The day passed quickly as Soren and Jiwon scrubbed the blood from the walls, using different cleaning products until the stains were finally gone. Jiwon stripped the bloodstained blankets and tossed them into the washing machines, silently hoping they'd come out clean.
Soren left the dormitories and crossed the campus until he reached a store with a sign that read, "Divo and Divas." He stepped inside and scanned the sections. To his surprise, rows of clothing stretched in every direction, featuring a wide variety of styles.
He spent a few hours picking out outfits before returning to the dorms with his arms full. He dropped some clothes off for Damien and Jiwon in their room, and the rest for himself and Renji in theirs.
Afterward, Soren dragged Renji into their actual dorm room, where they rested until the birds began chirping the next morning.
Now, Soren stood in the hallway, dressed in a finely knit gray sweater layered over a white dress shirt. Tailored trousers flowed down his long legs to polished shoes, and a silver watch glinted on his wrist.
Renji approached, walking down the hallway in pristine white sneakers. His black baggy jeans hung loosely over his shoes, and he wore a white T-shirt beneath an unbuttoned olive-green shirt. Around his neck rested a black chain with a key.
"Are they out yet?" he asked.
"Nope," Soren replied, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
Just then, Damien stepped out. He wore white sneakers with black accents, light gray jeans with a silver chain hanging from his pocket, and a red bandana with intricate patterns. A long-sleeved white shirt sat under a red short-sleeved button-up with white vertical stripes.
Jiwon followed behind him, dressed in pristine white sneakers, light blue baggy jeans, and a white dress shirt paired with a dark brown tie. A beige jacket hung open halfway, revealing the shirt and tie beneath.
"How much did all this cost?" Jiwon asked, eyeing Soren.
Soren pushed off the wall and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Our entire allowance."
"How are we going to eat?" Damien asked as they started walking.
Students filled the dorm hallways, dressed in all kinds of outfits. One in a full business suit, another in gothic attire.
"There are free meals at the cafeteria, so let's go there first," Soren said.
Jiwon slid his hands into his jacket pockets as they moved through each floor, passing clusters of chatting students—some even snickering.
Jiwon raised an eyebrow. "There's a succubus here?" he asked, scanning the hallway until Renji responded.
"This school has multiple races. You can categorize them as humans, demi-humans, demons, and paranormals. Each race has subclasses, so you might find a zombie and a dragon here."
"That's weird. How big is this place?" Damien asked as they reached the first floor, stepped outside, and were hit with cigarette-laden air.
"I didn't bother checking. All I know is the map is way too big," Renji replied.
They passed large buildings before stopping at a set of signs pointing toward the "Cafeteria," "Gymnasium," "Park," "Classrooms," "Library," "Dormitories," and "Graveyard."
After a glance, they headed toward the cafeteria, weaving through other students. When they reached the wide building, Soren opened the door and led them inside.
Renji looked down and noticed colorful stains covering the floor from the entrance to the back of the building. Jiwon glanced up at the ceiling, where several hanging lights flickered on and off. Soren scanned the rust-covered tables where students sat and talked, while Damien narrowed his eyes at the trays holding sandwiches and cartons of milk.
"This sucks," Damien muttered as they stood there, unsure where to go.
Jiwon pointed ahead. "Is that where we get our food?"
The others followed his gaze and began walking toward a group of cat-eared creatures. They were all short, barely reaching Damien's waist. The four stopped in front of them, looking down, until a purple-haired male spoke.
"You want a sandwich?" His voice was unnaturally low, vibrating through them.
"Four sandwiches," Jiwon replied.
The cat met Jiwon's gaze, and an awkward silence followed. Then he turned to another cat with blue hair and began to meow. The other cat meowed back.
"HEY, SHUT THE FUCK UP. I TOLD YOU TO STOP MAKING THAT DAMN SOUND."
The demi-humans' ears flattened as the four turned toward the source of the shouting.
A group of fur-covered creatures stood nearby, each towering around ten feet tall. Their massive, muscular forms were visible beneath thick fur, which also concealed their bodies.
Damien blinked, then pointed. "Is that a fucking werewolf?"
"HEY, DIDN'T YOUR MOTHER TELL YOU IT'S RUDE TO POINT AT A WOLF?" one of them growled, golden eyes locking onto Damien.
Damien simply stared at it, blinking slowly before looking away. The cat-like humanoids extended four sandwiches along with an equal number of small milk cartons. The group glanced around briefly before Soren started walking, the others following close behind.
They made their way to the far end of the cafeteria and sat at a rusted table. Jiwon picked up his sandwich, studying the contents—lettuce, tomatoes, and a slice of pink meat. He whispered a quiet prayer before taking a bite. He chewed slowly, his eyes narrowing and his nose crinkling slightly as he swallowed.
"This genuinely sucks," he muttered.
Soren nodded in agreement, glancing at Jiwon's sandwich before turning to Renji and Damien. "Does yours taste ba—"
He stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening. Both sandwiches were gone, and their milk cartons sat empty.
"It's better than what I was forced to eat when I was alone," Renji said casually.
"I'm not a picky eater," Damien added.
The two stood up and walked back toward the cat-like creatures. The cats looked up at them in surprise before the purple-haired one spoke.
"Y-you want more?"
They nodded. The cat handed them more sandwiches and in an instant, they were gone. They kept asking for more, devouring each serving just as quickly.
Soren watched with a faint smile, while Jiwon let out a quiet sigh. "Are we as strong as them?"
Soren glanced over, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
Jiwon rested his chin on his hand, elbow propped against the table. "I feel kind of useless in fights now that we keep getting into them."
Soren studied his expression for a moment before sighing. "Yeah… I get what you mean. Maybe it's supposed to be like that."
"But didn't the old man teach us about your power system?" Jiwon shot back immediately.
"Did he?" Soren asked, brow furrowing as his gaze drifted past Jiwon and into memory.
"Both of you—understand this. Reisei is you, and you are Reisei. It is the calmness of mind, soul, and body. When you reach that state, you must remain composed and controlled to defend yourself in battle," the old man said, standing before them in a garden by a waterfall.
"But don't mistake it for mere defense. Reisei is a warrior's technique. Your body and mind are elevated—allowing you to adapt, to become stronger, faster, more durable… in every way."
Jiwon raised his hand. "So, sir… who would win in a fight? The strongest version of a Wi user, or the strongest version of a Reisei user?"
"What in the world is Wi?" the old man asked, staring at him and Jiwon stared back. Both stared at each other with a blank expression.
Silence lingered.
Soren coughed lightly. "He means the abilities our friends have."
"Oh," the old man replied.
Another stretch of silence followed. Jiwon clenched his fist against his thigh, biting his lip, until the old man finally smiled and spoke again, his words leaving both Soren and Jiwon completely confused.
Back in the cafeteria, Soren met Jiwon's gaze again.
"If what the old man said is true, we should be able to catch up to those two. But how?"
Jiwon straightened slightly. "Why don't we spar with them?"
Soren tilted his head, considering it for a moment before nodding. "That could work. Fine, we'll try it."
Without Soren or Jiwon noticing, Damien and Renji slid back onto the bench.
"You all done?" Soren asked, glancing at Damien.
"Yeah. Apparently, we're those cats' favorite customers," Damien replied.
"That's cute," Jiwon said.
Renji leaned forward, grabbed Jiwon's half-eaten sandwich, and finished it without hesitation. Then he reached for Soren's, this time eating it more slowly.
"So after this, we should head to our lesson," Soren muttered, sighing. "I thought I was done with school. Now I've got to go back."
The others nodded in agreement as Renji swallowed the last bite and stood up. "Let's go find our classroom. I don't want to look like an idiot wandering around."
"Alright," Jiwon said as the others stood.
Renji led the way, and the rest followed, stepping out of the cafeteria onto the stone pavement. They walked back to the signs and followed the direction toward the classrooms. After a while, they arrived at a large, multi-story building. Open windows revealed students laughing on some floors, while others showed students quietly reading.
They entered through the glass doors and stepped into a loud hallway. As they explored different corridors and floors, they found themselves getting lost every few minutes.
"I thought you said you memorized the map," Damien said, looking at Renji.
"When did I say that bullshit?" Renji shot back.
At one point, they accidentally walked into an empty classroom. On a desk, a male demon literally stood on a desk while a female demon knelt in front of him, her head moving rhythmically as obscene sounds filled the room.
They quickly backed out with twisted expressions and continued wandering through the halls.
"What if this is the wrong building?" Jiwon suggested.
"Jiwon, shut the fuck up," Soren snapped, clearly irritated. Jiwon frowned but stayed quiet.
After nearly an hour, they finally stopped in front of a dark mahogany door with a golden sign that read, Dark Psychology.
"Shit… aren't we late?" Damien muttered, just loud enough for the others to hear as Soren knocked.
"Come in," a male voice called.
Soren opened the door slightly and peeked inside. "Is this Dark Psychology?"
"You can't read?" the voice replied.
Inside stood a man with a black beard, dark eyes, and long black hair. He wore a black robe and boots, his fingers covered in black rings.
A few students snickered at the remark as the four entered. The teacher sighed.
"Great. You made it. Sit wherever."
They scanned the room, but most of the students had taken the back seats, leaving only the front rows open. Reluctantly, the four of them sat at the front.
"Good afternoon. I'm Mr. Black. I'll be your professor for the next five hours."
"HUH?!" Damien shouted.
From the back, a student muttered, "Oh nah… this is some bullshit."
Whispers spread across the room until Mr. Black spoke again.
"Settle down, or feel free to take a deep dive off this floor. Though I'd prefer you stay seated and keep quiet. You all paid to be here, so deal with it."
Silence fell.
"Now," he continued, "let's begin our first lesson."
(What is the dark psychology class? What was the first lesson?)
(Find out in the next chapter)