Neither of them rushed. They had waited for this moment for weeks. Samuel reached for his sword and wrapped his fingers around the hilt.
Newton picked up his own weapon and tested its balance once in his hand.
Then the lights went off. Darkness swallowed the room instantly. Students across the dormitory cursed softly as the sudden blackness disoriented them.
But inside Newton and Samuel's room, nothing changed. Their eyes adjusted immediately.
They had been training for this moment every night. Newton moved toward the door. Samuel followed quietly behind him.
The hallway outside was thick with darkness.
Doors opened across the corridor as other students stepped out to begin the walking task. Footsteps shuffled cautiously. Some students bumped into walls. Others whispered nervously.
Newton and Samuel ignored them. They walked straight down the hallway.
Their steps were silent. They did not hesitate. They already knew exactly where they were going.
Brian's room.
When they reached the door, Newton paused. Samuel stood beside him. Newton slowly pushed the door.
The handle turned with a faint click. The door slid open just enough.
Inside the room, several figures moved through the darkness.
Brian and his boys were walking around blindly, fulfilling the task just like everyone else.
Theo's voice drifted through the darkness. "You idiot," he muttered to someone. "Stop bumping into me."
Another voice laughed quietly. Then Theo stopped moving. His head tilted slightly. "Who is there?" Theo asked. His voice carried curiosity more than fear.
Samuel and Newton remained still. Inside the room Brian spoke from somewhere near the center.
"What is it?"
Theo hesitated. "I just felt our door open, and close."
Brian chuckled softly. The sound was relaxed. Confident. "You are just hearing things," Brian said. "Who will dare walk into the King's room in the dark hour?"
Theo shrugged it off and resumed walking.
Samuel slowly circled toward the side. Newton moved the opposite direction. They positioned themselves silently.
Brian's footsteps drifted closer. Newton could hear his breathing now.
Slow, and careless.
The moment arrived. Newton moved. His blade flashed through the darkness. The sword sliced through Brian's back.
"Aaaahhhh!"
Brian's scream tore through the room. He collapsed to the floor instantly. "Someone just cut me with a knife!" he screamed.
Chaos exploded around the room. "What?!"
"Who did that?"
"Who will dare do that to the king?"
Brian rolled on the ground, clutching his back. "I do not know!" he screamed. "I do not know! Someone is here!"
Theo spun in circles, trying to locate the voice in the darkness. "Who are you?" Theo shouted. "If you are so brave, why don't you speak!"
No one answered.
Brian slowly pushed himself up from the floor. His breathing had become ragged. "This is an unforgivable act of treason," he growled through clenched teeth.
He turned slowly, trying to peer through the darkness. "You will pay with your life for this!"
Silence stretched across the room again.
They stood frozen now. Trying to hear. Trying to feel movement.
Brian took another step. Then another. His hand hovered near the wound in his back. Then the second strike came.
Samuel moved like a shadow. The blade drove forward from the front.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Brian's scream echoed louder this time. But before the sound could finish, another strike landed from behind.
Newton struck again. The sword tore through him.
Brian's body jerked violently. He screamed again. This time, he rolled his body all over the ground.
But the strikes didn't stop. Samuel moved. Newton followed. Steel flashed again and again in the darkness.
Brian screamed and screamed. "Please! Please! Please! You are killing me."
Blood spilled onto the floor. Theo spun wildly, panic creeping into his voice now. "What are you doing to him?" he shouted. "You know you won't go unpunish!"
But the attackers never answered.
Brian's screams filled the room. They grew weaker. More desperate. The blades continued cutting through the darkness.
Then the screaming stopped. Brian stopped rolling.
Silence followed. It was heavy, and cold.
Theo's breathing grew louder. His heart pounded against his ribs. "Brian?" he called.
No answer.
"Brian!"
Still nothing.
Theo's jaw tightened. His veins rose along his neck.
Something had gone terribly wrong.
"Brian, please say something!" But the silence remained. The darkness felt thicker now.
Heavier.
Like it was pressing down on the room itself.
Theo stood frozen. He could not see anything. He could not hear anything except his own breathing.
For the first time since the walking task began, fear crept slowly into his chest.
The hour stretched endlessly. Every second felt longer than the last. The darkness did not move. It simply remained there: watching
For Theo, that single hour felt like an entire lifetime. The darkness around him no longer felt like a task. It felt like a prison sentence.