Graduation day arrived. Nora took the stage as valedictorian, oni mask hidden under her gown, axe strapped to her leg. The gas line was ready to ignite, and hundreds of students sat in the audience—unaware that every seat was rigged with pressure plates.
Zara and Kairos sat in the back, Lila beside them. They'd disabled most of the traps, but one remained: a single plate under Nora's podium that would trigger an explosion powerful enough to take out half the hall.
"Friends, family, and fellow students," Nora began, her voice ringing out. "Today we honor Isaac Domingo—a boy who was taken from us too soon. But his legacy lives on in the justice we've brought to those who hurt him."
She pulled out the oni mask, putting it on. "And now, let us finish what we started."
She stepped on the pressure plate. Nothing happened.
Zara stood up. "We disabled it," she said, her voice clear. "Everyone knows the truth, Nora. We've shown them your videos, your journals, your plans. You're not a hero—you're a monster."
Nora pulled out the axe, swinging it at the podium. It split open to reveal a backup bomb. "Then we'll all die together!"
Kairos rushed the stage, tackling her. The axe flew from her hands, landing in the audience. Lila jumped forward, grabbing it before anyone else could.
"Stop," she said, pointing the axe at Nora. "I won't let you hurt anyone else."
Nora laughed. "You think you're better than me? You're just like I made you—broken, angry, ready to kill."
But Lila shook her head. "No. I'm not like you. I'm like Isaac—like Zara. I'm going to do what's right."
She swung the axe—not at Nora, but at the bomb, cutting the wires just as it was about to detonate.