In an unknown, empty classroom, a faint glow flickered beneath a desk.
"W-Where am I...?" Skye whispered, clutching his phone with trembling hands.
He stared at the screen, his voice cracking with fear. "I was just celebrating Lumiel's birthday a couple of minutes ago. Now there are monsters outside, and... and some guy said we're in a death game. I don't even know if he's human. I need to contact someone. Anyone."
He fumbled through his phone, eyes widening.
> "Why is there no service at all!?"
Desperation crept in.
> "There has to be somewhere with at least one bar of signal."
Skye paced in circles around the dark classroom for nearly an hour. Still nothing. No signal. No messages.
> "Am I really going to die here? Lumiel... Lady Nishia... where are you...?"
He shook his head, smacking both cheeks. > "No. I need to keep trying."
An idea sparked. "Let's try building up!"
He began stacking desks, chairs, and anything he could find. A shaky tower of furniture rose toward the ceiling. Skye climbed carefully. Finally, a single bar lit up on his phone.
> "Yes! Service!"
But before he could act, the stack wobbled violently beneath him.
> "I'm going to fall, aren't I..."
The tower collapsed. A loud crash echoed through the hallway.
"Ouch... that was a big fall," Skye muttered, dazed. His ears perked up at the sound of something sprinting toward the room.
> "Something's coming! I have to hide!"
He darted into a cleaning locker just as the door burst open. Heavy footsteps filled the room. Something large sniffed the air.
> "That has to be a monster... please don't find me..."
As the creature turned away, Skye slowly crept from the locker toward the exit. But just as he slipped through the door, the monster whipped its head around. Their eyes met.
Skye froze. His body locked with fear.
The monster snarled and bolted toward him.
> "I'm dead. I'm really dead this time... Mother... Father... Lumiel... Lady Nishia... thank you for everything..."
He turned and ran, heart pounding. > "Please, Lumiel... show up... Please... Please!"
The monster closed in fast.
Suddenly, without warning, Skye surged forward. His speed exploded. He was faster—far faster than before.
> "Why am I running so fast...? Never mind—just keep going!"
Behind him, more monsters took notice and began to chase. He dashed through two floors, monsters in tow: a bloodshot, clawed beast; a poisonous snake that slithered on vaporous clouds; a humanoid with massive arms; and even an Anglercrawler lighting the way for the others.
> "Too many! I have to lose them somehow!"
He spotted a turn and ducked into a storage room filled with gym supplies.
"I think... I'm safe," he whispered, catching his breath.
A deep growl answered him.
Hot smoke curled behind his back.
He turned slowly.
A massive bull-headed monster loomed, muscles flexing.
"O-Oh... th-this was your room? R-Right. I-I'll just leave. Sorry to disturb you."
Skye backed away and bolted out. The bull monster roared, shattering the doorway, and charged after him.
> "Why is EVERYTHING chasing me?!"
A dead end loomed ahead. No exits.
The bull scraped the floor, preparing to charge.
> "I'm done for... There's no way I can beat this..."
His vision blurred. Dizziness overwhelmed him.
He collapsed.
But not from fear.
His fingers twitched.
Then his whole body spasmed.
The bull monster charged—but the impact never landed.
When the dust settled, Skye stood.
Different.
Expressionless.
Eyes vacant.
His arms—massive and deformed—now resembled the humanoid monster's. He moved with eerie silence.
Skye had mimicked its traits.
With a single swing, he sent the beast crashing through the wall. Then came a torrent of acidic poison that flooded the hall, corroding the bull's flesh.
Skye didn't flinch.
He grew elongated claws and dashed forward, slashing mercilessly. Over and over, until nothing remained but smoking ash.
Then, without a word, he walked into an empty classroom and slowly collapsed.
---
An hour later, the door creaked open.
"Skye!? Skye!" Lumiel rushed in, eyes wide. Skye lay unconscious, uniform torn to shreds.
A system chime echoed.
[System Notice: Person Named Skye Overused the Gift "Mimic"]
Lumiel froze.
> "Overused? When did Skye learn how to use Mimic...?"
Another message appeared.
[System Notice: Skye Reappraised — Person is found to have Dissociative Identity Disorder. When in a verge of death, person changes personality to quickly save its body.]
Lumiel stared at his unconscious friend.
> "So... that wasn't the real Skye I saw...?"