Tuesday, November 15th, 807
8:00 AM.
"Ring ri-" I turn off the alarm even before fully regaining consciousness.
"Ban... turning it off immediately... doesn't help..." Leya says from under the covers.
"Come on, let's stay in bed a little longer... You're sleepy too!" I reply, yawning.
"Fine... but just five more minutes."
I nod, getting closer to her and hugging from behind.
...
....
"Leya..." I start to tickle her side.
"What's up, Ban?" She responds, still groggy.
"I think five minutes have passed; you better get ready."
"Okay..." She gets up and heads for a shower.
Today, I have no meetings with Mary, so I have a free day. Later, I plan to go to the gym for my sessions.
...
After about ten minutes, Leya rushes back into the room.
"Ban! It's 9:30 AM! I told you to wake me up after five minutes!" She exclaims, alarmed, with wet hair and the loosely tied bathrobe, revealing the beautiful house of the white rabbit...
I get up and check my phone.
"Oops..."
"Don't say 'oops'... We stayed up too late last night. Oh, Mary will be mad!" She exclaims, sounding very concerned.
"Don't worry, I'll send her a message so she understands and won't scold you."
Upon hearing my words, she freezes and starts getting embarrassed, then says:"Message? You won't tell her about last night, will you?"
...
"What's going through your mind?!" I throw a pillow at her.
"Keep getting ready; I'll tell her you'll start at 10 because we studied all night yesterday."
She rushes back to the bathroom.
Anyway, the relationship with Mary has become quite strange, even stranger than it was initially.
There are moments in our conversations where she seems genuinely worried, and what I say surprises her, but I feel she's hiding something.
Maybe it's just my impression. The author never mentioned a "Maria Ross", so she's an entirely new and unpredictable character. Maybe later, she'll tell me something, or I'll gather the courage to bring it up first.
The fact remains that I need to send her the message, so I open the messaging section.
- Good morning, Instructor, Leya will arrive at 10; I made her late, so please don't reprimand her. Thanks. -
Okay, that should be enough.
"Leya, all set!"
"Okay! Thanks, Ban!"
...
12:00 PM
I just returned from the gym.
I access the Black Market to lower the price of my item again.
- 22,000,000 STARK -
- CONFIRM? -
...
- YES -
This is my limit. Otherwise, I won't be able to buy the Prison Sphere.
Still one week left.
We have to survive one more week, and then we'll be free.
After the arrival of those fantastic Sacrificial Rank E Heroes, the Darkness demon has undisturbedly killed five more cadets.
In the original story, he also killed the heroes to attract the attention of the higher spheres... But here, he hasn't done it yet... Why has the situation changed?
I have no idea.
Anyway, I should go wash up now... After that, I'll have to go to lunch with the others.
...
After taking a few steps towards the bathroom, everything around me suddenly goes dark; I can't see anything anymore.
My heart starts pounding so hard it feels like it wants to escape my chest.
...
Is the demon... here?
I take the Light Spheres from the phone's inventory and immediately use one.
Beams of intense light emanate from the sphere and start surrounding me, forming a barrier.
Thanks to that light, I can see a figure a few meters away from me towards the television.
...
Ah... I'm screwed.
The description matches the author's: A tall man with black hair... Whose body is entirely surrounded by a continuous flow of black smoke, making him intangible.
I look at the door. Should I try to escape?
No... It wouldn't give me enough time.
"It's strange..."
I look toward the demon, who has started talking. Now I can see his face; he must have dissipated the smoke to that extent so I could look at him.
"I killed the other cadets the same way... Deprived them of the thing they rely on the most, their sight... But you... What is it... Light? I sense the essence of Light around you..."
I remain motionless.
"Do you think that barrier can stop me?"
His tone remains calm and authoritative. Should I accept my fate? Should I die at his hands?
...
I notice that suddenly he has started looking at me with a strange expression, hinting at a smile.
"I know who you are..."
I look at him in confusion. Has he realized I come from another world?
"What do you mean?!" I ask anxiously.
He approaches me in an instant, as if he teleported. His proximity completely nullifies the Light barrier, plunging the room back into total darkness.
Before I could use the other Light Sphere, he quickly plunges his hands into my chest. In doing so, the sphere falls to the ground.
"So he was right. I didn't fully trust him, but he was right... Now this world will be ruled by me..."
I can't speak anymore; I don't even feel pain. His hands are inside me, but I have no wounds: this must be one of his abilities, how he absorbs his victims.
I try to break free, but my strength is fading. Before losing it completely, I start throwing punches in front of me, trying to hit him in the face.
But it seems like my punches are hitting thin air...
"Hehe, you're truly pathetic, but don't worry... after I absorb your body, I'll make good use of it hehe."
I feel that damned black smoke surrounding me.
The more time passes, the more I feel like I'm losing all sense.
...
I no longer feel my arms or legs. In addition to sight, my other senses are rapidly leaving me.
Oh shit, shit, shit, I don't want to die yet. I want to stay longer in this world, I want more time with Leya! I want to start a family with her, I want to have children!
Shit, shit, shit.
I'm scared.
I'm scared of dying.
I'm afraid I won't be able to see her again.
...
Ah... Like a flash, all the moments spent with her flood my mind.
Everything happened so quickly...
I also feel my consciousness fading, now I can't even sense the presence of the demon.
...
Ah Leya... I couldn't even say goodbye...
...
....
At that exact moment in Class B, everyone is silent.
Thirty minutes earlier, Instructor Ross had asked them a question about the nature of the Transfiguration demon, but still, no cadet had raised their hand to answer.
She, all the while, had remained seated at her desk, staring into space, impassive and authoritative.
The cadets, seeing their instructor's unusual behavior, began to chatter among themselves.
"Why isn't she giving us the answer? It's been more than half an hour."
"Maybe she fell asleep with her eyes open; I read that it can happen."
"Perhaps she's sleeping, and those glasses are modified to make us see her eyes open!"
Yumiko takes out her phone and starts typing something. Then she looks to her right, in Koto's direction, sitting about ten seats away.
- What do you think she means by the demon's nature? Does she want us to speculate about its abilities or its appearance? -
- Maybe both... Try responding with some hypotheses. -
- She's acting weird today, seems angry. I hope she doesn't take a dislike to me ☠️ -
A little behind Koto, Seyun and Leya are sitting.
"Leya... You've been looking at your phone for a few minutes. Did something happen?" Seyun asks, sounding concerned.
"I don't know..."
Her bracelet had disintegrated a little earlier, leaving her confused. Now, on her phone, she was reading a strange notification:
- AZKA BAN'S PHONE IS NO LONGER REACHABLE. ALL ASSETS INSIDE WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO HIS CLOSEST RELATIVE: AZKA LEYA -
"Did Ban message you?"
Leya doesn't reply, and she gets up. Ignoring the stares of the other cadets, she starts running towards the exit.
Instructor Ross gives her a strange look, then stands up as well.
"Today's lesson ends here. Tomorrow morning, I expect the answer."
Most of the students sigh in relief upon hearing those words.
Meanwhile, Group 1 has already gathered around Koto.
Seyun approaches him, tugs at the sleeve of his uniform, and reveals:"Koto... I think something happened to Ban."
She speaks with a very anxious tone.
"To Ban? What happened to him?" He asks, perplexed.
Seyun shifts her gaze towards the exit and answers: "I don't know; I wanted to send him a message, but he's no longer in my contacts. And... I've never seen Leya so worried..."
Hearing those words, Koto becomes very thoughtful.
There wasn't much room for imagination; they knew very well that cadets were disappearing from the academy.
Koto checks his contacts and can't find Ban either...
"If something happened to him, the instructor should know. Ban was her assistant!" Koto remarks.
The group decides to search for the instructor to get more information.
Seyun, meanwhile, continues sending messages to Leya, hoping for a response, but Leya remains silent.
At that moment, Leya has already reached Room 2694, Ban's room.
"Let everything be okay, let everything be okay..." She repeats to herself, hoping he's fine.
She places her phone against the door, which opens in response. The living room inside is absolutely impeccable, with the only thing out of place being a black sphere on the floor.
Leya, after noticing it, bends down to pick it up. It's the Light Sphere.
"What's this thing... Ban, are you here?"
No one answers.
She looks into the bedroom, but he's not there.
...
Her heart starts pounding.
It's unusual for Ban not to be there. At this hour, he always stayed in the room, waiting for her. Because then they would go to lunch together...
But the most unusual thing is the unreachable phone. The instructor had explained that, despite the Technology demon not being very strong, the phone designed with its flesh was, in all respects, an artifact. It wouldn't break easily...
Not to mention the bracelet... That was also an artifact...
She sits on the floor, back against the wall.
"Ban..."
....
In the class, Yumiko, who had been observing Koto's worried expression, decides to send another message.
- Seyun mentioned that Ban disappeared. Do you think it's related to the demon we were discussing in class? -
Koto, troubled by the news, responds.
- It's possible. We need to find Instructor Ross and get more details. -
As the group exits the classroom, they notice Leya sitting alone in front of Ban's room.
Seyun approaches her and gently asks: "Leya, have you heard anything from Ban yet?"
Leya shakes her head, still in disbelief.
Seyun looks at Koto, conveying the severity of the situation.
Koto decides to take charge and says: "We're going to find Instructor Ross. She must know something."
The group, now including Leya, heads towards the instructor's office.
Instructor Ross is found in her office, looking unusually stern.
"Instructor, what happened to Ban?" Koto asks, concern evident in his voice.
Instructor Ross takes a deep breath before responding: "Ban has disappeared. The circumstances are unclear, but it seems related to the recent events involving the demons. I've reported it to the higher authorities, and they are investigating."
The news hits the group hard.
Seyun asks: "Is there anything we can do to help?"
Instructor Ross replies: "Right now, your priority should be your safety. The investigation is ongoing, and I'll inform you if there are any developments. Meanwhile, focus on your studies and exercises. Now you are dismissed."
As the group leaves the office, Leya clutches the Light Sphere in her hand.
"What are we going to do, Koto?" Seyun asks.
Koto looks determined and says: "We can't wait for the authorities. We need to find out more ourselves. Let's gather information, discreetly if necessary. Ban is our friend, and we won't leave him behind."
Meanwhile, behind them, Leya faints, no longer able to bear Ban's loss.