Chapter 5

Change of Fate (2)

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Anna Digmaan couldn't help but think, 'Did I offend some god to put me into this dire predicament?'

"I don't want to die!"

"Please let us go!"

"May Dalisay have mercy on us!"

"Waaaaaah!"

The abducted people writhed and struggled as they were manhandled by their captors, who were clad in dark garb adorned with a grim emblem of a black skull shedding blood-red tears. The cells around them were full of people-adults and youngsters-and from the looks of it, they were the latest to be held captive in this place.

In the third cell, one of these hooded figures yanked a young man wearing a Starlight Academy uniform out of the cell with force, while the other captors watched on with cold, unfeeling eyes.

The hapless student begged and pleaded for mercy, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. "L-let me go!" he cried out as he was dragged away.

"Get him to the chamber!" the hooded figure barked.

Anna couldn't help but close her eyes as she and the other captives listened to the agonized screams that echoed through the halls again, indicating what was happening to the unfortunate soul who had been taken to that dreaded chamber.

"I don't want to die, I don't want to die. I don't want to die."

The civilian girl wearing a dirty pink and white blouse beside Anna hugged her knees, shaking as she whispered like a broken record.

Anna tried her best to remain calm and composed, but the sheer helplessness of the situation made it difficult for her to do so. She and the others had been brought to this hall, still dressed in their casual clothing, their hands tied together in front of them with black rings that nullified their mana.

But Anna was more terrified than the others. From a young age, she had been able to remember fragments of a past life after hitting her head on the thick root of a large old tree, of a world where magic and other intelligent species were just a fantasy. She and her twin brother had lived a peaceful life until they were scouted by the Starlight Academy, which trains talented and gifted students to become the best in their field and defend this world from monsters and dangerous criminals, thanks to their ability despite their status being villagers outside the city.

But now, she was a captive of the Grimm Cult, and her memories of her past life were somehow clearer than ever before. She realized with growing horror that this world was a novel written by her best friend.

A Modern-Fantasy novel where many of its characters died!

And worse still, she was not one of the main characters, but the younger twin sister of the male protagonist who didn't even last a single chapter!

Anna doesn't know what exactly happened but in the first chapter of the novel "The Heroes of the Academy", she knew that this was the moment when the male lead would experience the first tragic moment of his life. He would arrive too late, and she would be among the dead, devoured by the monster in that chamber. And the cheat-like mysterious character with silver eyes, who had sided with the monster, would be present, covered in a large torn cloak as she gazed at the main character who cried with grief and anger at the sight of his younger twin sister's corpse.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The description was vivid and the way it was written brought chills even to the veteran readers who commented that it was too gruesome for the first chapter of a novel and joked about why the main character and final boss quickly meet.

Not that she could blame them for thinking so as her brother who was gifted and stronger than the average people of his age was unable to hit even the inch of their clothes. Like a small kid trying to hit a trained adult with their fist.

And the part where they left her brother half death despite him cursing them with great hatred and vowing to chase after them to the of the world; Then showing up in a later scene where the mysterious character massacred the cult members without letting anyone alive caused a lot of discussion and debate among the readers about the true identity of this character in a such heart-wrenching novel.

Nonetheless, while the first appearance of this mysterious character is terrible, she knows that the mysterious character whose name was never revealed is not the enemy of mankind or the antagonist of this world. A morally gray character whose goals are unclear but held no ill intent to the main characters nor to mankind.

'Before we get sacrifice... I need that guy to get here to stop this tragedy!' Anna thought, glancing at the closed metal doors with knitted brows.

Before they were thrown here, she had managed to put a time bomb with a mana signal. She wanted their rescuers to follow the trail but, if it is possible, she wants that guy to come here as soon as possible!

"Stop crying already!" Someone said in a harsh tone, making Anna look beside her where the crying girl yelped at the owner of the harsh voice that spoke.

She sees an irritated girl with golden blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Her hands were bound tightly by thick ropes, and her clothes were dirty and torn.

Judging from her appearance, she looked like a mercenary wearing a faded brown leather jacket that had seen better days. Underneath, she wore a black t-shirt and has her snug-fitting black jeans tucked into tall leather boots.

"Pull yourself together because your voice is irritating me crazy!" She hissed as the pair of ears on her choppy, layered bob haircut just above her shoulders twitched as she glared at the girl who closed her lips while shrieking away from her.

Anna blinked in doubt, her eyes looking at the appearance of the Feline Shifter 'Wait a minute... Is this girl who I think-!?'

It was then, the ground shook violently, sending shockwaves through the cramped place and eliciting panicked cries from the captives. Hope flickered in their eyes as they wondered if this was finally the moment of their rescue.

"W-what was that!"

"Are w-we finally being rescued?"

"Are they finally here?"

"Fucking shits!" One of the captors cursed, waving his hands to the other cult members, "Go check that out!"

As almost half of them went to check the situation, the blonde-haired Feline Shifter seized her chance. With a sudden burst of strength, she broke free of her restraints and pounced on the cult member holding a long dagger. She skillfully kicked the adam apple of the cult member in the air and grabbed the dagger before she landed on the ground.

"Get that animal!" Someone who saw her shouted, alarming the other remaining captors.

The blonde-haired Feline Shifter clicked her tongue, "I ain't dying in this shit-hole!" She yelled with a fierce light in her eyes as she jumped up, using the short sword of the cult member that tried to cut her as leverage to swiftly slash the dagger in his eyes.

"Ugh!"

"Get her-Agh!"

"Just shoot her!"

"Die-!"

"Close the door!"

"Don't let her get away!"

Anna watched with awe as the blonde-haired Feline Shifter moved swiftly through the cult members, fiercely fighting back as she swiftly parry their attacks with ease.

'That girl should be Levina!'

Anna thought, recalling the blonde-haired Feline Shifter that followed the mysterious character throughout the story.

'Why was she doing here?' Anna thought, 'Could this be where they will meet?'

The ground shook once more, this time even more violently than before. As everyone fell to the ground, Levina made a break for the open metal door, determined to escape.

But just as she reached it, the world seemed to explode around them. The ceiling shook and cracked, sending dust and debris raining down on everyone in the room.

'She's here,' Anna thought, coughing in her hand with a hint of tears in her eyes. And when the dust finally cleared, Anna raised her head and saw her. The mysterious figure with the torn black cloak, standing tall as a pair of silver eyes scanned the room.

Looking at her face, Anna's heart skipped a beat. Aside from her silver eyes, the one standing above them, with a short sword in hand, had the same figure and face as her quiet best friend.

Aira Giyera.

"Aira!?"