Lecture hall 1
Vivian was still at the lecture hall that evening. She felt at first that Vic had gone around, spreading lies – but then she remembered how the Daily Nine newspaper from earlier said they would be the ones to save the lecturers. As we all know, that isn't true – the only thing that the news succeeded in doing was giving her false motivation and spreading false rumours.
She doubted its clarity, the person behind it was never to be trusted in the first place, but at least now she had a chance to stay away from Vic, who now would be languishing in all the false glory.
At least, that's what she thought.
"HEY!!"
The voice came from behind her, the back doors of the hall. She looked at the direction, and her eyes met with the figure in front of her.
She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand.
Osas!
… Earlier
Vivian could not move, her legs were stuck in place, her eyes glued to the cat, her mind was blank, only her mouth moved.
"What's going on?"
The cat walked closer to her.
Vivian couldn't back away.
"Osas, he's possessed."
"Po-poss-"
"The spirit is sharing his body with his soul, it's the reason for his violent actions, the very ruler of destruction, the spirit of chaos." It stopped right next to Vivian.
"W-where-!?"
"Where do you think?"
Vivian's eyes widened, as she turned to the cat.
"He needed a way to distract everyone in the school, so he sent chaos to redirect everyone's attention in the school, to set the environment right, while he had his way."
The cat looked up at the greyish orange sky
"This school's students are in its cheating realm."
Then it ran towards the bushes by the side of the road, the bush path.
"What you're saying, it shouldn't be possible, I mean… h-hey!! Wait-" she tried following after the cat, but her legs were still stuck.
Hey eyes widen again,
The cat disappeared.
And where it ran, reality seemed to be rippling.
As if a rock had disrupted the tranquillity of a serene pond, causing ripples to spread across its glassy surface.
She stopped in front of the spot, touching it with her finger.
It went through it, with little resistance, in fact, she didn't notice anything had gone amiss.
But she recalled the same feeling earlier that day.
When she and Vic had left the school.
"'tch'
'What's going on?'
As she crossed the threshold, a sense of familiarity washed over her as she stepped into the realm that once felt so familiar.
She looked about, marvelled at what she saw.
The scrub-land…
"This is the only place on campus that is unaffected."
"Why!? Why is he doing this? He caused so much pain and confusion. We ended up leaving the school to fix everything for naught! The problem," He clenched a fist "It was right in front of me all along!"
"Yes, that is correct."
"But your newspaper said…"
"The daily 9 only narrates events as they will happen, it does not lay plans. You two will always have a choice to make the most efficient decision, even if you have to ignore the paths of the future."
Her eyes struggled to follow the cat,
"But why? Why did it have to be us?"
"…"
Her voice was shaking, "I can barely do anything for myself! Why do I have to be involved in all this?? I AM NOTHING, I'M NO ONE!!"
Her voice was raised, beyond her realization. A tear dropped down her cheek as her hands fell on her legs.
"Your strength is greater than you realize. Holding onto the past won't serve you. Demonstrate your ability to harness your strength and secure the well-being of your future."
"…?"
The cat tilted its head.
"Who… who are you?"
"Only a guide… looking for someone to do the right thing."
"I… I-don't."
"If you wish to quit," it walks further into the bushes. "You know where to find me."
Vivian felt herself freed.
"…"
"You could return to your normal, everyday life…"
"…"
"The days before, would all be a dream…"
She took a few steps towards the cat's voice,
'A chance to change all this'
Walking…
'A chance for my life to be normal again…'
Running...
'I'll forget… I'll forget everything'
Dashing!
'Forget… Everything'
'Hey!'
'...?'
'Cheer up!'
'...'
'You make it sound hard, it's super easy. Look, just smile.'
'...'
'I just have to do what I have to do.'
'...'
The tears slipped out from her eyes, she couldn't hold it in.
'Problems? If they're any problem, then you'll take them head on, yeah?'
She slowed down, then came to a stop, her eyes up at the night sky.
'You never said that'
'I didn't, did I?'
'Well…'
'You're running away! Aren't you?'
'...no'
'You're hurting yourself!'
'No'
'You really are, and everyone's gonna suffer because of it!'
'N-no, I'm gonna…'
'They will!'
'I-I don't want that…no'
'Then what do you want?'
'... I don't know… I never know'
'You don't need to know…'
'I have to…'
'But they're times when you can't, what do you do then?'
'...'
'What will you do?'
'...'
'Running away won't change anything…'
'Then… I'll… fight. I'll fight back!'
'Whatever is the problem..'
'I'll take it… head on. My problems, my past, they've been on my tail for too long. I've been running, but my actions are who I am! And I am not gonna be running all my life.'
'... nervous?'
'No, not anymore…even if I am…'
She raised her head, and furrowed her brows.
Vivian: I am done running away!
…
She turned and ran through the barrier.
The distance was so short, it was like she never left the front of the barrier.
…
Despite the hall being half dark, with only the twilight as a source of light, Osas jumped onto one of the desks without a care.
"Hehehe."
"…"
He pointed at her, raising her voice.
"YOU! Where's Bimbo?"
"…"
'Say something'
"ANSWER ME!" His voice roared.
'open your mouth and TALK!!'
She took a step forward.
"I-I know what you are! CHAOS!"
Her face, illuminated by the red light from outside, appeared to be grim.
"Hehehehe."
"That body does not belong to you. Leave now why you still have the chance!" she said, cracking her fingers.
"Haah!! you're mad right? You have to be! What the hell are you talking about? Look, answer my question, where - is - BIMBO-?"
His voice was getting deeper, it wasn't human.
'Don't hold back'
"Dotu is dead!"
"..."
She could notice the flinch in his expression.
'Drive it nuts'
"And you're looking at the killer…"
She started walking towards the door,
Towards it.
"I, Vivid Vivian, shot him to death!" she said, pointing at her chest.
"…" He was visibly twitching.
"Leave him, or Bimbo out of this, this is between you and me."
"… Seems like you know everything…"
The air fills up with fog, though it was still visible. It barely fazed the two of them.
"…One might say, you know too much… nah, no. There's no way I can let you live."
Vivian stands still, lowering the sound of her breath.
"Say hello to the Oga for me…"
Then, she swiftly turns to her right. Chaos dashed at her from absolutely nowhere, a fist on his hand, in the air, closing in on her face. She blocked it with both her arms, but the impact pushed her to meet the edges of one of the desks behind her.
It stood there, in the form of her course-mate, but she could see its aura.
Its twisted, red aura, bouncing from place to place.
It was a force of nature on its own, causing winds within the hall, the density of the fog being the only constant thing about it.
BZzzT BzzZT
She could hear the sound of electricity, it ripples through the air around her.
It makes her skin crawl,
Her hair stood on her skin,
As if she would get struck by lightning any moment from then.
Osas's body is standing there, underneath the chaos. His eyes, stained crimson and he's twitching all over.
No matter how she looked at it…
'I am going to die'
'Aren't I?'
She heaved, then sighed.
Her focus is on Osas's body, the source of the aura.
"Huh…"
"You're finished!" The thing's voice roared.
Bzzt! Cr-rack!
Red lightning fires from the ceiling,
She jumps out of its reach.
Kr-RAACK
More strikes,
She dodged them, running across the hall. The desks hinders her movement, slowing her down.
KA-BOOM!!
The biggest one yet,
It barely misses her fingers, but the shock-wave sends her flying to the front of the hall, slamming her on the podium, destroying the desks around it.
She slumps on the ground, her body feeling numb.
She couldn't stop coughing, and whatever she was spitting out tasted more and more like blood and less like saliva.
"Are you done feeling invincible!?? Or are you ready to give up!" It tempts her to get up
Vivian staggers to her feet, with support from the podium by her side.
She wipes her forehead, spitting on the ground.
Her mouth tasted like blood.
Then, she carries the podium,
She carries it with both her hands, and spins at a place.
"What are you doing?"
Faster, faster,
She spins at the spot.
Then she let go of the box, making sure it was directed at Osas's body.
She didn't stop there, she runs behind it, following its path.
"It's no use!"
A bolt of lightning destroys the podium, shattering it to pieces. But he didn't see Vivian on time. She runs faster, emerging from the smoke the shattered podium created, and she is now face to face with the body.
"Grr- GRAAAH!!!!"
Its roar was deafening.
BWOOOSSSHH!!!
The spirit surrounds itself with a ball of expanding wind, it blows her away, once again.
She blocks most of it with her arms shielding her head, but she finds herself on the ground, on her knees.
The coughing has gotten worse, she could barely breath.
For once in a long time, she's at her limit.
Her lack of stamina was her bane to any fight.
Osas is bleeding from his mouth, though he hadn't been touched, he looked battered and unsteady.
"I do not know who told you about me, but you, you're something else. No human ever dares to challenge me! I am destruction itself! I am the end of everything!"
Vivian got up, resting her elbow on one knee, and the other on the ground. "So you say, but… you can be all that… without that body."
"Haah… You know nothing after all. This boy, this body, it is everything I will ever need. My eternity is complete with it. His thoughts align with my own. After all, I only make his desires become reality.
"Heh, so... you're useless on your own."
"Eh?" It escaped his without its knowing.
"Unlike your sorry self, that guy actually has a life of his own. He'll never accept the likes of parasites."
Vivian thought she saw the face in the red cloud frown.
But her focus was on Osas's body, one hand was raised up, and if that arm were to drop, then it would be over for her.
"DIE!!"
'Bzzt'
The atmosphere hissed.
Another bolt of lightning was coming.
Chaos was about dropping his arm, along with the lightning, but…
'WHACK!!!'
The body staggered, and fell on the floor.
It rolled down the steps of the elevated, down to where Vivian stood.
He was knocked out.
The red aura was no longer around him.
But it swirled around the hall,
Bounced from wall to wall,
Corner to corner,
It roared, it laughed.
It rampaged, it sparked.
But then, as if losing energy, it seeped out of the room, dying like smoke from a candle.
Soon, it was nowhere to be seen -bit was entirely gone. The only thing it left was the destruction it caused in the hall.
Kra-kooom!
The night sky roared with thunder.
Vivian, at that moment, looked up to notice her saviour.
There he stood, the metal leg of an iron chair in his hand.
He panted, the stress got to him late.
"V-Vic…" She said, with the little ounce of energy she had left.
Vic, standing where Osas' body stood, dropped the chair leg, coughing and gasping for air, "Whoa, that was something else. Hey!" He walked down the steps, towards Vivian who was now near Osas' body. "Is Osas okay? I think I broke his skull..."
She crouched, placing a finger on his neck for a moment, "He's alive, just... barely."
"Phew! That was too close."
He got to where Osas's body lay and stood over him.
"The guy really let himself go, what are we gonna tell the clinic?"
"The truth?" she was still staggering.
"No, that's too good. Let's just leave him here."
He turned towards the entrance, then started ascending upwards, when he felt someone's arm wrap around him from behind, his jaw dropped.
"…"
She hugged him.
He stopped at the spot, he couldn't even breathe.
Everything about the action suffocated him,
Nevertheless, he found himself attached to the moment.
Wishing in his heart that it would never end.
She dug her face into his T-shirt, crying softly under her warm breath, as she tightened her grip around his chest.
He closed his jaw and shook his head.
"Alright you depressed drama queen, time to get going, yeah?"
"…"
She didn't flinch.
So he sighed, tilting his head to the side and slouching his shoulders, "This is… weird."