Claus was never friends with Violet.
Back during the academy competition, Claus had faced Violet in a one-on-one match. She had been winning the whole time. Her attacks were stronger, her moves faster, and everyone thought she was going to win.
But then—out of nowhere—Violet had a sudden burst of power. With one last punch, she turned the match around and defeated Claus.
It was a huge embarrassment.
Claus, the proud daughter of a marquess, had lost to a simple baroness.
Her pride was shattered.
She couldn't believe it. Couldn't accept it.
"How dare she beat me? Someone like her!" Claus had gritted her teeth after the match, filled with rage and disbelief.
She had even thought about getting revenge. But soon after, disaster struck the academy. Everything turned into chaos. Claus herself barely escaped alive.
In the middle of that mess, she forgot all about Violet.
But later, when things returned to normal, she heard something that reignited the fire in her heart—
Violet had survived. Not just that—she had been captured by Elara, the traitor, and somehow came back with barely a scratch.
Claus had clenched her jaw at that news.
"That lucky bitch..." she hissed under her breath.
After the academy reopened, Claus wasted no time. She paid a second-year student, Mirael, to bully Violet and make her school life miserable.
But that didn't go as planned either.
Progress was slow.
Too slow.
Luckily, Claus got another chance when they entered the Illusory Inheritance—a magical trial where death wasn't real. People could get hurt, but not die.
It was the perfect chance.
A place to get revenge without holding back.
In the second stage, she walked up to Ethan's team and offered to help. She claimed she had high speed magic and could carry Violet through the golden door quickly.
But in reality, she planned to "accidentally" drop Violet along the way.
However, Ethan didn't pick Violet. He gave Ravenna to Claus instead.
Still, Claus didn't give up.
She waited for the right moment.
It finally came in the third stage—inside the giant, eerie library.
While everyone was focused on the monsters and bells, Ethan climbed to the top of a huge bookshelf to scout the path. But suddenly, the bookshelf creaked and shook, causing him to lose balance.
What no one knew—
Claus had secretly used her magic to make it happen.
The team split as a result. Ethan, Sylvania, and Emma went one way. Claus ended up with Ravenna and Violet.
Claus kept calm on the outside, but inside, she was thrilled.
Her moment had come.
When Ethan rang the bell to distract the monsters so everyone could escape, Claus saw her chance. While Ravenna prepared to run, Claus sneaked in a small lightning spell beneath her feet.
It made Ravenna slip and fall.
Claus quickly pretended to help, acting like a hero trying to pick Ravenna up.
But it was all part of her plan.
Violet had no choice but to stop and cast her gravity spell to lighten Ravenna's body, letting Claus lift her and dash toward the big red hole—the exit.
Violet stayed behind to help. She ended up at the very back.
Exactly where Claus wanted her.
Claus threw Ravenna through the hole into safety.
Then, just as Violet caught up and reached out her hand, breathless and desperate—
Claus looked at her.
Their eyes met.
Violet's eyes were full of hope.
Claus gave her a wide, smug grin.
Cold. Cruel. Victorious.
"Yes! Now you'll feel it—being so close to winning, yet losing everything!" Claus thought with a twisted grin as she spun and delivered a hard back kick to Violet's stomach.
Violet gasped, her eyes wide in shock and pain, as the kick knocked her back—straight into the path of the charging monsters.
At the same time, Claus turned without looking back and jumped into the big red slide, escaping into the next stage of the trial.
There was no doubt now.
Violet was out.
Defeated. Torn apart. Erased from the trial.
Claus slid down through the dark tunnel, the air cold and sharp against her skin. When she landed, she saw Ethan, Sylvania, Ravenna, and Emma already standing there.
They were all looking around, waiting for the last member.
Waiting for Violet.
But only Claus had come.
Ethan narrowed his eyes, already feeling the truth in his gut. Still, he asked, "Where's Violet?"
Claus lowered her head like she was full of regret. Her voice came out soft and sad. "Princess Ravenna fell off. I had to pick her up. Because of that, we got delayed. Violet... she couldn't make it in time."
Everyone turned toward Ravenna.
She didn't say a word. She quietly lowered her head, her long pink hair falling in front of her face, hiding any reaction.
There was a heavy silence in the tunnel.
But then Ethan sighed and forced a small smile. "No need to be sad. She's just out of the trial. We'll win this for her!"
His words lifted the tension. Everyone nodded slowly, agreeing. They had to move on.
Ethan took the lead, and they began walking deeper into the tunnel. Ravenna followed at the very back.
But deep inside, Ravenna was fuming.
"Tch… how boring," she muttered under her breath. "I thought they'd blame me, yell at me, call me names… how fun that would've been."
Her eyes gleamed darkly, and a strange smile crept onto her lips.
"I guess I'll go to Maruti later… she always punishes me when I annoy her\~" The memory of Maruti's cold eyes and harsh voice sent a strange thrill down Ravenna's spine. Her breath grew heavy. "Yes... just like last time... treat me like your cheap little slave again…"
Meanwhile, up front, Ethan tried to figure out the path. The tunnel twisted and turned with random lefts and rights, but nothing else happened.
"There's no monsters, no traps... is there some hidden condition to win?" he wondered aloud.
But Sylvania shot him a glare. Her tone was cold, sharp like a blade.
"Your voice is too loud. And don't act like you're the only one with a brain. We can figure it out without your commentary."
Ethan flinched. "S-sorry…" He wanted to explain himself, but he shut his mouth and stayed quiet.
They kept walking. The floor turned muddy, and dirty water pooled along the ground. It splashed with every step.
Suddenly, as Claus stepped forward, a splash of water landed on Emma's bare foot.
Emma stopped.
Her eyes darkened.
"You…" she growled, clenching her fists tightly. "How dare you get my foot dirty!"
BAM!
Without any warning, Emma punched Claus straight in the face. Blood splattered from Claus's lip as she stumbled back.
"It was just water, you crazy girl!" Claus shouted, wiping her mouth.
BAM!
This time, Claus kicked Emma in the stomach, making her stagger back a few steps.
"Stop it!" Ethan yelled. "Why are you two fighting now?!"
But it was useless.
Emma's rage exploded.
"Violet failed because of you!" she screamed. "You worthless piece of sh—"
She charged in to punch again.
But Claus ducked low.
Then something snapped inside her.
Her eyes narrowed.
Her jaw opened.
CHOMP!
Claus bit deep into Emma's neck.
PA!
Her teeth sank in and ripped a thick chunk of flesh from Emma's throat.
Splash… splash… splash…
Blood sprayed across the tunnel walls. A white piece of meat hung from Claus's mouth.
Emma collapsed, her body twitching once… then going completely still.
Claus stood there, her hands shaking, eyes wide in disbelief.
The taste of blood still on her tongue.
"…Why?" she whispered to herself.
"…Why did I kill her?"
Before Claus could even understand what was happening, a sharp blade of metal pierced straight into her forehead.
Her body jerked.
Her eyes trembled, trying to look at the one who attacked her.
It was Sylvania.
Calm, cold, and terrifying.
Blood started running down Claus's face, dripping slowly from her chin.
Both Ethan and Ravenna froze in shock.
Ravenna instinctively stepped back, her eyes wide in horror.
"S-Sylvania! What have you done?!" Ethan shouted, his voice filled with panic.
But Sylvania didn't care. She didn't even flinch.
"I've had enough," she growled, her voice like ice. "I always hated your fake smiles… your selfish, stuck-up attitude. You always acted like you were better than everyone!"
Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!
Sylvania pulled the blade out and stabbed Claus again—again—and again.
The sound of metal hitting bone echoed in the tunnel. Claus's body twitched violently. Her eyeballs rolled out of their sockets. Her jaw cracked and dropped to the floor, still twitching.
Even after Claus stopped moving, Sylvania didn't stop.
She summoned a heavy hammer, almost the size of her upper body, and with a deep scream—
BANG!
She slammed it down on Claus's head.
"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! YOU NARCISSIST BITCH!" she yelled, each word full of rage and madness.
Blood splattered everywhere—on the walls, on Sylvania's arms, even on Ethan's shoes.
By the time she was done, Claus's head was nothing but a pile of crushed bones, brain, and bloody blonde hair.
Just a broken, messy lump of flesh.
---
Farther down the tunnel…
Esdeath walked slowly with Maruti beside her. As always, Maruti kept a little distance, acting like she didn't want to be too close.
Maruti groaned, her voice tired. "Are we just gonna keep walking and walking forever?"
Esdeath nodded with a straight face. "Yes."
Before Maruti could complain more, Esdeath suddenly pulled her in close, wrapping an arm tightly around Maruti's shoulder like they were best friends walking to a festival.
Maruti blinked in shock.
"Wha—?! That's gay—! I mean—! Doesn't my halo of happiness affect you or something?!" she stuttered, clearly flustered.
Esdeath chuckled softly.
"You know why it's called the Tunnel of Evil?" she asked, her voice cool and relaxed. "Because the real evil is not the place—it's the people inside. The deeper you go, the stronger the evil thoughts. You'll get angry over stupid things, lose control, and maybe even kill someone over something small."
Maruti's eyes widened. "Wait… so it's like a zombie apocalypse, but instead of zombies, humans go crazy and kill each other?"
"Exactly," Esdeath nodded. "That's why your halo is useful. It blocks some of that evil energy. But if someone's mind is weak? Even your happiness can't save them."
Esdeath smiled sweetly, but her eyes were serious. "So just don't annoy me, and we're good."
Maruti forced a laugh and scratched the back of her neck. "Damn… now I'm scared to even sneeze." she chuckled half joking, Half serious.
After a few moments of silence, Maruti sighed. "How the hell did Ethan manage this stage before? With so many bitches by his side?"
Esdeath gave her a side glance. "Who said Ethan won?"
Maruti blinked in confusion.
Esdeath continued, "It was Kaelith who won most of the time. She always entered alone. No one to annoy her. No emotions to distract her. She just walked through."
Maruti's lips twitched with frustration. "Tch… why does she always win everything?"
She clenched her fist, face full of irritation. "It's not fair. I really wanna smack her one day."
But then she sighed and let her shoulders drop. "Ugh… but she's like two or three times stronger than me. I'd just get destroyed."
Still, her eyes glinted with determination. She clenched her fist again and raised it like a promise.
"But one day... I'll beat her ass or maybe ethan will."
Esdeath smirked. "Well, we're not even halfway through the semester. Ethan will need time to catch up with the strongest student in the academy."
She paused.
"Maybe… by the end of the year",