The school was drowned in silence.
No one spoke.
All eyes were either glued to the corpse in the bathroom—or avoided it altogether.
Gai, a man referred to as the teacher, stepped into the hallway, voice lowering:
"Everyone, back to class. Now."
No one argued.
Dathweet silently followed the stream of students.
In the classroom, the air was thick.
Each person sat spaced apart, eyes shifting, avoiding contact as if death itself might be contagious.
Gai (standing in front of the board, voice steady):
"You've all seen it… One of the students was murdered.
If it was an accident… or if someone lost control—this is your chance to confess."
No one answered.
A few heads shrunk down. Someone bit their lip. Others looked away.
And some… didn't react at all.
Gai (pauses, then continues):
"If no one comes forward, then I'm sorry—but we're not leaving this room.
I don't want to see another body because someone wandered off."
A tense silence stretched like a drawn wire.
Dathweet studied each face.
No one seemed trustworthy.
Worse… the killer could be sitting right there, smiling like a model student.
Hua:
"This is horrifying… How long do you think we'll be stuck here?"
The air was still suffocating.
Suddenly—one of the students at the back of the class collapsed.
He was trembling, sweating buckets, eyes rolled back, mouth gasping for air.
Gai rushed over:
"Don't touch him! It looks like… his heart!"
The teacher laid the boy flat, raised his legs, loosened his collar, then turned and shouted:
"We need medicine—now! Anyone who can move, go to the infirmary! Hurry!"
Dathweet didn't hesitate.
He stood up, voice brisk:
"I'll go, sir. And I think… someone should come with me."
Gai nodded:
"Yes. But only three. Stay together—and go!"
Hua immediately stood up, along with another student.
The three ran down the hall, disappearing into the corridor.
They reached the infirmary, but the door was locked. Dathweet pushed hard, but it wouldn't budge.
Dathweet:
"Hua! Do you know where the security office is? We need the keys!"
Hua, panting, hesitated for a second, then nodded:
"I think I can find it… but will there be time?"
Dathweet:
"Just go. No time to talk."
Hua immediately turned and ran off toward the security room.
Behind him, Dathweet and the remaining girl stood quietly by the door.
For a brief moment, Dathweet's worried expression vanished—replaced by a cold, calculated calm.
Some time later, Hua returned with the key.
But the hallway was silent.
No one was there.
As he turned around—
A heavy blow landed on the back of his head.
Darkness.
Back in the classroom, the seizing student didn't make it.
The atmosphere tightened like a noose.
Suddenly, Dathweet burst back into the room, his left hand bleeding, breath ragged.
Dathweet:
"Hua! It was him! He attacked us and kidnapped the other girl… I couldn't stop him!"
Gai shot to his feet:
"Everyone! To the infirmary now! No one goes alone!"
They followed Dathweet.
A trail of blood led down the hall to the left.
Everyone rushed toward it.
The infirmary door burst open.
Inside, they found Hua—holding a bloodied metal ruler.
Next to him was the girl's body.
Her clothes were disheveled, her neck bruised and strangled.
Blood pooled beneath her, and on her skin… were handprints no one could deny.
Some students burst into tears. Others vomited on the spot.
Hua (stammering, panicked):
"It wasn't me… I didn't do anything! I just woke up and—"
Dathweet (shouting):
"Don't lie! I saw you attack her! That look in your eyes… like an animal!"
Dathweet collapsed, gripping his bleeding hand.
Hua trembled, backing away.
The class slowly surrounded him, faces twisted in fear and disgust.
Gai stepped forward, trying to stay calm:
"Wait, let him explain—"
Dathweet (snapping):
"Explain? A monster like that still needs to explain? Or are you defending him, sir?"
Gai froze:
"We… we need to make a wise decision."
Hua:
"I was set up! Someone else—"
Dathweet (cutting in):
"If you were innocent, why were you still holding the ruler?
Why were you standing over the body doing nothing? No screaming, no asking for help?"
No one answered.
The silence itself became a verdict.
Dathweet:
"None of you will do it? Fine."
He walked to the medicine cabinet, grabbed hydrogen peroxide and alcohol, and poured them into a glass cup.
The room held its breath.
Gai moved to stop him:
"Dathweet, this is—"
Dathweet (interrupting):
"Are you going to stop me? Or do you want him alive to kill again?"
No one replied.
Dathweet turned and ordered a few students to hold Hua down.
They obeyed, hands trembling.
He stuffed cloth into Hua's mouth, tied him to the hospital bed with medical cords.
Hua thrashed, screaming through the gag.
Dathweet whispered into his ear:
"You're not dying because of me. You're dying because you're stupid.
And because I want the other two to know—I'm getting closer."
He set the cup beside Hua's face, where everyone could see.
No one dared touch it.
But no one set him free either.
The room turned cold.
Gai stepped back, eyes closing, as if forcing himself to accept it.
Eventually, Hua began to convulse, struggling to breathe, his face turning purple from the tight gag and bonds.
No one saved him.
And when he stopped moving, the class was left in dead silence.
Back in the classroom, the air felt like a sealed tomb.
Every glance was sharp enough to cut through the silence.
Gai:
"Alright, everyone… things are under control. No need to be so tense anymore."
Dathweet (rising, eyes cold):
"Under control? How could they be?
There's still one killer left in this room."
Panic spread through the room.
Some students glanced at each other. Others curled up in the corners.
Gai (voice low):
"What are you saying?"
Dathweet:
"Both murders were done differently.
It's highly likely they weren't committed by the same person.
Which means… there's at least one more. Maybe even more."
The room shattered into chaos.
Some trembled. Some bit their lips. No one knew who to trust.
Gai:
"Everyone calm down.
Watch your words, Dathweet. Don't spread baseless fear."
Dathweet (scoffing):
"I'm just presenting a theory.
Whether they believe it… is their choice."
Evening came.
No one spoke. No one could sleep either, but they all laid down—bodies worn to the bone.
Gai stepped onto the platform, his voice firm:
"Listen. Tonight, we'll all sleep in this room.
Two people will take turns keeping watch. Everyone else sleeps close together so it's easier to keep an eye.
Agreed?"
No objections.
Even if they didn't trust each other, having someone on watch still felt safer than closing their eyes in fear.
The first shift: Dathweet and Gai.
They sat apart, not speaking.
Their eyes met for a long moment—like a silent declaration of war.
Next shift: two other students.
Everything passed in silence.
Morning.
A sudden scream broke the stillness.
Then another one.
Everyone jolted up in panic.
Before they understood what was happening, someone shouted:
"Someone's… dead!"
Gai sprang up, face pale.
Moments later, someone else found a second body.
Dathweet stood, eyes growing darker.
Dathweet:
"It's not over yet…"
One of the bodies lay beside a desk.
The corpse was curled, face pale like mummified skin.
Blood at the corners of the mouth.
Hands clenched around the stomach like trying to claw something from inside.
No visible wounds… but the stench of something rotting was already in the air.
Dathweet (glancing over):
"Overdose. Paracetamol… definitely not a small amount."
Gai said nothing.
Just stared—like trying to absorb each word into his bones.
The second body lay near the back door of the classroom.
A knife driven straight through the back—blade buried between the spine.
The girl had collapsed forward, one hand still reaching for the door handle.
No sign of a struggle.
The death came quickly, quietly.
Blood flowed onto the floor, forming a half-dried crimson arc.
Dathweet didn't speak.
He stared at the two corpses. Then turned to face the rest of the room.
And in that thick, suffocating fear—
Someone suddenly stood and pointed a trembling finger at him.
Lau:
"Was it you?! You're the only one who'd know about poison!"
Dathweet didn't answer right away.
He slowly stood, eyes narrowed, voice calm:
Dathweet:
"Don't look at me like that.
Everyone knows I sat in the corner all night.
I never left my spot."
He walked toward a man who instinctively backed away.
Without a word, Dathweet reached into the man's pocket—
And pulled out a small bottle of pills.
The man went pale, stunned.
Dathweet (holding up the bottle):
"This… isn't mine."
The man:
"I—I don't know where that came from!"
Dathweet:
"Yesterday, I watched you.
You were the one who handed the victim a water bottle.
I don't forget that."
All eyes turned to the man.
Suspicion shifted in an instant—
And Dathweet regained control.
Before anyone could make a decision, the man bolted.
He grabbed a metal pen and pressed it against another student's neck, shaking:
The man (yelling):
"Back off! Don't make me! I—I didn't kill anyone!"
Dathweet (coldly approaching):
"Didn't kill—but you're holding a hostage?"
The man:
"I—I panicked! I didn't mean—"
Dathweet:
"You were okay killing indirectly.
But now you're shaking so hard, you'll stab someone to death any second."
At that moment, the man's hand twitched—
The metal tip plunged into the hostage's neck.
Everything shattered in seconds.
Dathweet said nothing—he rushed forward with a heavy wooden stick.
He swung it hard into the man's throat, knocking him down.
Then struck him 3–4 more times across the face until he stopped moving.
Blood pooled beneath him.
No one made a sound.
Dathweet (wiping blood off his hand):
"It's done. Now… just one left."
Seven people remain.
Silence. Tension.
Each glance sliced like a blade through the room.
Food was nearly gone—just crumbs saved from earlier.
Water had run out hours ago.
No one dared stand for more—
Afraid they'd be the next to fall.
Dathweet leaned back against the wall, eyes narrowing.
Then suddenly, he stood and stepped onto the teacher's platform—
Like he was about to deliver a final verdict.
Dathweet (dry chuckle, voice low):
"Alright, come out. I'm done playing.
I've been solving this like a detective—killed my brain doing it—and no one even said thanks."
Everyone froze—uncertain if he was serious or going mad.
Dathweet (stepping slowly):
"Seven left.
Three of them… still have blonde hair.
If I wanted to gamble, I could just kill all three—one of them's bound to be the killer."
No one moved.
Dathweet:
"Gai… I've already killed a few.
Why don't you go kill the rest?"
Gai (stepping back):
"You mean… you really killed them?
What are you saying?"
Dathweet (smirking):
"Drop the act. I know you're one of the three.
The only mystery left is… who the last one is."
The room froze.
Dathweet (glancing at two people in the back):
"And funny, isn't it?
Only you two—and Gai—didn't drink the water earlier.
Afraid of being poisoned?"
Gai turned around, face darkened, voice cracking under the weight of shallow breath:
Gai:
"You mean… you poisoned the water?"
Dathweet stepped into the center of the room, his stare sharp despite the exhaustion:
Dathweet:
"Didn't you notice?
Everyone staggering. Some have been sleeping for hours, still haven't woken up.
I used Paracetamol. Just a bit in each bottle.
If you didn't drink much—you'll survive.
Too bad… they were thirsty."
At that moment, a heavy thud rang out—
One person collapsed, body stiff, heart stopped.
Seconds later, another one fell, foaming at the mouth, eyes rolled white.
The air froze like a suffocating grip around their lungs.
Dathweet (quietly, shaking his head):
"See… two down.
Two more won't make it either. Just wait."
All eyes locked on him in terror, but no one dared move.
Time warped. Nearly an hour passed.
One began convulsing—collapsed onto the floor.
The other… slumped forward silently, never rising again.
Only three left.
Dathweet glanced at the two figures in the corner—
His eyes gleamed with realization.
Dathweet:
"Now I'm sure…
The last one who didn't drink—
Is one of you."
No one replied.
No need to pretend anymore.
Gai and Lau both drew knives from behind their backs, blades glinting under pale light.
Gai (emotionless):
"I don't know why the mission hasn't succeeded yet…
But you've gone too far."
Lau:
"You think being a good detective means you win?
Wrong, Dathweet.
There's no justice here. Only the last one standing."
Dathweet (smirking, dried blood at his lips):
"Then come.
Let's see who that'll be."
Dathweet spun around, diving under the nearest desk.
One hand grabbed a pen; the other swiftly unbuckled his belt.
While backing away, he wrapped the belt tightly around his left arm—
forming a thick protective coil from wrist to knuckles.
Gai gave him no time.
He gripped the dagger in a reverse hold—blade pointed down like a claw—
and charged, aiming straight for Dathweet's chest.
But Dathweet didn't dodge.
He twisted, raised his left arm, and slammed it into Gai's wrist,
deflecting the blade toward his side.
The knife scraped across the belted forearm—a flash of blood—but the cut wasn't deep.
Without that makeshift armor, his tendons might've been gone.
Dathweet stepped back once.
Gai stumbled, briefly losing balance.
But right then—Lau lunged from the right.
Not low—but aiming straight for Dathweet's gut, like trying to skewer him through.
Dathweet spun his left arm—still wrapped in the belt—and caught the blade mid-air.
A sharp clang rang out.
The dagger struck the belt's metal buckle—held for just one second.
Dathweet gritted his teeth,
and drove the pen in his right hand toward Lau's throat.
But Lau didn't flinch.
Instead, he reached out—blocking it head-on.
The pen pierced into his palm, puncturing the skin. Blood spurted—
but Lau didn't scream.
He gripped Dathweet's wrist tightly—like an iron vice.
Dathweet frowned.
He let go of the pen, let his hand fall, and spun his body—
delivering a sweeping low kick to Lau's right knee.
The joint buckled—Lau staggered, collapsing onto one knee.
But he still wouldn't let go.
Blood from his palm soaked Dathweet's wrist, but Lau's eyes stayed wild and unblinking—like a beast.
He clenched his jaw, clinging to Dathweet like a madman.
Dathweet wasted no words.
He unwrapped the belt, coiled it around the arm holding him—
then yanked it back, wrenching the shoulder joint.
Lau twisted, resisting—
but Dathweet's knee shot up.
Once—slamming into his chin.
Again—smashing into his nose.
Lau toppled backward. His hand slipped.
His face—smeared in blood.
Dathweet exhaled hard,
bent down, and retrieved the dagger from the floor.
His eyes darkened.
Ahead—Gai stepped out from the shadows.
No more pretending. His face calm—his eyes cold and heavy as stone.
In his hand—a double-edged dagger, gleaming with a steel chill.
Dathweet tightened his grip on the knife.
His left hand still wrapped in the belt—ready to defend.
No warning. No hesitation.
He charged.
Gai stepped forward—calm, spinning the dagger on his finger.
His face was blank.
His eyes dry, hollow—like looking at a corpse already decided.
Dathweet stared back—drained, but refusing to let go.
His back hunched slightly, knees bent—
ready to pounce, like a beast with nowhere left to run.
Gai struck first.
A direct thrust to the chest—fast as lightning.
Dathweet twisted, his belted arm slamming across—deflecting the blade.
Gai immediately reversed—slicing upward.
The tip grazed Dathweet's cheek—drawing a sharp red line.
But Dathweet didn't retreat.
He pressed in, pinning Gai against a pillar.
His left hand clamped onto Gai's wrist.
His right hand stabbed forward.
Gai twisted, blocking—
but the blade still scraped his side. Blood flowed.
Gai grunted, slashed back—then bit into Dathweet's shoulder like an animal.
Dathweet roared—
and rammed his forehead into Gai's face.
Gai staggered—blood spurting from his nose.
Just then—Lau crawled up behind, bloodied, one eye swollen shut—
but still holding a knife.
He screamed like a demon—lunging for Dathweet's back.
But Dathweet heard him.
He yanked Gai toward him—
using him as a human shield.
The knife plunged into Gai's back.
Gai screamed—kicked backward, sending Lau flying.
Dathweet turned—
his blade swept out.
The knife carved cleanly across Lau's throat—a perfect slice.
He froze—eyes wide—then collapsed, too stunned to make a sound.
Gai dropped, too—dagger still in his back, foam at his mouth.
He crawled a few steps—then lay still on the cold wooden floor.
Dathweet stood between the bodies.
His entire body torn and bloodied.
His shirt soaked. One hand trembling.
The other pressed against a wound in his side.
No sound.
No one left.
Only him—
and a dead academy.
He dropped to his knees, sitting on the blood-streaked floor.
The room still reeked of blood and disinfectant.
His vision blurred.
The pain in his gut made every breath feel like tearing cloth.
But he held onto the knife—
just in case… of a final counterattack.
Suddenly, a faint rustle behind him.
The blonde girl—thought to be one of the victims—
slowly opened her eyes.
She blinked in confusion—then jerked upright, panicked.
Dathweet turned back, exhaling in relief.
He growled:
Dathweet:
"Relax. I didn't kill you.
You're still alive… because I won."
She looked around—three corpses, blood everywhere.
Still stunned, her eyes wide with fear.
Dathweet:
"I gave you a sedative earlier.
So they'd think you were already dead.
Just… hid you."
He lifted his head toward the ceiling, gasping for breath, and shouted:
Dathweet:
"IT'S OVER! I WON! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"
In that instant—the entire space trembled.
White light began to flood from the four corners—
washing over everything.
No more blood.
No more corpses.
No more heartbeats.
Only light.
And a slow, fading pulse.
When he opened his eyes—
he was standing on a fog-covered street.
Cool breeze.
Old streetlamps cast dim yellow glows.
Lyun was standing beside him.
She smiled—eyes holding something unspoken.
Lyun:
"Seems like… you survived another brutal battle."
Dathweet sighed, wiping dried blood from the corner of his mouth:
Dathweet:
"Yeah. But this time… I'm really tired."
Lyun gently turned, her gaze toward the crumbling buildings ahead:
Lyun:
"We have to go.
It's coming."
Dathweet frowned:
Dathweet:
"You mean… the two-meter tall thing?
Looks like a bloated child stitched together?"
Lyun (nodding):
"Yes. The pursuer.
If we stay even a few minutes longer… we won't escape again."
He clenched his fist, his gaze steadying:
Dathweet:
"Alright. Let's go.
Next stop… is the center of Hollow Echo."
The two of them stepped into the alley ahead.
The fog grew heavier. Rusted signs creaked.
And from afar…
a faint, eerie sound echoed—
Like the giggle of a child.
— End of Chapter —