An ocean of pure, unnatural terror flooded into my head like a dam breaking and sweeping me away. Katherine's pupils contracted to thin vertical slits, and suddenly I wasn’t in a school hallway anymore - I was… prey staring at a hunter of the deep and forgotten places.

The hallway around me plunged into absolute darkness, every light simultaneously snuffing out like candles in a gale. But the darkness wasn't empty - it was alive, breathing, watching with ancient hunger that made my bones ache.

Katherine's eyes blazed in the gloom, twin points of silver-green fire that seemed to peer straight through my carefully constructed masks into something deeper.

The darkness pressed in around me like a living thing, but I forced myself to maintain eye contact with those terrifying predator eyes, even as every instinct screamed at me to run.

"Imp-pressive trick with t-the lights," I squeaked out fighting the urge to bolt. "R-really… s-sets the mood. Y-you know... If you.. wanted to get me alone… in the d-dark, you could have just asked."

The darkness intensified, tearing at me, ripping out my flesh, cutting across my nerves like glacial ice.

Run, it screamed into my head. RUN!!!!

The fight or flight response kicked in, adrenaline rush flooding my brain with dancing sparks.

The darkness pressed closer, choking, suffocating me. Silver-green eyes blazed with malice that made my muscles want to liquefy and run away without the rest of me.

“Protocol xj-8,” I whispered in Kaska as my brain boiled from within from pure existential terror.

“I love you, my little fox, you are stronger than all of them,” Yulia said in my mom's voice. “Stand your ground!”

A song began in my ear, growing louder with each stanza. A chorus of the wind, of the rivers and of stars, of the first shamans and hunter-slayers of God Beasts, of the wishes they cast on the spilled blood and of the great, tall Stormwoods that bloomed from the titanic corpses reaching to the sky.

Yulia sang it with my mom's voice, the Kaska Dena campfire drums joined with a violin and guitar rock accelerating towards a crescendo.

I had composed this song with Yulia's help, a personal memetic shield against fear-using cryptids. The drums beat in my ears, the music chasing away the despair, just enough for me to retain my wits.

The darkness would not win today. It would not have me. I will not bow to you.

I WILL NOT BREAK.

"Run," Katherine order-growled, her voice echoing and twisting in the horrid, dark tunnel around us. "Run away and never talk to me again.”

"N-n-No," I managed through chattering teeth, leaning on the power of the song.

The darkness receded slightly.

"What?" she growled.

"I s-s-said… no," I repeated, forcing my voice steady despite my trembling knees. "Get fucked. I'm not running away. I can't."

She realized that she was still holding me by the collar and then let go of me, sliding back into her chair, invisible in the gut-wrenching gloom, which began to fade, fray at the edges.

"Run."

"No. I refuse."

The darkness wavered, the two glowing orbs of terror-inducing light narrowed.

"Why?" Katherine demanded. "Why won't you just run like everyone else?"

"Because..." I swallowed hard, focusing my thoughts. "Because I've seen your art. Those humans in your paintings - they don't run either. They stand their ground, even against monsters... against… impossible odds… no matter what!”

The darkness began to retreat, hallway lights coming through the foggy murk, outlining a bulky figure in a thick camo jacket and pants.

"W-wwwhh-," I forced myself to speak, "what kind of art r-rival would I be if I ran away at the first sign of eldritch horror? That's like, Rival 101 - never back down, even when your nemesis goes full Lovecraftian nightmare burrow-wurm mode."

Katherine stared at me. The horrid murk continued to fade, though shadows still clung to her like a second skin.

"You're clearly somehow unhinged," she said finally, putting her goggles back on as the hallway returned to normal. "I just pulled you into the deep, and you're still making jokes about... art rivals, like it was... nothing? How?!"

"Oh it wasn't nothing," I admitted, strapping the Alex Glock mask on harder. "That was absolutely terrifying and I'm probably going to have nightmares for weeks about dark tunnels. But you know what's scarier than darkness?" I pointed my metaphorical comedy gun at her head.

"What?" Katherine asked, sounding genuinely curious despite herself.

"Art block!" I pulled the trigger. "Now THAT'S true horror!"

Katherine stared at me for a long moment, then let out a sound that might have been either a suppressed laugh or a growl.

I loaded another joke into my imaginary gun, waiting to see if she would try any other Stollwurm-jedi mind tricks. She remained silent and stoic.

A few Omnids went around the wheelchair bound wurm and the nullie glancing at us with looks of disdain, completely unaware of our hallway battle of wills that had nearly torn me apart from within.

Had it not been for my mom's voice, for the song in the darkness, then I would have already been curled up in a corner sobbing loudly.

"So..." I ventured, still shaking slightly but maintaining my cheerful facade. "Now that we've established our rivalry through the traditional anime method of you trying to eat my soul, want to grab coffee sometime and talk about art?"

Katherine stared at me for a few seconds more, not understanding how I had bested her dark powers.

"Listen," she said. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I'm not interested in relationships or being your... your rival or whatever. Just leave me the fuck alone.”

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“Love to, but can’t,” I sighed in resignation. “I’ve already fallen for your art. There’s no way back.”

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" she asked with a deep, rumbling sigh.

"I promise to leave you alone forever if you give me your Omnigram ID," I grinned. "On the account that I've got gym class to get to and an angel to torment."

Katherine stared at me for a long moment. Finally, she pulled out her phone with a resigned look.

"Fine," she groaned. "But only so you'll stop bothering me."

"Perfect!" I beamed, already adding her with a phone tap. "Now I can properly antagonize you with art challenges at any time."

"Whatever," she muttered. "I'll probably just block you. I have to get to class."

"Until we meet again amidst the darkness of the void, above the asteroids of Ganymede, Starship Nemesis!" I called after her retreating form.

As Katherine disappeared around the corner, I checked my schedule.

First period: Gym class with Coach Canard.

Perfect. Time to torment a certain winged entity some more. Ke Ke Ke.

Also, damn it, I gotta take a shower… again.

----------------------------------------

The doors opened to reveal what could only be described as a military experiment gone wrong - Coach Canard stood there in all his Omnid glory, every visible inch of him covered in thick, white fur. The man's blue eyes seemed to burn with the intensity of a thousand drill sergeants.

"ATTENTION, PREY!" His roar echoed through the gymnasium as he unleashed an ear-splitting whistle blast that probably violated several noise ordinances. “TEN-HUT! FORM A LINE!”

The class transformed instantly into a military formation, students snapping into perfect parade rest positions. I flailed around like a drunk penguin trying to copy their stance.

He stalked between our ranks, his massive Yeti frame casting intimidating shadows.

"Well well well... What do we have here? The finest collection of wet noodles and limp dishrags I've ever had the misfortune to witness!" His voice dripped with theatrical disgust. "By the time I'm done with you sorry lot, you'll either be peak physical specimens or fertilizer for the football field!"

The other students stood ramrod straight, clearly familiar with his routine. I tried my best to mimic their stance.

Coach Canard's massive frame loomed over me, his shadow completely engulfing my significantly smaller human form.

"And what," he growled, leaning down until his face was inches from mine, "do we have HERE? A new victim- I mean, student?"

His breath smelled strongly of protein shakes.

"Sir, yes sir!" I barked out, channeling every military movie I'd ever seen. "Alexander Glock reporting for duty, sir!"

Coach Canard's massive face split into what might have been a grin or a snarl - it was hard to tell with all the fur.

"A HALF-HUMAN MEATSICLE?!" he boomed, his voice echoing off the gymnasium walls. "How... FASCINATING! Tell me, tiny mammal, can your pathetic little bones handle real physical education? Or should I have you join the remedial class?"

“I'm ready for whatever challenge you throw my way, sir!” I barked.

Coach Canard nodded, his massive form stalking to the center of the gym.

"LISTEN UP, MAGGOTS!" He bellowed, unleashing another ear-splitting whistle blast. "Since our new recruit seems so EAGER to prove himself..."

Oh boy.

"Today we'll be engaging in that most GLORIOUS of basic pre-delvin' combat simulations..." He paused for dramatic effect, his white furry face splitting into what was definitely an evil grin this time. "EXTREME DODGEBALL FREE FOR ALL! Anyone still standing on their feet by the end of period will receive a passing grade!"

He pressed a button on a key and a metal cage overhead opened, releasing red balls onto the crowd of Omnids.

The gymnasium erupted into pure chaos as I tried to focus on Coach Canard's instructions about dungeon survival, but my brain kept short-circuiting because Cinder was there in regulation gym shorts and a black tank top. Her feathery mane was tied up with a black, thick hairband, silver wings catching the fluorescent lights in rainbows as she stretched and caught a red ball in her claws.

No no no. Focus. Dodgeball. Remaining on my feet. Not the stupid sexy Cinder in gym shorts.

"Four. Three. Two. One. And... BEGIN the SLAYIN'!" Coach Canard whistled, nearly deafening me.

“Better duck,” a chill, male voice behind me commented.

I ducked, following the comment. A red ball exploded against the wall next to my head, snapping me back to reality. I spun to see who had warned me.

“Sup mang. I’m Iogann," the gray Mothman introduced himself. He was in a gym outfit, missing his oversized hat and robe. "Canard seems to like you. Dodgeball usually ends up with someone getting their teeth knocked out, guess he wanted to test your toughness out on your first day."

"Glad I could help facilitate group suffering," I replied, keeping one eye on the various cannonball-shaped projectiles already flying across the gym. "Wait... why are you here chatting with me... do you see disaster in my future?"

"Yes," Iogann nodded.

"What kind?" I demanded.

"Dunno," he shrugged. "I just get a general tasty gist of approaching doom about you."

"Peachy," I sighed. "Whop, gotta run. Ttyl,” I waved to the Mothman, spotting a certain winged creature heading my way.

Cinder stalked across the gymnasium with inhuman grace, effortlessly dodging red ball projectiles as if they were moving in slow motion. Her wings were open wide helping her maintain inhuman balance. The red ball in her claws seemed to pulse with deadly intent.

"Thought you'd be here, dweeb," she grinned, her face elongating and looking more predatory. Her anatomy was definitely somewhat fluid. Her wings could absolutely fold into themselves and stretch unnaturally wide. I wondered if she was high level enough in Phase-Shift to fully turn into a giant feathered snake. "Ready for some payback?"

CINDER-GYMMMM-FINAL.jpg [https://github.com/alexiussssss/romac/blob/main/CINDER-GYMMMM-FINAL.jpg?raw=true]

"Oh hey, Rock Star!" I beamed. "Love the gym outfit! Really brings out your curvy… murderous tendencies!"

"You know what else will bring out my murderous tendencies?" She twirled the dodgeball between her claws. "Smashing this ball into your smug face!"

"Bring it on!" I called back cheerfully, diving behind a larger student as Cinder's first throw whistled past my head. "Nice shot! Alas your aim is as bad as your... taste in music!"

Balls flew in every direction, knocking students off their feet. I kept moving, using other, larger Omids as shields while keeping one eye on Cinder. Her wings gave her an unfair advantage in maneuverability. They also pulsed every time with flashes of mind-melting colors when someone tried targeting her, throwing their aim way off. I didn't even bother grabbing a ball to target her, doing so would be impossible as long as she sent out the rainbow Charmchain pulses around herself.

"Stop running and face me like a... whatever you are named as today!" Cinder called out, her voice carrying a dangerous edge of amusement.

"I'm... Mr. Someone who doesn't want a concussion!" I called back, ducking another foam missile. "And your aim should be Kaleid-named as… Terrible!"

Cinder's wings flared in response to my taunt as she snatched another ball from the air. Her sharp, blue eyes tracked my movement with predatory focus.

"Stop. Moving!" she growled, unleashing another throw.

I ducked and weaved, using parkour skills to stay one step ahead. Other students were getting caught in the crossfire of Cinder's vendetta against me.

"Dodgeball involves dodging!" I taunted her. "Your aim's getting worse, Angel! Maybe you should stick to hitting piano keys instead!"

She acquired another ball. I barely dodged in time, the ball whistling past my ear. "Wow, you really suck at this! Maybe we should set up some targets for you to practice on? Draw little hearts and Alex tags on them?"

"Hey nullie! Dodge this!" A voice barked from behind me.

A ball-shaped missile caught me in the back of the head with devastating force. The world spun sickeningly as I flew forward into the floor, my vision blurring.

Through the haze, I saw Cinder's face transform from competitive aggression to shock. Her wings flared wide as she launched herself toward me, but the distance seemed to stretch impossibly far.

"ALEX!" Her voice sounded strange and distorted, as if coming from underwater.

The gymnasium floor rushed up to meet me with alarming speed. The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was Cinder's ocean-blue eyes wide with concern, rainbow red-black-violet wings spread like a protective canopy above me.