The morning sun rose steadily on the second day of school, casting warm rays across the streets. The calm summer air hung heavy with the promise of a normal school day, but for Sakura and her brother, it had already started off on the wrong foot.
Sakura sprinted ahead of her brother, her bag bouncing on her back as she pushed herself to keep up with the rising sun. “Come on, Reo! We’re going to be late!” she called over her shoulder.
Reo trailed behind, panting, clutching tightly to his tablet. “I’m sorry! I promised the club I’d show them my mods,” he mumbled between breaths.
Sakura shook her head, a teasing smile on her lips. “You’ll get square eyes glued to that tech stuff,” she muttered as she kept running. The streets were mostly empty, save for a few late-risers heading to work. Buildings lined the road, casting long shadows as the siblings hurried toward school.
Just as they turned the corner, Yuma came bursting out of a side passage, her red hair swaying wildly behind her. “You two are late as well?” she said with a sigh of relief, seamlessly joining their frantic dash. “I’m not the only one headed for detention,” she added, a chuckle escaping her lips. Her laughter echoed through the quiet morning streets, and for the moment, her mind was at ease as she wasn't the only one about to get scolded.
As they approached the school, the first bell clanged in the distance, warning the gates were closing, all three were out of breath as the main gate of the school came into focus. They slowed to a jog, panting as they passed through the threshold. A contractor in a hard hat stood nearby, holding the gate open just as the last few stragglers hurried in. With a resounding clunk, he locked the heavy ironclad gate behind them.
Yuma leapt out of her skin as they turned to face him. His features were obscured by a mask, and he wore a black jumpsuit that fluttered in the morning breeze. Upon closer inspection, Sakura noticed a white skull and jester hat embroidered onto the contractor’s jumpsuit. She felt his gaze on them, watching with unsettling intensity, as if he were assessing each one as they passed.
The echo of the deadlocks sealing the gate sent a chill through the air, intensifying as his gaze lingered on the trio. Sakura felt a shiver run down her spine, an instinctual sense that something was amiss. Was this man simply a contractor, or did he have a more sinister role to play in the strange atmosphere surrounding the school?
“That’s a bit excessive to secure a school, don’t you think?” Sakura muttered as a knot twisted in her stomach, her voice laced with disbelief as her eyes narrowed on the reinforced steel.
Yuma shrugged, catching her breath. “Feels like we’re in a fortress, maybe little Reo could be my prince” she said, a playful smirk tugging at her lips. “Although, I half-expect guards to pop out and start checking our IDs.”
Reo’s face turned bright red, his eyes widening in embarrassment. “I’m not some prince!” he protested, swatting at Yuma playfully.
Sakura forced a laugh, but her eyes remained fixed on the gate. “Yeah, except this fortress seems a bit too real for my comfort.”
They made their way into the school, pausing by the lockers in the lobby to quickly swap their shoes for slippers. Just then, Suzuki appeared beside them, his locker wide open. “Ah! Yuma, Sakura!” he called with his usual cheerfulness. “Reo!”
Sakura glanced over as Suzuki reached into his locker, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “Maybe you’ll join our club after I show you this!” he said, brimming with excitement.
With a dramatic flourish, Suzuki pulled out a sleek, matte-black katana. A large, plush duck hung from the chain of its pommel, swaying with the motion. Sakura stifled a laugh, while Yuma raised a puzzled eyebrow.
Suzuki, lost in his imagination, held the katana up, his eyes glowing with excitement. “The Neko Demon Master Hunter Blade,” he whispered reverently. “With this, I can conquer any foe!”
In his mind, Suzuki was standing triumphantly on a cliff, waves crashing against rocks below him. The wind whipped at his clothes as he held the katana aloft, posing heroically for an imaginary audience.
Back in reality, Suzuki stood alone in the middle of the school entrance, still posing dramatically with the katana in hand. Sakura and Yuma exchanged amused glances, clearly used to Suzuki’s antics. Reo just blinked in confusion. “How can a senior be this weebie?” he muttered, baffled by the display.
The trio ducked into a poorly lit stairwell, still giggling as they tried to escape Suzuki’s imagination. “You got lucky back there, Sakura,” Yuma whispered with a grin, glancing over her shoulder. “I swear he would’ve tried to pin you against the lockers like they do in those novels!”
Suddenly, a pop echoed through the stairwell, and thick smoke filled the air, enveloping the trio. A loud, theatrical laugh followed, and as the smoke began to clear, they saw Riku standing at the top of the stairs, a wide grin stretching across her face and a gnarled oak branch in hand. “I, Riku, have arrived as the mighty Wielder of the Staff of Domination!” she declared dramatically, striking a heroic pose.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Sakura sighed, waving her hand to clear the smoke. “It’s just a stick, Riku. It’s the same one we found in fourth grade,” she deadpanned, her tone unimpressed.
Riku’s imagination, however, was running wild. In his mind, he stood atop a towering cliff, overlooking a vast, enchanted realm filled with swirling mists and distant mountains. Gazing down upon his "enemies" Sakura, Yuma, and Reo, she declared, “With this staff, I shall command the Duchess to return to the Realm of Shadows, along with her faithful Princess and the brave young master!” She pointed the staff at them dramatically, a wicked grin spreading across her face.
Before Riku's fantasy could continue, the nurse appeared at the top of the stairs. “Oh dear,” she sighed, her expression a blend of kindness and firmness. “Riku, how many times have I told you? This smoke could cause accidents!”
Riku’s dramatic demeanour immediately deflated. “I’m sorry, Ms…” she mumbled, bowing her head in apology. Meanwhile, Sakura, Yuma, and Reo seized the opportunity to quietly slip away, trying to stifle their laughter as they moved out of sight.
As they walked down the hallway, the second bell rang, a loud Bzzzzzzzz echoing through the corridor, the final roll call.
“Remember, Reo,” Sakura said, glancing down at her brother. “You’re going home alone tonight. I have swimming club after school.”
Reo nodded, his expression resolute. “Got it.”
The trio hurried down the hallway toward their next class. “Come on, we’ve got to get to roll call,” Yuma urged, playfully tugging at Sakura’s arm. “You and Dad can have the leftovers I made last night,” Sakura called back to Reo as they dashed off.
In the classroom, the teacher stood at the front, calling for attention. “Class, class, settle down,” she instructed, raising her hand to quiet the chatter. “I have a note from the principal. There’s a mandatory assembly at 10 a.m.”
The room fell into a hushed murmur as students exchanged curious glances. Just then, the intercom chimed. BingBong.
“Yamamoto Kazuto, please report to the principal’s office,” the voice crackled over the intercom, cutting through the silence like a knife.
Sakura glanced out into the hallway just in time to see Kazuto, tall and intimidating, sauntering down the corridor with a cocky grin plastered across his face. Teachers and students alike watched him through the classroom windows, their expressions a mix of concern and curiosity.
“Hey, Sakura,” Yuma said, flashing her a text from Ichika. ‘Kazuto just laughed when the principal called for him. He’s a monster,’ the message read.
“The school must be suspending him, about time,” Sakura replied, her tone serious as she kept her eyes trained on Kazuto’s swagger. Meanwhile, the teacher struggled to regain control of the class, finally managing to refocus their attention on the lesson.
The clock ticked toward 10 a.m. as the teacher instructed the class to pack up. “It’s almost time,” she said, glancing at the holo display. “Everyone, pack up your things. We’re heading to the assembly.”
As the students gathered their belongings, a low rumble shook the room, growing louder and more ominous.
Suddenly, the sky outside erupted in a terrifying explosion of chaos. Sakura, Yuma, and their classmates leaped to their feet, eyes wide with horror as they watched buildings in the distance burst into flames, their fiery destruction illuminating the sky. The ground trembled violently beneath them, and the roads surrounding the school crumbled, creating a gaping chasm that severed their connection to the rest of the town.
“Get down!” Sakura screamed, instinctively pulling Yuma to the floor as the windows shattered inward with a deafening crash. Shards of glass rained across the room, slicing through the air like deadly confetti. Yuma gasped as a sharp fragment cut across her skin, blood trickling down as panic engulfed the classroom.
In the aftermath the entire school stood as an isolated fortress amidst a landscape of devastation. Smoke billowed from the ruins of nearby buildings, dark clouds swirling ominously around the school. Newly installed auto-turrets whirred to life from the walls, conceded till now, their mechanical eyes swivelling menacingly toward the chaos, ready to protect the last bastion of safety.
Just as the chaos reached a fever pitch, the intercom system chimed ominously. BingBong.
“All staff and students, please report to the assembly hall.” Principle in an unusual calm demeanour.
Sakura knelt on the classroom floor, cradling Yuma’s arm as blood dripped from the deep gash left by the shattered glass. Yuma winced, but tried to wave off her concern. “Yuma, your cut!” Sakura gasped, panic rising in her voice.
Yuma shook her head, her face pale but resolute. “It’s nothing. Is anyone else hurt?” she called out, her voice strained but commanding.
All around them, students were in varying states of shock—some crying, others desperately tapping their phones.
“I can’t call anyone!” one random student shouted, panic clear in his voice.
“No signal!” another cried, waving their phone in frustration.
Sakura glanced toward the window, her heart sinking at the sight of a collapsing building in the distance. “That’s my family’s building!” a girl wailed from the corner, her voice breaking with fear.
Sakura gritted her teeth, pulling Yuma to her feet despite her protests. “Worry about yourself, Yuma.”
She turned to the other students, her voice louder, more urgent. “Is anyone else hurt? Follow us to the nurse’s office!”
Sakura and Yuma pushed their way through the crowded hallway, weaving through the panicked students heading to the assembly hall. The air was thick with fear, and the once-familiar school felt like a maze of chaos.
“Reo!” Sakura shouted, her voice almost drowned by the noise of students shouting for loved ones.
Beside her, Yuma’s eyes scanned the faces. “Ichika!” she yelled, her voice cracking with desperation.
As they hurried past the classrooms, each one was more destroyed than the last. Windows shattered, desks overturned, and students hunched over with bloodied limbs.
In one room, a teacher frantically tried to stop a bleeding student from losing consciousness. In another, a limp body lay in the corner, the student’s life already lost.
Sakura and Yuma reached the nurse’s office, but the sight made them stop in their tracks. The door was smeared with blood, streaks trailing down as if someone had clawed at it. A thick pool of blood seeped out from under the door, dark and viscous, staining the walls with splatters.
A few students sat outside, clutching their wounds, too dazed or horrified to move.