---
Arin:
The promise I made to Lina wasn't just a passing vow. I swore to her that I would go to the destroyed "Felkaris" School and uncover what happened to her brother Kyle and the others who were transferred there. It wasn't mere curiosity. Something connects that school to what happened on the island of Nipalora… and I need the truth.
On my way out of my room, I ran into the faces of disaster: Sera and Max.
Sera rushed toward me, hugged me tightly as if she had found a lost treasure, and whispered in a trembling voice:
"Are you okay?! They say you were injured!"
I replied indifferently, trying to move past the scene: "It's nothing serious. I've healed."
As for Max, he was the same… annoying as ever:
"They say you fainted from fear, huh? That's not like you, buddy!"
I ignored them and walked outside.
I needed air… the cold air that might clear my mind from the noise.
As I walked through the school courtyard, I recalled the words of that strange man in the dream… or was it a vision?
The four main emotions: fear, love, sorrow, anger.
His message was clear: if I defeat these entities, I'll recover my lost memories… and I'll know why I survived the Novalis explosion… and why I possess this power when no one else does.
But today, I face another challenge.
Fear has seven followers… the one I fought on the island wasn't one of them, just a boastful minion. So who are the real seven?
There was another person in the memories of that student whose energy I absorbed… someone whose face I couldn't see clearly. Perhaps he is the mastermind.
I must find out.
Before midnight, I set off.
---
"Felkaris" School was on the outskirts of the old city of Novalis. Its remains stood like a witness to a crime masterfully concealed. The walls were collapsed, roofs open to the sky, and every stone testified to a destructive force that wasn't natural.
But what made my heart race… was the silence.
There were no bodies. No blood. No trace of life or death.
Only… complete disappearance.
I began to move among the ruins, searching for anything. Then… they appeared.
Ten Emotica, with deformed figures and spear-like claws, surrounding me from every side.
But I… smiled.
"Oh, you'll die quickly. Sorry, you're no match for me now."
In a single second, I cast just one look… and their bodies began to crumble like burning leaves.
It was over before it began.
---
Then I heard a voice behind me, a whisper as if it emerged from the void:
"Well, well… what do we have here? Did you come to investigate too?"
I turned immediately.
It was him… the young man with the ring. The same person I once saw speaking to the Headmaster.
I said sharply: "Who are you?!"
He laughed lightly: "Just a passerby."
I looked into his eyes. No negative energy. No aura. Nothing.
But my instincts? They were screaming.
This person… is very powerful.
I lunged at him without hesitation. I struck with my blood dagger, but he dodged it easily as if his body had no weight. Then he countered with a single punch… so fast and strong that I nearly shattered.
I staggered, tasting iron in my mouth.
He said calmly:
"Goodbye, Shadow Hero."
"Wait! Who are you?!"
He didn't answer. He vanished among the rubble as if he had never been there.
I followed his steps, but they vanished like smoke.
This person… is more dangerous than any Emotica I've fought.
---
I continued searching.
I entered the student dormitory building. The doors were smashed, beds overturned, papers scattered.
Then I saw it.
A photo… old… showing Lina smiling, next to a young boy. Kyle.
I entered the room fully. It was clean compared to the others.
On the table, a small leather notebook… covered in dust.
I wiped it with my hand and opened it.
And on the first page, words that froze the
blood in my veins.
:
Far from human eyes, in a place untouched by wind and devoid of life, a colossal city hung suspended in the sky. It resembled neither castle nor known civilization… it was something born of another world.
A floating city, veiled in dense clouds that concealed the horrors within.
At the city's heart stood a towering structure, guarded by weeping stone statues with carved smiles split too wide. At its peak, a dark hall loomed—no light entered, no sound echoed but the throbbing beat of something that wasn't a heart.
In the center of that hall, a circular table stood, carved from an ancient black stone—said to be taken from a dimension that defied naming. Seated around it were seven figures, each with a distinct form, a warped aura, and names long forgotten. They were known only as the Seven Hands, servants of fear itself.
One of them, his voice rough and dripping with scorn, muttered:
"So... he's dead. That idiot."
Another responded while swirling a bottomless glass:
"What did you expect from a cowardly worm? Chasing glory, dreaming of a seat among us... he forgot the Supreme One granted him the title of Eighth Hand out of pity, not merit."
The Fourth Hand laughed, her voice like blades brushing metal:
"He was arrogant. He forgot who we are. His mission was simple—eliminate Subject Zero. That's it. And he failed."
Then came the voice of the First Hand, the eldest among them:
"Not only did he fail… but he also wasted dozens of Emotica units in a useless assault. He's drained our vital reserves."
Another shook his head:
"No matter. We captured some valuable assets from the academy—Number 3 and the others. They'll be useful when the war breaks out."
Before anyone could speak further, heavy footsteps echoed against the stone floor. The chamber walls trembled.
Silence fell.
A tall figure entered. His face was hidden… for his eyes alone could paralyze any soul. His body was cloaked in a black mantle whose edges danced like living shadow. As he sat upon his stone throne, the room froze.
The Supreme One—manifestation of pure fear.
He spoke, his voice a distant echo from the bottom of a well:
"The Eighth Hand is dead… because he was weak."
A pause. His gaze swept over them.
"Have you completed the tasks I gave you?"
They bowed slightly, replying in unison, "Yes, my Lord."
He continued, his eyes like knives cutting through bone:
"Then it begins. Let us show them what true fear looks like."
"Our goal is simple—eradicate the vermin who call themselves human… shatter the barrier separating us from Novalis… and release our Great Lord who remains sealed."
He fell silent for a moment… then gazed into the unseen.
"But… there is still one obstacle."
They all whispered: "Subject Zero…"
He said, slowly, with weight in every syllable:
"He's evolving… at a terrifying pace. His strength is growing in ways we do not understand. He does not belong to the four primal emotions… and yet… he has already surpassed more than half of you."
The Second Hand stood and asked:
"Do you command us to move, my Lord?"
The Supreme One nodded.
"Yes. The Purge Plan begins now."
"We have gathered all the pieces in one place… It is time to move the armies."
"Take with you thousands of Emotica. I want none of them left alive. Let them taste the true meaning of fear."
He concluded, his voice sharp as a blade:
"And as for Subject Zero… I'll deal with him myself… on the day of the Great Collapse."
The meeting ended.
The lights vanished.
And the darkness swallowed all.
⚔️ The Seven Hands have begun to move...
🩸 Subject Zero is growing stronger, but the enemies lurking in the shadows are becoming more ruthless… and more cunning.
❓ Burning questions for you, brave soldiers of the Emotica Army:
1. Do you believe Arin can survive a confrontation with the Seven Hands... or is his end closer than we think?
2. Who truly is the Supreme One? Could he be connected to the explosion of Novalis?
3. What is the secret behind the mysterious figure with the ring—one who holds no negative energy, yet possesses terrifying power?
4. Who do you think is the traitor within the academy? Could it be one of the Ten?
5. If you were in Arin's place… would you reveal the truth, or guard your secret to the death?
🔥 The Arc of Fear has begun… and soon, the battlefield will be soaked in blood.
⚠️ Every Power Stone you offer shields me from the fangs of fear, and gives me strength to write a stronger chapter tomorrow.
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👑 You are the reason this story continues—don't let the darkness win!