In front of the towering building, a group of people had gathered. Thanks to his enhanced vision, Alex spotted a familiar face among them. He quickly descended. As he approached, the people grew alert, preparing for a fight.
Ignoring the tension, Alex landed firmly on the ground. A man stepped forward from the middle of the crowd.
"Alex, I was sure you'd make it."
"John, I'm glad you're okay, brother."
Alex embraced John tightly. John, 25 years old, was taller than Alex, though his frame was slightly slender. They had been friends all their lives—practically brothers, ever since Alex was five years old.
"What are you doing here, Alex? How did you get here, and what was that thing you were flying on?"
John bombarded him with questions, curiosity flashing in his eyes as he took in the blood-crafted platform, which had now transformed into a sword gripped in Alex's hand.
"I ran into someone we know on my way here. They were fighting these creatures called Amikas. She told me you were here with a group, so I came straight to you."
As Alex spoke, his gaze drifted past John to the building. The scene struck him as strange: despite the large crowd, everyone seemed focused on guarding the building's entrance as if something sinister awaited them inside.
"John, what's going on in there?"
Sensing Alex's concern, John sighed, casting a wary look at the building.
"When it all started—the Amika attacks—students and staff gathered here. We defended ourselves, managed to fend off the creatures, and then some people went inside seeking medical help. But the moment they stepped inside, they just… vanished. Others followed, hoping to find them, but they, too, disappeared without a trace. It's like they evaporated the moment they crossed the door. So now we're all here, trying to figure out what's really going on inside, hoping to find our missing friends."
Alex's gaze followed John's to the entrance of the building. The structure looked as it always had, but an ominous aura surrounded it, especially around the front door. It exuded an eerie, foreboding presence.
Alex and John moved to the front of the crowd near the entrance. Heated discussions filled the air as people debated whether they should enter or leave the building alone. The crowd had split into two groups. One side argued that they needed to go in, insisting the building was too significant to ignore; if hidden dangers lay inside, it could spell trouble for everyone on campus, especially with the Amikas lurking nearby. The other side, however, believed that dealing with the Amikas was the immediate priority, with the building being a secondary concern.
"Alright, everyone, quiet down. While the Amikas are indeed a major threat, we can't just abandon the tower. We don't know what kind of dangers or issues might arise if we ignore it. And beyond that, we have an even bigger problem—the majority of our medical supplies and food storage are in the tower, so we can't delay this any longer. That being said, I can't risk exhausting our forces in case of a sudden attack. Therefore, I'll go in with an elite team to investigate and attempt to resolve the issue, while the rest of you remain here to provide support."
The speaker was a young man towering nearly two meters tall, with broad shoulders and muscles that looked like they were carved from stone. A well-known athlete at the university, he appeared to be the group's leader. Alex had seen him a few times before; his golden hair and strong, rugged features made him hard to forget.
"That's Henry—you already know him. Since the disaster started, he's been leading most of the people here in the south to fight off the creatures and protect us. His ability is exceptional, too," John explained, standing beside Alex as Henry spoke, giving him a sense of the events that had unfolded since the catastrophe began.
"Henry took down most of the creatures in the southern area himself and gathered and rescued the majority of us here. Everyone respects him; he's saved our lives and given us a chance to fight back."