The silence that followed was thicker than blood.
Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. Even the wind had gone still, as if afraid to disturb what had just happened.
The boy's body still twitched in the courtyard, steam rising from the wet stone beneath him. Kairo couldn't look away. That could have been him. Could still be him.
Aria stepped forward first, calm as ever, stepping over a thin trail of blood like it was nothing more than a spilled drink.
"Move," she muttered at the others.
It broke the spell.
The group began walking, some hesitantly, others in numb silence. Kairo followed, his shoes crunching against something that wasn't quite gravel. When he looked down, he saw more bones. Small ones. Fingers? Teeth?
The path curved through the fog toward a towering black building that pulsed with red light through its windows. The architecture looked like a blend of old-world cathedral and prison — sharp spires, barred windows, stone walls streaked with grime.
The doors opened on their own with a groan. A wide hallway stretched into shadow. The smell of metal and something sour lingered in the air.
A tall woman stood waiting just inside — white uniform, surgical gloves, clipboard in hand, smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"Welcome to your new home," she said. "Class D, please form a line."
They didn't.
So she stepped forward and slammed her clipboard into the wall. The sound cracked like a gunshot.
"Now."
The group scrambled into formation. Kairo found himself behind a tall girl with twin braids and a boy who kept muttering to himself.
"You'll each be assigned a number, a bed, and a blood ID tag," the woman continued. "Try not to lose it. The system doesn't like mistakes."
She handed each student a thin metal bracelet as they passed. Kairo's clicked onto his wrist like a shackle. Number 17.
Blood-red digits lit up on the surface.
Aria got 16. Of course she did.
They were led through the dormitory — cracked marble floors, peeling wallpaper, metal doors marked with student numbers. Cameras blinked in every corner. One hallway ended in what looked like a locked morgue.
The woman didn't explain.
She simply stopped in front of a door and turned.
"You'll find your schedules posted by midnight. Your first trial is at sunrise. Sleep if you can. Or don't. It makes no difference."
Then she walked away, heels echoing like gunfire in the empty corridor.
Inside his room, Kairo found only the bare essentials: a metal-framed bed, a desk bolted to the floor, a flickering lightbulb, and a small screen embedded in the wall.
It blinked once and displayed the words:
STUDENT 17: STATUS – PENDINGSURVIVAL RANK: UNDETERMINED
He sat on the bed. The mattress was cold and stiff. Like something meant for a corpse, not a student.
Someone knocked.
He opened the door to find Aria standing there, arms crossed.
"You're slower than you look," she said.
Kairo blinked. "Excuse me?"
"You hesitated when the Headmaster killed that boy. That kind of indecision will get you killed."
He stared at her. "He was murdered. What was I supposed to do—clap?"
She shrugged. "No. But you could've used the moment. Everyone else was frozen. You could've moved. Observed. Taken mental notes."
"You sound like you've done this before."
"I haven't," she said. "But I'm not surprised by it."
"Why not?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she leaned slightly closer.
"Listen carefully, Kairo Venn. This place... it doesn't reward strength. It rewards control. Over yourself, and others. Over fear. Panic. Emotion. The moment you lose it, you lose everything."
"You know a lot for someone who just got here."
Her lips curled into a strange smile. "I read fast."
Then, without another word, she turned and walked away.
At midnight, the screen in his room beeped.
The schedule appeared:
TRIAL 1: CLASSROOM D – 06:00
MANDATORY ATTENDANCE. FAILURE WILL RESULT IN ELIMINATION.
Below it, smaller text blinked:
Number of students currently enrolled: 20
Kairo tried to sleep, but the room felt wrong. The walls were too quiet. No insects. No distant hum of pipes. Just that feeling — the same one from the train — like the world had been paused. Or worse, that something was watching, waiting for movement.
He stared at the ceiling until the screen flashed again.
05:30 – PREPARE
He dressed in the school uniform that had been left for him: black jacket, white shirt, dark pants, all pressed perfectly. No blood yet.
Not yet.
By 5:55, he stood outside Classroom D.
Other students were gathering. Some looked like they hadn't slept at all. Others — like Aria — looked unfazed, even bored.
At exactly 06:00, the doors opened on their own.
The classroom inside was twisted. Desks arranged in a circle. A pedestal in the center with a large red button. Blood already stained the tile under it. Cameras in every corner. A chalkboard behind the pedestal read:
TRIAL ONE: PUSH OR PERISH
As they entered, the door slammed shut behind them.
A voice crackled over hidden speakers — not the Headmaster this time, but something automated.
"Good morning, Class D. You have 10 minutes to complete today's trial. One of you must press the button. If no one does, all of you will be eliminated. Begin."
Gasps. Panic.
Kairo's breath caught in his throat.
One button. One choice. One death — maybe more.
He glanced across the circle. Eyes met his. Some pleading. Some terrified.
And there, across the room, Aria was already sitting calmly, her legs crossed, watching him like a cat waiting for something interesting to happen.
She smiled.