Akira and the girl moved through the school's corridors, their footsteps slicing through the oppressive silence. From somewhere far off, eerie growls echoed, urging them forward.
The girl stayed close behind Akira, clutching the hem of his uniform. Her hand was cold, trembling faintly.
"Tell me your name," Akira said abruptly.
His voice remained mechanical, untouched by warmth or hesitation.
Startled, the girl glanced up, then answered softly, "Kana… My name's kANA."
"Kana. Noted. I will refer to you as Kana henceforth. For your safety, stay close to me."
Kana gave a small nod, her eyes fixed on Akira's back. His silver hair caught the dim glow of the fluorescent lights, shimmering like polished metal. Though she knew he wasn't human, his presence stirred a strange sense of reassurance.
But that comfort didn't last.
As they passed the gymnasium, something shifted.
Thud.
The sound of something heavy toppling.
Akira halted instantly, stepping in front of Kana to shield her.
The gymnasium doors creaked open, and something crawled out.
A massive shadow.
It was vaguely human in shape, but its arms and legs twisted unnaturally, far too long. Jagged protrusions sprouted from its back. Where a face should have been, there was only a gaping black hole, leaking a low, guttural moan.
"New threat detected. Engaging combat mode," Akira said, his eyes flashing red for a split second as blades extended from both forearms.
Kana gasped, but Akira was already charging.
The shadow reacted with startling speed, swinging its elongated arm to swat him away. Akira dodged with effortless grace, his blade slicing through the limb. Black liquid sprayed, hissing as it burned the floor.
The shadow howled in agony, thrashing wildly. The gymnasium trembled, cracks spiderwebbing across the walls.
"Kana, move to the wall!" Akira commanded.
She scrambled to the corner, ducking into the shadows.
Confirming her safety, Akira turned back to the creature.
One strike. Two.
His movements were flawless, carving into the shadow's form with surgical precision. With a final leap, he drove his blade into the hole where its face should have been.
The shadow let out a dying scream and collapsed, dissolving into black smoke.
Silence reclaimed the gymnasium.
"Threat neutralized. Area secure," Akira said, retracting his blades and approaching Kana.
She leaned against the wall, staring at him, stunned.
"Are we… okay?" she whispered.
"My systems are fully operational. Are you injured?"
Kana shook her head. "No, I'm fine… But what was that? I've never seen anything like it…"
"No matching entities exist in my database. It is likely an unknown phenomenon. Investigation is secondary to your safety. We must keep moving."
Kana nodded and fell into step behind him.
The school gate was still some distance away.
As they left the gymnasium, the entire building shuddered faintly. Somewhere in the distance, something collapsed with a heavy crash.
Akira's sensors flared with new alerts.
Multiple signals now.
Hostile presences, converging from all corners of the school.
"Multiple threats detected. Preparing for combat," Akira said. "Kana, brace yourself."
Her face paled. "Brace myself? For what?"
"This facility is under an anomalous lockdown. I will protect you, but the danger is escalating. Trust me to get you to the gate."
Kana swallowed hard, managing only a nod.
The darkness of the school seemed to deepen, swallowing the edges of their vision.
Akira's footsteps echoed once more as they pressed toward the exit.