The First Lucid

The cafeteria’s a mess—tables smashed to splinters, blood slick on the tiles, lights flickering like they’re about to give up. Kenta’s slumped in a crater in the wall, coughing wetly, his body limp. The Hollow that used to be Mr. Ito looms in the center, eight feet of muscle, each arm and leg as big as me, its gym teacher uniform hanging in tatters, black sludge dripping from claws that catch the dim light. Nobody moves. Reina’s mouth opens, but nothing comes out. Aya’s pencil freezes mid-air. Yuki’s breath catches, eyes wide. My mind’s screaming: It’s just standing there. Waiting. For what?

Reina whispers, “Kenta…” Her voice trembles, not her usual venom. Since when does she care about anyone but herself? It throws me, but I shove it down.

I force my voice out, low and sharp.
“Back to the doors—quiet!”

Nobody budges. The Hollow’s eyes, black as oil, lock onto us, its breath a low growl. Sludge splatters the floor, the stench hitting like rot. My shadows twitch at my fingers, begging to move, but my legs feel like they’re bolted down.

Shion’s voice cuts through, desperate.
“Mika!”

I don’t look. Can’t. The Hollow’s legs—burly as tree trunks—shift slightly. My Shadow Manipulation coils, ready to strike.

“Mika, now!”

I turn, and my stomach drops. Shion’s eyes are bloodshot, blood streaming down her face like tears. She’s gripping a table, swaying like she’s about to collapse.

“I have its moveset—15 seconds,” she gasps. “Pushed… too hard.”

Fifteen seconds? Her Perception Acceleration barely gives a couple. My mind’s exploding. “Shion, tell me all the moves—now!”

Her voice is faint, barely holding. “Lunge left, 2 seconds. Hammer forms, swings right, 5. Claw swipe, 8. Steps back, 10. Lunges again, 12.” Her knees buckle, blood dripping to the tiles. She collapses, limp in my arms.

I catch her, shouting, “Sho, take her—run!”

Sho’s eyes meet mine, catching that stubborn gleam he knows too well. “Kageyama…”

“Now!”

He slings Shion over his shoulder, his speed humming, but the Hollow’s arm twitches—left lunge, just like she said. I snap my shadows into a spear, cold and sharp, and hurl it at its chest. Ms. Hoshino moves at the same time, grabbing a tray and throwing it—it turns into a blade mid-air, her power doing something wild, piercing its shoulder. The Hollow screeches, sludge spraying, stumbling back a step.

“Run!” I yell.
“Run!” Ms. Hoshino echoes.

The group snaps awake. Aya’s scribbling, drawing shit to life—a shaky barricade rises. Mei’s blinding light flares, Tanaka’s grit cutting through. Sena throws up a glowing shield. Kasumi sparks something bright, her hands shaking. Reina screams, “Someone get Kenta!” Her panic hits me again—she cares about him? Even if it’s Kenta, it’s weird.

Ms. Hoshino sprints past Reina, grabbing a fork and spoon. They morph into long blades in her hands, her power at work. She leaps onto the Hollow’s back, stabbing its shoulders. It roars, claws swiping. I run beside her, shadow tendrils lashing its arms, but they snap like string against its bulk. Doubt creeps in—can we even hurt this thing?—and that split second’s all it needs. The Hollow blitzes, faster than Shion’s warning, its claw slapping me into a table. Pain explodes, like I fell into a grinder and stayed there for five days straight. My ribs scream, my vision blurs. Across the room, Ms. Hoshino crashes into a wall, groaning.

“Mikaela, why are you still here?” she shouts, voice rough.

“Buying time—and Kenta,” I grit out, dragging myself up. My body’s screaming, every bone feeling pulped.

“I can do that—just go!”

I ignore her. The Hollow’s charging the others, its bulk shaking the floor. Ms. Hoshino’s faster, leaping onto its back again, her fork-blade piercing its neck, spoon-blade digging into its spine. It screeches, flailing to grab her. I grit my teeth so hard my head throbs, summoning shadow tendrils to hold its arms. It’s like stopping a truck with paper—they tear free, and the Hollow swings wildly, trying to shake her off.

Shion’s moveset burns in my mind. Right claw, now. I slide under its swipe, conjuring a shadow blade, sharp as my will. It slices the Hollow’s Achilles tendon, sludge gushing. The beast drops to one knee, roaring. Ms. Hoshino finds footing, stabbing its neck again. I drag my blade down its calf, shouting, “Sho, get Kenta—out!”

Sho’s speed roars, a blur as he scoops Kenta’s limp body and bolts for the exit. The others spill into the hallway, the Hollow’s screech rattling the walls. Ms. Hoshino’s blades draw more sludge, my shadows flicker with my pain, but those black eyes lock on us. It’s not done.

My shadow blade slashes into the Hollow’s leg, black sludge spraying like tar. I stab again, carving different angles, trying to tear deeper into its steel-hard muscle. My chest heaves, my arms screaming with every swing. Ms. Hoshino’s up on its back, her fork and spoon—turned into blades by her power—digging into its neck. The beast screeches, thrashing wildly, but the wounds on its leg stitch shut, sludge knitting together, steam rising like a taunt. My stomach twists. It’s healing?

“Ms. Hoshino, you got a way to kill this thing yet?” I spit, my voice ragged.

She stares down, her face twisted in confusion, still stabbing. “Kill it? Mikaela, what?” she says.

I glance around—everyone’s staring from the cafeteria entrance. Aya’s pencil is frozen, Yui’s eyes are wide, Sho’s gripping Shion’s limp body. Even Reina’s gawking, holding Kenta up. Shock’s plastered on every face.

“You’re insane, Mikaela, if you think we’re killing this thing,” Ms. Hoshino yells back.

She gets it now—I want this monster dead. Her eyes scream I’m out of my mind. “We should at least give it a shot!” I shout, my voice breaking.

“We’re only stalling for the others to escape!” Ms. Hoshino snaps, glancing back at the entrance. “They’re out.”

I follow her gaze. The class is huddled at the door, watching us. Aya’s trembling, Yui’s on the verge of tears, Reina’s propping Kenta, her face pale. Their stares burn into me—they’re safe, but curious.

Ms. Hoshino lets out a sigh. “When it swings next, we bolt—hit the hallway, regroup,” she says.

My shadow blade vanishes, turning to smoke. My nose explodes, blood gushing like a geyser, soaking my shirt. “What the actual fuck?” I choke, staring at my empty palms. Everyone gasps—Aya’s pencil snaps in her hand, Mei’s fists clench, Riku’s jaw drops. My vision blurs, the room spinning. Steam rises from the Hollow’s leg, the wounds I carved gone, sealed shut. My Shadow Manipulation is failing me. My head pounds, my ribs screaming from the last hit.

Ms. Hoshino yanks at her blades, but they’re stuck, the Hollow’s neck sealing them in sludge. “Come on, damn it!” she curses, tugging harder.

The Hollow shoots to its feet, eight feet of muscle looming. It grabs Ms. Hoshino, ripping her off its back. She screams, and it slams her through a table, wood splintering like kindling. She groans in the wreckage, barely moving. The class freezes, Aya choking back a sob, Mei’s hands shaking.

The Hollow’s oil-black eyes lock on me. I’m stumbling, my legs like jelly, pain shredding every bone. I try to think—Shion’s moveset, anything—but my head’s fogged. A whoosh cuts the air, and blackness swallows me.

Pain drags me awake, blinding, excruciating, like my body’s on fire. Every nerve screams. I cough, and it’s worse, like knives tearing my lungs. I’m on the floor, surrounded by shelves and books in dim light. The library. Faces crowd around—Sho, Riku, Aya, Yui, Mei. Yui’s eyes are wet, Aya’s trembling, her pencil clutched tight. Everyone’s staring, fear and relief mixed. Tanaka’s eyes are hard, like she’s holding back a storm.

“Mikaela, you idiot! Why’d you do that?” Yui snaps, her voice breaking.

Took her long enough to lay into me. I glance around—everyone’s staring. Even Sena, Haruka, and Yuki, girls I barely know, are watching, worry carved into their faces.

“Kageyama, you could’ve died!” Aya says, her hands shaking.

Riku grins, but it’s tight. “Mikaela, that took balls. Stupid as hell, but balls,” he says.

Sho kneels close, his voice low. “Take it easy, Kageyama. You’re in terrible shape,” he says.

“What happened before I blacked out?” I rasp, pain stabbing with every word.

Riku leans in, his face grim. “Everyone got out, like you and Ms. Hoshino wanted. But after she got put through that table, the Hollow turned and gut-punched you. Sent you flying. Sena’s shield—some kind of glow—cushioned your fall. It’s why you’re still alive,” he says.

I sit up a little, wincing at the pain, and look over. Sena’s there, her eyes soft with concern but relief. Haruka and Yuki are beside her—girls I’ve never really talked to. I don’t know their powers, but Sena’s shield saved my life. “Thanks, Sena,” I choke out.

She nods, her voice quiet. “Don’t do it again, okay?” she says.

Took her long enough to speak up. I glance around—the library’s shelves close in like a cage. Yui catches my look. “We’re in the library, Mikaela. Made it through the hallway,” she says.

“Ms. Hoshino—where is she?” I ask, my heart lurching.

Everyone freezes, their faces falling. Sho’s jaw clenches. “Over there. We did our best to bandage her, but she’s fading fast,” he says.

I stumble over, pain screaming through me, the others steadying me. Ms. Hoshino’s on a pile of jackets, her face pale as ash, bandages soaked with blood. Her breaths are shallow, barely there. The class crowds around, silent, their eyes heavy. I kneel beside her, my voice cracking. “Ms. Hoshino, hang on. We need you,” I say.

She doesn’t stir. The weight crushes us all.