Professor Lirienne's class was over, and now it was break time. Around an hour or so before the second class began, which meant there was no stalling it anymore. She had to get this done fast.

  [You look nervous.]

  Amy took a deep breath, her fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of her satchel where Libris was nestled. "I'm not..." she muttered under her breath.

  [Your heart rate is elevating. Statistically speaking, your physiological response indicates significant anxiety.]

  “...I'm not nervous," she muttered. "Just... strategically apprehensive."

  [An interesting distinction.]

  The book's observation wasn't wrong. Her steps toward ‘building B’ felt heavier with each stride, the weight of foreknowledge pressing against her consciousness. Though, she will never admit so.

  The Academy grounds stretched around her. Students moved about their morning routines, all oblivious.

  Thirteen class B students. That's how many would die. A number that seemed like a distant plot point in the manga. But now, as she approached the building, it all felt unbearably important, just as real as this world was.

  Each victim was a person, someone with hopes, and dreams, perhaps a family waiting for them. Despite knowing this, she still couldn’t internalize it. The fact that they existed, that thirteen human souls were going to disappear if she did nothing to stop it.

  It was a thought that made her uncomfortable in a way that wasn’t verbally possible to convey.

  Amy hadn’t forgotten what kind of world this manga was, but she had tried very hard. It just couldn’t enter in her sixteen-year-old brain, that she would most likely soon see a corpse for the first time in her life.

  How would she feel? Will she puke? Will she be unable to control herself and break her character? Or would it be one of those things that once they happened, she would wonder why had she feared it so much in the first place?

  It would be so easy, to think of those people as background characters not having anything to do with her. But after two days and a half of living in this world, she was sure that the people here were not any different from the people back on Earth.

  "I have to change this," she whispered, more to herself than to Libris. "I have to."

  [...do you truly?]

  “...”

  [Do you think you can save them…?]

  Could she…? She would try, but deep down she knew it was quite impossible to save them all. Maybe if she was stronger, but with her current powers it would be quite suicidal to go for more than five…

  [You shouldn’t obligate yourself to carry that burden, Amy.]

  “You're right…” She admitted, letting out a tired sigh. “I don’t know why I’m acting as if this is my responsibility…?”

  Yeah, she would save people if she could, but if she couldn’t she would definitely not put herself in potential mortal danger for it. After all, Amy wasn’t a hero, she was a teenager who feared death above all and was still somewhat scared of heights and dark places.

  That’s what she tried to tell herself, yet she still knew that the only one who could change it was her and if they died it would be because she did nothing to stop it.

  “Ugh, I hate this vibe…” She shook her head, trying to get away from the negative thoughts. It had been a while since she had spiraled this way.

  Normally in times like this, she would go into social media and drop some nasty comments to somebody or write a paragraph on why a certain celebrity's life was actually everyone's problem. But now, she couldn’t really do that…

  “Libris, can you give me one of your snarky jokes, please…?”

  [That bad, huh.]

  “Yeah.”

  [Very well. Mmm… What do you get when you cross a magical sentient book with a very ugly prophet?]

  “...”

  [You get a "Grimoire-d of the Flies"—a book full of dark prophecies, but nobody wants to read it because it's just too hard to look at!.]

  “...” How is that even a joke...?

  [How weird, your stress levels just increased.]

  “...If I burn you, how much pain would you feel…?”

  [None, after all, I cannot be burned nor broken.]

  Amy shook her head and kept walking in silence for the rest of the way.

  As building B came into view, she spotted Crow and his companions already waiting. Ash was leaning casually against a stone pillar, while Lyra stood with arms crossed. Lain meanwhile remained slightly behind, her silver eyes scanning a couple of butterflies flying around.

  Crow's black eyes locked onto her the moment she approached.

  "You're here," he said. Not a question, but more an observation.

  Amy nodded, her earlier hesitation and shaking of her hands completely disappeared, replaced by a more measured demeanor. Fake, of course. She had always been good at this, hiding her discomfort had been a skill she had developed back when she used to live with her father.

  "So," Lyra said with a tense face, "are we ready?"

  Crow nodded, the golden key turning slowly between his fingers. "Amy, you said here was the first sign, right? What exactly are we looking for?"

  Amy exhaled softly, letting the afternoon air cool the tension on her skin. She couldn’t tell them everything, of course. That would break the very nature of her role. Instead, she tilted her head, allowing just the right amount of distance to settle in her expression before speaking.

  “We enter and then search,” she said simply, adjusting the strap of her satchel. “The first sign should be inside here.”

  And what a damn entrance it would do.

  Ash exhaled through his nose. “We are gonna miss lunch break, aren’t we…?”

  “We will if necessary,” Crow said while studying her carefully, his fingers still idly toying with the key. “We will finish before Professor Drayke's class, right?”

  Amy’s lips curled into the ghost of a smile. “Yes.”

  It would be quick, at least.

  Without exchanging further words, the four students entered Edifice B together. Some students from other classes paused and took a double glance at them. It was not every day one saw class S students randomly show up anywhere that wasn’t the main part of the academy.

  Amy focused, scanning the corridors. If her memory of the manga was accurate, then the first victim had already vanished but was still alive. A first-year blonde boy named Elias Varn. He had gone missing between classes two days ago, the last person to see him swearing they had spoken just moments before he disappeared.

  The thing was, her memory was not perfect, moreover, the manga didn’t really specify in which classroom he was situated, so they would need to search.

  Which meant…

  “We should separate.”

  Crow raised an eyebrow but nodded, already accepting the situation. "Alright. Pairs or alone?"

  This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

  Amy considered for a moment. If they went alone, they could cover more ground, but it would also make them more vulnerable. That being said, finding the first student wasn’t necessarily dangerous as long as they weren’t weak—and despite their appearances, no one in the protagonist group was weak.

  "Alone," she decided. "It’ll be faster. If anyone finds anything strange, regroup back here in ten minutes. In particular, we are searching for a piece of paper."

  “Paper…?” Crow asked.

  Ash groaned at her words. "Fantastic. We really aren’t eating today, aren’t we? Combat class is going to be rough with an empty stomach…"

  Lyra rolled her eyes. "There is nothing to worry about, I’m sure that if we explain the situation to Professor Drayke, he will give us a pass…” She paused for a moment, thinking, and then a hint of fear started appearing on her visage. “...right…?" She said, turning to Crow.

  Crow shrugged with a nonchalant expression, and without wasting any time, he stepped down a branching hallway—

  "Wait," Amy said to Crow, stopping him midway. She reached into her satchel and pulled out Libris. "Take the book with you."

  [What…]

  Crow looked puzzled, glancing between Amy and the book. Wariness was clearly visible in his eyes.

  [Listen, I don’t know what you are hoping for, but narrative protocol strictly prohibits direct interference with the plot progression. Even if you ask me to do anything, I can’t help you this time.]

  Amy ignored the book completely, holding it out to Crow. "Take it. It might be useful."

  [Why…? I don’t get what you are planning. As I told you, I can’t—... Wait! Are you abandoning me?] Libris asked, a tone of absolute disbelief coloring its mental voice. [Wait, wait, wait. No way, tell me this isn’t happening! You wouldn’t do that to me, right?]

  “...”

  [After all, we've been through!?]

  Crow hesitated; his gaze was now locked on the book. He probably could sense that it was speaking rather constantly right now, though he could not hear its words.

  After a few more seconds of thoughtful silence, he slowly nodded and accepted Libris, tucking the book carefully into his own bag.

  [This is unprecedented, acceptable, deranged!]

  How dramatic. Amy thought, leaving an exasperated sigh at the book's antics.

  With the book now in his hands, Crow turned and walked down the hallway, leaving Amy standing with the others, her plan set in motion. Lyra stared between the two, confused for a moment, before reluctantly following another path, her form disappearing into the stairs. Ash, still annoyed, muttered something under his breath before taking the staircase. And Amy turned toward the quieter wing of the building, where the classrooms stood empty during the break.

  Meanwhile, Lain looked around, seemingly hesitant about where to go. Her eyes darted between all her companions and the building before they settled on Amy.

  Amy tilted her head as the silver-haired girl approached her with her usual inexpressive face. They stared at each other for a while, neither seeming to say anything, Amy growing more confused by the moment at the girl's behavior.

  People walked past them, the glances increasing as the two women kept the stare game. Amy could feel herself growing impatient and started to wonder if she should just speak first, but for some reason, it felt like if she spoke, it would be like losing, and she had already invested too much time into this. So she just kept staring.

  So… what is going on?

  None talked, none moved, they just watched each other in silence. Amy's hands began to lightly tremble as the thought ‘I don’t have time for this’, became louder.

  Ok, I lost.

  “Is there anything you need, Lain?”

  Lain blinked, slowly, her expression unchanged. Then, after a few more seconds of silence, she finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.

  "...can I come with you…?"

  Her tone carried no particular emotion. Really makes one wonder how Crow managed to realize this woman was just a timid person in their first encounter. Protagonist perks, she supposed.

  Amy did not know what she wanted, but having her there wouldn’t change much so she just nodded without further question. Then continued walking, Lain following closely behind.

  They passed rows of classrooms with one or two students still inside. The further they went, the more this place became desolate, and also the more Amy felt it—the sense of wrongness creeping along her spine, the subtle urge in her brain telling her to turn back.

  Fuck, I was hoping it wasn’t me the one to find it… How unlucky can I be, literally walked straight to it…!

  She turned left, towards a classroom she subtly did not feel interested at all, and for some reason felt like not entering. This was the spot. The place where Elias Varn was last seen.

  Lain tilted her head as Amy entered the classroom, but did not comment anything.

  Amy glanced around, searching for anything out of place. If she remembered correctly, the manga had described this scene in vivid detail: a cracked tile, a faint scent of iron in the air, and the chilling realization that something had been watching all along.

  The cracked tile was there. The iron scent was faint but unmistakable.

  And the feeling of being watched?

  Not yet. He was still not awakened, but his spell was probably listening.

  Amy stilled, her fingers twitching toward the strap of her satchel—except Libris wasn’t there this time. That was fine, she needed it to be with Crow. Still, the absence of the book’s ever-present commentary made the silence feel even heavier.

  Lain noticed her tension. “...something wrong…?” She said, with her usual quiet voice, it was obvious that it had taken her a great deal of effort to say those words.

  Amy didn’t answer. Instead, she crouched, brushing her fingers over the cracked tile. It was slightly displaced as if something had been forced beneath it. Carefully, she pressed against the edge, feeling a slight give.

  There was something underneath.

  She turned to Lain and signaled towards the tile. At this, Lain furrowed her brow before hesitantly kneeling beside Amy, her slender fingers pressing against the tile’s opposite side. Together, they lifted, revealing a small, folded scrap of paper wedged into the hollow space below.

  Hands slightly unsteady, she unfolded the note. It was written with blood.

  “He is always listening.”

  Seeing it in real life sure makes it way more creepy.

  She remember thinking how stupid this was. Classic horror film cliche. Now though, that she was living inside this horror, it felt no longer funny.

  “…What does it say?” Lain asked, peering over her shoulder.

  Amy hesitated for only a moment before handing her the note. “Just scribbles.” She said at the same time she showed the paper to Lain and put a finger over her lips, signaling her to not say anything.

  Lain tilted her head and then frowned as she read the letter, a rare expression on her face.

  Luckily, she was quick to catch on. The spell was indeed listening. And if it realized that they knew, they’d have to fight to get out of here alive. Lain probably could rather manage, but Amy…

  Lain studied the words for a few more seconds before turning to Amy. “...should we see how the others are doing…?”

  Amy shook her head. “Not yet, let’s wait till the ten minutes we agreed pass before going back.”

  Lain seemed to hesitate, probably not knowing if she should listen or go and warn the others. But eventually, she agreed with a slow, erratic nod.

  Libris had said during Professor Lillian's class that she could probably now use her powers. Her mastery had increased to level 2 so at least now she wasn’t completely useless.

  She felt within herself, the muscle without physical form. If she strained it, she could see at least a bit far into the future.

  She decided that she was going to yell ‘Blood Emperor’ after looking into the future. Then she closed her eyes and focused. In the manga, this was the way Zayd had discovered the position of the boy. If only her memory was better…

  Amy straightened the mostly dormant muscle. The world blurred. And then—

  A splintered rush of images. In the room she was in, she saw herself yelling ‘Blood emperor’ and instantly a kind of horrific figure full of eyes across its entire body, came out from behind the bookshelf. What followed was carnage, her ripped in half while Lain barely managed to save herself using her frost ability. Amy's eyes then slowly closed, she felt her life slipping away before—

  Pain. Sudden and all-encompassing, tearing through her like she had just been ripped apart from the inside out. The vision collapsed.

  Amy gasped as she reeled back, her hands instinctively clutching at her stomach as though she could still feel the phantom pain of her own dismemberment.

  She blinked rapidly, her breath coming in sharp bursts.

  "Amy?" Lain's voice was urgent, but still somewhat controlled. "What happened…?"

  Amy swallowed hard, forcing herself to speak. "...I think I have eaten something bad…"

  Lain's brows furrowed even more, her eyes squinting slightly, and cold sweat starting to form on her front. "... I see... Do you want to go outside and take a breeze…?" Despite her timidness, her voice came out smoothly. When it mattered, Lain was always someone who the protagonist could trust, so it wasn’t that surprising.

  Amy turned her gaze to her before pointing to the farthest end of the hallway. "No need, I just need a second."

  Lain followed her arm, her expression one of deep concern. "I see. But, are you sure you alright…?"

  "Yeah." Amy forced herself to stand, shaking off the lingering sensation of the vision and the tiredness that came from it. "No need to worry, it's just stomach pain."

  The two of them silently approached the wooden bookshelf at the end of the hall. It was filled with dusty tomes, untouched for what looked like years. Amy pressed her hands against its edge, testing the weight.

  Lain mirrored her, the two of them pushing in unison. As silently as possible, they moved the shelf, very slowly so it would not make a sound, something which was quite a colossal task.

  Eventually, after a lot of effort, they managed, and it revealed a figure situated behind.

  A blonde unconscious boy was held in ropes, he was bleeding all over the place, but somehow still alive by some kind of magic holding in place his organs and the flow of the red liquid. Elias Varn.

  Amy paused at the sign of blood all over the teenager, the memory of her mother’s bloodied condition as her father stood above her came to her mind, but she quickly composed herself. This wasn’t the time for stupid thoughts.

  Instead, she examined the boy more closely. Thirteen crimson marks around him were smeared against the stone in uneven strokes.

  Lain inhaled sharply but did not act rashly. She was experienced in this kind of situation, in fact, the whole party of the protagonist was experienced in violence. Amy was the only one who had to force her hands to not tremble.

  "Say, Amy. Are you sure that you are alright…?" Lain muttered, her pale face draining even further of color. "Don’t you want to go to the infirmary?"

  Oh, you don’t know how much I want to do that…

  “No need, I think I’m getting better.” Her voice came calm and composed, not a single sign of agitation could be heard in it. “Either way, we should look for the others. The ten minutes are probably about to—

  [Not about to, they have already passed, everyone is here waiting.]

  —pass.” She finished without missing a beat despite her surprise at hearing the book's voice.

  [Just so you know, I’m very hurt at you leaving me behind. Even kind of considered the silent treatment for a while…but in the end my hand was forced.]

  “Very well,” Lain responded to Amy, unaware of Libris' voice currently talking in her head.

  [So anyways, I’m obligated to notify you of something that annoys me quite a bit, since it feels like you are being compensated despite your bad conduct, though you probably already know what it is.]

  Amy felt a tingling sensation at her fingertips, just like the first time it happened.

  Finally. She thought, momentarily forgetting what situation she was in.

  [The chapter has gone live.]