That morning, Mal Erna High School should have been alive with the sound of footsteps and the ringing of the first bell.
Instead, there was only silence.
A silence that didn't belong.
"Weird… why is it so quiet?"
A middle-aged man—Mr. Hendra, the senior Mathematics teacher—stood before the tall iron gate, locked tight. His watch read 06:45. The security guards usually opened it by 06:30.
"Where the hell are the guards?" he muttered, irritation creeping in.
He banged on the gate.
Clang! Clang!
"Hey! Open up! Damn guards, where are you?!"
No answer. Only the cold morning wind swept across the empty courtyard.
"Fine… guess I'm climbing."
Grumbling, Mr. Hendra scaled the side fence—a move he hadn't attempted since his forties. Once over, he headed straight for the guard post, ready to chew them out.
But the moment he looked inside, his breath caught in his throat.
The three guards lay sprawled across the cramped floor. Their eyes were wide open, staring at nothing. Dark blood pooled beneath them like spilled ink, thick and sticky. The metallic stench hit him hard.
"W-what…?"
His pulse hammered in his ears.
"Who… who did this?"
He stumbled back one step, hands shaking. Then he ran toward the main building, praying this was some kind of nightmare.
When he reached the entrance, his legs simply stopped working.
What lay before him could no longer be called a school.
The corridor was a graveyard of bodies.
Pristine elite uniforms were now soaked crimson rags. Blood dripped from the walls in slow, lazy trails. Handprints smeared red across the tiles. Students, teachers, even the principal—none had been spared.
Mr. Hendra dropped to his knees in the middle of the carnage, retching until his stomach was empty.
"Ugh…!"
He stared blankly at the horror around him, voice barely a whisper.
"What… what the hell happened to this place…?"
Several hours earlier…
06:15.
A bespectacled boy walked down the corridor of one of Domm City's most prestigious high schools. Head down, as always. Avoiding eye contact. His uniform was faded, his shoes worn thin. But beneath the neglect was a strikingly handsome face—pale skin, sharp eyes—that somehow always drew the wrong kind of attention.
"Good morning, sir," he said quietly to the guard at the entrance.
No reply. The man gave him a single cold glance, full of disgust.
The boy offered a small, practiced smile. He was used to it.
Jason Adam.
Grade 11.
Orphan.
Raised in Little Angel Orphanage… until even that place could no longer keep him.
Since then, the world had stopped being kind.
"Hey, the poor kid's here!"
Laughter erupted from a cluster of rich students.
"Haha… look at him. Pathetic."
Jason kept walking, eyes forward.
Just ignore them, he told himself.
They mocked him for his appearance—clothes that didn't belong in this elite world.
Yet behind the shabby exterior was a mind sharper than most of theirs.
Nathan and his crew—Andrew, Thomas, Marvin—were already waiting at the end of the hallway.
"Look at that shirt. Looks like a rag. Still dares to show up here?"
Jason clenched his jaw.
Calm down. This month's tuition isn't paid yet. Can't afford trouble.
When he reached the classroom, Nadia greeted him with her usual sweet smile. Shoulder-length hair, bright eyes—the only person who had ever been kind to him since tenth grade.
"Morning, Jason."
"Morning, Nad." He gave a small smile, heart giving a familiar flutter. He knew it was stupid, but she was the only light in this hellhole of a school.
"Hey, can I borrow your math homework? I didn't do it—too much stuff at home," she said, voice soft and coaxing.
Jason nodded without hesitation.
"Sure. Here, copy it quick before the bell."
"Thanks, Jason, you're the best…" She winked, but there was something cold flickering behind her eyes that he chose not to notice.
Break time arrived. Jason headed to the restroom, bladder urgent.
But he froze the moment he stepped inside.
From the last stall came unmistakable sounds.
Slurp… mmph…
"Ahh… Nath… yes, just like that…"
His heart lurched.
Nadia.
Something inside him cracked—quietly, painfully.
He backed out without a sound and left.
Why… why him? Of all people—Nathan? The one who hates me most?
Back in the empty classroom, Jason sat alone, staring at nothing.
A few minutes later, Nadia walked in, acting perfectly normal.
"Jason? Where were you? I looked for you in the cafeteria."
Jason looked up at her. His gaze was cold.
"Why so quiet?" she asked, irritation creeping in.
"What's going on between you and Nathan, Nad?" His voice was low.
Nadia paused. "What are you talking about? There's nothing."
Jason gave a thin, empty smile.
"Do you think I'm stupid?"
"I heard everything in the bathroom."
Her smile vanished.
"Huh… guess the cat's out of the bag," she said casually. "Yeah, it's true. So what?"
Jason's fists tightened. The world felt like it was collapsing under him.
"So all this time… you were just using me?"
Nadia laughed softly. "Pretty much. You're smart. And easy to use."
Silence.
Anger, disappointment, humiliation—they crashed together inside him. His smile disappeared completely.
Something inside him didn't just crack.
It shattered.
"What? Upset because I chose Nathan?" she taunted.
"I know you like me."
Jason said nothing. The pain was too raw.
"Come on, don't sulk," she stepped closer.
"If you want, I can 'pay you back' too. Consider it compensation for using you all this time." She pressed forward, offering herself.
Jason recoiled—but Nadia suddenly grabbed the back of his neck and kissed him hard.
"Mmph—!"
His eyes widened.
This was what he had wanted for so long.
But now…
It felt filthy.
BAM!
The classroom door slammed open.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY GIRL?!"
Nathan stood in the doorway, face scarlet with rage. Behind him, Andrew, Thomas, and Marvin were already cracking their knuckles.
Jason shoved Nadia away. "This isn't—"
Nathan didn't wait for an explanation. His fist crashed into Jason's face.
Thud!
Jason hit the floor.
They dragged him out of the classroom and into the central field. A crowd quickly gathered—laughing, recording, watching like it was entertainment.
Nathan shouted to the onlookers:
"This bastard tried something on Nadia! Right in class!"
Nadia appeared, fake tears streaming down her face.
"Nathan… he… he forced me…"
The crowd erupted.
"Beat him! Trash! Perverted bum!"
"Huu… poor and shameless!"
"Fucking creep!"
Nathan and his gang descended on Jason without mercy. Kicks, stomps, punches rained down. Jason curled into a ball, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Please… stop…" he gasped weakly.
No one helped. Not the students. Not the teachers. Not even the principal.
"Hah… hah… what did I ever do to you…?" he whispered.
"I never… bothered any of you…"
Nathan wrapped his hands around Jason's throat.
"Your only crime… is existing here, Jason."
He grinned viciously.
"Trash like you doesn't belong in this school. Better off dead."
Jason struggled, but his strength was gone.
Why… why is my life always like this? I just wanted to study… to live normally…
His vision darkened.
Breath faltered.
If this is all life has…
What's the point of holding on…?
Consciousness faded.
Ding.
The sound didn't come from outside.
It echoed coldly inside his skull.
"Host detected."
"Warning: Critical condition."
The air around them shifted.
"Enemies identified. Auto-pilot mode activated."
Nathan suddenly released his grip, face draining of color.
"What… what is this?"
Jason's body rose slowly.
His eyes opened—empty, lifeless.
A thick black aura enveloped him, pressing down on the air until everyone staggered. Phones, security cameras—everything shattered in an instant.
The crowd froze.
Jason—or whatever now controlled him—moved like a shadow.
His bare hand flashed forward.
In a single motion, Nathan's head separated from his body.
"Screams!"
Panic exploded.
Jason moved faster than humanly possible.
One by one, Nathan's gang fell.
Andrew didn't even have time to scream.
Thomas's skull cracked with a sickening sound.
Marvin tried to run… he never made it.
Nadia bolted—but Jason caught her.
His gaze remained blank.
With one effortless motion, she was torn apart like a broken doll.
No one walked out of that field alive.
Jason walked out through the main gate, leaving a sea of blood behind him.
Several hours later…
In the forest on the outskirts of the city.
Jason stood motionless among the trees.
Ding.
"Host successfully preserved. Auto-pilot mode deactivated."
The black aura faded.
His body collapsed.
Thud.
Silence enveloped the woods.
That day… Jason Adam "died."
And something else… woke up in his place.