"What the fuck was that!!" Miura freaks out as he locks his door shut and takes a step back in fear. "She was moving through the shadows, how's that possible?!!" he says, his voice shaking.
He takes another step back, only to notice a shadow forming behind him. Before he can react, Eroica emerges from it with a kunai in her hand and drives it toward his back. Miura twists away just in time, the blade missing him by inches as he stumbles forward. He doesn't hesitate—he flings the door open and bolts into the hallway.
"He dodged my kunai attack…?" Eroica mutters, her expression tightening as she slips into another shadow and continues the chase.
"Why is this hallway so long!!" Miura shouts, his footsteps echoing loudly as he runs. He glances back and sees her still right on his tail. "Why is everybody trying to pierce me today!!" he thinks, pushing his legs harder.
"He's fast… he must be a testament user," Eroica says, narrowing her eyes as she keeps up the pursuit.
Miura tilts his head slightly, watching her movements even as he runs. "She has horns… so she's not human. And she hasn't caught me yet… that means her shadow ability has a range. From what I've seen, it's around four metres." His breathing grows heavier, but his thoughts sharpen. "If I keep this pace, I might be okay, but I'll run out of stamina first. I need to find someone—anyone who can help."
He suddenly increases his speed.
"Has he caught on?" Eroica mutters. "He increased his pace… I guess I'll have to run. I hate doing that." She stops shadow-hopping and bursts forward into a sprint.
"Huh!! Why did she stop?!" Miura says, confused for a split second before realizing she's charging straight at him. "Aarghhh, she's running now!!"
"I'm not as fast as him," Eroica thinks, her expression tightening, "but if I close the gap even a little, I can finish him with a shadow hop."
Miura clenches his teeth. "She's still behind me, but she can jump at any moment… shit, what do I do?!"
"Now!!"
Eroica vanishes into a shadow and reappears right behind him, her kunai aimed straight for his spine.
"Fall down."
The voice rings clearly in Miura's head.
He reacts instantly, dropping to the ground without thinking.
"Huh?!" Eroica's eyes widen as her blade misses and slams into the floor instead. Miura rolls forward, gets back up, and continues running without looking back.
"How… how is he dodging everything?" she mutters, frustration creeping into her voice. "If he has a testament, why isn't he using it?!"
"That voice…" Miura thinks, his heart pounding. "That sounded like Estalcia."
At the same time, Selene grips her star-shaped sword and rushes forward, her blade cutting through the air with precision. Vicoe moves with unnatural fluidity, dodging each strike by the smallest margin.
"He's fast!" Selene says as she slides back slightly.
"Your sword shines like an angel… what a beautiful piece of art," Vicoe says, sticking out his tongue as he flicks his fingers. Ten needles shoot toward Selene in an instant.
She weaves through them with sharp, controlled movements. As they strike surfaces around her, their effects reveal themselves—some freeze instantly, others explode violently, while some enlarge upon impact.
"Three variations… combustion, enlargement, and ice. Some are just fakes meant to distract," she mutters before charging again.
"You survived my needle barrage—wonderful!" Vicoe grins as he spreads needles across all ten fingers, enlarging them before clashing directly with her.
Steel meets reinforced needles in a rapid exchange. Selene angles her strike toward his side, but Vicoe reacts instantly, dropping a needle that enlarges into a barrier and blocks her attack. In the same motion, he swings his left hand downward.
Selene steps back just in time.
The impact slams into the ground and explodes, tearing a massive hole into the floor.
"If one of those combustion needles hits me directly, it's over," Selene thinks, staring at him as he grins wildly.
In another part of the hall, a petite green-haired girl with glasses runs through the bloody hallway, her body trembling.
"E-Everywhere… all I see are bodies!! W-who would do something like this?!" she cries as tears stream down her face. "I need to find the Captain and the Vice Captain… they'll know what to do. They always do…"
Meanwhile, Miura turns sharply into another hallway, scanning desperately. "I need somewhere dark… somewhere she can't use shadows." He bursts through a door, only to find himself in a brightly lit kitchen. "Shit."
He turns to leave—
"M-Miura."
He freezes.
"Liah!!" he shouts, spotting her curled up in the corner. Her purple hair falls messily over her face, her bright eyes trembling with fear, her body shaking as she hugs herself tightly, her figure making her look even more fragile in that moment.
For a split second, everything feels still.
Then the shadow beneath them ripples.
Eroica bursts out of it, kunai in hand—and this time, instead of aiming for Miura, she goes straight for Liah.