A faint, eerie glimmer of light seeped through the mosaic windows, its feeble glow barely illuminating the towering altar at the room's heart.

The air was heavy with an unsettling stillness, as if the very walls held their breath, waiting for something unseen yet deeply ominous.

"...."

A man garbed in white stood before the altar.

His features were aged, framed by a white cassock adorned with a pellegrina and cinched with a fringed white fascia.

A golden necklace hung by his chest.

Clasping his hands together, he prayed.

"With reverence and devotion, we offer ourselves."

His voice was brittle, echoing loudly within the confines of the church.

"Bound to your will and purpose,"

There was a certain magnetism to his voice that pulled the ears of those present.

"In this world and beyond,"

But there was something more to the voice.

Something more... sinister.

"For we are your loyal disciples."

The voice...

It dripped with a chilling fanaticism that teetered on the edge of obsession.

"Offer us your guidance, our lord."

An obsession that drew the madness within them.

"....."

Following the prayer, the surroundings turned quiet.

Tak.

But the silence was soon broken by a woman dressed in white as she walked up.

With her eyes closed, she stopped behind the man and held onto the rosary in her grasp.

"Your holiness, we have gathered the sacrifices."

".....You have?"

The man spoke slowly, his gaze remaining firmly stuck on the altar.

"Were there any problems?"

"None"

The woman replied in a low tone.

"As you have foreseen, the sacrifices attacked each other. The poison seeped deep into their minds, turning them into vulgar beasts with no regard to rationality."

"That's good to hear. I presume you've fed them that, right?"

"Yes. Several are in critical condition, but they should all make it. But your Holiness..."

The nun hesitated, looking at the Archbishop with slight hesitation.

"Why must we feed those inferior beings with the blood of our god? Wouldn't it be better if you were to take them? If they are to take such precious"

The nun stopped.

"....."

Staring at the back of the Archbishop, she felt her entire body freeze on the spot.

It was an oppressive, and suffocating feeling that made her hold onto her neck.

"Ukeh...!"

Thankfully, the sensation didn't last for long as it faded and the Archbishop's voice echoed again,

".....Anything else?"

The nun lowered her head.

"We have lost thirty-eight brothers and sisters to the instructors. It is also likely that reinforcements will come."

"That is okay."

His Holiness replied.

"....This was within my prediction."

Slowly turning around, Archbishop Lucas revealed his eyes, which were stark white and devoid of emotion. Despite his kind smile, there was an unsettling coldness in his gaze as he looked down at the nun on the ground.

"I can see ahead."

He spoke softly.

".....For Oracleus has granted me sight."

It was the sight that allowed him to know the sacrifices were coming.

"I have foreseen their appearance. There's no need to worry. By the time they find this place, it'll be too late."

Archbishop Lucas smiled.

"Begin the process. Inform me if there are any problems."

"Yes, your Holiness."

***

In one moment he was supervising the cadets, and in the next moment, he was attacked by several dozen people.

Clank!

Professor Thornwhisper deflected the blow using a thin sword.

Despite that, the blow was rather heavy and he took several steps back.

"You, who are you?"

He looked around him. He was in the middle of a forest, surrounded by a couple dozen people dressed in white. His expression grew tense at the sight of them.

'They're strong.'

Not individually, but together... they even made him, a tier 5 individual, struggle.

Rustle~ Rustle~

His question was met with nothing but silence as they continued to approach him. The Professor's expression changed at the sight, and just as he was about to attack, he stopped himself.

'This isn't what I'm supposed to do.'

He had other priorities.

Like finding the cadets and members of the Empire.

He couldn't let such talented kids die.

'Once I find them...'

The Professor glared at the people in white.

Then, bringing his sword forward, he channeled all the mana within his body and charged forward.

"Huep...!"

A glow manifested around his sword as he rushed ahead.

The mana surrounding him grew dense, his eyes turning bloodshot as his muscles tensed with an almost unbearable strain.

Slicing down, the air split, alongside the ground.

Bang!

A terrifying explosion shattered the silence, sending dust billowing into the air and obstructing his vision. Thrusting his hand forward, he swept it to the side, carving a brief, tenuous path of sight through the thick, swirling haze.

That was when he caught sight of two people.

They stood still while staring at him.

....It was as if his actions meant nothing to them.

And it truly did mean nothing as even as their heads were sliced off, they did nothing but stare at him.

Running past them, the Professor continued to head deeper and deeper into the forest. As he did, he released several pulses of mana.

His main priority was currently finding the members he was in charge of.

However...

"....Something is blocking my perception."

To his frustration, the mana pulse barely reached a few meters before scattering.

The Professor clenched his teeth at the realization.

Looking around, he tried again, but the results were the same.

"Nothing."

The mana would stop just a few meters after he sent it away. Feeling his heart dropped, the Professor clenched his teeth and took out a small orb from his pocket.

'I didn't want to use it, but...'

He stared at it with frustration before shattering it in his hand.

'....I have no choice.'

***

"Huaaa...!"

I awoke with a start.

"Haa... Haa..."

My entire body felt cold, and my breath was heavy. I could feel the sound of my heart pounding in my mind, beating louder and louder by the second.

"W-what's... Ukh!!"

My head throbbed.

At the same time, I felt something cold run down my body.

It was both warm and cold. It would alternate between the two. I wasn't sure what it was.

Was death supposed to feel like this...?

Or at least, that was what I thought until I found myself opening up my eyes.

"Uh?"

A weird sound came out of my mouth as I did.

How am I still alive...?

It didn't make sense.

The last memories I could recall were the last moments before my passing.

The exchange with my brother, the lingering scent in the room, and the bittersweet, yet smoky taste of the whisky coming down my throat.

"How is this possible...?"

As my vision cleared up, I tried to make out my surroundings.

It was an unfamiliar setting.

Nothing like I'd ever seen before.

I was in what looked like a stone room. It was empty, and the only sound I could hear was the sound of my own breath.

"What's going on?"

My head continued to throb.

I was confused.

.....I didn't understand what was going on.

In one moment I was dead, and in the next, I found myself waking up in an empty stone room.

"Is this what hell feels like?"

Because,

"....It feels like shit."

Holding onto my chest, I coughed several times.

I felt the pain that was gripping my chest and knew that this was real. That I wasn't dead, and that I was still alive.

But how...?

How was this possible!?

"Cough!"

I coughed again, gripping my clothes tightly.

"Uh?"

I looked down at my hand.

It was a lot more muscular than I last remembered.

"No, it's way more muscular..."

Because of my cancer, my muscles had all degraded. I had been just skin and bones, and yet...

"Huup!"

Helping myself up, I felt energized.

I could move freely, and I didn't feel weak.

"W-what's going on?"

I started to touch my face.

....But I saw no point in it after a while. I couldn't tell the difference.

"Hooo."

I took a deep breath to calm myself down.

All sorts of possibilities ran through my mind. In the end, the only conclusion I could come up with was,

'An experiment.'

I had been put under some sort of experiment that cured me of my cancer.

"Yes, it has to be that."

It was the only explanation.

Looking around, my gaze fell on a stone door and I moved towards it.

Bang! Bang!

I banged on the door.

"Let me out! I'm awake! Let me out...!"

And yet, regardless of how much I banged on the stone door, it refused to budge.

Bang, Bang!

"Let me out! Let me out!"

I continued to scream, but nothing.

No response.

Just what sort of...!

Bang, bang, bang!!

"Let me out!!!"

I continued to bang at the door.

I banged and banged and banged. And yet, regardless of how hard I tried, no one came. Even as my hands started to feel numb, I continued to bang.

But...

Nothing.

"Let... Me... Out!!"

Bang!

"Haa... haaa... Haa...."

Gradually, the energy started to leave my body. I hardly had any energy left to punch the wall, and I slowly started to fall to my knees.

"Haa... Haa..."

My vision was blurry and droplets of sweat dripped down from the side of my face.

"W-what is going on?"

I could hardly make sense of the situation.

In one moment I was dead, and in the next moment, I was alive again, but stuck inside of a room.

"M-maybe they'll come soon..."

Leaning back against the door, I caught my breath as I looked towards the ceiling of the room. As my chest heaved up and down repeatedly, I felt a certain sting coming from my left hand.

"Ah....!"

My expression twisted the moment I looked down.

Attached to my arm was a vial containing a blood-red liquid. It punctured directly into my vein, and I could feel a slight pulse as the ominous substance flowed into my bloodstream.

"Haa... Haa..."

Because of my panic, I hadn't noticed it before.

However, staring at it right now, I could feel my breath increasing.

I thought about removing the liquid, but thinking about how I was still alive, I hesitated.

What if...? What if this was the liquid that had cured me of my cancer?

If that were the case, would I die if I were to remove it?

"Agh."

I ruffled my hair into a mess.

"Brother."

At the same time, I started to have thoughts about my brother. How was he? How long since I had been incapacitated? Did he agree to all of this...?

"....Ah."

I felt my head throb fiercely with each new thought that I had.

But that didn't last for long.

Rumble! Rumble!

The room shook, and when I turned my head, my eyes lit up.

The door...

It was finally opening.