Chapter 9: First Transformation.
The ghoul crouched low, claws glowing with molten orange heat. It was five feet tall, close to human height, but its proportions were wrong—too jagged, too feral. Deep scars carved through its skin, oozing blood so dark it was almost black, pooling at its feet and hissing against the cold floor. Its face was a nightmare, shredded by its own claws, leaving a mask of twisted flesh and raw agony.
Ren's breath hitched. He wasn't sure what terrified him more: the ghoul's mangled form or the way it moved, jerking in unnatural bursts as though controlled by an unseen force.
This isn't real, Ren thought, his hands trembling. But it was, and the thing before him seemed ready to pounce.
Hiromi stepped forward, the smug confidence on his face utterly misplaced.
"Relax," he said, waving a dismissive hand. "I've dealt with these things before."
Ren blinked at him, incredulous. "You… what?"
Hiromi didn't answer. Instead, he raised one hand, fingers splayed, and began chanting. "Re' Tyl Eres!"
The words echoed ominously, but the ghoul didn't flinch. Its glowing eyes narrowed, locking onto Hiromi with a predator's focus.
Hiromi's grin faltered.
"Re' Tyl Eres! Return to the void!" His voice rose in pitch, cracking under the weight of his desperation.
Still, the ghoul stood unmoving, its snarl deepening into a guttural growl.
"Hiromi," Ren whispered, stepping back. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Shut up!" Hiromi snapped, dropping into a crouch and clasping his hands together. His words became frantic, his muttering turning into an incomprehensible torrent.
The ghoul struck.
In a flash, it lunged, its claws scraping against the floor with a sound like nails on steel. Its jaw unhinged, revealing rows of jagged teeth, and before Ren could react, it swallowed Hiromi whole.
Blood sprayed across the room in a violent arc, splattering the cracked tiles.
Ren's stomach churned. He stumbled back, bile rising in his throat as the realization sank in.
"He… he's gone," Ren whispered, his voice barely audible.
The ghoul straightened, a low, guttural hiss emanating from its chest as its glowing eyes locked onto Ren.
"It... It ate him." he muttered, panic clawing at his chest.
"Hey Redhair!" Akira's voice cut through the haze.
She stood at the edge of the room, her bat glowing faintly with pulsing purple runes. Each intricate symbol shimmered like molten light, casting jagged shadows across her face.
"Get your head together!" she barked. "Do you want to be next?"
"What the hell am I supposed to do?" Ren shot back, his voice cracking.
"Move your ass!" She barked, hefting her bat with both hands. "I'll go in for the attack, you distract it!"
"Distract— What?! Are you insane?!"
Akira didn't answer. She charged forward, her bat cutting a blurred arc through the air. The runes flared as the weapon connected with the ghoul's side, sending it crashing into a pile of shattered drums.
The room shook with the force of the impact.
Akira didn't stop. She dashed forward, swinging her bat with deadly precision. Each strike landed with a sickening crunch, sending the ghoul reeling.
But it was fast.
Too fast.
The ghoul shrieked and lashed out, its claws raking through the air. One swipe connected, throwing Akira backward like a rag doll.
She hit the wall with a deafening crash, her body crumpling to the ground.
"Akira!" Ren's voice broke as he ran toward her, but the ghoul blocked his path. Its glowing eyes burned with malevolence as it stalked toward her fallen form.
"Hey!" Ren shouted, waving his arms in desperation. "Over here, you freak!"
The creature turned, its focus snapping to him.
Why did I do that?
It charged.
Ren barely had time to react as the ghoul's claws swung toward him. He stumbled back, heart pounding in his chest. He was done for—there was no escape.
And then, the bat struck.
Akira, blood streaming down her face, had thrown her weapon with every ounce of strength she had left. The glowing weapon smashed into the ghoul's head, stunning it for a moment.
But only a moment.
With terrifying speed, the ghoul turned on her, grabbing her and hurling her toward the ceiling.
Ren's heart stopped as he watched her body arc through the air. She was going to hit the ground—hard—and there was nothing he could do.
And then, the spark hit him.
It started as a faint pulse in his chest, but within seconds it spread — an explosion of energy coursing his veins. His skin glowed faintly and blue, his skin becoming weightless.
Before he even realized what he was doing, Ren moved.
The world blurred around him, streaks of light trailing his form as he sprinted. He reached Akira just in time, catching her in his arms with impossible ease.
Her eyes fluttered open, staring at him in disbelief.
"Kira-Chan, are you okay?" He asked, his voice calm in a way that did not feel like his own.
"What…" she whispered. "Kira-Chan?"
Ren set her down gently, his glowing gaze shifting to the ghoul. "What pain."
He sighed in exasperation.
Akira's jaw almost dropped. "What in the world is going on—"
Before she could finish, he was gone.
Ren moved like lightning, his every step leaving streaks of light in the air. The ghoul lashed out, but he was faster. His fist connected with its chest in a blur of motion, and the impact detonated with a thunderous crack.
The creature screamed, its form fracturing like shattered glass before it dissolved into nothingness.
Ren exhaled, his glowing form dimming as he turned back to Akira.
"We need to go," he said, his voice calm but urgent.
"What the hell just happened?" she asked, her voice shaky.
Ren didn't answer.
Without another word, he scooped her into his arms and leapt through the broken window. They landed on the street below, the cool night air a sharp contrast to the inferno behind them.
Ren set Akira down, his body trembling as the last of the energy left him.
As he glanced up at the school building, his mind raced, not with thoughts of his newfound powers, but with a far more mundane terror.
The cameras.
There had been cameras in the band room, silently watching everything. And the problem was glaringly obvious—cameras couldn't see ghouls. To anyone who reviewed that footage, it would look like a group of unhinged students tearing the place apart in a violent frenzy. No monsters, no explanations. Just chaos and destruction.
And they'd be the ones to take the fall.
"Any chance we won't get expelled?" Ren asked.
Akira closed her jaw as she fumbled for words. "Huh? I mean... If we explain things to them—"
The air shifted before she could finish. A low rumble built in the distance, and before they could react, the band room exploded.
The blast sent flames roaring into the night, the force shattering windows and scattering debris. The heat was oppressive, the air thick with smoke and ash.
Ren's jaw clenched as he stared at the fiery wreckage.
"Well," Akira muttered, wiping blood from her brow. "We're definitely getting expelled."
"Definitely," Ren agreed, his voice hollow.