After these words, several other girls and boys emerged from their hiding spots, approaching the door behind the first two. The soldiers were both surprised and fascinated.
"What are you doing? Bring the first-aid kit quickly," ordered the commander.
Immediately, the soldiers set down their weapons one by one to reassure their guests, aiming to help them with food and medical care. Still, the adolescents remained wary until one of the girls, carrying a boy whose left arm had been torn, moved forward to plead for the soldiers' assistance.
They quickly administered first aid, successfully saving his life. Seeing this, the others took steps forward to receive care and support. Despite their efforts to remain strong, they were all in terrible condition, some worse than others.
The soldiers improvised a camp to treat the wounded and feed them.
"Hang in there, you'll make it," said a soldier, removing the clothing of a girl who had a scratch on her back.
And so it went for all of them. Some had mangled feet, others wounds on their chest or face, and so on. While most were being treated, those in slightly better condition approached the leader of the troop: a high school boy with a large sword, another in armor, and a girl with a broken arm.
"So, who are you? Where are we? What is happening?"
"I'll try to explain, but first, calm down," replied the woman in full armor.
"Calm down?!" shouted the boy with the sword, only to be stopped by the girl, who gestured to their comrades watching nervously.
"Stop. They are barely holding their composure, so let's try to do the same."
"Tssk," muttered the boy.
"And you—are you the same age as the others? Where did you get that armor?" asked the warrior, looking at the armored boy.
"I won't tell you. Not until we get some answers," he replied.
"Very well. Then you shall have your answers. But my duty is not to speak with you. I will take you to my superior. Rest assured: whatever you experienced there, you are now safe."
"That's for us to decide," replied the boy with the sword.
A tense silence fell. The soldiers tried to earn their trust, but the adolescents remained wary.
"As soon as your lives are no longer in danger due to your injuries, we will leave this forest. Take a moment to rest," said the commander.
"We've rested long enough. We just want answers," yelled the boy with the sword.
"I understand, but…"
"Tell us why all our friends are dead!" he shouted again, cutting her off.
The commander and her troops paused, contemplating the horrific injuries these children bore and imagining the ones within their hearts.
"Very well. Let's go," she said. "I will take you to the answers."
The group packed up and returned through the forest, keeping the adolescents at the center of their formation. Many were wounded and exhausted, yet determined to find answers. One of them paid close attention to their benefactors, discreetly observing their weapons and armor, speculating about the situation.
"Hmm… clearly, these are not regular soldiers. I don't know where we are, but one thing is certain: we are not out of danger."
As they walked, a light appeared in the distance. Their eyes widened, captivated by the dazzling glow. The adolescents hurried toward it.
They emerged from the forest into a vast, green meadow stretching endlessly. The shadows of the forest had dulled their senses, making the sunlight seem almost unreal.
"The sun?"
"It's light?"
"The sun?"
"It's really… the sun?"
They marveled at its beauty, but there was no time to fully enjoy it. Reinforcements arrived: one soldier rode a carriage drawn by white horses, stopping in front of the adolescents.
A man descended, dressed in fine high-society clothes and escorted by hundreds of soldiers.
"Thank you for making the journey, Viscount Druite," said the commander, kneeling.
"Rise, Captain," the man said, tilting his nose as he exited the carriage.
He was around forty, proud and commanding. A tent was set up for shade before he consulted the captain and then approached the adolescents.
"Alright, we can't hear all of you, so one of you must speak."
The boy with the sword began to protest, but the girl stepped forward instead.
"My name is Elisabeth. I am the class delegate, and I speak on behalf of all my classmates here."
"Very well," the man said disinterestedly. "How many of you survived?"
"Twenty in total, though there were thousands in the school when we were pulled here."
"Hm… more than I expected," he said, irritating the other adolescents.
"And you have a question?"
"Yes!"
"Who are you?" asked the girl, before a voice shouted from behind, "We don't care about him! We just want to know what happened."
But the girl didn't turn around, continuing to face the man.
"Seems like you are the most educated of your class. Very well. The least you can do is introduce yourself. I am Viscount Hazval V Druite."
"Thank you," the girl replied. "But I have another question."
"No need, I'll tell you. In fact, you come from a rift between worlds. It's a passage that connects two worlds. So, right now, you are in another world—ours."
The man's words left the adolescents speechless.
"We have nothing to do with your presence here. But our king, in his benevolence, launched this expedition to help you after the appearance of that massive building in the forest."
"How did you know we would be there?"
"Because it's not the first time this has happened. We try to stay as vigilant as possible. Though, sometimes, it doesn't always work—as in your case. We are truly sorry for your friends."
The idea of being in another world alone was enough to unsettle the adolescents. They were overwhelmed by different emotions, so much so that most of them no longer followed the conversation. Yet the girl and the Viscount continued speaking for some time before he invited them to eat first, before making any decisions.
"You… leave us to ourselves?" asked the girl in fear.
"Why not eat first? We brought meals for you."
"Do you think we really want to eat after that?"
"Ha…," sighed the Viscount. "Sorry to say this, but our mission is simply to help you up to a point—and that point is already reached. Well, almost, since we haven't yet explained why some of you have supernatural abilities, though I'm sure you can guess."
"No, we guess nothing! Tell us!" shouted Elisabeth in panic.
"Hmm… have you… encountered anything strange?" asked the Viscount.
Immediately, an indescribable fear appeared on the girl's face. She took a step back and held her head in terror. Indeed, they had encountered something strange. The man's question hit them like a stone on calm water, bringing back buried memories, and the adolescents began trembling in fear.
It had happened after an extremely violent scene, in a room filled with corpses and blood from floor to ceiling. The place resembled a gym, but it was stained red with blood. Some of the survivors, including the class delegate, were paralyzed with fear at the sight of a creature standing on a platform before them.
The immense pressure emanating from the creature was so great that the girl involuntarily wet herself—and she was not alone. Everyone else had the same fearful expression, trembling in front of the creature, which mocked them from the platform, holding a teacher's head in its hands and stepping on the dismembered bodies of the staff.
"Pfff… Pfff… Pfff," the creature hissed. Its head was round and enormous, its body human-like. "Welcome to my world. Welcome, all of you. Well, a few managed to escape. I hope they survived. Pfff… Pfff… Pfff," it mocked. "The challenge is to stay alive until the end. After the count, the survivors will earn the right to live, and the most skilled will receive gifts from me, increasing their chances in life. If you have questions, don't ask them. You've seen what I do to fools. Now, I leave you. Enjoy your new life. Pfff… Pfff… Pfff… and… good luck."