Cron entered through the academy's main building, going to Class 1-A1's classroom. It was located on the second floor that was dedicated to first-year students. This time, he followed Callum—half a step behind him. As he walked along the hallways, he briefly thought about the topic of gods he had with Callum.
Being the loner he was, he didn't have many friends, especially young gods like him.
He enjoyed the solace of being alone, in the comfort of his home.
Still, beneath the solitude, there was a part of him that desired not the attention but connection. But would he do it?
His little sister? We don't talk about his little sister.
"Gods go to Class A classes... Maybe I can learn from them." Cron thought to himself. He had met one already; all he had to do was to take the initiative, and he would be fine... Right?
Eventually, the two of them made their way to the classroom without any problem, only receiving a few gossip and stares every now and then on their journey.
The room itself was very spacious. Magical lamps embedded in the walls bathed the area with a soft amber glow. The tiered seating formed a crescent around the elevated platform; it was large enough to accommodate about 50 students. Numerous leather-bound tomes, documents, and even magical instruments Cron could barely recognize crammed the shelves; some were also lying on the professor's desk.
He took a seat in the center row of tiered seating, right beside the staircase to the exit, which divided the rows of seats into two groups. From this vantage point, he had a clear view of the lectern without drawing the attention of his classmates—or, hopefully the professor.
"Anyway, where's that Celeste?" He asked in his thought. She should be here, right?
There was still some time left before class started, so there weren't many students inside the room. Even the professor was nowhere to be found.
"Wow, look at this..." Someone's voice echoed from behind—it was Callum,
Cron turned and found Callum near the exit of the classroom, cautiously inspecting some sort of peculiar crystalline stone that looked like clear quartz. Knowing the academy, though, it was safe to say they wouldn't be interested in a crystal as mundane as quartz.
Callum wasn't alone, however, as several students were also just as curious as him, inspecting any objects that piqued their interest.
"Some sort of crystal..." The boy was about to graze his finger against the unknown crystal surface when—
"I WOULDN'T TOUCH THAT IF I WERE YOU, YOUNG LAD!" A booming voice echoed around the classroom like a thunderclap, causing everyone nearby to flinch like a bear caught in a bear trap.
A dwarf dressed in a scholar's robe descended the stairs with an air of dignity. With his arms behind his back and his posture upright, he directed his piercing emerald eyes at Callum, rendering the latter petrified under the weight of his condescending glare.
Behind him was Celeste who was silently observing the scene. Some of the girls were standing behind her—though this time, there were much fewer of them in the class.
"Where did that rude auburn girl go?"
"ONE TOUCH AND YOUR SKIN WILL MELT!" The dwarf scholar followed before going silent.
"!!!" Callum immediately pulled his hand away from the stone. His face turned pale and lost its vigor—even more so when he made eye-to-eye contact with the scary dwarf.
"Weird, that stone doesn't look dangerous. If anything, that dwarf looks scarier," Cron thought, glancing between the crystal, Callum, the dwarf scholar, and... Celeste.
"Wait, is she staring at me? Should I stare back? Staring contest? Game on!"
Meanwhile, the dwarf kept staring and staring at Callum... And staring until—
He grinned.
"LUCKILY, THAT THING'S RAN OUT OF JUICES! HA!" The dwarf walked past the frightened Callum and grabbed the stone with his bare hands as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"NAME'S DIVINESTONE. I BORROWED IT FROM THE HEADMISTRESS HERSELF... FOR STUDY" The dwarf continued walking—his destination, the lectern on the elevated platform, "THIS THING IS CAPABLE OF ABSORBING A GOD'S POWER; 'TIS TOXIC TO MORTALS!. UNFORTUNATELY—"
"IT'S USELESS!" He threw the crystal toward the nearby trash bin in the corner.
He missed.
"HMPH! NOW SIT DOWN, YOUNGSTERS! I'M DR. PHLIM PUMICE—BRONZE DWARF, MASTER ALCHEMIST AND ARTIFICER! WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! I'LL BE YOUR HOMEROOM TEACHER THIS YEAR!" The dwarf's booming voice filled the room demanding attention. He introduced himself as he walked towards the lectern without looking back.
For a brief moment, Cron locked eyes with Dr. Pumice who began to eye him up and down; though, he didn't say anything.
"Tsk... I don't even know why I tried to touch it" Callum grumbled.
"Never seen a crystal before?" Cron quipped, sighing.
*...Ugh, you're right" Callum winced as he took a seat beside Cron.
The two boys exchanged a few words, not paying attention to Dr. Pumice who continued talking about random subjects... Well, he had come early; he had to wait for the other students to arrival.
Few minutes later.
"ALRIGHT, LETS GET STARTED!!... HMM, LETS SEE..." Dr. Pumice announced and fell into his thought, seeing that more students began to pour in. "THIS IS A RARE CHANCE! GODS!! STAND UP AND SHOW YOURSELVES"
"...Dammit"
°°°°
Somewhere in a distant universe.
Night shrouded the forest in its pitch-black darkness and mystery. Under the moonless, starless sky, the once-vibrant woodland stood as a jagged silhouette that stretched endlessly beyond the edge of sight. The chilling mists crept eerily between the trunks, seeping through the leaves and the underbrush like restless spirits—carrying the damp, earthy smell of the wet soil.
One dare not tread amidst this woodland of darkness—except for one brave soul.
Rustle... Rustle...
The night was silent. Only the crunch of dead leaves beneath his feet and the slow rhythm of his breathing broke the silent. Various animal carcasses hung over his shoulder.
The time was perfect—
The time for the hunt.
Clack!
"Haaa..." He cycled the bolt of his sniper rifle, steadied his breathing, and aimed at his next target—his finger tightened around the trigger.
The crosshairs, still as death, aligned with the animal's head.
And then—
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!! RUMBLE!!!
The earth beneath his target shook violently and began to crumble; a strange purple light seeped through the cracks. He briefly saw the animal disintegrate into dust—without even a chance to scream.
"...What the—... Cough!! AGHHH!!" Suddenly, the man felt weak and experienced burning pain all over his body as countless boils appeared on his skin, causing him to fall to the ground. A metallic aftertaste filled his mouth as he coughed out blood.
Too weak to move, he watched as the horror unfolded before him.
"ZCHREEEK-tkk-tkk!..." Slowly, an eldritch-looking creature crawled out of the ground. Its body is sleek and black as the darkest night—pulsing with peculiar purple energy.
The creature's head had no eyes, somewhat a grotesque fusion between that of a shark, anglerfish, and axolotl. Its mouth was lined with row upon row of needle-like teeth; each tooth moved independently at the creature's will. Its deathly-thin forelimbs, longer than its hindlimbs, clawed the earth with its razor-sharp talons.
Occasionally, space shifted around the creature like a disturbed still water, creating mini portals that spawned creepy hands of some unknown entity—grasping as if they were trying to drag something—or someone—into an inescapable abyss.
"Oh, God... What is that?!" The man shouted. His survival instincts kicked in as his body went numb of the pain; he began to drag himself as far away as possible.
Whoosh!!!
The creature began to mindlessly move like shadow. One of its limbs was caught in one of its portals—causing it to stagger. The portal widened and almost engulfed the creature.
"K'TCHH!...HIIIEEKKKKKKK!" The creature let out a loud shriek, sending out a shockwave. The purple glow on his body intensified.
"ACKKKK!!! GOD!! SOMEONE!! HELP!!!" The man screamed in agony as his injuries intensified, his skin and flesh looked as if it was going to melt if he stayed any longer. Tears welled up from his bloodshot eyes.
The creature tried crawl out of the portal, clawing anything it could reach just to get out but the void pulled it harder.
It failed.
The creature disappeared just as it had appeared; its guttural cries drowning as it disappeared into the unknown.
"...!" The man looked at the scene in disbelief. As the adrenaline rush faded, he slumped to forest floor from exhaustion and immense pain. He coughed out even more blood.
He survived.
"Man, I'm never poaching again... Never..." He murmured to himself, lying on the floor in fetal position.
"Never..."
"Never..."
"Never...Never...Ne—"
"Never... NeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNeverNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVER!!!"
"Never", the man repeated the word over and over. His throat began to hurt but he didn't stop.
Soon—
"Ha... ha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" He laughed—maniacally.
Under the empty night sky, the manic laugh of a man echoed through the silence of the forest.