Melanie fell to the asphalt ground when the girl with ocean eyes and scarlet hair made the runes disappear by clicking the top of her pen. Melanie instantly inhaled the dust and she coughed, "V-very well."

She lifted her gaze and glanced at Axel. Axel is in danger. Melanie could not afford to waste time and watch her suffer. Even a little difference in seconds was crucial for Melanie to lend a hand to Axel and escape from that place. But before she could dream of being safe again, she must first conquer the hindrance of her path. She gritted her teeth and looked back at the girl with scarlet hair. "But how am I supposed to know if you'll comply with our deal?"

In a snap, like a prisoner who oppressed his hatred for so long and was trying to find something to channel his emotions, Melanie lunged at the girl with pent up anger. Her body was trembling because of adrenaline and her purple eyes were sharp. If looks could kill, the girl with notebook and pen might have been lying on the ground at that very moment.

However, Melanie's brave attempt to hurt the opponent was only welcomed by air. She is weak as a child with barely any understanding of what situation she was in; ignorant and reckless. she slowly looked around and her eyes widened with realization.

She couldn't win.

"Does it matter?" the girl asked and smirked. She wrote something on the air and red scribbles floated out of her pen. Melanie took a step back without even thinking. Her gut feeling told her that the runes might harm her that time and she got nothing to protect herself from it. She clenched her fists. Axel might have given her a sense of stability that drove her to eliminate those high-level monsters with ease, but those monsters were nothing compared to the people that ambushed them.

"It does matter," said Melanie while still staring at the gibberish letters floating in the air. She moved her gaze towards Axel and noticed that she was already passed out and stopped grunting. The three people harassing her did not even stop and give her a chance to breathe. Melanie closed her eyes and winced. She looked back at the girl and saw a dagger flying in her way. Melanie managed to dodge it at the nick of time.

"What? I'm giving you a chance to attack now. Use that, " the girl said. Melanie did what she was told to even though she was a little bit reluctant. With her shaking hands, she picked up the dagger and wrapped her fingers on it like her life clings to that single piece of metal.

"I bet you could not even make me move from my spot," the girl added smugly while looking at Melanie from head to toe.

Melanie bit her lip and stared at the runes floating in the air. She wondered what could be their purpose for floating around like that. While she was still contemplating, she heard a familiar grunt and she flinched. Axel was still holding on. She inhaled sharply. She must do her part in order to get out of there safely.

Melanie looked around and saw if there was something she could use against the girl with a notebook and pen. The girl's power was obviously centered on her items. She must eliminate the core of her power first so she could have an edge in that fight.

The question was how?

With only the dagger on hand, Melanie decided to advance. She leaned slightly and tried to avoid the runes. They might look harmless, but no one knows what would happen if she happened to have contact with one of those. Melanie did not want to take any risks.

The girl was not moving like she had implied earlier. Melanie simply looked around once again while approaching and nobody from her opponent's allies was even bothering to watch their battle. Melanie's grip on the dagger tightened and her eyes focused on the notebook and paper. It didn't even take her minutes to stand across the girl and freely aim at her items.

She'll destroy those pen and paper and the fight ends.

"Oh my, a cat just waltzed into my trap. Interesting, " the girl said and chuckled. Melanie blinked when she was glued to the ground while her hand holding the dagger remained in motion in the air. She could not move an inch. Suddenly, the runes floating in the air started to fly towards her and they stuck on to her body, thrusting deeper on her skin. Melanie screamed in pain. The runes changed form into big teeth and flesh started to decay.

"How boring, " the girl drawled and approached the helpless Melanie. Beads of sweat had started to roll down her forehead and her creamy complexion turned pale. Her pinkish lips turned purple, and her veins became pure blue. Her blood served as the fuel for the runes to get stronger minute by minute.

"Perfect," the girl said while touching some strands of Melanie's jet-black hair, "now Axel has nothing to play with anymore."

Melanie mustered her strength to look the girl straight to her oceanic blue eyes. Melanie gritted her teeth, "What is wrong with you?"

The girl raised her eyebrow and laughed, "What? Is this unusual to you? Maybe it's because your sanctified-ass could not take this much, huh?"

Melanie was taken back. She just arrived at the University of the Damned hours ago as far as she could remember and she recalled that Ace, the girl she borrowed clothes from, clearly said that she must not reveal that she was from the ninnyhammer race. Melanie's heart skipped a beat. There were only three people who were aware of her existence. Axel, Ace, and that little psycho, Tamonjie.

Who could have told those people who ambushed them who Melanie was?

"Hey, Demerise. Come here!" the girl shouted while gesturing to her friend. Melanie was brought back to reality because of that call. She stared at the girl who was now facing her colleague on the other side of the cave. Melanie's vision focused on the notebook and ballpen the girl was holding in her hands.

She was not looking. Melanie thought that she must grab that chance to destroy the items.

Melanie closed her eyes and started to focus on the pain. She must eliminate what was holding her back from taking action. She winced and tried to make her body feel numb. The runes became nothing. They were just marks on her skin. There were no teeth. There was no pain. Melanie opened her purple eyes and looked at her dagger. She inhaled and choked back a scream as she put all of her strength into her arm that was holding the dagger.

"If I could only move my arm and grab this chance," Melanie thought.

As if the universe had conspired to make her wish come true, Melanie did move her arm according to her will. She did not hesitate to aim the dagger on the pen and paper her opponent possessed. She swung her arm, and the blade ripped the notebook in half while the pen was thrown meters away from them. The crimson red runes engraved on the ground that made Melanie freeze in that position quickly vanished and her opponent panicked. Melanie's knees turned wobbly, and she slumped on the floor.

"Oh no! How dare you?! I cannot use my power now!"

Melanie caught her breath and a smile formed on her lips. She lifted her gaze, completely proud of what she just accomplished, "Don't underistima—"

"—That's what you wanted me to say, right?"

Melanie was cut off when she saw the girl's eyes. Her oceanic blue eyes suddenly had little characters on them, and they were flowing and pulsating into that girl's body. Melanie gasped. The girl smiled wickedly, and she bent to meet Melanie's gaze up close.

"Your face is priceless, " the girl muttered and slid her fingers onto Melanie's cheeks. "Just look at how the expression of triumph on your face turned into despair."

"B-but I destroyed the notebook and the pen. H-how?" Melanie did not even think before those words came out of her mouth. She felt devoid of logic. Her eyes were slowly turning dull because of exhaustion. She gave everything that she had in that last hit, but it was not enough.

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"You see, the core of my power runs through my veins, " the girl explained. "I only use pen and paper because they're neat. You get me?"

"Impossible," mumbled Melanie. "This can't be."

"Hell yeah, it is, "the girl said mockingly.

"Hey Yumi,"

"Demerise," the girl straightened up and welcomed her colleague with heterochromia eyes— a pair of silver and orange orbs and gestured something to her.

The colleague named Demerise smiled. "I'd gladly do so, Yumi, " she replied, and a speckle of black and orange dust covered her hand. She walked towards Melanie and pulled her by her hair, "Suffer for me, little one."

Demerise settled her palm covered with glowing black and orange dust and spread it into Melanie's face. Melanie tried to struggle but Demerise's strength was overwhelming. The dust found its way to Melanie's eyes, nose, and ears and it started to release tiny zaps of electricity. Melanie's body convulsed.

Demerise smirked and leaned closer to whisper in Melanie's ear, "What are you afraid of? Show me."

Melanie screamed. Tears of pain started to fall from her lilac eyes and her body arched like her spinal cord was meant to do a curvature. Her face was now facing the top of the cave and her mouth opened wide. Black smoke started to come out from her mouth and sinister voices echoed throughout the cave. Yumi and her colleagues watched in awe.

"Let us live again!"

"You are worthless."

"It's better for you to die."

"Forget who you are and become anew."

Melanie continued to cry as her body bent more to the ground. Endless shadows were coming out from her, and she could not even do a thing to stop the pain. Her thoughts were starting to mix with the voices, and she could not hear hers anymore.

"Stop, please, " Melanie begged as her face came in contact with the ground where the amused Demerise was standing. "Please make this stop!"

"No, you don't have a say on this, little one. You're not yet fully nightmarized."

Melanie continued begging but her moans fell into deaf ears. Demerise's power was messing up with her sanity and trying to manifest her nightmare into reality. Even Melanie did not have any clues about what she was afraid of at that point.

Is she scared that Axel might die because of her?

Does she fear the time where could finally meet her parents and they won't look at her the same way?

Is she afraid to be alone?

Many questions ran to Melanie's head, and she could not shut them off anymore. The sinister voices were also getting louder and louder. It was stirring her insides.

"Let us live once again!"

"Let us live once again!"

"Let us live once again!"

Suddenly, Melanie stopped crying and she became quiet. She was silently sitting on the floor and looking down while her hair was covering her entire face. The shadows slowly vanished into thin air and the voices toned down until there was nothing left.

Demerise looked at Melanie with a smirk on her lips when things finally calmed down. She could see that Melanie was trembling. Even the ends of her hair were vibrating. Demerise approached Melanie and took her stance. She swung her foot on-air and was about to hit Melanie's head by the tip of her boots when Melanie caught her move first. Demerise gasped because of the stunt and Yumi and their colleagues stopped from what they were doing to watch Melanie's reflexes.

"T-this is..." Demerise stuttered and looked at Yumi. "This person is not her."

"What?" reacted Yumi.

But before Demerise could even respond, her foot exhibited a cracking sound. Her heterochromic eyes widened and she screamed in pain when she finally perceived that her calf got broken by their victim. Yumi signaled her colleagues to be careful as she pulled Demerise from Melanie. She certainly had no idea what was going on, but she was absolutely sure that they must have awakened a different kind of nightmare that even Demerise could not control.

"We need to get out of here."

"But what about Axel?"

"Leave her alone, dimwit! This is her plan, anyway. We just got involved."

Yumi and the blonde guy both grabbed Demerise's arms and settled them across their shoulders to help her stand up while the remaining girl with long curly black hair wearing a maroon crop top and high-waisted shorts walked right behind them. Nobody spoke as they tried to march out of the area where the nightmarized Melanie stayed.

"Where do you think you're going?"

The group flinched when they heard a cold and creepy voice resonating throughout the entire place. Yumi tried to look back and before she could even blink when she saw her comrade, who was just walking right behind them, was now meters across the ground and extremely pale. The nightmarized Melanie held their colleague by the neck and clutched it like a pillow.

Yumi did the first thought that came into her mind. She bit her thumb and let her blood drop on the floor. It was shaped into different kinds of runes and tried to poke Melanie. Yumi managed to distract Melanie and she let go of their comrade. But now, they had Melanie's full attention.

Melanie slowly moved her head towards the direction of the group. Their eyes widened and their mouths gaped open upon the sight. Melanie looked different. Her skin remained pale as before, but the color of her pupils was glowing red. She smirked and a pair of white fangs appeared from her lips.

"Didn't we have a deal, Yumi?" said Melanie with the same creepy voice. "Or do you want me to make you remember?"

Yumi did not have a chance to move when Melanie appeared in front of her in a flash, stabbing her in her guts with the dagger that Yumi had given her. Yumi coughed blood and stumbled back, but Melanie was not even done yet. She moved like thunder and landed her fist on Yumi's face.

The blonde guy did not even look back when things started to get messy. He carried Demerise on his shoulders while he dragged his other comrade out of the scene. Yumi was the sacrifice. Melanie was too focused on her to notice that others had already ditched the area.

"Stop," said Yumi with gritted teeth as she wrote some runes using the blood on her index finger. Her guts were open, and she was losing a lot of blood. Everything appeared to be spinning.

"I begged you before, right?" said Melanie and advanced once again. She grabbed Yumi's face and lifted her like she weighed nothing more than a feather and threw her against the wall. Yumi closed her eyes and prepared herself for the impact.

However, when she opened her eyes after some minutes of flying in the air, she did not feel any pain. She opened her eyes and the innocent face of Melanie welcomed her. Melanie's purple eyes looked confused while she hastily grabbed Yumi's arm to stop her from being thrown back.

"Please," said Melanie. "Go away from me."

Yumi clicked her tongue and snatched her arm away from Melanie. She clutched her bleeding stomach and walked away as fast as she could. When Melanie thought that she was the only one within the area, she fell on her knees and covered her face. She started crying.

Melanie felt awful. She never imagined herself being that chaotic and violent in the face of crisis. That was not her. That person will never be her.

"You exchanged your sanity for powers, right?"

"I had no choice!" exclaimed Melanie when she heard the sinister voice inside her head. Tears continued to fall like the ocean. "I never wished for this."

"Melanie?"

Melanie stopped crying when she heard that familiar voice. She turned her head towards the source of the voice and saw Axel. She did not look as horrible as before, but she still had some of her bruises. Melanie stopped herself from running towards Axel and venting out all of her thoughts.

"Y-you..." Melanie swallowed thickly. "You were the one who planned all this?"

Axel stopped on her tracks and stared at Melanie with her dark eyes. She tilted her head and smirked, "It was worth it, right?"

Melanie bit her lower lip. Her emotions were all over the place. She just wanted everything to end. She could not trust anyone. Not even Axel. Axel might have saved her the first time they met but she was too much. Melanie wanted to rest, and she could never have it with Axel by her side.

"Kill her."

Melanie flinched when she heard a voice inside her head. She unconsciously glanced at Axel who was still mocking her with her smile.

"Make her suffer."

Like in a daze, Melanie started to walk towards Axel. Her blouse and skirt had splattered blood, but it was not hers. Her white wedge heels were also tainted with the same shade. Her purple eyes were glitching into red color.

Axel did not even budge when Melanie lunged at her and smashed her to the ground. Axel coughed blood while Melanie settled above her and rained her with punches. Melanie was once again under the influence of the nightmare she tried so hard to escape.

Axel smirked between the assault, "Hurt me more."

"Melanie Faye Harlow."

Axel quickly grabbed Melanie's arms to make her stop when she heard a familiar authoritative voice. Melanie hissed and escaped from Axel's grasp. She aimed at Axel's face once more, but she was held back by a bunch of blue transparent films like a hologram. It snatched her away from Axel and enclosed her in a cube.

"Adi," called Axel to the noble-looking girl and her glance shifted to another person, "President."

"We're taking the girl." said the President and gestured her hand. Her movement maneuvered the cube that the sleeping Melanie was imprisoned in and lifted it off the ground. It floated in their direction. "I'm going to orient her first before she wreaks havoc in the University."

"Even though it was entirely Axel's fault," Adi cut in.

"Well, Melanie's too dumb for forgiving Axel so many times."

Axel sat on the corner and turned off her pain circuits. She focused her system to heal the injuries she caught from the fight. She heaved a sigh and leaned against the cave's wall.

"We intervened now because Melanie Faye Harlow was acting strange. We must take control before anything gets out of hand, " Adi informed her while preparing for their departure.

"Blah blah blah. I don't want to hear any of your bullshit. Go away, " hissed Axel and closed her eyes. The impact of her injuries was worse than she expected, and it was taking her too long to heal them all. She inhaled sharply. "You need to return her to me when you're done with her."

"New toy, new obsession, " said the President. "Melanie won't even think of you as a love interest with your form right now."

Axel rolled her dark eyes. "Whatever."