The sky was painted in shades of orange, the sun sinking toward its resting place, patiently waiting for the moon to rise and claim the night. Nature itself seemed to drink in the warm hues, the river catching the glow and reflecting it like liquid fire.
Meanwhile, the players labored with all their might. Their efforts had paid off: the soggy, trampled grass was replaced with fresh blades harvested from the nearby forest. The area looked revitalized, the foul stench that had lingered now gone, replaced by the faint, earthy scent of new grass.
Inside, the players continued their work, sweeping away the muck and remnants of chaos and tossing them out into the wilderness. With every movement, the space slowly transformed, becoming orderly and alive once more. A few hours went by, it was night time.
"You guys have done a great job cleaning, if I'm being honest," Varun said, admiring the now dust-free room. A few things still needed fixing, but for now, it was more than enough.
"Thanks for the compliment, blockhead," Catherine snapped.
"Why are you being so mean!?" Varun demanded.
"Because you were PLAYING with Milo instead of HELPING!" Catherine shouted.
"I'm allergic to certain kinds of dust—this place definitely had it!" Varun shot back.
Here they go again… what dust is he even talking about? Elara thought.
Not wanting to get caught in the argument, she slipped out of the room and into the backyard. Beyond the trees stood a distant mountain, dark against the bleeding orange sky. The sun hovered just inches above the horizon, ready to disappear.
She looked at the grass laid down to stop the sogginess, her expression softening.
"They really did great work with this," she whispered.
"I want to stay here forever… I don't want to go back home."
The thought of home made her head throb.
"Home isn't what movies show, huh?" she murmured.
"I want to be in a movie… damn it, I wish I had my phone for a while."
Elara stood still, letting the night wrap around her like a soft blanket. The sky was breathtaking—stars scattered like crushed diamonds, the moon glowing as if hand-painted. A light drizzle brushed against her skin, cool and comforting, soothing parts of her she didn't know needed healing.
"Everything… feels nice," she whispered.
But the warmth in her chest twisted almost instantly.
Good moments never lasted.
She had learned that long ago—when nights were this peaceful, something always went wrong.
Behind her, the mansion burst back to life. The shouting from before had faded into laughter and casual chatter as the students settled into small groups. Milo handed out food—each item arranged perfectly, because that was simply how he worked.
Elara scanned the courtyard, a strange tension tugging at her chest. Her eyes drifted from tree to tree—
and then stopped.
A tree stood there… fused with a door.
Not built into it.
Not beside it.
Fused—grown into the bark as though it had existed there for centuries.
The door shimmered with shifting, impossible colors—galactic, star-washed hues that didn't belong in their world. It whispered softly, a sound like a biblically accurate angel—beautiful, terrifying, otherworldly.
Elara felt herself drawn in, unable to look away.
Then—
SLAM.
The door flung open, violently.
A boy stumbled out.
Another followed.
Then another.
One by one, they fell out of the doorway—bleeding, crying, shaking.
Finally, a boy emerged carrying a body over his shoulder.
He collapsed to his knees in the grass, the weight too much to bear.
Gently… he laid the body down.
They cried—broken, trembling—unable to bear the loss of their fellow classmate. The rain grew heavier, as if the sky itself felt their sorrow and wept beside them.
Elara heard their voices and felt her own chest tighten. A quiet ache spread through her as she stepped closer, wanting—yet fearing—to see who had fallen. Moonlight slipped through the trees, a pale beam guiding her eyes.
It was Itsuki. His hand was gone, his clothes torn and soaked in mud and blood. The others surrounding him were no better, each missing a limb or bearing wounds too deep to speak of.
But the one lying cold and still… the one who would never rise again…
was Kenji.
Seeing the scene, Elara immediately called for help. Felix—who had completely forgotten about this moment in the chaos—snapped into action and rushed forward.
"Don't let Milo come out," Felix ordered sharply.
"Got it," Arjun replied. He grabbed Milo's hand and gently pulled him away from the doorway.
"Come on," Arjun said quickly, forcing a light tone. "Let's get food ready for tomorrow morning!"
"Huh? Oh—okay! That'll make things easier for me tomorrow morning then!" Milo answered, brightening up as he ran outside, completely unaware of the horror unfolding behind him.They stepped through the front door, but Milo suddenly paused, turning back to grab a bag. As he did, he noticed the others rushing toward the backyard.
"Why are they all going out?" Milo asked, confused.
"Uh—let's just go—" Arjun began, but Milo cut him off.
"Wait."
He stiffened, listening closely.
"I hear crying…" Milo whispered. His voice dropped, sharp and uneasy. "A lot of crying."
His eyes narrowed, instinct kicking in.
"I'm going to check it out," he said, already moving before Arjun could stop him.
"WAIT!" Arjun shouted, panic breaking through his voice.
Felix reacted instantly. He sprinted toward the door and slid a wooden log against it, blocking the exit before Milo could push through. The others circled around the injured, urgency twisting their faces.
Mira and Ezra knelt beside the J-PG, hands glowing faintly as they poured every drop of their blessings into healing. Sweat beaded on their foreheads — they were giving everything they had.
But when they turned to Kenji…
There was nothing left to save.
His skin was pale, ice-cold to the touch. The edges of his wounds were jagged, unnatural — as if some creature had sunk its teeth deep into him. No warmth, no breath. Just stillness. They were able to see his heart, it was also bitten.
"He's dead. They can't resurrect him."
Nina's voice was steady… too steady. Cold. Like she was forcing herself not to break.
"NO! THERE HAS TO BE A WAY!"
Itsuki's scream cracked, his hands trembling as he clutched Kenji's lifeless shoulders. Tears streamed down his face, mixing with the rain, dripping onto the chest of the friend he grew up with — the friend he couldn't imagine living without.
"He can't be gone," he whispered, shaking his head violently.
"He can't… Kenji, wake up… please…"
Milo stopped struggling the moment he heard those words.
His hands went limp against the doorframe.
Arjun froze beside him, realizing the worst — Milo wasn't confused anymore.
He had heard everything.
Felix's breath caught. He stared at the barricaded door, his stomach twisting.
"…He must have heard," he muttered, voice tight.
"But no matter what… we can't let him see the wound. Not that."
Lisha stood a little away from the others, her eyes fixed on Kenji's body.
No tears. No panic.
Just an eerie stillness — as if she were waiting for him to flicker back to life.
Waiting for a respawn.
Haru knelt beside Kenji, his hands shaking as he brushed away a fallen leaf.
"Let's… bury him," he whispered, forcing the words out.
"So he can rest. He deserves that much."
But even as he said it, Haru's mind replayed the image of that bite —
deep, unnatural, and nothing like anything that belonged in their world.
Itsuki shook his head violently, voice cracking like a broken flute.
"No… no one is burying him—"
Everyone froze.
Their brains collectively blue-screened.
Then—SCREAM. PANIC. RUN.
Kenji's body twitched. Bones shifted. Flesh stitched itself back together like a cursed 3D printer.
Itsuki watched it happen.
"AHHHHH— cough cough cough— AHHHHH!"
He yeeted himself backward, scrambled up, and sprinted in the opposite direction like a track athlete possessed.
"Rui! HELP ME!" Kenji reached toward her, very much alive-ish.
Ivy and Ava took one glance and immediately turned 180 degrees, dragging Hana by the arms.
"Nope. No. Absolutely not. I have seen WAY too much for the past one day," they said in perfect sync, speed-running into the mansion like NPCs who triggered a danger flag.
Jina fainted on the spot.
Sora dropped like a sack of potatoes beside her.
Half the group fell like dominoes.
Nina and Haru stood frozen, literally — the cold rain mixing with the chilling horror until they resembled traumatized snowmen.
Behind a tree, Rui peeked out and whispered,
"ITSUKI, WHAT DID YOU BRING BACK FROM YOUR MISSION!??"
Itsuki, hiding in bushes like a cowardly Pokémon, screamed back,
"IT'S KENJI'S DOPPELGANGER!! I THINK SO!! MAYBE!! I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE!!"
Varun shouted, voice cracking like thunder,
"EVERYONE RUN! IT'S A ZOMBIE!! HE BOUGHT A ZOMBIE BACK!!!"
"Really?!" Kenji snapped, looking around indignantly — only to see Felix and Lisha standing calmly beside him like two tired babysitters.
Water dripped from his regenerating hand.
Kenji stared at it.
"…HUH!?"
He held the hand up dramatically and yelled:
"BRO, WHY IS MY HAND GROWING BACK!? AM I A LIZARD!??"
Felix sighed.
Lisha blinked.
Chaos continued.