ACADEMY OF SURVIVAL

Tohira's gaze locked onto Micheal's bleeding cheek, the sight of blood dripping from it making his expression harden. Micheal stood frozen, trying to process what had just happened.

Tohira turned his attention toward the direction the bullet had come from, his eyes scanning the dense forest with precision. Before he could react, another bullet zipped through the air, brushing past him and causing his hair to flutter from the force.

"Alright, that's it," Tohira thought, his frustration reaching its peak as his calm demeanor began to crack.

"To be honest, this is the first time I've been pushed to this point," he admitted, his voice low and dangerous.

Micheal watched, tension building in his chest, as Tohira slowly lifted his sleeping mask. The shift in Tohira's aura was palpable, and Micheal felt a chill run down his spine.

"This is a gamble, but…" Tohira's tone darkened as his hand shaped into a flicking motion, his index finger aimed toward the source of the bullets.

But before he could unleash whatever he was planning, a bullet struck his hand mid-motion.

Micheal's breath hitched as time seemed to slow. His gaze locked on Tohira's hand as it moved in an almost unreal, slower-motion pace.

"what's happening?!" Micheal's thoughts raced in disbelief as he blinked. Suddenly, the world snapped back to normal speed, and he was greeted by a Tohira's boom.

Micheal turned toward the direction Tohira had flicked his finger. His heart dropped at the sight before him—a narrow, straight path through the dense forest, completely obliterated. Trees had been felled in a perfect line, their trunks splintered and shattered as if sliced by an invisible force.

And then he saw it.

At the far end of the path, blood splattered the ground in a grotesque display. In the middle of it lay a pile of what could only be described as human organs, torn apart and scattered.

"I was right," Tohira said, his voice cutting through the stunned silence. "It was a guard."

He stood up slowly, cradling his injured hand, his expression unreadable as he glanced at Micheal.

"Let's go!" Tohira said, his voice steady despite the blood dripping from his injured hand.

Without hesitation, Micheal darted forward, running side by side with Tohira. His mind raced, unable to shake the strange slow-motion phenomenon he'd witnessed moments earlier.

"So, he was right," Micheal thought, stealing a quick glance at Tohira.

A faint smirk crept onto Micheal's face as an unexpected thrill coursed through him. 

"This is more intriguing than I ever imagined."

He had never anticipated his life spiraling into such chaos, yet here he was, in a world far more dangerous and mysterious than he had ever dreamed.

As they continued running, Micheal's focus faltered. Suddenly, his vision glitched, and he came to an abrupt stop.

Two shadowy figures stood ahead, their faces obscured in darkness.

"Who are they?!" Micheal's thoughts roared with confusion, and his eyes widened.

Before he could glanced out to Tohira, Micheal blinked, and the figures vanished as if they had never existed.

Micheal's heart pounded in his chest. Just as he turned to look at Tohira, hoping to confirm what he had seen, his stomach dropped. Tohira was falling, his descent unnervingly slow, as though time itself had fractured.

"Tohira!" Micheal lunged forward, catching him just before he hit the ground.

In an instant, Micheal's vision snapped back to normal. The weight of Tohira in his arms was jarring, grounding him in reality.

"Are you okay?" Micheal asked, his voice steady despite his racing mind.

"Yeah," Tohira replied weakly, his gaze meeting Micheal's as he managed a faint smile. "I guess… I'm finally feeling the toll of using my ability more than once a day."

Tohira's face was pale, beads of sweat clinging to his forehead.

Micheal stared down at him, his skepticism growing. He couldn't shake the feeling that Tohira had missed what he had seen moments ago—the shadowy figures. Yet, Micheal chose to mask his thoughts with a faint smile of his own.

"I guess no more using your powers today," Micheal said, his tone light but tinged with caution.

"Right," Tohira agreed, his weak smile lingering as he leaned against Micheal for support.

But Micheal's mind churned with doubt. His awareness of Tohira's enigmatic nature deepened,

**************

Meanwhile, a 12-year-old boy stood over the lifeless body of the guard Tohira had killed. His gaze was wide with curiosity, a strange glint of amusement flickering in his eyes.

"Amazing," the boy whispered, his voice laced with twisted excitement as he crouched beside the corpse.

Lowering himself further, he ran a finger through the pool of blood on the ground, then licked it with unsettling delight.

"It tastes super sweet," he murmured, savoring the moment like it was his favorite treat.

Suddenly, the boy's demeanor shifted. His playful grin twisted into a chilling frown, and his gaze grew icy and calculating.

"Who would have thought…" he said coldly, his voice void of any innocence. His sinister gaze lingered on the body, as if dissecting it for hidden secrets.

Then, in an instant, his mood flipped again. He sprang to his feet, throwing his hands into the air with childlike glee.

"Anyway, let's go find more yummy blood!" he exclaimed, skipping in place as if playing a game. With an eerie giggle, he spun on his heel, kicking the air like an overjoyed child.

"Here I come, here I come! Don't go nowhere!" he sang in a lilting tone, tap-dancing toward the forest with unnerving cheer.

But just as he reached the edge of the tree line, he stopped abruptly, turning his head slightly over his shoulder.

A creepy smile spread across his face, his eyes narrowing as if savoring a private joke.

"Tohira and Micheal, hmm?" he whispered, his tone dripping with malice.

His grin widened unnaturally before he twirled away, disappearing into the shadows of the forest.