Shita was fed up. He had given up on mastering the fire attribute and decided he was going to escape the school. The moonlight was a source of weakness for the Fire Clan, so he planned to use that to his advantage.
Placing mirrors near the dorms to reflect the moonlight into each window was his plan B.
When lights-out began, the Fire Clan students were already weakened by the moonlight — and the reflected light only deepened their fatigue, ensuring they would be in a deep slumber through the night.
He dragged his sleeping roommate, a Fire Clan member, to the Embers Gate. Placing the boy's hand upon the burning surface, the gate instantly became null of fire.
The Embers Gate was meant to protect the clan from outside attackers, and anyone not of the clan who touched it would have their soul burned away.
When his plan was complete, Shita hid the sleeping boy behind a bush and opened the gate.
Strolling through the street, he suddenly felt something staring at him from the far end of the road.
"Am I really that tired? Guess I'll just ignore that and head the other way," he muttered, rubbing his eyes as if to shake off a hallucination.
He turned another way—walking, then running, speeding up, stopping. But no matter where he went, the feeling followed.
And this time, he couldn't ignore it.
What was following him was not human.
It was a humongous being — its eyes crimson, its shape grotesque. On its head were several eyes arranged in a perfect circle. All of them stared directly into Shita's soul.
His body was numb. He couldn't move.
It was as if all the fear in the world had gathered into one single entity.
The Nightmare Deity.
When Shita had lived in the streets, he'd heard stories about it — but he never believed any of them. Now, paralyzed by its presence, he cursed his luck and regretted stepping outside the academy in the middle of the night.
The being watched him for a long time, then spoke.
Its voice slithered through the air like a whisper from the void.
"Which is the better choice… death, or suffering?"