"The world does not sleep, it only whispers.
Shadows crawl where light refuses to linger.
We escaped the maw, yet the night feels hungrier still.
Perhaps the darkest creatures are not the ones that bite,
but the ones that smile in silence.
And that smile — perhaps — is the outcome of a greater loss,
bound by the paths that life makes us cross."
The creature burst with a sound like wet glass breaking. A rush of cold, rancid air hit their faces before the floor of the "hall" slammed up at them. They sprawled, coughing, tasting iron.
Marv rolled onto his back. "Ow—ow—ow—holy—" he gripped his ribs, eyes darting like a cornered animal. "I think my spine just filed for divorce…"
Silence. Only the wind answered — cold, heavy, unforgiving.
"You'll live," Shinigami muttered. "Unfortunately."
The cold air filled the atmosphere; the dark hall lit with moonlight.
Kazuto stood up shivering and offered Parmiss a hand up, his own still trembling. She didn't take it — not out of pride, but because she wasn't sure she could stand.
Marv broke the silence with a laugh that didn't sound real. "We're alive. I'm putting that on my résumé."
"Hope they hire you to kill bugs or bugs to kill you." Shinigami mocked with a smile on her exhausted face.
Parmiss sat up slow, shivering, her palms skidding across the sticky marble. "That was… we almost…" She swallowed, unable to finish. Her teeth chattered, but not from cold.
The fog glazed the windows, giving the hall a divine shimmer. Looking back, there was no trace of the creature they were inside a moment ago. Seems like it disappeared like that in a video game.
A shadow cut across them, long and thin. A tall figure stood at the edge of the hall, lantern held low. The flame inside burned green.
Their chests tightened. The figure slowly moved toward them.
"Ah! My intrepid little explorers…" The voice was bright, cartoonish, a jingle almost. "You survived!"
They whipped their heads up.
"Professor Ainsworth?!"
Relief spiked through them, but it didn't settle. It never did around him.
"What—what was that thing?" Parmiss's voice cracked, sharper than she meant.
"A Void-Stopper," Ainsworth said. The sing-song drained out of his tone as if a needle scratched a record. "Such creatures cannot wander in here. Not… unless someone guided it."
Their stomachs dropped. The lantern hissed.
"Guided? By whom?!" Parmiss asked.
The others froze — as if afraid the question itself might summon something. Shinigami tightened her fists.
"Professor," she said quietly, "if it wasn't supposed to enter, what let it in?"
Ainsworth's smile twitched, just once. "Now that's the kind of question that keeps one awake."
"Yeah—and hold up!" Marv pushed himself up. "We were in there, like, an hour? Why's it night now?"
The lantern's flame sputtered, shadows flickering across Ainsworth's grin. "Ah… time is tricky here. It runs faster when you're inside something's belly."
Marv's face twisted, like he'd just heard a line from a cheap horror novel.
"You may follow me!" Ainsworth's cheer snapped back like a mask. He spun on his heel, the green flame casting warped shadows. "You're all hungry, yes? Cake, water, a bed? Come along!"
"Professor!" Kazuto's voice sliced through the hall. "Stop dodging. Tell us what's going on."
"Everything is fine!" Ainsworth's grin stretched wide, almost cartoonish again. "Food, then sleep. Tomorrow—answers. That's a promise from your teacher!"
It felt like a bribe, to make them shut their whining
A pulse of discomfort hit Kazuto, his hand tightened at his side. He didn't know why, but it felt like something was still watching — something Ainsworth wasn't mentioning.
Shinigami's eyes narrowed — she wasn't buying it, staying silent at this moment like someone who has no job, but to observe.
"Now, shall we move!" It felt like a command rather than a question from the teacher of mysteries himself.
As he slowly began to move, they all had no choice but to follow him.
The corridors were empty. Moonlight poured through stained-glass panels, staining the floor with bruised colors. Every footstep echoed too long, like the building was hollow inside.
Marv leaned toward Shinigami, whispering: "Hey… Shinny? Why so quiet?"
"Focused," she whispered back. Her eyes never left Ainsworth's back. "I don't trust him."
They exchanged glances like passing notes in class. No one laughed. They barely felt the cold — their hearts beat too fast, keeping them warm.
The halls were hushed, moonlight bleeding through the tall stained-glass windows in fractured colors. Reds, greens, and blues rippled faintly across the stone floor as if the building itself were holding its breath.
Ainsworth's lantern bobbed with each step, his shadow stretching impossibly long on the walls.
"We're nearly there," he chimed in his cartoonish sing-song, though his voice seemed too loud against the stillness.
It appeared to be a smaller, older part of the school. Smaller than the rest, at least.
When he finally stopped, it was before an old wooden door that appeared to be older than the rest of the school. He pushed it open, and a warm glow spilled out.
Inside was a kitchen—not gleaming or modern, but homely. A single wooden table stood in the middle with four uneven chairs, like something borrowed from another century. A chipped kettle and plates sat drying on the counter. The smell of sponge cake—slightly stale but sweet—hung in the air.
Ainsworth clapped his hands, the cartoon jingle back in full force. "Ta-da! Dining for four! Get yourselves comfortable at those chairs!"
They all passed glances to each other and then sat cautiously. Ainsworth placed a plate in front of each: a single slice of sponge cake and a glass of water.
"This is not much, but I saved it for special students." He smiled, leaning casually against the wall. Watching them with the detached fondness of someone observing orphans.
They exchanged suspicious glances. It felt like time could stop at any moment — and if it did, anything could happen. And in the quiet that followed, none of them noticed the lantern's smoke still curling from the kitchen — forming the faint outline of a smile.
"Thank you, Professor," Parmiss said politely, taking the first bite. Seeing her courage, others followed, though Marv sniffed the cake like it might explode.
"Don't worry, it's not poisoned!" Ainsworth said with a big laugh, which made them all shiver.
The cake was sweet. Too sweet. It stuck in their throats.
Ainsworth smiled looking at them, still he did not answer any of their questions.
"Sweet mercy—this cake tastes like regret and sugar." Marv said under his nose.
Shinigami unimpressed by him whispered to Parmiss "He's joking to avoid trauma again. Classic coping mechanism."
Parmiss rolled her eyes back to the cake, which made even Marv question his lame joke.
Kazuto seemed to enjoy the moment silently, he ate quietly, but his eyes never left Ainsworth.
Slowly the moment passed. Cake finally finished. It felt to be the most horrible meal of their lives, not because of its taste, It was quite delicious, but the atmosphere made it feel like the last thing they'd ever taste.
"You all must be tired?" Ainsworth asked gently.
They all nodded. Even though it felt like they were safe, they still couldn't shake-off the feeling of unease.
Ainsworth stood from where he had been leaning and opened the door. Moonlight was pale blue at this hour.
"Shall we move?" Ainsworth smiled, gazing upon all of them.
They nodded like kids promised candy if they behaved.
As they were leaving, Ainsworth extinguished the flame burning in the lantern, and the room was
filled with the blue light of the night.
"Why are you extinguishing your lantern, Professor?" Parmiss asked, curiosity written across her face.
"Mine…?" The teacher looked almost puzzled. "Perhaps I don't need it anymore."
"Then who does!?" Kazuto whispered in an annoyed tone. All of them staring at the strange teacher.
As the teacher moved forward, they all took one more glance in the kitchen that now appeared to be shining from moonlight, and the smoke was being exhaled from the extinguished lantern.
All stepped out in the hall. The bright moon gazing at them through the window.
The hall was fully luminated by soft moonlight and it all finally started to feel cold.
As they kept following the teacher, the hall finally ended. Upfront, it was a beautiful garden, With three paths. One leading to the Boys dorm on the left side and Girl's Dorm on the right, with a fountain in the middle.
Though the path leading to the dorms was curved, it was straight in the middle that connected to the school.
"I shall be leaving now. You all! Go to your dormitories." Ainsworth said in a serious tone, but somehow It felt like a feeling of despair.
They all nodded and took their steps forward.
As the students stepped in the cold beautiful garden that was filled with all kinds of beautiful flowers, Parmiss paused, turned back to the teacher and asked "Professor..." Ainsworth got attentive like someone woken up from a daydream.
The rest turned back gazing at Parmiss.
"...Thank you," she said, her smile gentle and fragile.
Ainsworth returned the smile, then turned away — walking slow, like someone leaving behind something dear.
The garden lights dimmed as his shadow stretched long behind him — reaching toward them, even after he was gone.