Nick and I were headed to a dungeon just outside the city limits of Tavel, about three miles out. We took an Air Motorcycle service to get there quickly, and soon we were standing before the dungeon portal—a swirling red vortex floating above the ground, a gateway to the Dead World.

I tugged at the collar of my gray military jacket, a hand-me-down from my older brother, made of special Kevlar, same as the pants. It was durable, even though it carried the weight of memories.

Nick pulled out his Super Watch and frowned. "That's weird... I'm not getting any signal—no cell service, no Wi-Fi?"

Red flag. There was no way our Super Watches wouldn’t pick up a signal unless someone was jamming it. My suspicions grew. The "accident" that had killed Hikari? Maybe it wasn’t an accident at all. Maybe it was an assassination.

I glanced at Nick. "Nick, I have innate magic. It lets me see the future."

In this world, innate magic was a natural ability, fueled by mana. Some people could enhance their strength or control the elements. Seeing the future was rare, but not impossible.

Nick gave me a half-serious look. "If you can see the future, can you tell me the winning lottery numbers?"

I scoffed. "Do you think if I could, I’d still be eating TV dinners instead of dining on luxury food? I’m not strong enough to resist easy money. But... I saw Hikari’s death with my powers."

Nick’s face turned serious. "So, she’s in danger."

"Yes. Are you gonna help me save her?"

Nick grinned and tightened his grip on his Jet hammer. "Let’s smash some skulls."

I fiddled with my Super Watch and started the recording functions. It should record everything that was going to happen. If there was something I missed or something I had to report as evidence.

We moved toward the Dungeon Portal, but someone was already there. Isabella Cross, a student from Class 1A. I recognized her right away. Dressed in a gothic black dress with frills, her crimson eyes marked her as a bloodthirsty vampire. Around her neck, she wore a Christian cross, a magic item meant to protect vampires from sunlight. She held a magic wand casually in her right hand.

Nick, ever friendly, approached with a smile. "Hey, are you heading into the dungeon?"

Isabella returned the smile, but there was something sharp in it. "Yes, I am. I’m just waiting for someone to arrive before I go in. I’m Isabella, by the way."

Nick introduced us. "I’m Nick Foxy, and this guy here is Wally."

I nodded. "By any chance, is the person you’re waiting for... Hikari?"

Isabella’s smile didn’t waver. "Oh? How did you know?"

I kept my tone light. "I’m a big fan of hers."

Her smile widened just a bit too much. "Do you mean... stalker?"

The air between us grew tense, but before things could escalate, Nick spoke up. "Hey, Wally, what kind of monsters are we gonna face in this dungeon?" He gestured to the swirling portal.

"Snakes," I answered. "Hikari’s probably trying to collect poison for her alchemy experiments."

Isabella chuckled softly. "You know a lot about her, don’t you, Wally?"

I stayed silent. In the first timeline, I’d obsessively tracked my classmates—it had been an escape from the miserable, crippled life I’d lived back then.

The sound of footsteps made me look up. Hikari had arrived, wearing a white blouse and a pink skirt that matched her hair. She carried a coilgun—a weapon that functioned like a railgun, and it probably cost more than ten million. Despite all my warnings, she had come, completely ignoring the emails I’d sent her, begging her to stay away.

I sighed heavily, my shoulders slumping. "Hikari, why are you here?"

She shot me a confused look. "Who even are you?"

"Your new bodyguard," I lied, "sent by your father."

Hikari narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "That old bastard?" She checked her Super Watch and cursed under her breath when she realized she couldn’t send any messages.

Lying was necessary. I couldn’t tell them I had knowledge of the future—it wouldn’t get me killed, but there were people out there who would do anything for that kind of power.

Nick and I shared a glance, exchanging a silent understanding.

Hikari groaned. "You two are going to ruin my date with Isabella."

I gave her a calm smile. "We won’t get in your way. We’ll only step in if you’re in danger."

Hikari frowned, then walked over to Isabella, grabbing her hand. Together, they stepped through the portal.

Nick and I followed right behind them, ready for whatever waited on the other side.

----

We stepped out into a vast desert, surrounded by endless sand dunes. In the distance, a hazy fog marked the border between the dungeon and the desolate expanse of the Dead World.

Isabella led Hikari deeper into the desert, her black dress stark against the pale sands. Suddenly, giant Sand Snakes burst from the ground—each at least twenty feet long, which was considered small for the desert.

Isabella twirled her wand, conjuring large spikes of ice that formed in midair and launched into the snakes, piercing them with ease.

"This one’s small," Isabella remarked, a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice. "Let’s head deeper and find a bigger one."

Hikari grinned. "Sounds good to me."

I wiped sweat from my brow. We’d only been in the Desert Dungeon for a few minutes, but the heat was already getting to me.

I glanced at Nick, who seemed unaffected in his power suit. "How are you dealing with this heat?" I asked.

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Nick flashed a smile. "My suit has built-in cooling."

"Man, I’m jealous," I muttered.

Nick chuckled. "You should get yourself a power suit."

"Too expensive, and the maintenance would cost me an arm and a leg. Plus, I’m not as handy with mechanics as you are," I replied. "And it’d mess with my flying."

Nick smirked. "Gotta stay light on your feet, huh?"

"Exactly. We better keep up before we lose track of them," I said, motioning to Isabella and Hikari.

The sand beneath us was treacherous—too fine to hold any weight. As soon as we stepped on it, our legs would sink into the ground.

I pulled out my two Bronze Bent Spoons and used telekinesis to lift myself into the air. Meanwhile, Nick sank like a stone.

"Hey, help me out!" Nick called, struggling to move in the soft sand.

"You’re too heavy, especially with that suit," I shouted back.

"Are you calling me fat?" he shot back.

"I’m just stating facts," I said with a grin.

Nick was going to have to tough it out in this terrain. As we followed Isabella and Hikari through the shifting sands, I couldn’t shake the thought of what had killed Hikari in the first timeline. It could’ve been the Sand Snakes, if she’d been careless, but something felt off. The fact that the Wi-Fi and cell signals were jammed was suspicious, and my mind kept drifting to Isabella.

I suspected she was involved, though I had to admit, my bias against vampires wasn’t helping.

As we moved forward, Isabella effortlessly wiped out every Sand Snake in our path. Nick and I trailed behind, keeping a watchful eye on them both.

----

The Giant Sand Snake loomed in front of Hikari and Isabella, its yellow scales blending seamlessly with the sands, and its emerald-green eyes glimmering like jewels. The snake, over forty feet long, opened its enormous jaws—easily capable of swallowing a man whole in one bite. It was a C-Rank monster, at the very least.

Nick and I stood atop a sand dune, watching the unfolding battle. Clutching his jet hammer, Nick asked, "Should we jump in?"

I shook my head. "No, we watch."

Isabella drew a flawless circle in the air, summoning hundreds of sharp icicles that launched toward the Giant Sand Snake. The icy projectiles embedded themselves into the snake's tough scales.

The Sand Snake retaliated, surging forward. Hikari aimed her coilgun at the creature, pulling the trigger. In the blink of an eye, the bullet tore through the snake's flesh, leaving a baseball-sized hole in its side.

As the snake lunged toward them, Hikari and Isabella swiftly dodged, evading its vicious bite. The snake slithered back into the sand, disappearing beneath the surface. We waited, tense, scanning the desert for any sign of its return.

Suddenly, sand exploded into the air, and the snake emerged. Both Isabella and Hikari attacked, only to realize too late—it was just the snake’s tail.

The real danger appeared behind Hikari, its jaws wide open, ready to strike. I was about to use telekinesis to intervene, but Nick beat me to it. He leaped at the snake, swinging his jet hammer. The boosters ignited as the hammer slammed into the creature’s skull with enough force to break the sound barrier.

Grinning, I watched as the Giant Sand Snake’s head was crushed into pulp.

Nick landed with a heavy thud, kicking up a cloud of sand. He turned to Hikari. "You okay?"

Hikari glared at him, furious. "You idiot! Why did you smash the head? How am I supposed to collect the poison now?"

I sighed. It was because of girls like her that chivalry was dead.

Nick scratched his head awkwardly. "Sorry about that."

I floated over to Nick. "Don’t apologize for saving her life."

Isabella approached Hikari and whispered, "Dear, I’m famished. Can I have a drink?"

Hikari glanced at her, then nodded. "Yeah, sure."

Isabella smiled coyly. "Let’s find somewhere a bit more private. I don’t want those two spying on us."

Hikari shot Nick and me with a fierce glare. "No peeking, you perverts!"

Nick laughed, pounding his chest. "Wouldn’t dream of it."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Growling under her breath, Hikari followed Isabella behind a sand dune.

After counting to sixty, I started to follow them. Nick grabbed my shoulder, his voice serious. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure Isabella doesn’t drain Hikari dry," I replied.

Nick gave me a suspicious look. "You sure it’s not for... other reasons?"

I stared at him—the same Nick who was pure-hearted and hadn’t even seen porn, unlike me. I shrugged. "You’ll be there to stop me if I cross a line. Besides, don’t you want to protect Hikari?"

Nick sighed, releasing my shoulder.

We crept up to the sand dune, peeking over like a couple of awkward spies. Nick covered his eyes. Isabella was biting Hikari’s neck, her blouse undone to give the vampire easy access.

After a few minutes, something changed. Hikari began to struggle, pushing weakly against Isabella. Isabella shoved her to the ground.

I nudged Nick. "Does that look normal to you? You’ve a Blood Partner—shouldn’t this be different?"

Nick’s eyes widened when he saw what was happening. "She’s killing her!"

We rushed in.

Nick screamed, “Let Hikari go, Isabella! You’re going to kill her!”

Isabella ignored him, continuing to drain Hikari’s blood like a ravenous predator.

With a fierce motion, I thrust my Bronze Bent Spoon forward, wrenching Isabella away from Hikari using my telekinesis. I flung her across the area, putting distance between her and us.

Isabella shrieked in fury. “You wretched bastards!”

I hurried to Hikari’s side, kneeling down to check if she was still breathing. Her chest rose and fell weakly. "Hikari," I whispered, "can you move?"

She didn’t respond, just gazed at me, her eyes brimming with tears that streamed silently down her face.

I clenched my jaw and glanced at Isabella, the top of our class—an opponent we’d never been able to best.

Nick’s voice cut through the tension, resolute. “That’s enough, Isabella. You need to stop.”

Isabella broke into wild laughter. “Stop? Oh, I’ve been waiting for this day! I’ll drain every drop of blood from her! She belongs to me. I should’ve killed both of you the moment you stepped into the Dungeon!”

With a sinister smile, she raised her wand.

Nick charged forward, his jet hammer roaring to life, aimed straight at Isabella.

In a swift, graceful motion, Isabella twirled her wand, conjuring a storm of sharp icicles that launched toward Nick.

I reacted instantly, raising both of my Bronze Bent Spoons. With a powerful telekinetic pulse, I deflected the ice shards, scattering them harmlessly away from Nick.

I flew toward Isabella, trying to close the distance.

Nick reached her first, his hammer’s thrusters at full power. He slammed it into her chest with a thunderous crack.

Isabella barely flinched, sneering. “Is that supposed to hurt?” She grabbed Nick’s hammer, lifting both it and him effortlessly into the air.

Desperation surged through me. Beating Isabella, a vampire from Class 1A, seemed impossible. But she had a weakness.

I flicked my wrist, sending a wave of telekinetic energy to the Christian cross necklace around her neck—the one that protected her from the sun’s deadly rays.

Isabella’s eyes widened in terror as the necklace snapped free. Flames erupted from her skin, and she screamed, “AAAAAHHHHH!”

She dropped Nick, her body consumed by fire. In a frantic scramble, she burrowed into the sandy ground and vanished.

Nick groaned as he stood, dusting himself off. “How are we going to stop her now?”

“Forget that!” I yelled. “We need to get out of here before she recovers!”

Without wasting another second, I used my telekinesis to lift Hikari and sprinted toward the exit. Nick followed close behind.

----

We stood outside the Dungeon Portal, and I gently laid Hikari down on the ground.

A wave of relief washed over me, and I started laughing. It felt incredible knowing we’d saved a classmate and made it through such a deadly ordeal.

Nick, still tense, said, “We should call the police. This whole situation is a disaster.”

Hikari shook her head. “No. My father will handle it. Isabella’s a 12th-generation vampire. It’ll get complicated if you two get involved.”

Nick frowned. “Are you trying to protect her because you love her?”

Hikari’s expression hardened. “I said, I’ll handle it.”

I smiled and said, “Give me your number. I recorded everything—you can use it as evidence.”

“...Alright,” Hikari replied after a pause.

She gave me her phone number, and Nick helped her out of the signal-dead zone. From there, we headed back to the dormitory while a fancy flying limousine came to pick Hikari up.

----

When I got back to the dorm and entered the room, I found my vampire roommate, Holly, lounging on her bed, watching *Friends* on her hologram.

Exhausted, I flopped face-first onto my bed, too tired to do anything else.

"Hey, Wally," Holly called out.

I just groaned into my pillow.

"Want the rest of my strawberry and banana yogurt?" she asked.

Another groan was my only response.

Without a word, she set the half-finished yogurt on my nightstand and went back to her show.

I glanced at Holly. Aside from the red eyes and fangs, she looked like any other attractive teenage girl.

If she weren’t a vampire and just a regular girl, her kindness would’ve definitely made me fall for her.

I kept staring at her, then at the yogurt.

I mumbled into the pillow, wondering why vampires had to be so annoyingly hot.