise you! One whole year without any fast food!' Lucian's plea for swifter movement seemed to resonate with his legs.
"Yes, yes, yes!!"
"That's more like it! I'll add a little spinach to it too!" Lucian exclaimed, his encouragement seemingly heightening his momentum.
Lucian surged forward, his pace escalating.
"Haha! Yeah! That's more like it legs! Come on!" Lucian's cheers resonated as he celebrated a newfound burst of speed.
"Shit! He's becoming faster! Fire the lightning and fire arrows!" The second-year class president barked orders, reducing his peers to mindless executors.
"Shit! Legs! I'm counting on ya!"
"Come on! You're not gonna lose to a bunch of nerds, are you, are you!" Lucian's motivational pep talk reverberated through the chaotic pursuit.
As if endowed with a will of their own, Lucian's legs responded, propelling him beyond the reach of magical arrows.
'Wait, isn't that Gabriel and Adrian?' Lucian's thought arose as he noticed his friends not far behind.
"Oi! You guys!" Lucian called out from right behind them.
"Huh? Lucian? How are you here? You were like a 100 meters away from us, and I'm pretty sure the distance was getting bigger," Gabriel inquired.
"Motivation!" Lucian exclaimed.
"The hell do you mean with motivation?!" Adrian demanded.
Lucian responded with a nonchalant shrug.
"Watch out!" Adrian's warning came just in time, prompting Gabriel to dodge a fire arrow with split-second precision.
"Fuck! How can they still reach us?!!" Lucian exclaimed.
"They are fucking second years, what do you think?!!!"
Suddenly, Lucian felt a cold bucket of water being poured over him.
"Fuck! Adrian! Cast the strongest shield you can!"
"Why?!"
"DON'T ASK ANY FUCKING QUESTIONS!!!" Lucian's scream echoed with urgency.
Gabriel stole a glance back, his eyes widening in horror at the sight of an enormous fireball, nearly ready to unleash its destructive force.
The fireball, vast in size—almost 100 meters in both length and width—loomed threateningly.
"Adrian!"
"Shit!"
"Looks like I have no other choice."
"Mana Zone!"
[Error! Garden of Judgment cannot be cast on non-living things]
Adrian cursed his luck upon receiving the system notification.
"Fuck!"
"Why are you cursing instead of preparing a fucking barrier?!!!" Lucian's frustration reverberated.
"Just give me time!"
"We don't have time!" Gabriel's urgency resonated as the impending spell reached its culmination.
In a sudden twist of fate, an unconventional idea sprang into Lucian's head.
'It's crazy, but it's worth the try,' Lucian thought.
"Hey! What rank would that spell be in?"
"What?! Why are you asking now?!" Adrian questioned, trying to focus on his magical preparations.
"Just answer!" Lucian urged, panic slowly taking hold.
"Ah! I don't know! Like C rank?!" Adrian replied, a touch of uncertainty in his voice.
"Fuck then, it's worth a try."
"What's worth a try?!" Gabriel demanded, attempting to grasp the unfolding plan.
Lucian said nothing; instead, he slowed down and came to a stop, an unexpected move that puzzled his companions.
"Please, oh God, if you even exist, please just make this work," Lucian whispered a silent prayer, his eyes closed in desperation.
Adrian, Gabriel, and Lucian stood there, waiting for the yet-unknown plan to unfold.