Elira cried.

  They were not normal tears.

  Thick, viscous black liquid poured from her empty sockets. It dripped onto the floor, hissing as it touched the stone.

  Drip.

  Drip.

  Splash.

  The liquid spread rapidly, creating a pool of darkness that swallowed the light.

  From the pool, a black, disfigured hand clawed its way out. Then another. Then a hundred.

  Rovan stood frozen, his hand still gripping the torn fabric of Elira's uniform. He looked down at the abyss spreading beneath his feet.

  "What the..."

  He never finished the sentence.

  A tentacle whipped through the air. It moved faster than the eye could follow.

  It struck Rovan.

  There was no resistance. No crunch of bone. He simply exploded.

  One second, he was a bully. The next, he was red mist and wet chunks splashing against the flesh-covered walls and onto the faces of the shocked students.

  The lackeys froze. The blood on their faces was warm.

  They opened their mouths to scream. Their lungs pushed air up their throats. They tried to shriek in terror.

  But no sound escaped.

  The domain had stolen their voices.

  Chaos erupted. And so did the monsters.

  The students turned and ran. They flailed silently, panic contorting their faces. They slammed their fists against the wall where the door used to be. But the door was gone. There was only pulsing, breathing meat.

  They clawed at the walls until their fingernails broke. Nothing happened.

  They turned back to beg. To plead for mercy.

  But no words were allowed in this place.

  This was hell.

  And Marcelline had to witness it.

  She sat on the floor, her legs useless. A golden barrier, powered by her royal necklace, glowed around her. It was the only light in the room.

  The monsters slammed against her barrier, gnashing their teeth, but they couldn't break in.

  So she sat there. Safe. Watching her classmates dragged into the floor. Watching limbs torn apart. Watching the silence devour everything.

  They were running, but it didn't matter. I grabbed them. I ripped their limbs off one by one. Blood gushed out. Their faces contorted, trying to scream, but no sound escaped. There was only silence in this place.

  It was peaceful.

  Their limbless bodies fell to the ground. I stood up. I grabbed them again. This time, I ripped their torsos apart. Blood and intestines gushed out, mixing with the other blood on the floor. A little pool of human leftovers.

  It was disgusting. It was fascinating. I should have done this sooner.

  "..."

  Why did I stand up? What was I looking for again?

  "...."

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  Whatever. Next.

  I turned my head to my main target. A golden barrier protected her, but it would not protect her forever. I didn't remember what happened, but I wanted her dead. I wanted everyone in this room dead. Except him. But who... who was he?

  I should focus on killing that bitch.

  Shaking my head, I started walking toward the barrier. But someone grabbed my leg. I halted, looking down. A boy held back my leg. A bruised and fragile boy. He tried to say something, but only silence reached my ears. I ordered my monster to execute him, but...

  Why... did he look so familiar?

  Amidst my hesitation, the room trembled. The wall shattered into pieces, a hole opening from it. An old man breached in. He rushed toward the bitch the moment he saw her.

  YOU WILL NOT GET HER AWAY!

  This was not the time for hesitation. I ordered my tentacles to slap the boy away. The monster would handle the execution. I would not let her get away.

  The old man was strong, but he had someone to protect. I got one of his arms. Soon, I would get his life. Just like that boy trying to stop me.

  "..."

  Oh.

  No.

  No no no no no no no.

  "Hm-hm-hm..."

  Ms. Livia hummed a cheerful tune as she organized her files.

  She paused to look at Elira's file. A smile touched her lips. She was truly a miracle worker. The girl had gone from a suicidal recluse to a hopeful student in just a few months.

  "I really should ask for a raise," she murmured to herself.

  Then, she felt it.

  The air in the office grew heavy. The potted plant on her desk withered instantly, turning brown and crumbling to dust.

  A wave of mana washed over the academy.

  It was pure, distilled dread. It tasted like iron and old nightmares.

  "What in the world..."

  Ms. Livia ran to the window.

  Black smoke poured out of the first-year classroom building. And... were those tentacles?

  She ran to the hallway.

  By the time she arrived at the source, the corridor was a war zone.

  Senior teachers were already there, casting fire and lightning. They were fighting strange, shadow-creatures that leaked out of the walls.

  "Push them back! Do not let them reach the dorms!"

  "My magic... it's not working properly!"

  BOOM.

  An explosion rocked the hallway.

  The wall of the classroom burst outward. Debris flew everywhere.

  The Vice President of the academy stepped out of the hole.

  He looked terrible. His clothes were tattered. His face was grave. And his left arm was gone... severed at the shoulder.

  In his remaining arm, he carried Princess Marcelline.

  She was unconscious, but her body shook violently.

  "Vice President!" A teacher rushed forward. "Your arm!"

  "Focus on the containment!" the Vice President barked, ignoring his wound. "Seal the breach! Nothing comes out!"

  Behind him, the hole in the wall began to knit itself back together. Flesh grew over the bricks, sealing the classroom once more.

  "Out of the way."

  A deep voice commanded.

  The President appeared.

  His hands didn’t move. There was no magic circle. But as he walked, every shadow-monster in the hallway disintegrated into dust.

  "President! The student inside... Elira..."

  "I know," the President said. His eyes were cold. "Her range is expanding. If we do not stop this now, the entire academy will be consumed."

  He stopped in front of the flesh-sealed room.

  "Erect the Grand Barrier. Type 4. We are draining the mana from the inside."

  "But sir! If we drain it that fast, the caster might die from shock!"

  "Do it."

  The teachers formed a circle. A massive magic circle appeared on the floor.

  Inside the classroom, the silence was absolute.

  The red mist had settled. The monsters had retreated into the shadows, sated.

  Elira sat in the center of the room.

  The black voids in her eyes had faded, leaving behind her normal, tear-stained eyes.

  She was hugging something.

  It was Arlen.

  Or... what was left of him.

  She had regained consciousness for just a second. Just long enough to see a tentacle... her tentacle... pierce through his chest.

  "Arlen..."

  Elira whispered, her voice hoarse.

  She tried to push the blood back into him. She tried to hold him together.

  "...Wake up. Please..."

  He didn't answer. His glasses lay broken on the floor.

  The walls began to vibrate. The mana in the room was being forcibly sucked out by the teachers outside.

  Elira felt her strength leaving her. The darkness in the room began to fade. The flesh on the walls turned to grey ash.

  She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream.

  But her tears had run out.

  As her vision faded to black, she held onto his cold hand.

  I'm sorry.

  Elira slumped forward, falling unconscious on top of the boy she had killed.

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  Hope you enjoy the story, and thanks for giving it a chance.