"I wi—will ki—kill her." His throat clenched painfully, each word a jagged whisper. That burning lump remained, swelling with every breath, fury and grief swirling like a tempest.
But then he felt it.
Not the breeze. Not the rustling of leaves. Something else. Space seemed to bend, parting like water for an unseen presence.
Instinct roared louder than thought. His body moved on its own—a desperate leap just as a blade sliced through the air where his head had been.
He landed with a thud, the force jarring his bones. Looking forward his he locked eyes with his attacker— a girl. Her eyes wide with surprise, mouth slightly parted as if she hadn't expected him to dodge.
That surprise vanished in an instant, replaced with a cold indifference. Her body blurred, and before he could blink, she was in front of him—sword poised to strike.
Clang!
Zephyr's scythe met her blade, the impact shuddering through his bones. He staggered back, his open toed sandel digging trenches in the soft earth to slow his momentum. When he raised his eyes again, she was already moving—hands clasped together, lips whispering.
"Sanguis—Needlevine Hair."
Her hair, Murky yellow and wild, surged like living vines. They whipped forward, a tidal wave of needle-like strands rushing to impale him.
Without hesitation, Zephyr hurled his scythe into the air. His hands clasped together, fingers curling in precise formation—pinkies extended, thumbs upright.
Limbo—Border Jail.
Reality shuddered. Red pillars materialized in front of him, connecting together to harden space around him. The girl's hair crashed into it, strands splintering off with metallic clangs.
Zephyr's lips twisted into a feral grin. "I'll rip her apart," he thought darkly, the thrill of battle singing in his veins.
But his thoughts cut short as the girl's voice rang out—cold and sharp.
"Sanguis—Maw of Thirst."
The hair, still splayed across his hardened barrier, began to move—not with force, but with hunger. The strands latched on, winding tighter, pulsing with life. He felt it instantly—a pull, like tiny mouths sucking the air from his lungs.
No—not air. Aether.
His Aether. His energy was draining, siphoned through the threads, bleeding out of him in torrents. Zephyr staggered, eyes wide. The space around him flickered, the walls of his Border Jail shimmering, fracturing.
"No... no, no, no!"
He tried to force more Aether into the technique, but it poured out faster than he could muster. The barrier shattered with a brittle crack, his breath hitching as the strands coiled around him.
The girl's whisper floated through the air, soft but absolute.
"Sanguis—Needlevine Hair."
Her hair straightened, snapping taut like spears. Zephyr had no time to react as they pierced through him—his arms, his legs, his chest—turning him into a living pincushion.
The pain was instant. Blinding. He gasped, crimson flooding his vision as the vines retracted, leaving trails of warmth pooling down his body.
Darkness swallowed his vision, and with a violent jerk, he awoke.
He was back in the hall. Alive.
A voice rang out, echoing with finality.
"Zephyr Demios—ranked 150th."
He had failed— hard.
But that was the last thing on his mind, the anger and pain had created a dull ache in his chest that didn't want to leave, if anything it became more increasing heavier. He started to choke on the metaphysical feeling on his chest.
Sweat poured out if his body like a torrent, wetting his his coat.
'What is happenning to me'. Zephyr was confused, the emotion was weighting on his mind making it dificult to think. Then he remembered— his hand slintered into his clothes, gripping his canister, he shoved it into his mouth and with a clinking hiss, cold air flowed into his mouth and through his chest, as always it never failed to calm him down, the over whelming emotions receded untill he was finally free from the oppresive emotions.
He stayed in the position with his head bowed for some time before raising his head, he could see Keal worried face.
"H-how long was it". He voice was cracked.
"Barely a few minutes".
'Few minutes.? That long?'. He did'nt say anything else, being dead tired mentally.
He blanky stares at the screen in front of him currently displaying a fight between two boys, he wasn't interested in it a bit. All his attention was on the hate for the demios clan currently growing deep in his chest.
The memory wasn't just that— a memory, no he had lived it and had experianced every emotion, every feeling. He could even still taste the half rotten meat of his best friend on his tongue, and most of all Keede, although he haven't met her personal, he already hated her immensely.
'How can people be so inhuman, so nasty and evil'. The pit wasn't something he would wish for his enemy, but they had thrown a five year old in without second thought.
"Hmm no offence but what now". Keal vioce rang out dispruting his inner musing.
"Huh".
"You know, you failed the entrance exam. What now".
" I-i-i don't know".
For the first time since coming to this world he was lost, he originally planned to go along with the protangonist but that plan was trashed the moment he failed to pass the exam.