Chapter 97

this is a fictional story by realTensai

It was eerily silent as everyone in the class, and even Ms. Myth gathered in their classroom. The room in which they normally always laughed showed no sign of having ever existed, only grim faces everywhere he looked. Some had some serious injuries, but no one from their class had died. Yet.

Alvis stared at the boys. The same boys with whom he could laugh on the class trip now shivered in fear, only staring at the ground, if their hollow eyes even saw something. Joel and Ness, who were known for their energetic, carefree nature, seemed as if this game had drained all their life, their body language signaling that they had reached their limit. However, they weren’t the only ones who seemed to have given up. Based on their lifeless expressions, Lin, Thomas, and Karl fell into the same category.

Yet people like Dane and Tristan were the opposite. Their eyes flamed with a burning desire to change their fate, to resist, no, to crush the injustice that had cursed them. But not many people shared the strength to have that mindset.

Loid and Xing for example, still held on to live, their eyes trembling as their brains explored every possible future in which they could survive. What motivated them was nothing else than their own survival.

Victor, on the other hand, had the perfect poker face, and even Alvis couldn’t read him. Still, Alvis could already imagine what ran through this businessman’s head.

Another person who Alvis couldn’t really analyze was Wonder. His eyes, no, his entire demeanor, hinted at the fact that he didn’t even doubt his survival in the slightest. He was talented, having the genes of three races in him, yet his arrogance might very well be his demise, so Alvis thought.

Alvis shifted his attention from the boys to the girls, only to notice that their side wasn’t really different. Half of them gathered together as if holding hands eased their fear. Their shaking bodies, trembling hands, and pale faces couldn’t even describe the despair they felt. However, with Lia in their center reassuring them as best as she could, they didn’t give up on life yet.

Everyone depends on her. Once again, Alvis realized the burden Lia carried.

Of course, there were exceptions like Fiona, Diane, Ulmi, and Hibea, but those girls were at the top of the class when it came to strength, intelligence, or even both.

Alvis’ gaze landed on Nero. The girl shook in fear, her tiny black horns even trembling. Yet as Alvis looked into her eyes, he noticed how hers shone with resolve.

She is the same type as Dane and Tristan.

Even though she was afraid, the small girl fought against their cruel fate.

Alvis continued and now looked at Ms. Myth. Their teacher just stood there at the end of the room, her face hard to read. Normally, she burst with confidence, however, this time her facade cracked as if she herself wasn’t sure anymore what was right or wrong. As if she was battling with a question deep in her core, but tried to put on a strong front for her students.

“Thank you for agreeing with this meeting,” Kris said, starting this meeting. The Kris from earlier in the morning couldn’t be seen anymore, his fear and doubts caged in deep within him. He is strong. “Everyone is here.”

“That isn’t true. Gilsymbato isn’t here,” Tristan immediately said, his face filled with anger.

“You are right. I made a mistake. Almost everyone is here.” Kris continued with a calm voice, Gilsymbato’s missing presence being something he had already expected. “Everyone knows about our situation and the last thing you want to hear right now is someone spill out just how bad it is. That’s why I will get right to the point. I gathered you here today because I want to work together with you. I want to form a team with this class and survive with my friends.”

Everyone looked up, their eyes meeting Kris’. However, it was someone else who continued.

“The student council also formed a team today to protect everyone who doesn’t want to take part in this insane game. Our goal is to complete as many quests as possible and to strengthen and expand our team until everyone is in it.”

Lia went on to explain her plan just how she did in the student council room. The same questions and doubts arose, yet Lia cleared them all up. Everyone listened and digested her idea.

“Her plan perfectly goes with mine,” Kris said. “We should also form core groups in this class and work together with the student council. Ms. Myth, what about the teachers? Are they allowed to join a team?”

Alvis had the same question. However, one look at Ms. Myth’s twisted expression showed that it wasn’t that simple.

“There are two camps on the teachers’s side since Mr. Woltzer vanished,” she started, her voice unusually low. “One side wants to protect the students, just like Mr. Woltzer had ordered us to. But the other side wants to prioritize their own lives first.”

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“What does that mean? Are there teachers who want to kill us?!” Tristan shouted.

“Even if, we other teachers would never let that happen,” Ms. Myth responded, not hesitating for even a second. But why does her face look so conflicted? “You students don’t have to worry about the teachers.”

Alvis exhaled, another worry of his having vanished. He had already planned for the scenario in which they would have had to battle their teachers, yet it was the worst-case scenario. At least it wouldn’t come that far.

“I understand your plan, Lia, Kris, but isn’t it time we let go of this ideal thinking? We are already too far in this survival game to really think everyone will work together in the end to form one big team.” Fiona spoke up for the first time, yet her words dragged everyone into despair. The human girl never minced her words, and this survival game was no exception. “We should just focus on surviving and not rescuing everyone.”

“Of course, you would say that,” Tristan said, his voice like venom and his eyes filled with disgust. “Instead of saying it’s too late, you should ask yourself what happened to even get to this point. It was your hatred for demons that pushed you so far to want to see us all dead.”

“Stop this already. Demons aren’t the only ones who are hated,” Loid said, his usual calmness replaced by impatient annoyance. “Did you already forget that the first kill was a human who got murdered by a demon?”

He glared at him, his eyes full of hatred.

“There is no proof that it was a demon! Why are you all blaming us demons, even though it could have been everyone?”

“Because just as the humans hate demons, you demons hate us too.”

“So you admit that you hate us?”

“Since your kind entered this country, everything went downhill. The Devil Cult also comes from you….”

Tristan jumped up, veins popping on his forehead, and he slammed his fist into Loid’s face. Loid fell from his chair, his nose broken and his face bleeding.

“You bastard!”

“Tristan, what did you do?”

Chaos broke out as everyone tried to hold back Tristan. Loid’s friends gathered around him, their hatred and anger now on Tristan. No, it was on the demons. Everyone shouted, arguing and blaming the other for what happened. Alvis couldn’t even react as everything escalated. This scene looked like what happened in the dorms right before someone died again.

This has to stop!

“Tristan, stop this already!”

However, the voice that broke through the chaos and got everyone’s attention belonged to none other than the shy demon girl called Nero.

“Everyone…. Just stop.”

The room fell silent as no one trusted their ears. Nero, the girl who barely even talked to anyone, had just raised her voice. It was trembling just like her entire body, yet her eyes were sharper than any blade.

“Nero….” However, it was Tristan who was shocked the most. He froze mid-movement as if he didn’t understand the world anymore. He gazed at her, unable to even fathom what had happened.

“Stop this madness already. What use does this hatred have?” Her voice was low, yet it carried a weight no one could shoulder. She addressed Tristan directly, yet this confused him even more.

“Didn’t you hear what he just said? You, out of all people, should understand me the most. You are the one who suffered the most. You fled from the Devil Cult into a country that promised you security. You fled because the Devil Cult killed your family, everyone you loved, and enslaved you. Yet after you survived all of this and came to this country, they treated you like shit. They treated you like a lower life form and bullied you. Those humans hated you for something you couldn’t control. They harassed you, they chased you and even wanted to kill you. And you out of all people tell me to stop now? There is no way I can forgive them!”

His words filled with all the pent-up emotions hit harder than any bullet. Everyone fell silent as they heard the cruel reality most demons lived in. Still, Nero’s eyes didn’t waver.

“You are right. My life was full of hardship and there were times when I hated the humans for how they treated me. However,” she said, her voice gaining a strength Alvis had never seen before and for a split second, their eyes met, “It was also a human who saved me. Humans don’t hate the demons. They are just afraid of the unknown. They don’t know us and that is why they have their guards up. Prejudice, rumors, and news about the Devil Cult are what shape their image of demons. But this isn’t the reality. This isn’t who we are. But if we meet their fear of the unknown with animosity and hatred, we just confirm their fake image of us. It only adds to the hatred and racism. We have to get to know each other on equal ground to realize that we aren’t so different from each other. Our cultures, skin colors and appearance might differ, yet at the end of the day, we all just want to live peacefully with each other. I know setting aside all this hatred after everything that happened isn’t easy, but isn’t this what everyone here wishes? It is what the Union, this school, and Mr. Woltzer stand for and also what attracted us all to this place. Even though it’s hard, I want to set aside the hatred to fulfill this wish. I don’t want the Devil Cult to destroy my life once again.”

No one could speak, as Nero’s words had left their hearts racing. Her words were like a spell, freeing everyone from the shackles of despair and hate. Some students teared up and even Alvis couldn’t suppress the heat building up in his eyes. Her speech had the same, no, an even stronger effect than Mr. Woltzer’s speeches.

Tristan stood up again, his burning eyes slowly calming down. He approached Loid, but this time no one stopped him.

“I’m sorry for punching you.”

However, Loid just shook his head, a tear running down his cheek.

“No, I’m sorry. Everything was just too much for me and I lost my composure. Please forgive me. I didn’t even mean what I said, it was just my frustration talking. Sorry…”

“It’s all good. We both took it too far.”

They shook hands; a symbolic gesture to represent peace.

“We should follow Nero’s words and work together,” Kris said, speaking up again. “I will repeat myself. Everyone who wants to join us, everyone who doesn’t want the Devil Cult to win, can become part of our team.”

They took him up on his offer and started forming more teams, thus expanding the student council team even more. Kris formed another core group, and Tristan and Loid also formed one together. There were a lot of discussions, as everyone wanted to be part of a team.

It was with seeing this sight, seeing how everyone set aside their differences to work together, that Alvis regained hope.

This run isn’t lost yet.

His class proofed that everyone could still overcome their hatred and stop this madness.

Thank you, Nero, for showing us this path.

It was when he thought about her that she approached him.

“Alvis, I heard you also have a team one can join?”

“Yes?”

“I want to help,” she said, her voice steady. “I don’t want to be the one who only relies on others. Could you please let me be a part of your team?”