The final bell should have signaled the end of the school day, a time for students to celebrate freedom. Usually, you'd hear lockers slamming shut, kids shouting about how they weren't going to do their homework, and hallways buzzing with that special kind of teenage craziness. However, today felt different. The whole school was eerily silent. Too silent. Riko picked up on it first, because he'd learned what quiet meant now. Quiet meant danger was holding its breath, waiting.
He stood with Luna beside him, while Kaze leaned against the lockers a few steps back, a silent shadow. The lights above flickered, just a little, but enough to make everyone in the hallway look up.
What was that? Luna whispered, sounding worried.
Riko gulped. This isn't good.
Kaze didn't turn his head, but Riko saw his eyes move, calculating and analyzing. He was expecting something, that was for sure.
The lights flickered again, but this time it didn't stop.
They buzzed loudly, then went completely white for what felt like forever. The noise died down. Someone screamed. A teacher dropped her papers everywhere. The fire alarm beeped once, as if it tried to go off but couldn't.
And then... the ceiling cracked.
It wasn't a normal crack, like plaster or paint. It was like a phone screen being smashed with a hammer. A bright blue line sliced through the ceiling right in the middle of the hallway, zigzagging like frozen lightning.
What the heck? Luna said, stepping back until she bumped into Riko.
The crack glowed brighter.
Students started screaming and running toward the stairs, pushing and tripping over each other in a panic. Backpacks fell to the floor and slid across the tiles. Someone was sobbing loudly. A teacher yelled for everyone to calm down, but nobody could hear her over the noise.
Then came a stronger pulse in the crack.
A deep vibration rumbled through the lockers, making them clang and rattle like something was trying to break out. Posters fell off the walls. Ceiling tiles crashed to the floor.
And the crack kept getting bigger.
It stretched wider and deeper, glowing hotter as if something was ripping a hole in reality. The edges looked pixelated, breaking into tiny squares that floated in the air like strange snow.
Riko's wrist screen lit up.
SIGNAL BREACH. DIMENSIONAL INSTABILITY DETECTED, it read.
Oh, come on, he muttered. Not again.
Luna looked up at the crack, her voice shaking. It's like that thing from the city. The big glitch in the sky.
It's smaller, Riko said. But closer.
Kaze finally pushed himself off the lockers and stepped forward, his face serious. A localized tear. Artificial.
Nothing about today is normal! Luna yelled, her voice full of fear.
Inside the nearby classrooms, furniture started shaking like crazy. Desks slid around and crashed into each other. Some started to float—just a little at first, then higher and higher, as if gravity was giving up. Papers flew everywhere. Pages ripped out of notebooks.
A locker near Riko burst open, sending a bunch of glitch cubes into the hall, before slamming shut again.
Riko winced. Seriously?! Even the lockers are haunted now?
Students kept running past them, chaos all around. Luna grabbed Riko's arm. We need to move, too!
But the ceiling crack pulsed again, even stronger this time.
The whole hallway shook violently, the floor rippling like a wave. The earth seemed to give way beneath their feet. Paint started peeling off the walls. The world flickered.
Then the furniture floated even higher.
Chairs drifted out of classrooms, spinning like they were underwater. A backpack floated by Riko's face, opening itself and spilling its contents toward the crack.
Luna hid under a floating desk. No way! This is a nightmare!
Kaze didn't hide. He just watched the ceiling, his eyes narrowed. It's trying to pull everything into the tear.
Why? Riko asked, confused.
Because something's trying to get out.
Riko's heart raced. Something like the cube face from before?
Or worse, Kaze replied, his voice low.
A wave of weird energy swept through the hallway, distorting everything. Every light shattered, sending glass raining down. Students screamed and covered their heads. The crack in the ceiling grew bigger, glowing so bright it lit up the whole place.
Through the light, Riko saw something move.
Not clearly, but something seemed to shift behind the crack, like a shadow pressed against it. Something with long arms. Something too tall for the hallway. Its shape flickered in and out of view.
Oh boy, Riko whispered.
Luna asked, That's not the same boss as before... right?
No, Kaze said softly. This is new.
The crack trembled.
The building shook even harder. Emergency lights flashed red, then white, then went out. Screams echoed from the stairwells. Distant sounds of doors slamming and windows breaking made the whole school seem alive and terrified.
Riko stumbled as the floor moved beneath him. Luna grabbed his arm to stay steady. Kaze didn't move, but his coat flapped in the strange wind coming from the ceiling.
The tear opened even wider.
Furniture swirled upward in a vortex now—chairs, binders, shoes, a teacher's coffee mug spinning until it shattered against the ceiling. Locker doors banged open and shut. A science cart floated past, its equipment clattering like wind chimes.
Riko yelled over the noise, This is the biggest one yet!
Level instability is speeding up, Kaze shouted back.
What does that mean?
It means reality is giving way!
A loud cracking sound echoed through the hallway. One of the support pillars split open, glitch blocks spilling out instead of dust. The building wasn't just shaking; it was turning into pixelated pieces.
Luna pulled on Riko's arm again. We have to go!
But Riko froze.
His screen lit up again, glitching like crazy.
DATA FLOOD. UNIT FAILURE. DIMENSION COLLAPSE RISK: HIGH,
it flashed.
Then the letters changed, as if the system was panicking.
A loud alarm blared from the device on his arm, louder than everything else.
Riko! Luna screamed.
I know! he shouted back. System, give me something!
The screen glitched, flashing red and white, then went blank for a second.
And then—
The crack in the ceiling exploded with light.
A shockwave blasted through the corridor. Lockers were dented. Tiles fell off the walls. Students were thrown backward, tumbling to the ground as the floor shook.
Riko put his arms up and braced himself in front of Luna.
The shockwave sent him flying backward, until he hit a locker hard.
Riko! Luna screamed.
I'm okay! he said, coughing.
Kaze stood still, his coat flapping as he spoke to the crack in a steady voice. This is too early. Someone's making this happen.
Riko got to his feet. Making what happen?
The Zone Break.
The crack glowed again.
The entire ceiling turned into floating cubes. Through the hole, strange shapes moved.
More threats.
Riko felt a new wave of panic. He stepped in front of Luna, protecting her.
System! he shouted. Give me something to use!
The screen went blank again.
Just static.
And then—
Bright red letters appeared.
Riko gasped.
Luna grabbed his arm.
Kaze stopped moving.
The system yelled: ZONE BREAK: LEVEL 2. RUN!