《Lower Souls》


 Prologue: Breaking the Rules

    Saturday, March 10.


    It was past 1 AM. The streets of Nightcrest were nearly empty. The city''s few awakened residents could be easily categorized: some walking their dogs, others working night shifts, some browsing the internet, others at parties... But she didn''t fit into any of these groups.


    In one of the city''s remote districts, across from a large two-story mansion, stands a 19-year-old girl named Veronica. Light blonde hair cut in a bob peeks out from under her beige cloak''s hood, along with bright blue eyes.


    She isn''t worried about attracting attention from local residents who might call the police upon seeing someone suspicious. Or running into some psychopath hunting for his next victim.


    Even if they wanted to, ordinary people couldn''t spot her. Her cloak possesses the ability to conceal its owner from those who can''t sense magic, as long as there''s no direct contact.


    And if anyone does see her¡ªthey''ll instantly get a bullet. That''s what happened to one of her competitors a couple days ago, who was handing out flyers, completely unaware of the danger.


    In her right hand, Veronica grips her beloved Beretta 92FS pistol, which hasn''t left her side for years. It''s loaded with special ammunition created through forbidden magic, specifically designed to counter other mages like her. When these bullets hit a body, they absorb its mana and detonate its magical construct, dealing significant damage.


    On that same wrist sits a small bracelet that shimmers with a black glow. This item marks her as a participant in the Game, where only one will win and earn the right to a dignified existence within the strict hierarchy of the magical world. Veronica considers herself the most deserving and steadily moves toward her goal¡ªin two weeks, she''s already eliminated three opponents, giving her unwavering confidence in her victory.


    The only problem is that the Game hasn''t officially started yet. Premature tracking and killing of other participants could get her disqualified. Best case scenario¡ªthey''d simply remove her bracelet and erase her memory. Worst case¡ªthey''d incinerate her. The odds weren''t in favor of the former...


    However, the observer shows absolutely no activity, even though he''s supposed to have been monitoring order for a month now. Veronica understood the risks she was taking, but after successfully eliminating opponents, she physically couldn''t stop. Her entire life depended on winning.


    Initially, Veronica hadn''t planned to act this way. Her first rule violation was accidental: due to absent-mindedness, she forgot to hide the box with the bracelet and left it in the kitchen. A few days later, she was groggily searching for coffee when she accidentally bumped into the box and reached inside. As soon as she touched the bracelet, it instantly activated, fitting itself to her wrist.


    According to the rules, putting on the bracelet was only allowed on the evening of the Game''s official start. When Veronica realized what had happened, primal fear overtook her. She frantically tried to remove the bracelet by any means while making up excuses for the observer who should have appeared due to the broken rule.


    All attempts failed. She desperately slid to the floor and waited, clinging only to the hope of explaining the situation to the observer.


    Veronica trembled in terrible fear for about an hour... But no one appeared. Not after two hours, not the next day, not even three days later. This threw her into stupor. She was glad there was no punishment, but still couldn''t fully relax.


    Trying to find an explanation for the observer''s behavior, Veronica pondered the acceptable limits of rule-breaking and what huge advantage she''d gain by going further.


    After much deliberation, she went beyond her characteristic extreme caution and broke a few more rules. Again no one appeared, but doubts remained.


    Only after killing her first enemy, whom she tracked down with help from a hired informant, did Veronica breathe easily and realize nothing was likely to happen.


    Thus, this strategy led her to the mansion across from her. She bought this address from the same informant. According to him, a revealed bracelet owner lived here, one whom Veronica could kill without any trouble.


    Her innate super-sensitivity to magical energy, allowing her to detect it down to individual units, confirmed the informant''s words. The enemy wouldn''t have enough power even for a spell capable of causing medium damage. Mentally, she already added a fourth opponent to her elimination list.


    The only obstacle was the high fence. Previously, Veronica hadn''t needed to break into private property, she killed other participants in neutral locations. However, the informant said that this particular bracelet owner rarely left his home, so there was no other way to eliminate him.


    Before arriving at the location, Veronica had doubts and decided that if she noticed anything suspicious, she''d immediately run away. That hadn''t happened, and externally nothing suggested danger, but a note of concern remained in her consciousness.


    Veronica closed the map on her cell phone, tucked it into her cloak, and thought about how to get over the fence.


    Magic would be the easiest way, but she didn''t know if her enemy was asleep. Otherwise, even he would sense the spell, so she didn''t want to use it to avoid ruining the element of surprise.


    After careful observation, she noticed several tall garbage containers along the road. An answer immediately formed in her head.


    Veronica dragged three containers to the fence, placed two side by side, climbed onto one of them, lifted the third and placed it on top of the other. Gripping the bars, she managed to climb onto the top container, carefully maneuver over the sharp tips, and jump onto the mansion''s grounds.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The landing wasn''t particularly pleasant. But the main thing was that she''d successfully accomplished her plan, and the mansion''s resident would only know about her if he also possessed super-sensitivity, which was practically impossible.


    There was nothing special about the grounds. After ensuring her pistol was loaded, Veronica immediately headed for the main entrance. She grabbed the handle and gently pulled the door towards her. It opened without a creak.


    Yes! Veronica thought happily. The hardest part was over.


    She went inside and quietly closed the door. The first floor greeted her with a spacious hall featuring marble columns, multiple rooms, and stairs leading to the second floor. Carefully tuning into her senses, Veronica realized the source of magical energy was on the second floor, somewhere in the left wing. Once again, she was happy that she''d been born with this unique ability.


    While climbing to the second floor, the girl searched the side tables and shelves for anything valuable but surprisingly found nothing. She didn''t want to waste time on theft since there might be ordinary people in the house, on whom she couldn''t waste magical bullets.


    Her sense led her to a corridor with windows overlooking the grounds. Absolute silence reigned, with the moon weakly illuminating the space. There were three rooms here, the door to each closed. Veronica clearly sensed that the person was in the second one from her.


    Final touch, let''s go, she thought and started sneaking closer.


    Soon she was at the door, gripping its handle. The magical energy radiated from one motionless point, meaning the person was asleep. Veronica felt no pangs of conscience, since he knew what he was signing up for when he decided to participate in the Game. She had no doubt he would just as coldly kill her in her sleep.


    One less enemy, one step closer to victory and a decent life, she thought and suddenly opened the door, aiming her pistol at the energy source. It was a medium-sized bedroom, clearly belonging to a teenager. Seeing what the pistol was pointing at, Veronica''s jaw dropped.


    "What the fuck?!" burst out of her. Instead of a person, the magical energy came from a small smiling teddy bear.


    "Well hello, stupid bitch," In that same second, Veronica heard a mocking female voice behind her. She turned sharply and fired several times in the direction the voice came from.


    At the opposite end of the corridor stood a girl watching Veronica with a sarcastic smile. Somehow incomprehensible to Veronica, she easily dodged the bullets.


    This was Lily, an 18-year-old girl with brown eyes and dyed light red hair, wearing a red t-shirt and dark skirt.


    Veronica jumped away from the room and fired a couple more bullets at Lily, but she dodged those just as inexplicably. For several seconds, Veronica didn''t understand what was wrong with this girl, but then realized she couldn''t sense a single unit of magical energy from her, which shocked her.


    "What kind of shit are you?" Veronica aggressively shouted, not lowering her pistol. After a quick analysis of the situation, she started to suspect that the informant had played her for a fool.


    "I''m just like you. Only not stupid enough to put on the bracelet early," Lily giggled. "Did you really think you were the only one who thought of breaking the rules?"


    Veronica stayed silent, though the girl''s words stung her. Such a possibility really hadn''t crossed her mind.


    She concentrated all her power on watching the opponent''s movements and planning her retreat. Fighting was dangerous since the girl somehow concealed her magical energy, which prevented Veronica from assessing her strength.


    "Don''t be upset, you''re not the first one who thought that way," Lily continued laughing. "I''ve already killed two other idiots like you, but... You surprised me by going straight to the teddy bear. You must have some special perception of magical energy. Haha, you''re amazed that I''m not giving off any magic, aren''t you?"


    Veronica felt a slight panic as Lily recounted her thoughts. This convinced her of the girl''s danger, and she started eyeing the windows, thinking about the best way to break them.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll satisfy your curiosity now. Too bad it''ll be the last thing you learn in your pathetic life," with these words, Lily waved her hands, materializing a long sharp spear. Veronica immediately read its magical energy, and her heart started racing in fear¡ªthe amount was three times greater than her own. This meant she had zero chance of winning.


    Gripping the spear with both hands, Lily shot toward Veronica like lightning. The latter started frantically firing her pistol, hoping to wound her enemy somehow, but the attempts proved futile.


    In two seconds, the distance between them closed; Veronica barely managed to pull out her knife and deflect the lethal attack, but still slammed into the wall from the force of the blow.


    Need to get out, now, clearly flashed through her head.


    Through terrible pain, she jumped to her feet and prepared to block the new strike. This time she had better luck¡ªLily over-swung and Veronica managed to roll in time, getting away with just a cut to her thigh. Finding herself closer to the center of the corridor again, she fired several bullets at the nearest window, and it shattered completely.


    She immediately tried to jump out, but Lily managed to knock her back and throw her against the wall.


    "You''re smart, since you''re not trying to fight me. But too weak to leave alive," Lily laughed loudly, making another swing.


    Damn it, last bullet in the magazine. She won''t let me reload, I can''t waste it, Veronica thought.


    The girl gripped her knife tightly and attacked Lily preemptively. Surprise flashed across Lily''s face at such reckless action, she easily knocked away the knife and slashed Veronica''s arm to the elbow... but this was exactly what Veronica had counted on.


    Seeing that Lily was distracted from the pistol, she shot her in the leg. On reflex, Lily jumped back, but the bullet managed to graze her knee, which proved sufficient. The girl cried out in pain, feeling the damage to her magical structure.


    "Fucking bitch! For this, I''ll cut off your arms and legs first, then kill you," Lily screamed, charging straight at Veronica.


    During the small time she''d gained, Veronica pulled a packet of dark blue powder from her cloak and detonated it¡ªthe entire corridor instantly filled with dense fog of the same color. This blinded Lily, and the girl managed to jump out the window.


    "BITCH!" Lily screamed, swinging her spear in the fog.


    Veronica landed badly face-first and felt her nose crack, but that didn''t concern her now. Getting up, she quickly ran to the nearest fence, reloading her pistol along the way. Suddenly, she felt a great surge of magical energy behind her, killing any desire to look back. Most likely, her opponent had dispersed the fog.


    Reaching the fence, Veronica reached out and poured half her mana into a deformation spell¡ªthe bars bent far forward, allowing her to slip through. Leaving the mansion grounds, she immediately darted out onto the road and rushed into a poorly lit area, hoping to confuse her trail.


    ##


    Veronica only stopped a few districts away from the mansion, due to physical exhaustion. Unable to move, she collapsed on the grass near a house. After making sure there was no pursuit, she sighed with relief and began to catch her breath. For the first time in her life, she had come within a hair''s breadth of death.


    She decided she had to get revenge on that bastard informant who, apparently, had sold her out to that girl. Next, she worried about her injuries, healing which would consume valuable resources.


    Suddenly it seemed to her that something flickered in her peripheral vision. She looked in that direction but saw nothing. Deciding she had imagined it, Veronica again stared at the night sky¡ª


    ¡ªbut a silhouette loomed over her, blocking her view. The next second, she received a powerful blow to the head, causing ringing in her ears and double vision.


    The last thing Veronica felt before losing consciousness was colossal magical energy, tens of times greater than what had emanated from Lily''s spear.

 1: Another Morning

    Monday, March 12.


    A bright sun in a cloudless sky illuminates a small mountain with a waterfall. Birds are chirping all around, a warm wind is ruffling the leaves of the trees. Different animals run through the grass.


    I am sitting on a nearby hill in the shade of a tree, mindlessly enjoying the view and the atmosphere. I know very well that everything around me is a dream. This place has been appearing in my dreams for a few years now, and nowhere in the real world do I feel as good and peaceful as I do here.


    For the same reason, I feel a little sad. Eventually the dream will end and I''ll have to get up and go to school and deal with all kinds of crap. If it were up to me, I would spend whole weeks here without stupid obligations and contact with unnecessary people.


    Every time I sit here, I do it like it''s the last time, because there''s no guarantee that I''ll dream about it again. I''m really afraid of that, so I try to enjoy myself as much as possible before the inevitable awakening...


    ##


    The nasty alarm clock music wakes me up. After a few minutes of lying there with my eyes closed, I realize that the melody is not going to stop on its own. Sitting up in bed, I press "off" and violently throw my phone against the wall.


    "God, you''re so fucking annoying!" I cry out. Again forgot to delete it before sleep. I''ve been meaning to do it for two weeks now, but as if cursed, it always slips my mind.


    Of course, a turned-off alarm won''t save me from going to school, since my friends will wake me up anyway. But I''d rather wake up to their voices from the street than to that ringing.


    I glance out the window¡ªcloudy weather persists for the third day in a row. This doesn''t help my mood.


    Reluctantly getting up, I pick up my phone, finally delete the alarm, and check the time.


    Only overslept by twenty minutes, sadly... I''ll go wash up and have breakfast, Rob and Sharon will be here soon, I thought, threw the phone back on the floor, and shuffled out of the room.


    I would like to give them spare house keys so they can come in and wake me up themselves. But when I tried this six months ago and told my sister, she flew into a rage, yelled at me, and ordered me to take the keys back. She finally declared that if I tried it again, she would throw me out of the house. The reason for this aggression remained unclear to me.


    Though lately she''s been trying to evict me anyway. Probably wouldn''t have made much difference, I smirked while brushing my teeth.


    After the bathroom, I head down from the second floor to the first, where the kitchen is. Passing by my sister''s room, I see her door wide open and the room empty. Since there are no sounds from downstairs, it''s obvious that Jane has already left for school.


    I''ve never understood why she always rushes when there''s no need to. Though this is one of the most insignificant things that raises questions for me. Very often I simply can''t find her anywhere in the house, even though I know for sure she''s here and hasn''t gone anywhere.


    I enter the kitchen and open the fridge¡ªnothing but five slices of bread and a half-empty package of shredded cheese. Accepting that a proper breakfast will only happen in the school cafeteria, I take out three slices of bread. I generously sprinkle them with cheese, put them in the microwave for half a minute, and quickly eat them right away. My appetite isn''t satisfied at all. Probably need to quit fast food...


    I don''t manage to take the plate to the sink before hearing a soft knock at the door.


    "Coming!" I shout, leave the plate on the table, and run back to my room.


    Five minutes later, I''m standing in the hallway, dressed and carrying my backpack. I haven''t changed my style in a long time: a gray zip-up hoodie and dark jeans go well with black hair and blue eyes. Overall, though, I''m not particularly concerned about my appearance.


    Hello, another fascinating day!


    I walk out onto the porch where Rob and Sharon are waiting as usual, whispering about something between themselves. Except for Jane, these are the only two people I really trust, and it''s mutual.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Seeing me, Sharon breaks away from the conversation and runs to give me a welcome hug. She''s a cute and modest 17-year-old girl, a year younger than me. She has long chestnut hair and brown eyes. As usual, she''s wearing her long dark skirt and pink t-shirt.


    We became friends back in elementary school when we often stayed in after-school care in the same classroom due to poor grades. Ironically, now she''s an excellent student, and I''m... about at the same level. To me, she''s like a second sister.


    "Good morning!" she says cheerfully. "I hope you copied the math homework that I solved for you?"


    "Morning," I reply calmly, trying not to show confusion at her question. "Sis, don''t worry, everything''s great."


    "John, please take at least some responsibility for your studies. If they hold you back a year, it will be a complete nightmare. First and foremost¡ªfor you," Sharon pulled away and looked at me seriously.


    "I promised you I would behave properly. Don''t you believe me?" I smile, thinking about when and where to copy those several sheets. Unfortunately, math is first period.


    "Yeah, our PE teacher will confirm his words," says Rob sarcastically as he approaches and extends his fist.


    "Oh, get lost," I reply in the same manner and bump his fist.


    Rob is my age, a tall skinny guy with short dark hair and blue eyes behind glasses. Right now he''s wearing a plaid green shirt and pants.


    Our friendship started in the same elementary school: during one lesson, I mistakenly took his notebook, thinking it was mine. The misunderstanding was resolved without conflict, and in the process, I noticed that he was pleasant to talk to and we could discuss interesting topics. I latched onto this, and gradually we reached our current status as close friends.


    On his own, he''s quite popular, but deep down he''s very closed off and rarely acts truly sincere with anyone. I''m one of the few people he can open up to.


    Actually, I have relative popularity at school too. Not quite in the way I''d like... However, I''m the only one who dared to hit that jerk PE teacher in the eye with a ball.


    Among us three, my house is closest to school. Since the start of high school, it just worked out that in the morning Sharon first picks up Rob, then me, so it wouldn''t be boring.


    This has become a habit and sometimes annoys me, since I skip class much less often now to avoid disappointing them, mainly Sharon.


    I lock the house door and toss the key in my backpack. Only now do I notice the lush bouquet of orange lilies in Rob''s hand.


    "Nice flowers, are they for me?" I smirk.


    Rob noticeably blushed but managed to maintain composure.


    "Thanks. They cost as much as they look."


    "Right!" Sharon exclaimed. "John, Rob finally gathered the courage to make the first move with that girl. We spent all evening yesterday choosing which flowers to give her, based on advice from my friend who knows her well. I''m so happy about this!"


    It''s visible that Sharon''s words embarrass Rob, but he''s powerless.


    "Still won''t reveal the mystery of who this super-mysterious person is?" I ask.


    "I will, but only when there''s visible results. Right now you''ll laugh at me," he answers nervously.


    "Okay, don''t stress. In any case, good luck," I wink. Though it''s a bit unpleasant, I only laugh at him about little things.


    Rob nodded gratefully and right then Sharon called out to us:


    "Guys, let''s get moving already, it''s almost 8. We can continue talking on the way."


    We exchanged glances and walked from the porch to the car. Rob sat next to Sharon in front, and she continued giving him advice on how to behave when talking to this unknown girl.


    I lay down comfortably in the back and started thinking about my own stuff, occasionally agreeing to their clarifying questions.


    Partly I envy Rob for having sincere feelings for someone and having enough determination to pursue this person''s affection. I haven''t had anything like that yet. Probably a cool feeling.


    Sharon also talks about having a crush on some steroid-pumped jock who''s also showing her signs of attention. Recently they arranged a date. I wish her all the best, but I absolutely hate jocks, haven''t met a single reasonable one yet.


    Maybe I should find someone too...? I started thinking, but immediately stopped since we had parked. I always forget it''s only a five-minute drive.


    Other students were actively arriving, creating crowds. Here we had to split up: Rob went to wait for the unknown girl at some place where she hangs out in the mornings, while Sharon went to prepare for the test with her friends.


    Oh, just hope I don''t run into Jane, flashed through my mind as I sluggishly shuffled to math class.


    Class wasn''t due to start for another fifteen minutes, so the classroom was relatively empty. After superficially greeting a few classmates, I approach my familiar seat in the back row, drop my backpack on the leftmost desk, and collapse into it.


    I urgently need to do the homework... but also really want to continue sleeping. I would lie down already, but I need to wait for the teacher and confess about not doing it so he''ll leave me alone.


    From the front desks come sparse but lively conversations. As usual, guys discuss who''s dating whom, who''s cheating on whom, who''s using what, who hangs out where, and other stuff like that. How don''t they get tired of talking about this literally every day?


    No, I like to gossip myself, but exclusively about very interesting occasions and with a reliable person.


    What am I gonna do about this damn math...?


    Out of the corner of my eye, I see a group of people suddenly enter the classroom and walk in my direction. After a few seconds, someone is leaning on my desk. I looked up in surprise.


    "Morning, dude! I see you''re staying true to form and skipping parties you promised to come to. Could''ve at least picked up the phone so I wouldn''t worry," said a tall blue-eyed blonde guy hovering over me cheerfully, extending his hand.

 2: Beloved Sister

    At first I freeze up, but last Friday''s events and several missed calls from an unknown number yesterday evening surface in my mind. The situation becomes clear.


    "Sorry dude. I just had terrible stomach pains, couldn''t get out of bed at all," I reply and reluctantly shake the blonde''s hand.


    The Jerk, as I''ve long nicknamed him, is called Zack. For two years now, he''s been trying to play something resembling close friendship with me. He''s considered the school''s "king" who can get away with absolutely anything. His parents own businesses with combined annual revenue exceeding $50 million and have enormous influence over the principal. Because of this, people are always shocked that he hangs out with such a wild guy like me who dumps juice on jocks.


    Our "acquaintance" happened in sixth grade: he bullied Sharon to tears, which led to us having a brutal fight. As a result, I bloodied his face, and he dislocated my arm.


    After being discharged from the hospital, we pretended to see each other for the first time. Since Zack never approached Sharon again, the incident was soon forgotten.


    Our life paths should have diverged there, but two years ago he suddenly sat down next to me and smiled while apologizing for the past. To emphasize the seriousness of his intentions, he handed me "compensation" of $1,000 and casually asked to tell him more about Jane. It was incredibly amusing.


    Of course, I couldn''t care less about his desire to start a relationship with her, but I decided to play along because the process was entertaining and there was general benefit in associating with the "king."


    Like Jane, he''s a year older than me and often sees her in shared classes. But there''s no progress whatsoever, even with my not-so-stupid advice. Credit where it''s due¡ªZack doesn''t lose hope and always asks how to "properly" behave.


    "Bro, you have no idea what fun you missed. And how badly you let me down too. Man, I prepared that gift for you with all my heart," he said with fake sadness.


    "What do you mean?"


    "On Saturday, I showed your photos to an interesting lady. She literally screamed for me to introduce you. We agreed that I''d get you properly drunk on rum, lead you to the pool where she''d stick to you, and you''d go spend a hot night together. But you didn''t show up, and... I had to spend the hot night with her MYSELF. John, damn it, I had a girlfriend! Well, had. Your stomach ache killed my relationship," he said ironically and burst out laughing.


    I never like hearing such garbage. In these moments, I feel like borrowing Sharon''s baseball bat and bloodying his face again. But I hold myself back, aware of the consequences.


    "Oh man... yeah, I really messed up there. Sorry, I''ll be more careful next time," I replied and laughed with him. Actually, I won''t.


    At this moment, I notice Rob entering the classroom and standing at a distance, watching our conversation with interest.


    "I''m afraid, dude, there won''t be a next time, and that breakup was a sign of fate. Today everything changes, we''ll finally become one family," Zack said dreamily.


    What nonsense is he talking about? I thought, unable to hide my amazement. Zack caught my facial expression and sighed dejectedly.


    "Dude, don''t tell me you forgot about this too. Today''s the day I make your sister an offer of marriage that she can''t refuse. Our families will be bound by blood ties, I''m already picking out the wedding venue. Specifically, I plan to do it right now, before she gets absorbed in this boring studying. I specially waited for you to arrive¡ªas her brother, you must be present for this momentous occasion. Refusal is not accepted!" he stated strictly.


    He naturally speaks loudly, so everyone in class turned toward us with shocked and expectant faces.


    Well, this kind of shit is new in my life.


    "Okay man!" I said, standing up from my desk. I can''t and don''t want to change anything, might as well enjoy the trashy show.


    "That''s the spirit I like to see," Zack patted my shoulder. "First¡ªcheck out the gifts I prepared for her."


    Zack snapped his fingers at one of his, as I call them, suck-ups. The guy stepped forward and displayed a giant bouquet of pink tulips, three times larger than Rob''s bouquet, and a golden box of chocolates. Zack himself pulled a bright box from his pocket, opened it, and showed a sparkling diamond ring with an astronomical price one can only guess at.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I examine each gift carefully.


    "The chocolates aren''t dark chocolate, are they? Jane hates that, she likes sweet stuff."


    "I have that written down, it''s milk chocolate," Zack said cautiously.


    "Great, let''s go."


    Zack smiled, directed his suck-ups to the exit, and moved with them. I decided to lag slightly behind and walk at a distance.


    In the center of the classroom, I managed to draw level with Rob.


    "So, how did it go?" I asked.


    "N-not sure... She said she needs time to think, but called the flowers wonderful," he answered somewhat uncertainly. "Better you tell me, what''s going to come of all this?"


    "Nothing good."


    I know Jane''s character well enough to predict her extremely negative reaction. But what exactly she''ll do¡ªI can''t say.


    "As expected. Hope it ends quickly."


    "I have no doubt about that," I waved to him and started catching up with Zack''s group.


    Due to sudden crowding in the hallway, I fall significantly behind, but I know where Jane''s first class is. I manage to rush into her classroom at the height of the most interesting part.


    She stood near the blackboard surrounded by Zack''s minions and Zack himself, who was down on one knee. A large crowd had already gathered. Everyone watched intently, talking among themselves and recording on their phones.


    Jane is a very beautiful girl of average height. She has gray-blue eyes and long hair dyed dark purple. Today she''s wearing a purple shirt dress matching her hair color and dark stockings.


    She''s universally recognized as one of the three most popular girls in the school and has no less authority among the teachers because of her perfect grades. It is not least because of this that they turn a blind eye to my terrible academic performance...


    In total, more than twenty guys from school tried to start relationships with her, but at best they only got ignored.


    Seeing her extremely gloomy and contemptuous expression, I understand¡ªeverything will be worse than I expect.


    "Accept my hand and my heart, oh beautiful Jane Kelly!" Zack says solemnly and extends the ring to her. Simultaneously, two suck-ups bring her the bouquet and chocolates.


    The classroom is silent for several seconds as everyone waits for her reaction. Jane rolls her eyes, snorts... suddenly snatches the bouquet from the suck-up''s hands and swings it to hit Zack in the face.


    "What are you smoking, idiot?" she replies haughtily. "If you hoped to impress me somehow, then congratulations, you succeeded. Now in my eyes, you''re an even more miserable nothing."


    She hits him with the bouquet again. I can''t see Zack''s face and emotions, but that''s not necessary.


    "Your love is a pathetic, withering flower that bloomed in a pile of shit. However, if even a drop of your words about your feelings is true, then please, make it so I never see your twisted face up close again."


    Jane throws the bouquet out the window and turns her gaze to the crowd.


    "What are you staring at?" she shouted menacingly.


    As if by magic, the words instantly took effect and all outsiders rushed from the classroom. In less than half a minute, the only extra people remaining were me frozen in stupor, Zack, and his entourage.


    I fall into her field of vision and Jane''s expression immediately turns to anger. I don''t have time to blink before she runs up and gives me a stinging slap.


    "What the hell are you doing here?!" she says furiously. "I''m tired of repeating that you should leave city to uncle''s. That''s it, this was the last straw¡ªdon''t come home today. I won''t let you in, and if you break in, I''ll throw you right back out. Get out!"


    I barely dodge a second slap.


    "What did I do to you that you''re so coldly throwing me out on the street?" I replied in her style.


    "Shut up and obey, or you''ll only make things worse. Today you shouldn''t be in the city, period," after cutting this off, she moved to her desk, no longer paying attention to me.


    Well screw you then.


    I leave her classroom with a slightly dampened mood. She hasn''t set such conditions before, I''ll have to think of something.


    Five minutes remain until class. Returning to my classroom, I notice everyone actively discussing the new event of the month. Rob immediately jumps up and bounces over to me with bulging eyes.


    "Is it all true?!"


    "Something''s clearly exaggerated, but yeah. Listen, I need to figure something out with math, we''ll talk later."


    He nods and lets me pass.


    I collapsed at my desk. Jane''s callous attitude upset me a little and filled me with anger because it created a new headache regarding housing. To avoid taking it out on some random person, I try to switch my attention to something else... and notice a strange piece of paper inserted in my notebook.


    I pull it out puzzled and unfold it. There''s just one phrase, in unfamiliar handwriting:


    MEET ME AT 10 IN THE ABANDONED WING, MUSIC ROOM.


    I put the note down and look around the classroom, trying to understand who could have slipped it in. But no one catches my eye. Interesting...


    It could be a mistake or a prank, but the designated meeting place ruins that theory. The note is actually addressed to me.


    The abandoned wing is a restricted area, strictly off limits, and rumor has it that it''s an easy place to die. This place is my favorite in the whole school, you can quietly skip class there without worrying that anyone will see you. Besides me, maybe seven people at most risk going there. Today, I wanted to go there anyway, instead of second period PE.


    The question "who is it?" started breaking my head, I couldn''t name a single person with certainty. Well, it''s still a long time until 10. Better to at least copy some homework so I don''t waste Sharon''s efforts.


    I reach into my pocket for my cell phone... and remember it was left lying in my room. All the solution photos are in my chat history with Sharon.


    Well, seems like fate. I''ll get to the spot a bit earlier, just in time to cool off from Jane.


    I get up from my desk, throw on my backpack, and run out of the classroom, passing the indignant teacher in the doorway.

 3: The Invitation

    Following a memorized route, I easily snuck into the abandoned wing in the right part of the school. It''s also the oldest part, so not very big.


    The reason for the entry ban is its unsafe condition. They established it 30 years ago after an accident where the ceiling fell, nearly crippling several students. Supposedly it''s easy to repair, but the reputation is already damaged and no one wants to deal with it.


    I climbed to the third floor, where the music room is located. Anticipating some extra sleep, I carelessly opened the classroom door. But even though I arrived two hours early, I was still late.


    I''m taken aback¡ªa girl with headphones sits on a front row desk, swinging her legs and staring at the ceiling. When the initial surprise fades, I quickly recognize her¡ªit''s Lily Lane. We share several classes.


    The first time I saw her up close was at the beginning of the year when we were assigned to the same groups, but I''d heard about her before. Not at Jane''s level, but she''s also popular, which gets people talking.


    We''re not actually acquainted and haven''t even talked once. Our only connection is my thoughts about catching her looking at me these past months. Though I couldn''t tell if I was imagining it.


    She didn''t strike me as someone who would skip class, quite the opposite. She''s the best in English class, and I heard from Sharon about her great achievements in sports and club activities. So seeing her here is especially strange.


    No, she probably has nothing to do with the note, this is just a weird coincidence. There''s still a long time until the appointed time, anyone could be sitting here until then, I thought.


    I decide to wait in another classroom and am already turning to leave, when suddenly:


    "Wow, didn''t expect you so early. What are you skipping?" she started friendly.


    This can''t be happening.


    I look at her suspiciously. Lily has already taken off her headphones and has a charming smile on her face. Of all the details, I''m drawn to the large bandage on one of her knees. She must have hurt herself during practice.


    "Math and PE, then we''ll see," I reply pleasantly.


    "Oh, I hate those too. I''m skip history, it''s boring and overloaded with useless crap that''s absolutely unnecessary in life. By the way, I heard you have some conflict with the PE teacher. Is that why you skip it?"


    I was surprised the local elite knew about that.


    "Yes. He kept me after class, I got a bit heated over another stupid jab of his and hit him in the eye with a ball. Now I try to avoid running into him. Nothing extraordinary really."


    "Haha, so that''s where his black eye came from. Hope that old bastard felt the pain good?"


    "He sure yelled at me with feeling."


    "That moron always pairs me with his dumb, unwashed nephew. Probably hopes we''ll somehow get close and I''ll happily give myself to him," Lily smirked.


    "You could follow my example, might get him to back off."


    Lily bursts out laughing and gestures for me to sit beside her on the desk. This increases my wariness.


    She doesn''t cause any revulsion, but... Why the hell does she need me anyway?


    Wanting to figure this out, I drop my backpack and settle next to her. As soon as I sit, Lily grabs my arm and rests her head on my shoulder.


    "Don''t mind if I do this? Tired of sitting straight, want to relax a little."


    "Fine until my arm starts going numb."


    How did she know I hang out here? Why did she come so early? And why isn''t she saying why she called me?


    "Do you sit here often?" Lily resumed the dialogue.


    "All the time since I went to high school. But I''ve never noticed you here before," I said gently.


    "Unfortunately, I only learned about the possibility of sneaking into this wonderful place two weeks ago. Since then I come here to skip some classes and get a break from dealing with my crowd."


    I smiled.


    "I thought you popular folks passionately loved each other."


    "That''s just for show to maintain status. In reality everyone hates everyone and is ready to kill. And don''t lump me in with those idiots, I only hang out with them for fun and benefit. Plus it''s nice knowing you''re the only smart one among a sea of single-cell organisms."


    "Don''t quite get those kinds of interests, but okay."


    "What are yours?" Lily asked suddenly serious.


    The question throws me off, no one''s asked about this in a long time.


    "Ah... I don''t think you''d find them interesting."This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    "What makes you think that? Tell me, I''m genuinely curious."


    This gets stranger by the minute.


    It''s unclear why Lily steered the conversation toward interrogation. I don''t like talking about such topics with outsiders... but in this case, seems there''s no moving forward without an answer.


    "Besides home hobbies, I like going to the shooting range and movies," I say calmly.


    "Woow! You can shoot?"


    "Well enough, I''d say."


    "That''s so cool! I''ve been wanting to learn for a couple of years, but I know absolutely nothing about firearms and I''m embarrassed about how I''d look. Why did you think this wouldn''t be interesting?"


    "Well... Glad I was wrong!"


    "Do you have your own gun at home?"


    "There''s a pistol, but it belongs to my sister."


    "Ah, I see..." Lily suddenly backed off. "Movies are cool too, what genres do you like?"


    "Mainly watch horror and thrillers, love intense emotions."


    "Not a fan of creepy stuff, more into action movies. It''s so thrilling when everyone''s shooting at everyone!" Lily grabbed an imaginary machine gun and made several sounds, aiming at the wall.


    "What about your interests? I was joking when I said that word," I decide to get her talking too.


    "Mainly sports, but I also love board games. Outside school I do fencing, it''s very exciting and trains agility and reflexes."


    "Wow! Never would have guessed. You actually swing around a sword?"


    "Heh, you''re not the first to say that. My specialty is the foil, which is a thrusting weapon, but I''m skilled with others too. Trust me, I''m extremely good at it. Hey, we complement each other perfectly: you can shoot, and I can stab. Together we''re unbeatable!" she laughed.


    "Definitely, so probably no one would dare attack us knowing the threat."


    "The world''s full of crazy people capable of anything," the girl suddenly turned serious. "One of them just set his sights on your sister. By the way, I have to note how awesome she humiliated that brazen scum. I sincerely give her my respect."


    "What? Even you know already?" I was amazed.


    "Several friends texted to me, they were present for his ''marriage proposal.'' Jane''s cool and fearless, no one from school could have answered him like that. Though Zack will probably hate her now and want revenge."


    "Nothing to worry about there. Jane is the last person I''d dare threaten. She''ll bury anyone herself."


    I thought I saw Lily shudder.


    And the dialogue suddenly hit a dead end, with an awkward silence falling between us. Lily looks like she''s about to say something but can''t find the words.


    Finally, I decide to take initiative:


    "So do you want something from me?" I ask directly. "It''s hard for me to imagine someone like you just wanted to chat with me. Why do you need this?"


    She seemed to shake more, but forces herself to maintain a smile and confident attitude.


    "S-so, here''s what this is all about... That girl with chestnut hair you always arrive at school with... Are you dating?"


    It takes a titanic effort to hide my wild shock. This is the last question I expected to hear. Damn it, should have kept talking about hobbies.


    "Are you stalking me or something?" I narrowed my eyes.


    "No-no-no! Just noticed the pattern since we''re in the same groups. So what about it?"


    Really don''t believe her, but she obviously won''t admit it.


    "No, Sharon and I are childhood friends, she''s like a sister to me. Why are you even interested?"


    "Want to eliminate any misunderstandings."


    She jumped off the desk and stood in front of me. Her eyes radiate iron determination but also a certain apprehension.


    "John, let''s go on a date?"


    "Huh?!" this time I couldn''t contain my shock.


    If she''d asked this anywhere else, I''d take it as a joke or fulfilling someone else''s wish in a lost bet. But we met on her prior initiative in a place where there physically can''t be any witnesses. And she decided to skip classes for this.


    The facts don''t add up in my head and I don''t understand how to react. Internally I admit she outplayed me.


    I lower my gaze and only now notice the familiar bouquet of lilies. It was lying on the other side of her this whole time. Something unpleasant stings inside.


    Hmm... Honestly, not very original.


    "I think you''d better go on a date with whoever gave you these nice flowers," I turned it into a joke.


    "Your friend is very sweet and kind, but I understood from our first conversation that he''s too down-to-earth and boring. Not my type."


    "So I who hit the PE teacher am your type? One conversation isn''t much for drawing conclusions."


    "It''s enough for me," she cut off. "So what do you say? You can choose the place, I''m fine with movies or the shooting range."


    I look at her carefully¡ªnow in Lily''s actions and intonation I can read some kind of pre-prepared speech and manner of behavior. It seems like a cold calculation to achieve... something. This completely kills any understanding of the situation.


    It also put me in an extremely awkward position. By rights, I should have already refused several times and left to avoid betraying Rob. However, the enormous interest in learning her goal prevents me from leaving so easily.


    "Worried about what your friend will think? I didn''t take you for the type to put others'' feelings above your own," she said acidly.


    Obviously trying to provoke an emotional response from me in a dirty way. Good attempt.


    "Given all the input data, your sudden proposal looks suspicious and absurd. What are you trying to achieve? Make fun of me?"


    "What, isn''t it clear? I want to invite a guy I like on a date, like everyone does in this world. What do you find absurd?"


    "You think I''ll believe that out of all the guys in school you happened to like me? You understand that if we theoretically start dating, it would significantly shake your reputation since everyone considers me totally crazy?"


    "Oh, immediately started putting yourself down, amusing. Would you really reject me for his worthless attempts to hit on me? How often do you drag yourself through the mud to spare his feelings? You know what that''s called?" she giggled sarcastically.


    Lily is throwing down a personal challenge. No, I can''t ignore something like this.


    Nothing serious will come of this obviously. I''ll make up that I learned more information about Lily from someone and pass it to Rob through Sharon.


    I jump off the desk and stand right in front of the girl. Our gazes meet, I feel her nervous breathing.


    "Let''s do it. Shooting range, pick any time that works."


    "3. Meet at the Moon Park entrance, I want to walk with you before the shooting range. Give me your number to stay in touch," she purred contentedly, victory shining up in her eyes.


    I really hope that during this so-called date it will become clear what she wants. Otherwise I''m just risking my friendship with Rob.


    "Sorry, forgot my cell phone at home and don''t know the number by heart."


    "Haha, somehow I''m not surprised. Fine, I''m sure you won''t deceive me. Promise you won''t regret it!"


    "Consider me waiting impatiently."


    "That''s why I like you. Most of the school dreams of going on a date with me and would squeal with delight if I invited them. But you see some secret plan in it that doesn''t exist. I''m sure you haven''t even imagined me naked yet."


    "Is that all?" I said impassively.


    "For now¡ªyes. Thank you so much for not ignoring this."


    Lily grabbed the bouquet and threw on her purse.


    "I''ll go back to class. Please just don''t think I''m a nerd," she said with fake awkwardness.


    "Don''t worry, right now I''m only thinking about how badly I need sleep."


    "Haha, thanks again! See you at the park."


    Finally she waved, smiled brightly and left the classroom. I climbed back on the desk and stared into space.


    The day has barely begun and is already unnaturally saturated with events. Though I''ll think about that after sleep.

 4: Growing Apart & Getting Closer

    Not staying for the last class, I shot out of school and rushed home to get ahead of Jane. Need to gather the essentials before getting kicked out.


    At the cost of nearly numb lungs, I manage to set a record for covering the distance from school to home¡ªjust twenty-three minutes.


    Without pausing to catch my breath, I head to my room. Into my backpack goes my wallet with somehow a whole $400 in it, an unfinished bottle of juice, laptop, personal keys, and cell phone.


    Of course, I don''t intend to leave home permanently. I''ll just create the appearance and visit when Jane''s absent. For this reason, I''m not worried about clothes and other daily stuff.


    I could follow Jane''s order and go to my uncle in the next city. However, I''m sure he doesn''t know about my possible visit and there''s no arrangement, plus I fundamentally don''t want to turn to him. When mom died, he didn''t help Jane and me at all, even though he knew perfectly well we had no other close relatives. I still haven''t forgotten or forgiven him for that.


    Instead, I plan to temporarily stay with Sharon or Rob. They live in big houses, there should be a room for me... well, at least definitely a storage closet. But if they refuse, I have some other options.


    The downside¡ªthere''s uncertainty with school since Jane will know I''m still in city. Though she hardly has any way to influence that.


    It would be convenient if she''d at least specified how long she''s kicking me out for. When she first demanded I leave, she let slip it would be for a relatively short period, but since then she dodges any details. I don''t even think about the reasons anymore.


    Probably should wear something bright for the date... I suddenly thought as I looked in the mirror. Not that I cared about Lily''s opinion, but being friendly and relaxed will definitely make her more open. It''ll be easier to find out what motivates her.


    For the first time in a few weeks, I open my clothes closet and look for something suitable. Among the few items I manage to dig up just one pink t-shirt with a smiling strawberry print. It was a joke gift from Sharon for my 16th birthday.


    I pick it up¡ªfits size-wise. Only the slightly out-of-place print is concerning.


    "Whatever," I said aloud. Soon I was decorated with a strawberry, my usual t-shirt and hoodie went into the backpack.


    With that done in my room, I dart to Jane''s room. Need to swipe the gun. As a partially homeless person now, I need it more.


    As usual, there''s wild chaos here, far surpassing my own mess. I''m always amazed how such carelessness fits with her strict and rigid personality.


    There''s all kinds of trash¡ªfrom food wrappers to torn clothes, unknown stuff sticking out of drawers, rumpled bed, desk covered in junk.


    Fortunately for me, she always keeps the gun box in one place. I carefully walk through piles of trash, clear a spot for myself and bend down in front of the bed, lighting up the space underneath with my phone flashlight.


    Chaos reigns there too, some old blankets mixed with towels blocking the view. Last time I dug for it two months ago, absolutely nothing has changed.


    Why the hell does she keep all this? I got angry, lying completely on the floor.


    Fitting myself in, I slide my hand under the blankets and move it around, trying to grab onto something. After a minute I feel something square and pull it out.


    "How did this even get there?!" I grumbled, tossed aside a plastic kiwi box and reached further.


    Over the next five minutes I dug out an old slipper, a small toy duck, and some wire before feeling another square object.


    Seeing a dark box coming out from under the blanket, I immediately open it and try to feel for the gun... but it''s empty.


    No way, did she hide it somewhere else?


    I pull this box out completely, it turns out to just be similar to the one I need. Substantially smaller, more suited for some kind of jewelry.


    Suddenly I feel my skin prick around my wrist. Damn, I''ll scrape up my whole arm with this digging, need to wrap it up.


    I decide to try my luck one last time before searching elsewhere. Pushing my arm in as deep as possible, I grabbed onto a square lid and pulled the object toward me.


    "Victory!" I rejoiced, clutching the trusty Glock 19.


    I get to my feet, dust myself off and put the gun with a spare magazine in the secret compartment of my backpack.


    Mission at home complete, I turn off the flashlight and check the time¡ªforty minutes until 3. Definitely can''t run into Jane, time to get out.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    I''ll have to call a taxi to the park, none of my friends with cars can give me a ride. Really though, I''ll arrive not much earlier, will only have to wait for her a little bit.


    Though based on today''s experience, I wouldn''t be surprised if she''s already there, I thought, heading for the exit. Main thing is the "date" doesn''t drag on until night.


    ##


    On the way to the park, I began to feel uncontrollable confusion. I had dozens of theories about Lily''s goal, which led to just as many date scenarios, and I couldn''t figure out how to behave. None of them seemed plausible, which only added to the mystery. I could only rely on chance and a successful attempt to get her to talk.


    As I stepped out of the taxi, I immediately confirmed my guess¡ªmy new friend was sitting on one of the benches at the entrance to the park, looking ahead. Lily took her appearance seriously: she''s wearing a cute beige dress, light heels, and a small white purse slung over her shoulder. It''s impressive that she dressed like that, but my strawberry wins hands down.


    She notices me, waves hello, stands up and walks to meet me. I put on a friendly face too.


    I see she''s smiling sweetly... but as soon as we get close enough, her eyes bulge and her expression twists into a mixture of shock and confusion.


    "John, what the fuck?!" she asks accusingly. Seems the "romantic" atmosphere was destroyed before it could even start.


    "What?" I reply bewildered.


    "What is this shit?! How is this even fucking possible?!?!"


    "Um, what are you talking about?"


    "Is this... Is this a joke? Why?!"


    I followed her gaze, it''s directed somewhere down. It quickly becomes obvious what got her so worked up. I smirk.


    "What, embarrassed to be seen with a guy in this t-shirt? Didn''t think you were one of those who cares about others'' opinions," I parodied her morning provocation.


    "In such a t-shirt...?" she said slowly.


    "Never seen childish prints before?"


    "John..." notes of sadness appeared in her voice. The girl''s expression remains unchanged.


    It hits me that her shock is genuine and she''s really stunned by something. Tension rises, I look again in the direction of her gaze, but there''s nothing there.


    "Lily, are you okay?" I asked warily.


    Several more seconds pass, seemingly endless. At some point, this strange state suddenly leaves her.


    "You... you idiot!" no trace of shock remains, she''s indignant. "Like I''d be embarrassed by some t-shirt with a googly-eyed strawberry? I wear similar ones to practice every day. But you probably put yours on for the first time in your life, judging by how wildly wrinkled it is."


    Lily sticks out her tongue. I sigh with relief, seems everything''s back to normal.


    "Then what was that about?"


    "Ah... Wanted to see your reaction to something sudden and incomprehensible. Can''t say you impressed me much. Your friend was way more emotional."


    The reason for Rob''s strange answer becomes clear to me.


    "Should I take that as criticism or a compliment?" I said sarcastically.


    "However you want!"


    Hope she doesn''t pull anything else like that, I thought. Though it was intriguing.


    "Alright, enough standing around, let''s go walk," Lily grabbed my hand and strode toward the park gates.


    The park itself was sparsely populated, which was nice, and the sun finally came out from behind the clouds. This created a positive mood. The most important thing was not to run into anyone from school, or they''d take pictures of us together and the rumors would be unimaginable.


    We stepped onto the paved path laid along a lawn with trees and headed forward.


    "Been a while since your last date?" Lily starts. Something stings inside¡ªnot a question I wanted to hear.


    "Yeah..." I answer neutrally. Though that old mess barely counts as a date. "What about you?"


    "If you don''t count the short talk with your friend, then three months ago. It went extremely badly, the guy turned out to be dull and boring. I''m sure you''ll make up for that case."


    "So you don''t consider me that way?"


    "I don''t know anyone else who''d deliberately throw a ball in the PE teacher''s eye. You''re anything but boring."


    She has good conversational tact. Though hardly sincere.


    "Why does that impress you so much? Not the coolest life achievement."


    "First, I have personal dislike for the reasons mentioned earlier. And it''s just cool that you can allow yourself that. If I did it, I''d get an ocean of problems."


    "Because of popularity?"


    "More because of my ''excellent reputation.'' Everyone has unfounded special expectations and ideas about me. Primarily my dad, though I never even see him."


    "But that''s for your benefit, isn''t it? Your future''s much brighter than mine."


    "It might not seem so from the outside, but all this responsibility, obligations and need to be perfect really fucking weighs on me. Can''t say one wrong word, have to accommodate PE teachers like that, and all for some meaningless nonsense. It''s really nice talking with you now because you don''t care about all these social games. Not giving a damn about society¡ªthat''s what I consider truly cool."


    I listened carefully and looked at her. It hadn''t occurred to me that she had such a worldview. Only is all this true...?


    "Well, on the other hand, you have the strength and will to maintain yourself at the top, I physically couldn''t do that. Deep down though, I would like to have status similar to yours."


    "And I''d like to throw a ball at that jerk and break the chemistry teacher''s flasks. Ah, too bad you can''t switch positions with someone even for a day," she said sadly.


    "What about your mother? You only mentioned your dad," I changed the subject seemingly by chance.


    "Mom died when I was 7. Car crash, still can''t believe she parted with life so absurdly. Dad was broken with grief for several years and ended up completely burying himself in work. Lucky if we see each other two or three times a year. But he''s still perfectly aware of all my actions and strictly controls me through school and his friends. Unfortunately, there''s no other close relatives."


    "Oh, I''m sorry. I''ve got it rough with parents too: dad left right after I was born without explaining why, and mom died from clinical depression when I was 12. The only relative Jane and I have is an uncle who barely thinks about us. If not for Jane, I''d be totally lost in this life."


    "God, that''s terrible! I sincerely sympathize, your situation is much worse than mine. Can''t imagine what it''s like to be left completely without parents. Glad your sister takes care of you."


    "Me too. Though since mom''s death we''ve had pretty strained relations, especially lately."


    "Oh, why?"


    Probably better not mention getting kicked out of the house.


    "Don''t know myself... Guess she''s tired of everything."


    Suddenly an awkward silence fell. As a result, Lily put on a cheerful expression again.


    "Okay, let''s not talk about sad things. What are your life plans? What do you want to do in general?" she asked.

 5: Shooting

    "Haha, I don''t think that far ahead. Just finishing school would be a great accomplishment."


    "But you need to do something after that. Haven''t you thought about college?"


    "I was thinking in the context that you need either excellent grades or a lot of money to get in. I don''t have either," I smiled.


    "Uh... Well, I also had a period when I was lost and couldn''t find myself. It''s normal, you''ll figure it out a bit later."


    This sounded maximally fake, like a line from a TV show.


    "Thanks for the support. Are you planning to go somewhere?"


    "Yes, really want to get into one incredibly cool place. I fit all the parameters and skills, but... I need to get one critically important thing, they don''t accept without it. I''m working hard on this, hope everything works out."


    "As I understand, you''re brilliant with studies. Need some additional activities or outside achievements?"


    "You could say that. They have extremely strict selection and crazy competition. No matter how talented you are, without this you have no chance."


    Can''t say I understood anything, but okay.


    "What field is it?"


    "Uh... Well... In simple terms¡ªa branch of science that studies the structure of the world. Roughly speaking it''s physics, but not quite, there are many elements¡ª"


    "I sort of understand, don''t strain yourself. It''s cool that you clearly know what you want to do. Jane too, I''ve seen it in her since childhood, but for some reason she doesn''t reveal it to me. Funny, we''re brother and sister but very different."


    I thought I saw Lily flinch.


    "Oh, c-cool! I''m sure Jane will make it. Her incredible talent is recognized even in my circles, which never happens with those morons."


    "Haha, for real. Well, good luck getting in and achieving what you want."


    "Thanks, I''m doing everything possible for it."


    I break away from the conversation and notice we''ve reached the exit.


    "Oh, I forgot the park isn''t very big," Lily giggled. "I enjoyed the walk, we definitely got closer."


    Yes, pleasant conversation. Only I didn''t learn anything even hinting at her true motives. Am I overthinking...? Or is she just hiding it too well?


    "Likewise. Want another lap?"


    "Think that''s enough, walking back and forth will get boring quickly. Let''s go to the shooting range, can''t wait to shoot for the first time. By the way, where is it?"


    "There''s one a half hour walk away, but it''s small and the owner''s not quite right, asks for extra payment for every little thing. There''s a second one, we''d need to split a taxi, but it''s bigger, has a wide selection of weapons and clear plans."


    "As the experienced one, I trust your choice," she winked. "I''ll pay for the taxi if needed."


    Holy shit. She''s offering to pay?


    "Well... in that case¡ªdefinitely the second option, for the best first impression."


    "Then it''s decided!" she said, pulling out her cell phone.


    ##


    During the short ride to the shooting range, we casually discussed favorite music, food, video games and similar topics to find more common ground. The most "unnatural" part was discussing recent school gossip. Lily still gave no hint about her goal.


    Focusing on finding hidden meaning was becoming harder¡ªshe turned out to be truly pleasant to talk with. Without noticing, I got completely drawn into the dialogue.


    Moreover, I think I''m really starting to like her, unrelated to her attractive appearance. I try to suppress this feeling, but it keeps surfacing.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    The taxi stops at a medium-sized one-story building with a "SHOOTING RANGE" sign. We get out and approach closer.


    "Well, here it is," I say formally.


    "Cute, looks just like any commercial building. Honestly, I imagined a shooting range as a huge firing ground in an open desert area among cacti," Lily giggled.


    "The range is inside, it''s very similar to a training ground where police learn to shoot. You''ve definitely seen those in TV shows."


    "Okay, got it. Forward to the guns!"


    She started rushing to the entrance but suddenly stopped and looked at me awkwardly.


    "Umm, will anyone mind that I''m in a dress? I didn''t think about it not being quite appropriate attire for this place¡ª"


    "Don''t worry. I remember guys in black latex and anime cosplayers coming here. No one even mentioned their appearance."


    "Woow, cool guys! Got it, nothing to fear," she beckoned me, went to the door and swung it open.


    A couple seconds later we''re standing in a well-renovated hall. Ahead is a counter with a huge tattooed man behind it.


    "So where do we shoot?" Lily asks, her eyes darting around the room.


    "First we need to buy range time, then they''ll take us to the room with targets," I point toward the counter.


    "Oh, what a fierce guy. Is he the owner?"


    "Manager, I see him often. Always thought with that build and appearance he''d be better suited as a bouncer or gangster."


    "Maybe he does both," she smiled. "Please, you talk to him. If I say something wrong, that mountain of muscle will kill me with one hit."


    Lily pretends to shiver with fear. I nod and go to the counter.


    "Hello, remind me of your rates please," I ask politely.


    "Hello!" despite his appearance, the manager''s voice is squeaky. "As I understand, there are two of you?"


    "Exactly."


    "Sorry, due to high demand we recently introduced a rule: for groups of two or more people the price is higher. Thus, range time costs: handguns only¡ª$100, $150 and $300 for one hour, two hours and all day respectively; rifles only¡ª$140, $200 and $400; both types¡ª$250, $400 and $600. What interests you?"


    Shit, I thought. I only have a few hundred bucks for who knows how long, and now this crap.


    "Both types for the whole day, paying by card," Lily said confidently as she approached.


    I stare at her stunned, the girl winks.


    "Listen, you already paid for the taxi... I won''t be able to pay you back half anytime soon," I admit bitterly.


    "I''m not asking. I invited you on the date, so I''m responsible for expenses."


    "But that''s not a small amount¡ª"


    "Oh, forget it. My financial situation is fine. I spend three times more on one shopping trip."


    "Well okay," I pushed past my reservations. For some reason I feel very awkward, essentially becoming indebted to her.


    Can her generosity be considered suspicious?


    Lily taps her credit card to the terminal, payment goes through successfully.


    "Thank you for choosing our shooting range. Let''s proceed to the firing area."


    "What a hilarious voice that giant has, right?" Lily whispered playfully. "Like someone stepped on something of his in childhood."


    "Hey-hey, keep it down. If he hears that, he''ll step on something of ours."


    We quickly walked down the hallway to a spacious dark gray room. There are two large tables packed with weapons and ammunition, a cabinet with sets of protective headphones and glasses, and five targets behind a partition at medium distance.


    The manager briefly explained the rules, wished us a good time and left us alone.


    "John, no one else will come in here, right?" Lily asks shyly.


    "If they do, we can definitely complain about why they charged you so much money."


    "I''ll take that as a no. Yaaay, finally¡ªshooting!"


    She grabs the first rifle she sees from the table, runs to the partition and aims crookedly.


    "Hey, wait! First we need to¡ª"


    I don''t finish speaking¡ªautomatic gunfire deafens me. The girl also cries out from the loud sound and wild recoil. The weapon falls from her hands.


    "Ouch! Why is there such ringing in my ears?!" she groaned.


    "Because you always put on headphones first, they''re specially for noise suppression, and glasses to protect your eyes. And taking a combat rifle as your first weapon isn''t the best idea, usually people start with pistols."


    "Sorry!" she said guiltily. "That''s it, no more acting on my own, I''ll only listen to you."


    Within a minute the deafening subsided. I put protective gear on her and myself, chose a pistol for her and led her to the partition.


    "This thing is a Glock 19, one of the most popular pistols. Light and easy to use. By the way, Jane has exactly the same one."


    "Yeah, I know about it. Looks like it was copied from TV shows and games," she examines the gun with interest.


    "Next you need to stand properly. Put your feet shoulder-width apart, then left foot slightly forward and bend your knees a bit."


    I demonstrate how it''s done. On her fourth attempt, Lily gets it.


    "Next step¡ªthe pistol itself," I grab the same Glock from the table and stand next to her. "Right hand on the grip, and left hand supporting it. Arms straight but not tense, grip should be light."


    I show again on myself and correct her position.


    "Well... now aim and shoot. Just relax, don''t try to hit a series in the center right away. You can hold your breath to improve concentration."


    "Got it."


    Lily takes a deep breath, squints slightly, hesitates for a few seconds, and fires. A hole appears at the edge of the target.


    "This is just fucking awesome! John, did you see? I hit the target, and not even on the outer circle."


    "Not a bad start, I missed completely with my first shot. Try again. Tell me when you get bored with the Glock and we''ll move on to¡ª"


    "COMBAT RIFLE?!"


    "A more advanced pistol. You''ll be ready for the rifle in about two hours."


    "Oh, very soon!" Lily beamed with happiness. "Hey, shoot the Glock. I want to see what a pro can do."


    "I wouldn''t call myself exactly a pro¡ª"


    "Please! I really want to see your skill."


    "Okay."


    I take her place.


    I have to hit it. Don''t know why, but right now I have to do this.


    I take my stance, aim the pistol, hold my breath and carefully sight in.


    5... 4... 3... Damn it, no, right now.


    A shot rings out. When the smoke clears, we see where the bullet landed.


    "Awesome, right in the center!" Lily got excited. "And you say you''re not a pro."


    I feel elated from the "victory" and that Lily appreciated it, but outwardly only smirk.


    "Well, I do shoot pretty well."

 6: Confusion

    "Dear visitors! We''re closing in twenty minutes. Please finish shooting and leave the building," the manager peeked into the room briefly and left.


    Lily and I exchange surprised glances, I take out my cell phone and check the time.


    "Wow, it''s really 9:40," I show her the screen. "We got carried away, been here almost six hours."


    "Yeah, I didn''t notice how time flew by either," she let out a nervous laugh. "Amazing how fast everything goes with an interesting activity."


    The manager interrupted us when Lily was trying to set up a sniper rifle on the support while I was adjusting its scope.


    "You''ll definitely have time to shoot, we didn''t struggle with it this long for nothing," I say.


    "Absolutely. If I leave without trying the last weapon, I''ll be a total loser."


    "Try the scope now."


    Lily brings her eye to it and nods approvingly.


    "Awesome, finally not blurry! Look."


    She barely positions the rifle so it doesn''t shake, aims and slowly pulls the trigger. A powerful shot rings out, the bullet hits exactly in the middle of the target. Lily jumps up triumphantly.


    "By feeling¡ªthis is the best thing I shot today. Damn, too bad we got to the sniper rifle last."


    "But you used up all the M4 ammo. Still want to buy that rifle?"


    "Of course! Also the Deagle and now the sniper rifle too. John, I haven''t had such fun in ages. Thanks for bringing me here and helping me overcome my shyness."


    "No problem. And thank you for the company, usually I come here alone. Don''t be sad, now you can come here and shoot as much as you want."


    "Definitely, and you''ll come with me. It''ll be boring alone and I''ve already forgotten most of your instructions. Still don''t want to feel stupid, I need a mentor for now."


    "We''ll discuss that later. Okay, let''s go, don''t want that giant kicking us out."


    "Deal."


    We carefully put back all the equipment and head to the exit.


    It''s dark and empty outside, with only the sound of cars in the distance indicating human activity. I had never been in this area this late before.


    After crossing the shooting range''s threshold, I suddenly remember my "special" housing circumstances. This cools my emotion-filled head and worsens my mood. Need to urgently decide where to sleep.


    Somehow I forgot that I''m not cool enough to walk around here at night. Such a long date was a mistake. Rob and Sharon go to bed around this time, maybe I won''t make it or they won''t take me seriously, I thought, weighing the options.


    "Lily, it was fun hanging out with you, but time to split up. I urgently need to sort out one vitally important problem."


    The girl stood opposite and stared at me intently. She smiled conspiratorially.


    "John, close your eyes."


    "I really have time pressure, the situation isn''t good at all."


    "Just close them, want to give you something before goodbye."


    "Okay, but quickly," I waved off, "because everything''s really serious."


    I close my eyes, continuing to think through my plan.


    "I think you won''t need to sort anything out."


    "Wha¡ª"


    I don''t finish the word as warm lips cover my mouth. I immediately open my eyes¡ªat the same time Lily tightly hugs my neck. Only after a couple seconds does my brain realize what''s happening.


    What the actual fuck?!


    I naturally blush, Lily kisses more aggressively and doesn''t release her embrace. All this seems like some surreal nonsense, I''m immediately hit with mild derealization.


    Well, she kisses nicely, I think distractedly, not knowing what to do. Lily, what are you...?


    Many conflicting feelings wash over me. Instinctively, I want to give in and kiss her back, but then I won''t be able to look Rob in the eye normally, and I already feel bad enough.


    For some reason I can''t break free, can only wait and endure.


    The kiss lasts about two minutes, after which she runs out of oxygen and pulls away, I catch my breath too.


    "I take it you''re not used to showing initiative at all. Well nothing, we''ll have plenty of time for you to stop being shy," she said slyly after catching her breath.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Plenty of time...?"


    "Yes... With my lessons you''ll become the best in school. But of course, kisses aren''t the only thing we''ll be doing," she whispered sweetly in my ear. The girl tries to slide her hand down, but I jerk away and gently step back.


    "Sounds tempting, but I''ll pass," I barely maintain a calm expression. "Don''t know why you started doing all this, but I really have a serious problem."


    This move destroyed all complex theories about her goal. Turns out... she was just looking for someone for one night? Very strange that her choice fell on me... but okay.


    Actually, it''s not a bad option. At least the housing problem would be solved for today. But Rob... I can''t betray our friendship.


    "Oh come on, don''t be difficult," she protested. "I promise no one will know anything, including your friend. I''ll call a taxi now and we''ll continue the evening¡ª"


    "No, Lily, I''m serious, I need to go. And I''m not so easily made to betray a friend. Sorry I didn''t meet expectations. See you."


    I smile goodbye and turn around, but the girl suddenly grabs my hand and turns me back. In a second, she turns completely pale and her playfulness turns into wild horror.


    What the hell???


    "You''re joking, right? Sorry if I rushed or offended you somehow, won''t act or speak so abruptly anymore. Let''s delete the last few minutes from memory," her voice became stammering and lost all intonation. She started resembling a robot or very bad actor.


    I''m shocked by how radically she changed and can''t imagine what put her in such a state.


    "Lily, are you okay?" I ask cautiously. Meanwhile trying to break free from her grip... but can''t even detach one finger. Her hand is abnormally rigid and strong.


    "Y-yes, I just want to continue spending the evening with you, without rushing things. So... want to come over for tea? Just tea, no implications."


    She tries to smile as usual, but it comes out as a creepy parody. Horror is deadlocked in her, she''s shaking.


    And what am I even supposed to do?


    I''m starting to feel uneasy myself, the desire to run away shoots through the roof.


    "Lily, what happened to you? Did you lose some bet to someone?"


    "No, I want to continue our date... And then arrange the next one."


    The next one? What is she even thinking about?


    "Uh... Lily, I''m not joking, I need to go, we can talk about dating later. I have a very important matter, you''re holding me up."


    I try to break free again, but nothing works. It''s like she''s bound me with steel chain.


    Where does she get such grip strength?! She''s a head shorter than me.


    "John, I don''t know what you need, but if you come with me, I promise to help solve it or compensate. Please, let''s just continue the date. If it''s because of your friend, I swear he won''t find out anything. Do you really dislike me that much?!" at the end she nearly breaks into screaming. Combined with the empty street, the atmosphere becomes truly unsettling.


    "Lily, you can''t solve this. Just let go and let me go. I''m freaked out by your sudden change. I can promise we''ll continue tomorrow."


    I don''t really want to talk to her after that, but I have to say it.


    Lily lowered her gaze, thinking about something. This lasts about a minute, then her horror subsides slightly.


    "O-okay, if you can''t today, then tomorrow. I''ll let you go on condition that you forget all your business and go home. We''ll meet in the same music room at the same time. Stay home tonight and don''t go anywhere. Also swear you won''t tell your sister about our date," her tone changed to authoritative.


    "What? What does Jane have to do with this?" the conditions seem strange and disconnected to me.


    "Swear you''ll do everything listed. And I need your phone number," she said rather rudely.


    Need to use this opportunity, Lily isn''t asking anything difficult.


    "Okay, write it down."


    I dictate the numbers, she enters them in her phone and I immediately receive a verification message.


    "Not just okay, but swear," she insists.


    "I swear I''ll do everything you said."


    "Excellent."


    She looks at me distrustfully but finally releases her hand. I rub my aching wrist with relief.


    "Thanks, good night," without wasting a second, I turn and step forward.


    "Don''t forget about tomorrow''s meeting!" she calls sweetly after me.


    I pay no attention. All my thoughts are on how to get out of her sight faster. I feel her dissatisfied and intense gaze in my back all too well.


    ##


    After walking two streets and making sure Lily wasn''t following me, I turned toward the city center. What happened left a very strange imprint, like I was mentally burned out.


    Finding a place to sleep suddenly dropped from priority, because of this feeling all external factors ceased to matter. I just wanted to walk and think about nothing, trying to find peace and relaxation.


    I immersed myself and imagined being transported to that waterfall dream. It helped somewhat, but maintaining this illusion was difficult.


    The "burnout" only weakened when I reached the center. Seeing the tallest glass building in the city, I suddenly felt intense fatigue and collapsed onto the nearest bench.


    It was deserted around, time had passed 11. Among spam notifications was a message from Lily wishing me good night and expressing hope that everything would turn out "better."


    And what attracted her to me? Couldn''t find someone else? Wanted some thrill...?


    I replayed all of my interaction with Lily in my head, from meeting her in the music room to saying goodbye. The feeling that something was wrong and not understanding her motivation, plus the fierce desire to get me to her home, finally pushed the situation into mystical territory. She couldn''t be some kind of maniac, could she?


    I take the juice bottle from my backpack, gulp down the remains and toss it aside. Understanding comes that each moment of inaction only worsens my position and now isn''t the time for emotional suffering and mysterious theories.


    The Lily situation gets postponed until morning, I return to the shelter problem.


    Need to perfect the original plan. Tomorrow I''ll develop tactics for living in the house while hiding traces of my presence. It''s equally my house too, and I''m not going to listen to Jane''s idiotic orders without reason¡ª


    ~ Crack.


    My thoughts are interrupted by a strange loud sound coming from somewhere nearby but out of sight. I can''t imagine its source.


    I write it off as imagination and go on thinking.


    Looks perfect. Today Jane will relax and won''t expect me back anytime soon. This is much more interesting than bouncing between friends. Just need to decide...


    I go to contacts and consider who to wake¡ªRob or Sharon. Rob often stays up late online and might still be awake, plus it''s cheaper to get to him. But after kissing Lily, being near him would be... pretty uncomfortable.


    It takes longer to get to Sharon and she might get a bit angry that I''m disrupting her sleep schedule. However, there won''t be discomfort with her.


    ~ Crack.


    Suddenly the strange sound repeats, but closer. Due to better hearing it reminds me of the metallic clang that a huge axe makes when hitting the ground in one game.


    In the middle of the night the sound is strange, but... probably just someone having car trouble.


    Until things settle with Lily, better not bother Rob. So, visiting Sharon.


    ~ CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK.


    I had just opened her contact when the sound was repeated nearby, followed by a bloodcurdling scream. Cautiously, I looked up from my phone and looked around¡ªand in that instant, a person covered in scratches and blood crashed into the nearby lamppost. The person falls backwards to the ground and continues to scream horribly.


    What the hell is this?! I''m stunned.

 7: Crossing the Line

    I instantly jump up from the bench and approach the screaming person. It turns out to be a girl about my age, her dark hair stained with blood and dirt, green eyes reddened. She''s wearing a formal gray suit resembling some fantasy shaman''s attire. A short medieval sword lies nearby.


    First I make sure I''m not dreaming or hallucinating. Pinching my arm and rubbing my eyes has no effect¡ªthe beaten girl is still lying under the streetlight screaming.


    The only logical explanation that comes to mind¡ªfilming a movie or TV show. This fits with the girl''s unusual outfit... but there''s no film crew or cameras visible, and her injuries hardly look like makeup. I also can''t determine where she "flew" from. Looks like she was thrown like some ball.


    "What''s happening? Should I call for help?" I address her. There''s clearly some danger in the air, but the desire to understand and help prevails.


    The girl turns toward me, suddenly recoils back and reaches for the sword, not stopping her groaning.


    "Can you speak? Do you understand me at all?"


    With trembling hands she grabs the sword''s handle and tries to lift it, pointing it at me. But due to her shaking it falls to the ground. Fear mixed with despair freezes on her face, she slowly raises her eyes to me.


    "S-save me! Please! I''ll do whatever you want and be completely obedient to you. Just save me! This madman in armor is going to smash me against the wall!" she manages to say in a voice full of animal terror.


    "What?" I''m confused. "Is someone chasing you? Should I call the police?"


    "Please, take my words seriously," tears start rolling from her eyes. "I promise, I''ll become your servant, just help me survive. I was flying for like five seconds, that fucker will appear any moment to finish me off. NEED TO GET OUT! URGENTLY GET OUT!"


    More weird shit. I guess she''s in shock and doesn''t fully understand what she''s saying. But why does she need a sword? Did she seriously try to fight with it? I thought.


    "Okay, let me help you and call the cops. Is this psycho also armed with some sword? You had an unsuccessful roleplay?" I smoothly pull out the Glock and lean over to the girl. "Don''t be afraid, I have a gun. Even if he''s in armor, I still have a significant advantage."


    "PLEASE, STOP JOKING! NEED TO GET OUT FASTER, I FEEL HIM APPROACHING. I''M SURE YOU CAN''T HANDLE HIM," she screamed hysterically, leaning on my shoulder.


    Seems she''s on something.


    "Okay, we''ll move away if that calms you down," I help her up and hold her tightly.


    "Please, take the sword, it''s my only weapon. Use it yourself if you know how. It has many properties and easily cuts flesh," she insisted.


    "If so, why didn''t you take down the psycho?" I decide to play along with her illusions to ease communication.


    "I tried to kill him with a surprise attack, but his armor... it''s something fucking inconceivable. It didn''t get even a scratch. He grabbed me with bare hands, hit me several times, rolled me on the ground and threw me here. I''ve never encountered such strength. Can''t imagine how to kill him."


    "I see..."


    I touch the sword and am amazed to find it''s extremely heavy. Once in my life I went to the gym and lifted a huge barbell there, the sword''s weight feels like two of those. I strain incredibly just to pick it up.


    How did she manage to lift it so easily? I''m confused. The question of my own sobriety returns to mind, but... Lily had nowhere to slip me anything.


    "Thanks, now let''s run. He''ll catch us any moment, we need to break away and disappear."


    The girl bounds forward unevenly, pushing me to match her pace.


    This thing is so damn heavy. I can carry the sword for five minutes tops. What is it even made of?!


    "What''s your name?" I ask.


    "Christine. Please don''t stop until we leave the city center, we''ll handle all questions in safety. There are lots of others here. As I understand, this will be the most dangerous place. I noticed that the psycho was covered in blood, which means that he has already managed to kill someone, and hardly any time has passed since the beginning. Deep in the night this place will turn into fucking hell."


    I''d like to understand what she''s talking about, but loading her with clarifying questions is a bad idea. She won''t explain the situation adequately and will only fall deeper into delusion.


    "Nice to meet you, I''m John."


    "Doesn''t seem like you''re set to fight. Did you come out to scout the situation? How far is your base?"


    "Something like that. Base...? Well, pretty far¡ª"


    "Excellent!" she interrupted. "We''ll station at your place. The farther from here the better. My house is less than three miles away, and I''m not very strong, so my chances of survival are low."


    They have a very interesting roleplay.


    We cross the road, choosing the shortest path to exit the center, though it''s in the opposite direction for me. Suddenly Christine stops, her eyes become glassy.


    "Oh, no..." she forces out grimly.


    ~ CRASH.


    In that same second some massive object hits her in the back. The girl stretches out on the sidewalk with a scream. I think I heard her bones crack.


    WHAT THE FUCK?!


    The flying object turns out to be a piece of metal fence. When I realize this, I drop the sword in shock, cold shivers run through my body, and my soul fills with monstrous fear. With all my heart, I don''t want to turn around and find out who managed to rip this out and throw it with such precision. But even less do I want to receive the same gift in my back.


    I force myself¡ªon the hill with benches that Christine and I just descended from stands a sturdy young man, at least 8 damn feet tall. Except for his unnaturally large head, his entire body is covered in red-black medieval armor made of some unknown material. He wears dark glasses on his eyes, has almost no hair, and his skin is covered with some dark growths.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Some fucking mutant boar, flashes through my head.


    "Oh, I''m getting lucky today! One piece of meat led to another. I told you you wouldn''t escape, pathetic insect," Boar said in a bass voice and loudly guffawed. His laugh is so rough it cuts the ears.


    "W-who the fuck are you?!" I cry out in fear, grab the pistol with both hands and aim at him. The ground slips from under my feet, sense of reality fading with each second.


    "Shut up, trash. You''ll be next, for maximum pleasure I crush bugs one at a time, so I''ll finish with the girl first. You can try to run, but I''ve memorized your energy signature and will find you anywhere now. You''re just prolonging your death."


    "Go to hell!" not fully aware of my actions, I open fire, aiming at his head. From fear I empty the entire magazine... but not a single bullet reaches its target.


    What the fuck is happening?! I''m definitely sober, but this kind of shit just can''t be fucking real.


    "Are you completely insane? Do you really think ordinary bullets will do me any damage? I bet you would''ve died today anyway," Boar laughs again, mentally grinding me into dirt.


    I look at Christine¡ªthe girl is desperately trying to stand, whimpering with every movement. When I see how Boar has crippled her, I have no doubt that the same will happen to me. I don''t know the rules of this madness, but it''s clear¡ªit''s impossible to shoot Boar. That means there''s only one way out.


    I instantly jump to Christine, use all my strength to lift her in my arms, hold her tight and dash forward at full speed. I have no idea what to do next, but I can''t abandon the girl since there''s no other source of information about all this insanity.


    "Worthless beings. Nothing will help weaklings like you," mockery carries from behind.


    "M-my sword... need to go back for it. I have no other weapon..." Christine wheezed with difficulty.


    "Are you crazy?! What fucking sword? This devil threw a piece of fence at you, he''ll smash us with one move."


    "Sword... without it I''m defenseless..."


    "You''re defenseless now anyway. You''ll find another, I''m not going to die so stupidly."


    I manage to run past three buildings before I feel a powerful blow to my back. I stagger forward and lose my balance¡ªChristine falls off my arms and onto the ground. Immediately after that, an even stronger blow to my left side¡ªI scream loudly, fly into a nearby alley, and crash into a garbage can. By some miracle, I manage to hold on to the Glock.


    "Brainless meat. I told you you''re corpses," Boar says cheerfully and stands at the alley entrance.


    Never before have I felt such horrifying pain: something in my body cracked and dislocated, my left arm that took the hit aches terribly. However, parallel to this I feel a surge of strength from the huge amount of adrenaline.


    I clearly realize that allowing myself to lie and whimper from pain equals death. Bracing against the bin, I quickly get back on my feet, reach into my torn backpack and take out the spare magazine. Reloading takes two seconds, racking the slide I aim the pistol at Boar again.


    Just some unthinkable shit, but what else can I do?


    Meanwhile, Boar had already entered the alley and, with a devilish laugh, threw Christine into the air. She fell face-first to the ground, let out the most soul-crushing scream I''d ever heard in my life, and went weak. Only a faint trembling showed that she was still alive.


    Seeing Christine''s current state makes my knees shake, it literally hurts to look at her. I can''t imagine what torments she''s experiencing now.


    No way, I won''t let this freak do the same to me. He''s closer now, if I hit him with several bullets right in the head, maybe something will work?


    I aim carefully and empty half the magazine, but the result is the same. Boar pulls back the hand he was reaching for Christine, looks at me and frowns.


    "What an utterly stupid moron. I can''t stand such complete and overconfident worms. Because of your immense stupidity I''ll make an exception and kill you out of turn," he says with hatred.


    The man completely turns away from the girl, turns his whole body and raises his hands clenched in fists. I shudder at the pictures of the immediate future painted by my brain, but even understanding the dire nature of my position I''m not going to give up.


    "Come on then, piece of shit," I taunt, aiming again.


    ~ THUMP.


    I''m about to pull the trigger, but suddenly my heart skips a beat and it feels like all oxygen evaporates from my lungs. With great effort I manage to stay on my feet.


    What the hell?!


    Right after that my field of vision narrows dramatically, my sight itself rapidly deteriorates, crackling fills my head. A dark, thickening veil covers my eyes.


    "What the fuck?!" Boar roared in anger.


    I can tell from his reaction that I''m not the only one feeling this. Christine also begins to twitch more. As if on command, all three of us look around nervously and rub our eyes. I sense that the atmosphere is quickly becoming saturated with death.


    "And who are you?" Boar said surprised.


    I notice it a second after him¡ªfrom nowhere a completely black human figure formed in the center of the alley. No matter how hard I try, I can''t make out if it''s a man or woman. Can''t even determine its height and size. The silhouette is completely blurred, like in a smeared photo. Besides this, the figure completely lacks clear outlines, making it look like a piece of dark TV static given human form.


    In its hand the figure grips an equally blurred, long curved object. I think it''s a scythe.


    Looking directly at the figure makes my vision worsen even more. The cause of the negative effects becomes obvious.


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Christine who seemed to be on her last breath suddenly lets out a scream. A second later something glows around her body and she jumps out of the alley in two bounds, leaving a small trail of blood.


    I''m left alone against Boar and this... Shadow? I thought, unable to find a better word.


    "Haha, yes run some more, stupid bug. With such wounds you''ll crawl maximum to the next house, I''ll still crush your pathetic head," Boar looked mockingly after Christine and focused on the figure. "What a real celebration I''m having today! Already the fourth animal comes to die by itse¡ª"


    ~ STRIIIIIIIKE.


    He doesn''t finish the phrase as Shadow cuts his body in two parts. The lower half, up to the waist, remains on the ground spurting blood. The upper half soars into the air.


    Everything happens so fast that neither I nor he fully realize what happened. This was the last moment of his life.


    The figure jumps after the torso and kicks off Boar''s head with its foot. However this seems not enough¡ªwith a swing of the scythe it chops the severed head into four parts. The whole action takes less than a second¡ªa moment ago the relatively clean alley becomes flooded with red blood gushing in gallons from Boar''s parts. Several drops reach my face and hoodie. Due to the figure''s unimaginable speed and killed vision I barely manage to understand events.


    "HOLY SHIT!" I reflexively grip the gun and fire at the landed figure. The result is even worse than with Boar¡ªreaching the silhouette, the bullets simply get absorbed by the static.


    Well that''s it, now I''m definitely fucked.


    Keeping in mind how Shadow chopped up the not-so-weak Boar in a fraction of a second, I''m afraid to imagine what will happen to me. My heart pounds wildly, time stretches to infinity, each moment of which could be the last. I''m sure I won''t even understand how I die, so I try to fully enjoy the last moments of life.


    I blink¡ªthe figure appears next to me. Even up close I can''t make out anything, a dark abyss looks at me.


    Survival instinct tells me to do something, anything, but paralyzed by its appearance, I can''t even breathe. The remnants of reason try to believe that this is a very realistic dream, or a strong hallucination, but that''s no consolation at all.


    Consciousness is ready to die. I''m glad about only one thing¡ªbefore death, even if briefly and in a horrible way, I felt truly alive.


    Suddenly the figure... smirks. Then it takes my right hand and bends down, as if wanting to examine something. Instead of the expected tearing off of my arm or its absorption by cutting darkness, I feel the touch of cool thin fingers.


    I watch its actions with bated breath, having no idea what will happen next. In an instant several guesses visit me, from being taken prisoner to an especially cruel method of execution. The most abnormal thing seems to me that in the figure''s smirk I caught something distantly familiar.


    Its scythe quickly disappears. With its freed hand it draws a line approximately from its torso to forehead. The static starts dissolving, instead previously absent outlines form. Simultaneously I feel my vision improving and the veil falling from my eyes, though my heart still pounds monstrously.


    "Jesus, I''m definitely dreaming..." rubbing the blindness effect from my eyes, I see the last dark particles fall from the figure. Sense of reality finally leaves me.


    Expressing something between irritation and surprise, my own sister examines me.


    "What an idiot you are, John," Jane says discontentedly, not taking her eyes from my wrist.


    I suddenly lose my balance and fall to the ground, unable to comprehend anything. In the last moment before losing consciousness, for some reason I remember Lily and her strange behavior.

 8: A New, Not Beautiful World

    Tuesday, March 13.


    All space was an infinite abyss filled with warm water. I floated gently through the pitch darkness, not knowing who I was or where I was.


    Thoughts didn''t exist, dead silence reigned, interrupted only by quiet whispers, barely audible at the edge of consciousness. It seemed someone was nearby but not in physical form.


    The whisper repeated one short word. After a series of falls into unconsciousness and returns back, I could make it out¡ªsoon. For some reason, recognizing it brought euphoria.


    It was unknown how long this had lasted and how long it would continue. The world seemed frozen in this cycle of emptiness, until suddenly a small point of light appeared in the distance, which slowly began to expand, chasing away the darkness...


    ##


    I opened my eyes sleepily. Soon I realized that I was lying on the bed in my room, wearing the t-shirt from yesterday''s date. The front door was open.


    I carefully move my limbs and body: nothing hurts, creaks or is broken.


    Phew, just a trashy dream. Probably yesterday I never recovered from burnout, forgot how I got home and dreamed all this, I thought relaxing.


    The sun is at its peak, meaning noon. Time on my phone confirms this¡ª12:47.


    I realize that I completely slept through school. What''s surprising is not that fact, but that Rob and Sharon couldn''t get through to me. And they clearly tried.


    But no, most surprisingly, for some reason Jane didn''t kick me out. Had something changed, or had she accepted my stubbornness?


    After a good stretch, I sit on the edge of the bed, the mattress creaking. A second later, there''s a rustling in the hallway that quickly turns into footsteps, and Jane appears in the doorway. She''s wearing strange glasses with turquoise lenses strapped around her head. She has a dark fingerless glove on her right hand. Her expression is typically haughty.


    "Well, are you going to kick me out?" I ask sarcastically. Jane raises her glasses to her forehead.


    "Unfortunately, this is now pointless and impossible. Things were going perfectly, but you screwed everything up so masterfully that the situation is one of the worst. You have no idea how much shit you''ve gotten yourself into," she replied coldly.


    "Huh? What are you talking about?"


    "Can''t you guess yourself that everything''s fucked? You were almost ground into mince by a huge freak in armor. If I hadn''t found you in time, you''d already be feeding rats. Or is something like that normal for you?"


    Suddenly it was like lightning struck me. The recent relaxation was gone in an instant.


    "That wasn''t a dream?!"


    "Really wish it was, but no. Nothing was imagined. Why the hell did you start rummaging through my things? You fucking don''t understand what you''ve done."


    "But I only stole the gun and ammo. Objectively, I needed them more," I try to grasp onto rational fragments of her speech.


    "Not just the pistol and ammo. You took something that now makes you a target for murder by about a hundred people. And each one represents a deadly danger to you."


    "Uhh...?" only now did I process everything she said. "Wait... so you''re that crazy shadow who chopped up Boar? What nonsense?!"


    Sense of reality wavered again.


    "Yes, I smashed that asshole. I must admit, I''m partly grateful to you¡ªaccording to my information, he was allied with my main enemy. His death hurt that scum''s position. Still, you''re a complete idiot."


    "But what did I do? I don''t understand a word you''re saying," her gratuitous insults arouse mutual aggression in me.


    "Ah, where to begin... Well, as you saw, the world isn''t as simple as it seems. There are things hidden from ordinary people. One of them¡ªmagic, and¡ª"


    "Are you sober? What the hell mag¡ª"


    I interrupted her but couldn''t finish¡ªJane extended her hand and I felt the familiar evaporation of oxygen from my lungs. I collapsed on the bed, gasping for air.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    "Don''t dare interrupt me," she said irritably. "Do it again and it''ll be much more painful."


    "O-okay..." I backed off, not wanting to test her, even though my brain was screaming at the impossibility of what was happening. "So what about your magic?"


    "It exists, you have to accept that. Besides, many people possess it, including me. How else can you explain what happened last night?"


    "Fine, let''s say I believe you, but... I still don''t understand anything. Why did you hide this? And most importantly¡ªwhat target for murder?!"


    "Normal people shouldn''t know about the magical world. And if they find out, the law prescribes immediately eliminating them and reporting to a certain place to cover tracks. I hope I explained clearly."


    "You have to kill me?!" I asked with absurd intonation.


    "Formally yes, however we''re in a very unique situation. Even if it''s revealed that I broke the law, it won''t affect me in any way. So relax."


    Hmm, yeah. If she wanted to, she would''ve finished me in the alley... Damn, how did it come to me thinking about this in context of my own sister?


    "Is the unique situation somehow connected to yesterday...?"


    "Yes. Ironically, I was essentially forced into all this because of you. And you ended up getting hit," she suddenly laughed.


    "Because of me?"


    "Actually, you should also have been born with a sensitivity to magic. But due to some incredible bad luck, you were robbed of it. This was the starting point for the breakdown of our family and all the shit that followed."


    "Parents were mages too?" I suggested. The word magic still made me laugh.


    "I''m glad you understand obvious things. Yes, magic genes are inherited. And now it''s time for you to learn about the strict social hierarchy of our world. Absolutely every mage has a ''status'', which consists of factors such as personal power, origin, reputation, prestige, place of birth, clan activity, and others. It has three clear categories: lowest, also called trash; middle, also called normal; highest, elite. Status determines everything in your life, limiting or allowing opportunities. It''s important to note that status can be gained or lost, but if you end up at the bottom, it''s likely to be for life. There are many things that can bring you to the bottom. For example, birth of a non-mage in a magical family."


    "Since you and parents are mages... What are you hinting at?" I tense up, though I understand what she''s getting at. Nevertheless, everything said still seems like nonsense.


    "Exactly¡ªbecause of you the family''s status dropped from middle to trash. Such an anomaly is considered a sign of magical gene degeneration. For this same reason dad left us, so the status decrease wouldn''t affect him. Unfortunately, he succeeded since he and mom weren''t officially registered as married. This was the reason for her depression. And also why I grew up isolated from normal mage society, since trash isn''t accepted."


    "If everything''s like that... Are you now confessing intense hatred for me?" I literally don''t know what to answer.


    "No, you didn''t choose anything. Who I really hated was dad. At the first opportunity I made him answer for his betrayal," she smiled. I didn''t want to clarify how.


    "Uncle too?"


    "Yeah, I''ll deal with him later. To prepare for that I wanted to send you to him, so he''d relax."


    "This is all bullshit," I fall onto the bed, my head buzzing. "So the genes just degenerated all of a sudden? And you and mom suffered because of a little thing like that?"


    "I didn''t exaggerate about the strict social hierarchy. Though I don''t know if something really degenerated or it''s just plain bad luck. You have about 0.004% magical energy, which still distinguishes you from a normal person. However the difference is so insignificant it might as well not exist."


    "Okay... But what''s the connection between all this?"


    "It''s considered impossible to rise from trash status, but some methods exist. The most accessible¡ªthough most dangerous¡ªis provided by the Magical Federation, the highest authority in our world that controls all major organizations governing the continents. Officially called the ''Tournament of Honor,'' but everyone knows it as ''the Game.'' It''s held every four years across all continents, locations picked at random. Put simply¡ªall low-status mages are offered a chance to participate in a massive death battle. If you''re in, you get a special bracelet marking you as a participant. No turning back after that. You get a month to prepare, then on the set day you activate the bracelet and the Game starts. Only one person wearing a bracelet can remain¡ªthat person is declared winner and elevated to elite status. The Game has strict rules though, with an observer from the federation monitoring everything and ''disqualifying'' rule-breakers. I''m sure you''ve figured out I decided to participate since it''s being held in our city. Now you get why I pushed you to leave home."


    "You mean you seriously decided to risk your life for some social approval? Jane, are you sane? Why couldn''t you just forget about it and live like a normal person?" her revelation only emphasizes the absurdity of the system to me.


    "Don''t think I''m stupid," she snapped. "You don''t understand what status means. Without it, I can''t even get a job baking magical cakes. Besides, no academy will accept me or any organization, not even the most trashy one. And with my talent, I could reach incredible heights. Only status prevents this, and that''s why I won''t give it all up. I''m aware of all the risks, and there are none for me. Mainly various weak rabble participates in the Game, winning won''t be any trouble for me. This is the easiest way."


    "Don''t you think you''re too overconfident? By your own words, you have to kill about a hundred mages."


    Suddenly Jane laughed.


    "John, where do you think our money comes from?"


    "You work as a waitress evening shift...?" I answered uncertainly.


    "Do you really think that pittance would be enough to maintain a whole house?"


    "Well..."


    "I''ll reveal another secret. Status blocks the possibility of baking magical cakes, but skills are valued not only in the white zone. Since age 14 I also work as an elite hired killer and bodyguard, I even have a nickname."


    "Very Creepy Shadow?" I blurted randomly and laughed nervously. Seems today I can''t be surprised anymore.


    "Just Shadow," she corrected. "So don''t doubt, I know how to kill."


    "Okay... But what does this have to do with me at all?!"


    "That when you were rummaging under my bed, you put on my bracelet," Jane said roughly.

 9: Clarification

    "I...? What the fuck?! Where?" her words take a minute to sink in. I nervously examine my hands... but there''s nothing. "If you wanted to scare me, you succeeded."


    "You won''t see it with the naked eye due to lack of magic sensitivity. It has strong enchantments, being invisible to ordinary people is one of its functions. But this can be circumvented."


    Jane removes her strange glasses and holds them out to me.


    "This is a gift from a friend who studies magical energy at the micro level. Through it, even an ordinary person can see magical objects. Fasten them tightly in the back so they don''t slip, and look at your right hand. Warning, it''s going to be a little uncomfortable," she hinted.


    I look at the glasses with distrust, but there''s no choice. I secure the strap firmly and peer through. At first there''s no effect, the image doesn''t even take on a turquoise tint.


    After a few minutes, I''m about to declare that nothing is happening, but there''s a bright flash that blinds me and cuts my eyes painfully.


    I clench my teeth, suppressing a scream. Right after the flash my eyes sting. The pain is nasty and corrosive, comparable to pouring a bottle of shampoo on my face. Simultaneously it felt like something really got in my eyes.


    I reach with my left hand to rub my eyes, but Jane knocks it away.


    "This isn''t a little uncomfortable, this is hell!" I complain.


    "Bear with it, it''ll be fine soon."


    I snort disapprovingly but obey. After about forty seconds the blindness starts fading. As vision returns, I notice distortions appearing: a light dark tint overlays the image, small floating particles appear in space, dense blue glow emanates from Jane, enveloped by thin purple streams. I lower my gaze.


    "I''ve definitely gone crazy..." I mumble, not believing my eyes. A thin bracelet shimmering with black sits on my wrist. It''s made of something very similar to plastic, but clearly not that.


    "Oh, finally," Jane smirks. "Still don''t believe?"


    I feel myself pale as I take off the glasses and look at Jane.


    "How is this even possible? Fuck, I''m not even a mage," I say shocked.


    "The box with the bracelet was hidden deep under the bed. Obviously you stumbled on it while looking for the gun and for some reason reached inside."


    I remember pulling out the empty small box. So that prickling on my wrist wasn''t from the rough blanket.


    "That''s how you found it," Jane continued. "An entirely different question is why it was activated. Of course, they''re not tied to specific people, but a non-mage can''t physically interact with an object of such power. I don''t have an answer for that, but I have a few guesses. Most realistically, even your 0.004% magical energy was enough for the bracelet to think you were a mage. It''s absurd, but apparently the enchantments don''t account for such nuances."


    I listened carefully, jumped up from the bed and grabbed Jane''s shoulders.


    "Jane, take this shit off me! I don''t want to participate in a DEADLY BATTLE OF MAGES! Based on what you said, I can''t even use the crappiest magic wand," I said, laughing nervously.


    "First, magic wands don''t exist," she gently pushed me away and sighed in frustration. "Second, I already tried. To be precise, I spent ten hours on it. I tried absolutely everything I could. All ideas failed, literally all, some you''re better off not knowing about. Unfortunately, I''m powerless here."


    "You mean I''ll die?!"


    "No, we''ll remove the bracelet, just not now."


    "Huh? But you''re powerless."


    "I am, but the observer definitely can do it. We need to wait until he responds to the summons. I''ll explain the situation and ask him to transfer the bracelet to me."


    "Observer? When will he appear?"If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Hopefully soon."


    "Um...?"


    "By the rules, the observer must monitor order from when bracelets are sent out... but for some reason he''s inactive. Some mages realized this and started breaking rules: conducting total surveillance and preemptively killing others. I used this time to create an extensive reconnaissance network of familiars. On one hand, his inaction is bad right now; on the other, if he was active, after you activated the bracelet he would have appeared nearby since this is an extraordinary situation, and who knows what would have happened to you. I was sure he appeared yesterday¡ªafter the Game officially started, and tried summoning him several times, but no response. I''ve read lots of information about past Games, this isn''t mentioned anywhere. I really don''t know when he''ll appear."


    "Everything''s screwed up even with magic... Well, suppose he transfers the bracelet to you. What happens to me? I''m a normal person who learned about the magical world, and he''s like a law enforcement representative. He won''t overlook this."


    "Don''t worry. Judging by his behavior, he likely doesn''t care about laws. But if such a conversation happens, I think we can arrange to just erase your memory."


    "What does that mean? From what moment, excuse me?"


    "I see no point wasting time discussing abstract events. When and if it happens, then we''ll talk," she waved off. "Basically, here''s the situation: while you have the bracelet, you precisely listen to and follow all my instructions. You''ll participate in the Game with me for a while, I''m not going to waste an advantage because of this nonsense."


    "WHAT?! Are you sure you want me to survive?"


    "I want to preserve your life more than you do yourself. If you die the bracelet deactivates, which automatically removes me from participants. You''d have to stay close anyway since I''m your only protection."


    "But¡ª"


    "Explanation part over," Jane interrupted, "now my questions. What were you doing late evening in the city center, and in this pathetic t-shirt?"


    "I had a date," I clearly understand I can''t lie about these events.


    "What-what?" she was genuinely amazed. "John, keep in mind that lying increases your chance of dying."


    "I''m not lying. As I understand now, she just wanted someone for one or several nights. It didn''t go very well, but it''s true."


    "And who was it?"


    "She''s also from 11th grade, we share some classes. Since you only care about yourself and those two kiss-ups always around you, you probably don''t know her."


    "Still¡ªwho?"


    Something hits me in the head, I suddenly remember yesterday''s promise. For some reason she asked me not to tell Jane... but what difference does it make now.


    "Lily Lane."


    I thought Jane''s eyebrows raised.


    "The one with red hair?"


    "Yeah, you know each other?" I''m surprised.


    "No. What did you do? What does ''didn''t go very well'' mean?"


    "Come on, why do you need this stuff? Besides our parting, nothing interesting happened."


    "Should I remind you what happens if you don''t obey?" she extends her hand forward.


    "Hey, okay okay, don''t get worked up sis."


    I briefly recount our whole contact, starting with the dropped note.


    "What time was it when you parted?"


    "Around 10, can''t say the exact minute. We left the shooting range right at closing."


    "Bit strange..." Jane visibly puzzled. "Well, this no longer has any significance. There are no shooting ranges in the city center, how did you end up there?"


    "By chance. Because of how the date ended I was mentally burned out and wandered wherever I looked. When I wanted to rest, found myself there."


    "How did you run into the girl and armored one?"


    I tell her about Christine crashing into the pole, our insane dialogue and escape from Boar. While talking, I remember the hits I took and check my arm and left side. The fact that nothing hurts or is broken is mind-boggling.


    "Listen, that asshole definitely seriously injured me, but¡ª"


    "I have given you a healing elixir. Your condition was truly terrible, at least several months in the hospital. By the way, I don''t have much of it, so you have to be extremely careful."


    Holy shit, even that exists, I thought, nodding.


    "This Christine is right, there will be very high participant activity in the city center and nearby districts. According to my information, about fifteen people died there today. We won''t visit that territory."


    "Okay, how''s our situation?"


    "Safe, but I won''t give you freedom of movement. Alright, no more questions."


    She jumps up from the bed and indicates to follow her.


    "Come on, I''ll show you my basement. There you''ll learn the Game''s rules and get something for yourself," Jane ordered and flew out of the room.


    I get up after her and take a step, but I''m stopped by the sound of several notifications arriving in succession. I take my phone and look at it.


    "How many?!" slips out when I see 27 messages from Lily. Through the notification I catch the last five:


    <I really regret my behavior. Hope you didn''t miss school because of me?>


    <Maybe we can meet after classes? I''ll come anywhere, just strictly alone>


    <John, don''t ignore me! That''s very rude(>


    <But you promised!!! What am I doing wrong?((>


    Oh god, what does she want?


    "Did you fall asleep there?" Jane''s discontented voice came.


    "Coming."


    I put my phone in my pocket, fly out of the room, and within a few seconds I''m catching up with Jane in the corridor.


    "Did Rob and Sharon come?" I ask.


    "Your rabble showed up when I was using a very complex spell to remove the bracelet. I told them you were ill and led them out."


    Probably not in the nicest way. Fortunately, they know Jane''s character and won''t be offended.


    "Thanks for the cover."


    We go down to the first floor and enter the garage. By this point I completely lose any connection with common sense and decide to go with the flow. There''s no alternative anyway.


    "Wait, there was never a basement in the garage," I realize.


    "Just like there was no magic until yesterday," Jane said sarcastically. "Parents created it before we were born. Inherited it, if you can put it that way. Stand behind me."

 10: Rules

    I obediently move. Jane extends her hand over the area touching the wall.


    "Siegel ¨C Aufhenbung!" she pronounces loudly. Her palm flashes with dark gray flame, sparks falling to the floor spread, outlining a rectangular perimeter.


    When they connect, she waves her hand, filling the figure''s interior. The flame burns through the floor, revealing stairs leading down. In a couple seconds the passage fully opens, then the flame disappears.


    I watch in rapt attention, not missing the slightest detail. For the first time, Jane demonstrated magic in action.


    "Holy shit, just like that? Didn''t know you knew German," I say.


    "Latin too. All mages know these two languages, most spells and magical scriptures are in them. And pick up your jaw, this isn''t magic, it''s child''s play. Let''s go down."


    She steps onto the stairs and quickly jumps down the steps. I carefully follow her, looking around. The passage isn''t anything interesting, just an ordinary corridor with dark walls.


    After about 30 feet the stairs sharply turn right, its end becoming visible. Walking about the same distance, I find myself in the mysterious basement.


    It''s a medium-sized room with high ceiling, illuminated by blue lamps. Like Jane''s room, it''s packed with piles of things, most with unclear purpose: shelves hold books in worn covers without titles, multicolored crystals, vials with unknown liquids, creepy dolls, jewelry, tarot cards nearby. On one wall is a stand with medieval weapons. In the center is a relatively clean desk, ahead of it a wall with a closed black door.


    "Fascinating... And completely incomprehensible," I describe my impressions. "What''s behind that door?"


    "Don''t even think about touching it," Jane threatened seriously.


    "Okay, no need to repeat twice. So what are all these items for? Did you really swing that axe?"


    "Each thing is for a specific situation or spell, explaining everything would take several days. The axe, which is a halberd, was my last universal weapon, I used it when I was around 17. Then I created my signature scythe. By the way, you couldn''t lift it even with both hands."


    "Why''s that? Looks perfectly liftable."


    "It has strong enchantments that grant special effects. The more enchanted a weapon is, the harder it is for a normal person to lift it due to lack of magic sensitivity."


    Now I know why Christine''s sword was so heavy. But since I could lift it, its enchantments must be pretty crappy.


    "So I can''t use magical weapons?"


    "You can if you wear special gloves, like the one I''m wearing. Groups create them specifically for super-enchanted weapons that are hard to use even for mages. I wore it to try stretching the bracelet with that red dagger," she nods to the desk where it lies. "You can''t tell, but it''s the most powerful weapon in the room."


    "Will you give me something like the halberd?"


    "No, you don''t need such weapons. You don''t know how to use them anyway, and you''ll only be in the Game for a few days at most. For now, read this carefully."


    She grabs a thin dark blue sheet from the desk and hands it to me. I take it and examine: beautiful orange waves drawn on the sides, at the very top an emblem with shimmering letter F, and lots of text written in white font. I start reading.


    TOURNAMENT OF HONOR CODE


    Dear participant,


    The Magical Federation welcomes you to the Tournament of Honor! We are honored by your courage and readiness to risk your life for status improvement. We wish you the best success, which may lead you to victory.


    Please familiarize yourself with these instructions and precisely follow all stated rules.


    Remember, breaking rules will inevitably lead to disqualification, consequences of which may be unpredictable.


    PREPARATION PHASE


    1. It is STRICTLY forbidden to activate the bracelet before the tournament''s official start.


    2. It is STRICTLY forbidden to track other participants and/or gather information about them before the tournament''s official start.


    3. If you personally know other participants, it is STRICTLY forbidden to:The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Form alliances.


    Enter into contact that could affect the tournament''s course.


    Enter into confrontation and/or attempt elimination.


    4. It is STRICTLY forbidden to involve third parties in the tournament.


    5. It is STRICTLY forbidden to break generally accepted magical laws.


    6. It is STRICTLY forbidden to show aggression toward the observer.


    7. It is STRICTLY forbidden to leave the administrative boundaries of the city where the tournament is held.


    8. Except for the above, during preparation you may do anything you deem necessary. We strongly recommend training personal abilities.


    These rules remain in effect until the main phase. Points 4, 5, 6 and 7 remain in force throughout the ENTIRE tournament.


    MAIN PHASE


    1. Official tournament start time: March 12, 10:00 PM. You MUST put on the bracelet within one day after start.


    2. Time frames when competition is allowed: from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Follow EXCLUSIVELY these frames.


    IMPORTANT: Defense from attack outside established times is a participant''s legal right.


    3. Participants have the right to request help from the observer regarding tournament problems whose resolution doesn''t affect its course. Do this EXCLUSIVELY in urgent necessity, as the observer is already aware of everything happening. Touch the bracelet and say "Facultas ¡ª Sustentatio" to summon.


    4. It is STRICTLY forbidden to destroy an opponent''s soul.


    5. You have the right to form bilateral alliances with other participants. Duration equals 3 days. During the alliance, bracelets will prevent those who formed it from causing each other any harm. After the specified time passes, the alliance automatically annuls. You have the ability to form it again.


    To form an alliance, touch bracelets with another participant and say "Facultas ¡ª Foedus". Number of alliances is unlimited.


    IMPORTANT: Forming an alliance does NOT GUARANTEE ally''s good faith.


    6. The observer has the right to arrange local events with rewards to encourage participants. Participation is optional.


    7. When 10 participants remain, the observer will notify each of them. From this moment, the tournament zone will shrink each day. The bracelet will let you see the boundary as a magical field. Crossing the boundary is strictly forbidden.


    8. The tournament''s winner is automatically recognized as the last remaining participant with activated bracelet. The winner''s status will immediately be raised to highest. The bracelet will be deactivated by the observer and removed.


    9. The winner is forbidden from participating in the tournament again.


    10. Except for the above, during the main phase you may do anything you deem necessary.


    The Magical Federation wishes you luck!


    NOTE: Disqualification method remains at observer''s discretion. Generally, light form¡ªbracelet removal, ban on repeated participation and memory erasure; harsh form¡ªphysical destruction. Be EXTREMELY careful and do not break rules!


    I finish reading the last paragraph, set aside the sheet and look at Jane.


    "Don''t know if it''s good or bad that rules don''t work. Of course, it would be much more convenient if we knew for sure I''m only a target from late evening till morning. And what problems can the observer help with?" I inquired.


    "Main thing is he solves our problem, but generally... For example, during battle you destroyed a gas station and killed staff. Doesn''t matter why it happened, fact is it reveals the magical world''s existence, requires so-called cleanup. The observer will handle this: he''ll make it look like cameras in the area weren''t working, witnesses'' memories will change, and externally it''ll appear the station exploded on its own. Everything needs a logical explanation. By the way, same goes for participant deaths, observer will present them as accidents."


    What creepy shit. Probably there are no limits to what''s allowed in the magical world. How powerful is this observer?


    "What does soul destruction mean? They seemed to emphasize that."


    "That won''t affect you. Are the instructions clear?"


    "Yeah, if you ignore that I''m still in permanent shock."


    "That''s a minor obstacle. Keep it, in case you forget something. You need to know the rules in case our negotiations with the observer... drag on."


    I carefully fold the sheet and put it in my jeans. Now that''s one hell of a homework assignment.


    "Jane, if you have such a cool basement... why the hell did you hide the bracelet under the bed?"


    "Originally it was here, but when it turned out rules weren''t working, there was risk someone would try to steal it. I know that happened to at least one participant. So I moved it there since they''d search the basement first. Thanks a lot brother, that worked out great."


    "Let''s leave that topic."


    I still don''t consider myself completely guilty, I thought.


    Jane opens one of her desk drawers, takes out a heavy box, small ziploc with yellow round pills and throws them before me.


    "Since you stole my Glock, that''ll be your weapon. As you saw, regular bullets don''t affect mages due to protective aura. These bullets are different," she patted the box, "they''re heavily enchanted during creation, they pierce high-level protection, though there''s better ammo. You should only load the gun with these."


    "Yeah, looks more effective than the halberd. Could I have killed Boar with these?"


    "Unlikely, that asshole was very strong even without armor and aura. But definitely could''ve caused trouble."


    "Why did you deal with him so easily then?"


    "Reduce stupid questions. So, bullets will give you the ability to kill or wound a mage, but the powers are still unequal. Take reaction time, by our standards, a normal person''s is like a snail''s. These pills partially solve that."


    "You even have magical drugs?"


    "Not exactly a drug. Officially, it''s a powerful stimulant. All senses are sharpened to an incredible degree, thought processes are accelerated, you gain inhuman endurance and maximum performance from your body. Also, this thing will reduce the negative effects of my battle shadow state. Downside¡ªterrible comedown and instant death from the slightest overdose. In short, can''t get carried away."


    I try to imagine what that''s like, but suddenly another thought fills my head, making me shudder.


    "This is all cool but why are you giving me this...?"


    "You must be minimally armed and capable of something, since even having me nearby doesn''t eliminate very dangerous conditions. And tonight they''ll be triple dangerous, since we''re going to kill that bitch who was allied with the armored one," Jane said inspired.

 11: Liminality

    "WE?! Are you sure you want to keep the bracelet?" I''m openly shocked.


    Jane rolls her eyes and slaps me.


    "Ouch! What did I say wrong? Isn''t this deadly dangerous? I thought we''d do reconnaissance at most."


    "Again, do not take me for a fool. If it were up to me, I''d lock you in the basement until the observer shows up. Unfortunately, the bracelet can be traced even in such a place. Get the point?"


    "You talk like everyone will try to kill me simultaneously. Involving me in magical battles is a billion times more dangerous."


    "Not everyone, but the risk remains, and it is great. Imagine I leave and five minutes later some mage attacks the house. Even better¡ªseveral mages in an alliance. What would you do in that case?"


    "Well... I''ll try to¡ª"


    "And you''ll die anyway. So stop showing off, from dusk till dawn you''ll always be with me. This time is dangerous even by the rules. And this isn''t up for discussion."


    "Why not just refuse operations until the observer comes? That would minimize risk," I ask without hope.


    "That would work, but only if all other participants also stopped activity. Every minute of inaction is loss of advantage. I''ve already noticeably slipped since I spent all night dealing with the bracelet, though I planned otherwise. Fortunately, the failure was partially compensated by killing the armored one. I have a clear plan for victory, I''m not going to deviate from it."


    "So I''ll have to roam with you every night?"


    "Every night until the observer shows up. But today''s battle is special, don''t use it as an example. I have to take this bitch out right at the start since she''s a major threat and will only get stronger as the Game goes on. Now''s the perfect time to strike, while she''s rattled from losing a strong ally. Other participants shouldn''t be much trouble."


    "And how will this look? I''ll be on stimulant shooting at her witch hat?"


    "Don''t talk nonsense. We''ll approach the location, I''ll attack, and you''ll either sit aside or carefully trail behind. Probably the second, alone you''ll be vulnerable."


    "Come on, really no other way? What if we both lock ourselves in the basement..."


    I wanted to continue arguing but Jane''s angry look killed the desire.


    "We''ll move out closer to night, I''ll come get you. Until then you''re free, take the gifts and drag them to your room. You can train somehow to be in shape. I''ll be seriously busy here now. Don''t dare distract me, and also¡ªyou are FORBIDDEN from leaving house territory," she pointed me to the exit and approached one of the shelves.


    Gifts... great name. Okay, should be grateful she''s even bothering with me at all. Clearly she could''ve chosen some easier path.


    So as not to irritate Jane, I quickly put the ziploc in my pocket, grab the box, which turns out to be quite heavy, and head for the stairs.


    Back in my room, I happily drop the box on the floor as my palms were going numb from its weight. I sit down on the bed next to it.


    Do bullets become heavy from magic too? I wondered.


    I flex my hands and open the box lid. Inside it''s divided into two sections: in the first empty magazines lie in foam inserts, in the second¡ªthe bullets themselves, packed in rows. Visible that Jane took from here, but still many bullets remain.


    From my experience I estimate total bullet count at about 400. Don''t know how many needed for one shootout with a mage, but ideally should last about two weeks.


    Wonder how long this Game lasts on average?


    I take a bullet between my fingers. It really feels a little heavier than a regular 9mm, and a green circle wraps around the bullet itself. Must be the enchanted part.


    I grab a magazine and load it up with 15 rounds. Then I realize I have nothing to put it in. I look around the room¡ªthe Glock is on the nightstand next to the closet. I get up and take it, amazingly the fight with Boar didn''t leave even a scratch... Or Jane did some magic.


    The magazine flies in. Since the pistol itself is not featherweight, the extra weight of the bullets is hardly noticeable. I really hope I don''t have to shoot.


    I return to the bed, put the gun beside me and take the instructions and ziploc from my pocket. Attention focuses on the latter.


    Just five pills total, no particular weight felt, on detailed inspection can make out an engraved bat on one side.


    Not so many, but definitely a lot for several days. As I understand, eating more than one equals death.


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    Hmm, if I feed two pills to Zack, would that count as revealing the magical world?


    I don''t want to open the ziploc and handle the pill, it goes back in my pocket. Gaze returns to the box.


    Wonder how getting hit by such a bullet feels? Would I take extra damage from one?


    Suddenly a wave of sharp emotions hits me. I spread my arms and fall on the bed, mind fills with irritation and anger.


    "I''m seriously thinking about how to kill a damn mage... How did it even come to this?"


    Everything still seems like some drug dream or TV show character''s life, but there''s no confirmation of unreality. Ordinary life, which I considered pretty gray and boring, now doesn''t seem so bad. Hope it hasn''t ended forever.


    Oh god, just hope this doesn''t drag on long. I don''t even mind memory erasure. Have to admit magical world laws are built smartly, outsiders shouldn''t know about the crazy trash happening here, I thought mockingly.


    My thoughts are interrupted by a series of notification sounds. Who writes like this¡ªdon''t even need to think.


    I reluctantly take out my phone and open chat with Lily. Three latest messages visible in the window.


    <Well I admitted I didn''t behave best. Why do you continue ignoring???( Am I such an ugly person in your eyes that I don''t deserve a second chance?((>


    <Would you like it if a girl you liked acted so coldly? What else do I need to do to earn forgiveness?>


    <I even overlooked that you broke your promise (hope just one point)... Why can''t we just talk???>


    Need to answer her or messages will be thousands.


    <Hi! Sorry, just got my phone now. I got sick, can''t even get out of bed yet. Can''t say when I''ll recover, postponing meeting indefinitely. Sorry again>


    "Hope this works," I reread the message, sent it and turned off my phone. Emotions surged anew.


    Just don''t die.


    ##


    As midnight approached, I was still lying on my bed. Twice I went to the kitchen to get something to eat. Fortunately, Jane had bought groceries at some point yesterday. I''d also changed back into my usual t-shirt and hoodie.


    The stream of thoughts gradually died down. Jane''s words about how hard it was living with trash status kept coming back to me¡ªbut she hadn''t broken, she kept going forward. I didn''t want to wallow in sadness compared to her strength, to look like some drama queen in her eyes... or in my own too. I clearly got that showing any weakness was working against myself.


    There was no more worry, only mild frustration and apathy. Accepting my helplessness, I began to count sheep. The last one was 1702, then my room door swung open.


    "Let''s go," Jane said calmly, "don''t forget the gun and pills, waiting in the garage."


    She immediately disappears from the doorway. All day I''d been dreading this moment with shudders, but in the end I feel only extreme laziness and unwillingness to deal with all this nonsense.


    I sit up on the bed, look at the pistol and sigh. To hell with it all.


    Ignoring spare magazines, I head downstairs.


    The basement entrance had disappeared. Jane walked around her car drawing runes with red chalk on its sides. It''s a dark blue Honda Accord from the dealership, bought by her for cash six months ago. Then she explained such money appearing as winning the lottery... guess she just successfully eliminated someone.


    I''m not really into cars, but I''ve driven a few times under Jane''s supervision. Desire to get a license, however, unlikely outweighs laziness.


    What Jane was doing puzzled me.


    "We''re really going to a magical battle in a regular car?" I ask.


    "How do you suggest covering 40 miles?"


    "How many? Where are we even going?"


    "To Emerald Oaks. Sure you know about this elite district. My familiar spies precisely located her main base."


    I know right away where this is¡ªZack lives there, too. Let''s hope we don''t run into him, or else we''ll have both magical and regular fighting to deal with.


    "I see... But still, isn''t it too noticeable? You yourself talked about advantage and everyone totally watching everyone."


    "You think I decided to draw on the car just for fun?"


    "Uh... Yeah, what are you doing anyway?"


    "These runes will protect the car from directed spells and create fog of war for other familiars. Recognizing us will be practically impossible, that''s the main point. That bitch has eyes all over the suburbs."


    "And Plan B?"


    "I will have to fight earlier than planned. However, I''m sure everything will go smoothly."


    She makes a stroke like an uneven triangle on the back door, tosses the chalk and whispers something. The runes shone for a second and smoothly dissolved.


    "Get in. The spell is powerful but works no more than an hour."


    She unlocked the doors and plopped behind the wheel, I settled next to her. Without buckling up, she starts the engine and floors the gas pedal.


    "Forgot you drive like a maniac," I said, nearly flying into the windshield.


    "Main thing is I drive at all, unlike some. Tell honestly, are you scared?"


    "About your driving or trip''s purpose?"


    "If you''re joking, nothing catastrophic then," Jane unexpectedly winked. "Main action will take less than ten minutes, obey me and everything will be fine."


    "Easy for you to say. Fighting mages is, you know, slightly new for me."


    "You got good experience yesterday in the alley."


    "I was on adrenaline and didn''t understand what was happening. At that moment it felt easier than now with all this knowledge. So it doesn''t count."


    "For a regular person you held out very long against such a powerful mage. Of course, no credit to you, that idiot just loved torturing opponents, but fact remains."


    "By the way, why did you find me so late?"


    "After school I went grocery shopping and sat in the basement preparing for Game start. I only went up to my room close to 10:30, wanted to activate the bracelet right away. First minutes I was in extreme shock not understanding what happened. Theory it was stolen by another participant immediately fell away since I checked the bracelet morning, and sneaking by unnoticed when I''m nearby is impossible. Then noticed the Glock was gone too, became obvious it was you. You didn''t answer calls so I started magically tracking the bracelet by pre-placed mark. Showed same spot where you were and I immediately moved out. You were very lucky I made it just in time."


    "Sorry, earlier I emotionally blacklisted you. But how did you¡ª"


    "Back when you were 8 I placed a similar mark on you to always win at hide and seek. When you''re in my field of vision, it feels like weak energy waves coming from your direction. When you''re far, I can create a kind of thread to you with a snap."


    And how many more magical things I don''t know about are hanging on me? I thought.


    "Wow... In those glasses a weak dark tint overlaid everything. Is that the mark?"


    "Yeah, its effect at micro level."


    "So I''m only alive thanks to huge luck?"


    "Exactly, physically escaping the armored one was impossible due to one of his abilities. So be glad."


    "And if somehow my location differed from the bracelet''s location...?"


    "Why think about what didn''t happen?" Jane said slyly.


    Complete mess. My caution must be maximum, definitely won''t get so lucky again.

 12: Stimulant

    At her evasive answer, the dialog was sharply cut off. The silence that followed made me feel extremely uncomfortable.


    "Who''s this mage you''re going to kill? You talk like it''s personal. And why does a ''trash'' mage live in such an elite place?" I made up questions on the fly to avoid getting stuck.


    "You correctly understand that status often reflects wellbeing. Most common reasons for low status are crappy origin and birth in a country Magical Federation considers trash. However this girl has special circumstances, we''re similar there. You really interested? You probably won''t even see her."


    "Don''t want to ride in silence. Thought this topic would get you talking."


    Jane looked at me like an idiot but nodded.


    "Well, if it helps... Her name''s Caroline Turner, we''re the same age. Met when we were 15. She''d been living with low status for two years then and wanted to try the dark sphere, which led her to my organization. While I needed the money, she was just there for kicks. She showed talent from day one, so the boss made us partners¡ªequals in power. We didn''t click at first: she looked down on me for being poor, while I mocked her obsession with herself. But after a couple jobs where we would''ve died without helping each other, the ice broke. At our closest, she told me her parents were from the highest church caste, filthy rich and working behind Vatican scenes. But either they failed the top brass or got caught in political games¡ªthey were excommunicated and executed. They left Caroline alone but she lost her high status. That''s all she cared about¡ªdidn''t even try to get her parents'' bodies for burial. We made a great team, nailed the toughest jobs. Things fell apart when I took an offer from a more elite organization at 17. That''s why she decided to try killing me."


    "Kill? From envy?"


    "No, she only envies her mirror reflection. Basic desire to climb career ladder. Caroline learned my departure severely angered boss and volunteered to take me out herself to not give to competitors. Of course he approved idea."


    "And... How did she do?"


    "As you see, not great," Jane smirked. "I wasn''t stupid and prepared for this beforehand since boss considered me one of his key assets. I was surprised Caroline specifically proposed this and became executor since we hadn''t fought and weren''t planning to break ties."


    "So you beat her in past? Why not finish her then?"


    "Not exactly beat her. Caroline tried killing me with one strike putting almost all power into it. Naturally she missed and after my counterattack used remaining mana to escape. I tried killing her but she''s same escape master as me so couldn''t catch up. Since then we automatically became enemies and never met. As I know, boss harshly scolded her for failure... and she couldn''t take such criticism and point blank shot him right in his office. Since then that organization basically belongs to her."


    The fact that Jane almost killed Caroline once reassures me a bit. I have more faith in her strength.


    "Well, what to say... Is there anything in the magical world besides political games with Vatican, global death games and criminal organizations?"


    "Of course, but not when you have trash status. Trust me, I don''t like all this myself and would prefer doing normal things. So, when Game in our city became known, I immediately understood Caroline would participate and she''d need to be killed among first. She definitely hasn''t gotten weaker, her nickname is Mad Princess, I regularly hear about crazy stuff she does. Like recently she leveled some magical weapons trading company because someone there joked about her height. Luckily she''s not even in top 50 most dangerous mages of North America, so no serious person takes on eliminating her."


    "Got it, completely unhinged person. Jane, you sure you can handle it?"


    "Undoubtedly, I have absolute basic advantage. Her signature weapon is... basically most like a machine gun. Point is it''s long range, and I easily close distance. In close combat she poses no threat to me, don''t worry."


    "Okay."


    Not waiting for oppressive silence, I continue asking random things:


    "Listen: you''re a girl, Caroline''s a girl, that Christine too. Only Boar was a guy. Is this coincidence or..."


    "No, among mages women really predominate over men. Shortly, it''s about first witch''s gene, because of which 8 of 10 children in magical families are girls. Nevertheless, this doesn''t affect magical potential at all."


    "Interesting. And all male mages are such¡ª"


    "Don''t judge by armored one, usually guys look normal. I know he was heavily using magical stimulants, poor quality ones too, and naturally grew into that."


    What kind of mage would I be? I thought.


    I look at the navigator¡ªseven minutes to the destination. Something inside me tugs at me, but I shake it off.


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    Jane also glanced at navigator and turned gaze to me.


    "Take the pill," she ordered.


    "I thought you said I''d just trail behind," I protest.


    "You think I gave them to you just to carry around? Take the pill and don''t argue. I''m giving you maximum protection. The effect will hit in three to five minutes, right when we get there."


    "I definitely won''t die? Do you know of any normal person who''s taken these?"


    "Not personally, but there are people whose magic has... a slightly different nature than usual. And the pills don''t affect them negatively. Besides, they''re specially designed to be compatible with the human body. No matter how powerful your magical structure, you can still die from simple alcohol poisoning. Just take it¡ªyou will definitely die if you meet another mage without protection."


    I take out the ziploc and place a pill in my palm. Oh God, let me survive this wonderful night.


    Without hesitation, I swallow the pill. A faint lemon aftertaste lingers on my tongue.


    "See, you didn''t die," Jane said.


    "Not yet. Aren''t you going to take one?"


    "No, I only use them in critical situations."


    "How does this thing hit? The closest thing I''ve tried before is weed."


    "My explanation won''t help. Just relax and enjoy the moment¡ªsoon there''ll be no time for slacking."


    I lean back in my seat and look out the window, curious yet apprehensive about the effect. In the darkness I clearly see trees rushing by, my gaze automatically focusing on them. I mentally count seconds, wanting to determine the exact personal onset time for possible future uses of the pill.


    1, 2, 3, 4... 46, 47, 48... 156, 157, 158... 385... 437... 569... 843... STOP!


    Time seems to stretch weirdly and freeze. Then it hits me¡ªthe number in my head isn''t counting seconds anymore, it''s automatically tracking every tree I see.


    I turn away from the window and blink several times¡ªdizziness hits, a click in my ears. The world changes rapidly: senses sharpen, I can hear Jane''s soft breathing and my own heartbeat perfectly, colors become bright and vivid, reluctance turns into unshakable self-confidence and euphoria. My brain begins to plan attack scenarios independently and with pleasure.


    Soon I''m absolutely certain I can do anything. I don''t know if there''s a god, but I''m sure that''s how they must feel¡ªor would feel.


    "Jesus... This is a billion times stronger than weed. I could jump out of the car and run alongside," I say very quickly. "I changed my mind, I''ll kick Caroline''s ass with you."


    "Cool it," Jane giggled, "you haven''t gained any magical protection, and I don''t need cannon fodder. Keep in mind you''re still extremely vulnerable, though you can dodge and run well. And don''t overdo it¡ªthe more body resources you use up, the worse the comedown will be."


    "Magic can''t handle such a small thing as avoiding comedowns?"


    "Sadly, magic isn''t a fairy tale. Actually, it''s possible, but only if you''re a powerful healer or paladin, which is often hereditary. Our ancestors were dark shamans for many generations and belonged to a secret cult. I inherited the same magic¡ªit can''t properly heal or use regeneration."


    "What about improperly?"


    "I really hope I never have to use that again. Especially on you¡ªthere''s a 99% chance you''d die from shock. We''re arriving, is the plan clear?"


    I see we''ve entered the suburbs and are flying past luxurious houses that look more like palaces.


    "Stay nearby but don''t get in the way. Don''t worry, I can definitely handle it now."


    "Good to hear. So they don''t have time to understand anything, I''ll jump out of the car and rush to attack as soon as I stop. Get out after five seconds and follow the blood trail. Don''t fall behind, my attack must be lightning fast."


    "Did you say ''they''? She''s not alone? What''s this about a blood trail?"


    "The Princess loves collecting subjects. Get a grip on your gun and be ready," she snapped.


    She turns sharply to the right, drives along a garden to the end, and turns toward a tall white stone fence. Above it is a large 4-story building with a dark gray brick roof. In the middle of the fence are golden gates of the same height. Compared to this, everything seen before seems like dirty slums.


    This isn''t a typical wealthy person''s house, this is literally some royal estate, I thought.


    Suddenly Jane drives past the gates and only starts slowing down closer to the fence corner.


    "How are you planning to get inside?"


    "The gates have a powerful spell. We''ll have to destroy the wall, it''s less enchanted."


    "But will I be able to get through¡ª"


    "I''m starting, better not look at me. And don''t stare at anything really, the sight won''t be pleasant."


    Jane shifts into park, jumps out of the car and instantly transforms into that shadow. I immediately feel my vision worsen and lack of oxygen, but incomparably weaker than in the alley.


    The next moment, a scythe appears in Jane''s hands and there''s a crash¡ªa section of the fence splits in half, the crack exploding with purple sparks. Another crash immediately follows¡ªpieces of stone scatter across the ground, creating a large hole. Shadow rushes in, gunshots and screams immediately ringing out from the estate grounds.


    Rough. Okay, 3, 4, 5. Let''s go.


    Finishing my count, I get out of the car and head for the opening. Running three times faster feels like flying over the ground. Not getting lost in the rush, I make it past the fence and look around.


    Sweet mother of God... even with a totally clear head, I can''t hold back my disgust. I''m standing on a perfectly trimmed lawn, with a stone path running through rows of bushes and a huge fountain to the mansion''s entrance. The whole grounds are already scattered with bodies in suits and fantasy costumes.


    I count thirteen dead total, a mature woman lies right at my feet with her throat slashed. Various weapons lie near each corpse¡ªfrom firearms to... staffs. The promised blood trail stretches between them, forming an uneven line.


    Seems Jane wasn''t exaggerating about her strength, I note either with horror or relief.


    I hear a sharp crack and look toward it¡ªthe mansion''s doors explode into splinters, a shadow bursts through, and a new round of shots rings out from inside. Suddenly I realize I''m falling way behind, so I jump onto the path and run toward the mansion, trying to avoid stepping in blood.


    I quickly reach the fountain opposite the mansion. From here I can see into its hall¡ªchandeliers illuminate red streaks on the walls and one corpse on the floor.


    I''d already raised my foot to the step leading to the porch when I caught a metallic clang from behind. Enhanced reflexes react instantly¡ªI turn halfway around, extend my arm with the pistol and fire. Lagging behind my own sensory organs, I see the bullet has blown off the head of a man sitting against the fountain wall.


    "Shit!" I curse, realizing the man was dead and the clang came from his dropped shotgun. "Wasted bullet."


    "Agreed. Couldn''t find a better word to describe what you''ve done here," a nasty voice suddenly says from behind.

 13: Not Just Nearby

    I think about turning the other way, but feel a weird dryness in the air that quickly turns to burning heat. On instinct I dive forward and land near the fountain¡ªthe next second a massive explosion booms behind me, its shockwave making me stagger. Out of the corner of my eye I catch green flames. It hits me that I just nearly died.


    Can''t stay in one place, reflects clearly in my head. In normal circumstances I''d be scared and go into shock, but the stimulant dampens all such emotions, leaving only cold calculation.


    I jump to the left and look to where I think the enemy is, firing at the same time. The enemy dodges with a roll and stands in the middle of the stairs. I examine him closely: a tall man, his head completely covered by a large dark green helmet, a cloak of the same color on his back, bare torso, tight leather pants on his legs.


    Wow, Boar actually looked normal... If this is his magical attire and not a strip club outfit, I have many questions, I thought. So, the opponent is Helmet.


    "Whoa, you''re riding the bat!" the man said in a friendly tone, his voice muffled by the helmet. "Good to meet another fan. Used to be on it myself but been clean four years now. Too bad the knight''s code bans substances. Yeah, I''m temporarily kicked from the guild, but I still rock the faction helmet and follow the laws! When I get back I''ll proudly say I never strayed from knightly ideals. And I''ll definitely add cleansing your drug-poisoned soul to my achievements¡ª"


    I aim at Helmet''s heart and fire two bullets¡ªfirst at the target, second with delay at the point where he should dodge, based on logical calculations. He likes pointless chatter, that''s a positive factor.


    The knight manages to dodge the heart shot. He moves in my predicted direction... but very awkwardly, causing the second bullet to hit the helmet instead of his solar plexus. There''s a small flash, the helmet''s side caves inward and the man barely keeps his footing.


    Seems the bullet damaged the helmet''s magical protection. Jane didn''t mention they could do that too.


    "YOU BASTARD RAT!" the knight screamed furiously, all friendliness vanishing from his voice. "How am I supposed to return to the guild with a dented helmet?! Everyone will say I''m worthless, couldn''t keep the faction''s main relic intact. You''ll pay for this, asshole. IN THE NAME OF THE FORMER KNIGHT OF THE GREEN HELMET, I DECLARE YOU UNHOLY! Initially I planned to be merciful and give you a painless death, but now I''ll dent your head the same way¡ª"


    I shoot again, aiming for his kneecap. Helmet stretches his hands forward and a flat yellow field forms in front of him, "absorbing" the bullet. Crossing his arms, he splits the field and transforms it into several pulsating clusters that immediately fly towards me. I manage to calculate their trajectory and barely dodge, almost falling into the fountain.


    Shit, only ten bullets left in the magazine. Why the hell did I take this raid so casually?!


    I mentally thank Jane for forcing me to take the pill, otherwise I''d be dead by now.


    Helmet leaps down the stairs in one bound and raises his right hand back¡ªa massive white mace appears in it, as long as his own height. I understand that the situation has turned sharply in his favor¡ªimpossible to block this monster with a pistol.


    Time to bail and catch up with Jane, can''t deviate from her strategy, I realize.


    Helmet charges forward with a wide swing of his weapon. At the last second I jump aside¡ªthe mace destroys the fountain wall, water spilling onto the ground.


    Without looking back, I try to dash for the stairs, but Helmet uses three explosive fire spells at once, forcing me to jump back.


    "YOU WON''T ESCAPE, PIECE OF UNHOLY SHIT!" he yelled, winding up for another strike.


    I manage to duck and roll forward, but due to its size, the mace partially hits my back. Thanks to the stimulant, I only feel a slight tingling in my lower back, but I can imagine how much it really hurts. Hope nothing''s broken.


    I straighten up, run back to the fountain and end up right against it. Turning my head slightly I see Helmet taking another running start and winding up.


    Damn it, he won''t hit the wall a second time.


    I quickly look around¡ªnearby is only the corpse of that man with the blown-off head. His shotgun catches my attention, though water-soaked it''s physically intact.


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    No way am I dying today.


    I sprint for the corpse, grab the shotgun and charge the knight, swinging it to counter his mace. The shotgun shatters and the head catches me in the chest, leaving a scratch. I fly backward into the fountain''s center and splash into the water, but stay alive¡ªwhich was the whole point of the counter. By some miracle the Glock stays dry.


    "So why aren''t you using your fierce magic that took everyone out here? Or does it only work on weaklings, can''t handle equals?" Helmet burst out laughing, juggling his mace.


    "Here''s your magic, asshole," I yell, following my tried and true plan of firing two bullets. He dodges the one that flies at his heart, but the second one hits his helmet again, denting his face and throwing him off balance again.


    "JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANE!!!!!!!!!" I scream at the top of my lungs, using the seconds gained... But she doesn''t appear.


    "You piece of shit," Helmet snarls. "Can''t win so you''re just being a pain in the ass before you die? I''ll crush your fucking head into your neck.


    He charges to attack, I react and throw a large chunk of stone from the fountain wall at his mace. This lets me dodge and run back to some distance.


    Fuck, he doesn''t give any breathing room. I can dodge two or three more times, then he''ll get me. Need to think of something fast. Since I can wound him in the helmet, I should be able to make a serious wound.


    When the man starts running again, I suddenly realize that he always runs straight ahead and strikes in the same style. The logical calculations that followed immediately gave me an idea.


    I bend my knees slightly and aim carefully at his arm. When Helmet is almost at the point of impact and has already lowered his mace, I make a small roll to the right. When I land directly behind the knight, I shoot him in the elbow.


    Blood sprays, Helmet drops his weapon with a scream and grabs the wound with his other hand.


    "FUUUUUUUUUCK!!!! YOU VERMIN!" he roars with insane rage.


    Five fiery explosions follow. I dodge most of them, but the flames catch my left leg¡ªhurts like hell.


    Happy about my luck, I try to run back, but suddenly the knight jumps at me and throws me onto the stairs with a punch. I hit my head hard on the steps, vision going blurry.


    What a bastard.


    Before I can recover, I see my opponent looming over me, preparing to smash my face. I manage to roll left¡ªthe strike destroys the step.


    I jump from my knees to my feet and run for the entrance to the mansion, but another fiery explosion explodes right in front of me, knocking me back to the ground and burning my arm.


    "This is the end for you, unholy one!" Helmet shouted triumphantly, grabbing my neck and raising his fist to strike.


    ~ Chime.


    My face was about to become mush when suddenly a figure flashes behind Helmet. In the next second someone yanks his shoulder and throws him back with insane force. The knight slams into the path in front of the stairs with a crunch.


    "About damn time, it hasn''t even been..."


    My vision focuses and the words stop¡ªinstead of Jane, I see an unfamiliar girl hovering slightly in the air. She''s quite short, wearing a short white dress and black-and-white striped stockings, but what draws most attention are her snow-white hair in two pigtails and turquoise eyes unnatural for a human.


    Her expression is so haughty that Jane''s arrogance now seems like kindness. Her presence alone is somehow psychologically oppressive, and when our eyes meet, I literally feel like dirt.


    After several seconds of staring, which for me stretches into hours, the stimulant breaks the spell and I regain my clarity of thought.


    Interest in her eyes and hair vanishes, I focus entirely on her height. Jane''s words come to mind about Caroline destroying some company over an employee''s small joke about it. Connecting these facts, I shudder.


    Is this really her...? But where''s Jane then? If they''ve already fought, what was the outcome? And what the hell do I do?! many questions fill my head. I remember Caroline''s nickname, so I decide not to make any sudden moves. I guess if she wanted me dead, she wouldn''t have saved me.


    The girl shifts her gaze from my face to my right wrist where the bracelet is. After brief examination she snorts.


    "Stay down," she says authoritatively, turning her back. Her voice is sweet enough, but I clearly get it¡ªthis is an order that can''t be disobeyed.


    The girl stretches, flexes her arms and slowly floats down to Helmet. The knight still hasn''t recovered from landing and barely stays on his knees.


    "You can''t imagine how deeply you''ve disappointed me, Paul," her extremely stern voice sounds.


    "Princess, why did you¡ª"


    "I didn''t permit you to open your mouth, worthless one. And second, are you really so stupid you don''t understand why?"


    So this really is Caroline. And the name Paul definitely doesn''t suit this idiot. WHERE IS JANE?!?!?!


    "Princess, f-forgive me if I somehow messed up. But I truly don''t understand what you m-mean," Paul started stuttering, his voice trembling with fear.


    "Too bad for you, I''m not surprised. You think I''d ally with a mage who can''t even kill a normal human in a few minutes, and loses to him in a fight?"


    "Normal human?! Princess, you''re mistaken! That guy is an incredibly strong, crazy and unstoppable mage. Look how he turned all the guards into mincemeat¡ª"


    He doesn''t finish the phrase¡ªCaroline kicks him in the head and he flies back in a somersault. The helmet dents for the third time.


    "You think I can''t tell bullet holes from cuts made by a damn scythe? Answer the question, worthless one."


    The knight pulls his body up with a wheeze and returns to his knees.


    "Princess, forgive the m-misunderstanding. I have no doubts about your brilliant mind, you''re one of the smartest people on the planet. Of course such a great sorceress can''t possibly ally with a pathetic mage unable to defeat a normal human. But please don''t think I fought him at full strength. I was just playing with the stupid weakling, that was obvious."

 14: Resolution

    Suddenly Caroline laughed brightly. Paul spends several seconds in confusion and starts laughing along, but quickly gets another hit. He barely keeps his balance.


    "Funny how fast you shit yourself with fear and this guy stopped being a mage. Let''s say I believe you. Was getting your arm fucked up part of the fun too? Or did you suddenly turn into a masochist?"


    I''m sure after this question Paul''s face twisted in horror.


    "P-princess, haha, what are you saying! I admit, there was a small slip-up, but it''s just a minor scratch. I''ll heal it within the next day. If you don''t like such antics from allies, I promise it will never happen again. Just don''t exaggerate¡ª"


    "You''re a pathetic, brainless, beaten pig who''s not even good as a living shield anymore. The bullet went clean through, shattering your bones and taking away almost all of your magical protection. It will take you several months to recover, and even elixirs won''t help. There will be no alliance between us, good thing we didn''t seal it with the bracelets," she finished, spitting on Paul''s helmet.


    "Princess, I beg you, forgive me! I understand your disappointment, but give me a chance. You still haven''t seen me at full power, it''s better for you to have as many allies as possible," Paul babbled desperately.


    "You dare dispute my decision?"


    "Uh... N-no. Sorry, I just made another stupid mistake. Please don''t take those words seriously. Since this is your decision, I have no right to protest. It was extremely pleasant meeting you and being on the team for a while. I promise you''ll never see me again. Accept all my items in your possession as a farewell gift. To stop being an eyesore, I''ll leave immediately."


    He tries to turn and crawl towards the gates... but slips on the water and falls back to the ground.


    "You dared to deeply insult me and diminish my authority by practically losing to a normal human, while you are effectively my ally. You also know the location of my main base and possess information that my enemies could use to inflict great damage on me. You understand that you won''t leave here alive."


    "No, Princess, I beg you, have mercy! If you don''t want to let me go, take me prisoner and use me as bait for other participants. Just spare my life, please! I haven''t done anything bad to you."


    "Even now you continue hoping I''m stupid, adding new insults. While you''re alive, you can pray for luck in your next life. Though that''s unlikely to help you."


    Caroline stretches her arms down¡ªa large round barrel appears in them, partially resembling a machine gun, but from the 20th century. Near the muzzle is a pink runic circle with five crystals floating around the edges. The girl taps the end of the barrel, the crystals light up in different colors and spin around the circumference. She takes aim.


    "NO, PLEASE, PRINCESS, I''M BEGGING YOU!!!" Paul reaches for the mace and tries to pull it with magic, but it''s useless. At the same time, green sparks appear around Caroline, quickly fading into the air.


    "You even tried to kill me. So where is my decision wrong?"


    "I... DIE YOU FUCKING WHORE!" the knight howled, still trying to crawl away.


    The crystals reach unimaginable speed and visually merge into one line, Caroline aims the "machine gun."


    "At least before death you acted honestly," she smirked.


    A thick rainbow beam bursts from the gun''s barrel¡ªPaul screams in agony, but it lasts less than a second. Almost his entire body is incinerated and erased in an instant, leaving only his sneakers as proof he ever existed.


    I watch with my heart frozen, not believing such power exists.


    Goddamn, that''s some absolutely insane power. Could Jane really have been killed by that thing...?


    Caroline snaps her fingers¡ªa gray sphere envelops the surviving sneakers and they vanish. Then she taps the machine gun again, the crystals stop spinning and she lowers the weapon.


    Before I can recover, the girl flies back to me and puts on a friendly expression.


    I can''t say anything she might find offensive, I understand that perfectly.


    "Hi John, you''ve grown up nicely since childhood," Caroline says flirtatiously.


    I''m openly stunned, not expecting such a conversation opener.


    "Uh... Sorry, don''t remember us being acquainted, especially that long ago," I reply calmly.


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    "Don''t pretend. You definitely know who I am, otherwise you wouldn''t be here."


    "Won''t deny it, but how do you¡ª"


    "Same source. Jane talked about you and showed me some of your childhood photos. Damn, I just can''t figure out why she put the bracelet on you. Is it her own, or did she take it off someone she killed?"


    "It''s someone else''s, she ordered me to always hang around as bait for others and confuse them," I decide a plausible lie is the best option. This works well since the bracelet situation is inexplicable anyway.


    "Yeah, Jane hasn''t changed at all," Caroline sighed. "I''m sure you''re surprised she bailed and left you here alone."


    Every word needs to be taken skeptically since she''s an enemy. But need to stay in character.


    "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?!" I act outwardly agitated.


    "I bet she said it''d be quick and easy, then you''d head back. Well guess what - her plan failed. I knew I was first on her hit list and prepared like hell. She killed everyone on the estate but couldn''t find me, and her ultimate shadow form drained almost all her mana. So she ran, since she couldn''t fight me fair anymore. Some caring sister you''ve got there."


    "I... I was just supposed to stand near the mansion and attract attention. I didn''t even expect anyone besides you to be here, or that I''d have to fight. That''s all I know."


    "I understand your disappointment, but I''m not surprised. She''s done the same to me multiple times when we... worked together."


    "A-are you going to kill me?" I say fearfully.


    "No. I see you don''t understand anything and helped her out of fear. It''s not your fault she dragged you into her dirty game. I hope you realize she wanted to use you as bait, even drugged you with something that has a high risk of death."


    "Huh?! DIE?!?! She said it was just a normal stimulant, slightly enhanced by magic. Is there any way to flush it out?"


    "Yes, I can help with that if we finish this conversation positively, which depends on you. Do you think you must obey someone who treats you as cannon fodder and doesn''t care about your life, even if they''re family?"


    "Probably... not. Honestly, I don''t want any part in this. Since the first second of entering this damn magical world I''ve been terrified."


    "Not surprising, you''re not even a mage. Unlike Jane who tried to treacherously kill me, I have different views and hoped to contact her about forming an alliance beneficial for us both. I know almost all Game participants¡ªthere are some especially strong and cruel mages who''ll be hard to defeat alone. As former friends, we should stick together. I''m even willing to overlook today''s incident and that she killed my ally yesterday, who I had high hopes for. As her brother, you can help me best."


    "I see... What do I need to do?"


    "As a sign of my good intentions, we will form an official alliance that will prevent me from harming you. Then you''ll show me where you and your sister live now, so I can visit and talk to her. Hopefully Jane will appreciate my sparing your life. After successful negotiations, you will return to her, and I will ask her to stop endangering your life. Until then, you''ll tell me everything she''s told you and shown you. For example, where she got the pills she gave you, so I know what to expect in the worst case. Do you agree to cooperate?" Caroline smiled.


    "Won''t Jane kill me for this?"


    "Don''t worry, I protect my allies... if they don''t disappoint me."


    "Well... can I think about it, even for ten minutes?"


    "This is the only favorable option I can offer you. There''s nothing to think about, unless you''re stupid," she drawled.


    "Then..."


    I''m desperately trying to buy more time when Caroline''s eyes suddenly turn completely black and start dripping blood. The girl flies back, activates the crystals on her machine gun and grabs her head with one hand, summoning some gray particles.


    "YOU DAMN BITCH!" she screamed and started firing small multicolored beams all around.


    I don''t understand what''s happening but seize the moment, jump to my feet and want to get off the stairs, but get distracted by a glint on the mansion roof. One blink¡ªJane jumps down in human form and strikes Caroline with dozens of hits in a whirlwind. The machine gun flies aside, in seconds there''s not one uninjured spot on the girl and she falls onto the steps with a wheeze, bleeding.


    "I''ve got just one option for you too, friend," Jane says coldly, slicing Caroline''s body down the middle. After the killing blow she kicks the body¡ªit slams into the fence and crumples beneath it.


    Even under the stimulant it''s extremely hard to follow her actions due to incredible speed, though she''s not even in shadow mode. I only come to when I realize Caroline is dead.


    Jane looks at her corpse with satisfaction... While intense displeasure washes over me.


    "What the hell was that about?! Where were you? I almost died fighting some crazy half-naked knight because of you," I start aggressively.


    "Don''t rant, I saw everything," she cuts off dryly. "I had a minor slip-up, but overall everything stayed under control and, as you see, the plan worked. Let''s get to the car, nothing more to do here. You urgently need healing before the comedown hits. Can''t do it here since Caroline kept all elixirs and other resources somewhere else."


    The scythe disappears from her hands. Without looking at me, she runs down the stairs and heads for the hole in the fence. I quickly catch up.


    "What do you mean¡ªyou saw everything? And did nothing? I called for help. What if I''d died? What even happened with you?"


    "Your indignation is unfounded, I would not have let you die. Have you forgotten that?"


    "Why didn''t you at least give some sign? You didn''t warn me I''d have to properly fight a mage."


    "First, you broke away from me yourself. Second, I wanted to not interfere as long as possible. Yes, that helmet idiot was inconvenient, but you handled it. That''s why you took the pill."


    "And you think this is all normal?"


    "Unfortunately, reality rarely matches the ideal vision. Trust me, it could have gone worse."


    At this point we reach the car and get in.


    "Now main thing is not running into someone else. Good the runes will still work for a while..." she muttered, setting home address in navigation.


    "Jane, I want clear explanations. This hasn''t been fun for me at all. I don''t want this shit to happen again," I say grimly.


    "I specified not to judge by today''s battle."


    "That''s not even an answer!"


    "Are you going to bug me the whole way?"


    "Yes, until you give an adequate explanation."


    "In that case, you''d better sleep. Meeting sobriety while conscious will be terribly unpleasant, though you''ll wake up at some point anyway."


    "What? I don''t want¡ª"


    Jane''s fingertips glow black and she touches my arm. A huge wave of sleepiness immediately washes over me, eyes grow heavy, thoughts fade.


    "Not fair..." is all I manage to mumble before falling asleep.

 15: Blooming

    Wednesday, March 14.


    My head felt like it was splitting into pieces and about to explode. Every breath burned my lungs, the slightest movement brought terrible pain and my body ached continuously. The whole world appeared in a dim gray color.


    At first I was convinced that I had at least landed in hell. However, the soon distinguishable outlines of my own room shattered that theory.


    By my count, this horror lasted about five hours. Lost track of how many times I wanted to die, and started thinking I was going insane. No matter how hard I tried to black out, I just couldn''t.


    At one point the pain began to gradually subside, and color and clarity returned to my vision. When everything normalized enough for me to regain coherent thought, understanding came¡ªthis was the hellish comedown Jane mentioned. The battle with the mage had truly cost my body dearly.


    The transition lasted about an hour. Then my vision finally went back to normal and I could move with minimal pain. Never been so happy just to breathe normally.


    The first thing I do is sit up in bed and check my body: no injuries from the mace or burns. Good thing Jane kept her word and didn''t skimp on the elixir... And I totally deserved it.


    The sun is almost down outside. My phone shows 7:49, plus a missed call from Sharon, several messages from Rob and tons from Lily. I have no desire to answer them.


    As soon as I get out of bed, I am overwhelmed with hunger and thirst. These sensations are no less intense than the final stages of pain, so I immediately fly to the kitchen. On the way I hear a rustling in Jane''s closed room, but I don''t care.


    Getting there, I grab the water jug from the table and chug it all in seconds, spilling some on myself. Tossing it aside, I throw open the fridge and start devouring everything I see.


    ##


    "I see you finally recovered. How was the experience?" Jane asked impassively, having come downstairs to find me in the middle of biting into a huge piece of sausage.


    "I''ll never take that shit again, don''t even ask. And I want to forget the so-called experience forever," I state firmly and continue eating.


    "Yeah, as I expected... But you need to keep in mind the alternative was death. In case of threat, sadly, you''ll have to take another pill. You have to be prepared for that," she said coldly and sat down at the table.


    "Or maybe you could protect me more carefully and not leave me to fight mages? Why didn''t you even give me something like a painkiller? Also we didn''t finish talking yesterday."


    "Like I said, only healers and paladins can skip the comedown. Any extra substances, especially magical ones, would''ve made it way worse for you. You HAVE to come down from this stimulant naturally, or you can die from that too. And you''re really still hung up on that fight?"


    "Fight?! I was nearly crushed and burned alive!"


    "Okay, I understand your indignation, but from a strategic point of view I couldn''t intervene right away. Caroline would have gained an advantage, at worst she could have traded the madman''s death for both of us. Again, the alternative was far worse."


    Deep down, I understand that she''s objectively right and knows the situation better, but I want to prevent a repeat as much as possible.


    "So what went wrong?" I ask and sit across from her with a can of pineapples.


    "Caroline laid out a decent picture, but from her side. She really did prepare well for my attack and got this ring that gives strong invisibility and lowers magical energy detection for others. First seconds, she activated it and hid somewhere. I couldn''t find her in the building or grounds, though I felt her there. Realizing she was using some artifact, I decided to fake a retreat¡ªjumped the fence, ran off and dropped shadow form. Then quickly came back under Concealment Aura. That''s one of my abilities that completely hides magical energy and lets me blend with surroundings, though you can''t fight in that state. I positioned myself on the roof for a wide view since I could still sense Caroline. Became clear she was probably waiting to see how your fight ended. If I''d known you were about to get screwed, I''d have killed that fake knight in a second. And I almost stepped in when he tackled you, but Caroline gave up first. Her ring, by the way, would be perfect for you, but it''s useless without massive magical energy."


    "Guess I won''t stop being amazed by your magical mind games," I note ironically. "Okay, at least I understand your actions now. But please, let''s agree there won''t be more shit like this."


    "I can''t guarantee anything in that regard, but no difficulties are expected soon. Other participants can''t prepare so well since they have minimal information about me, if any. I''ll just promise to watch you more carefully."


    "Well, thanks for that much at least! From how you''re talking, I''m guessing the observer still hasn''t shown up?"


    "I haven''t seen any sign of him and he''s still not responding. I''ve got two thoughts: either he''s incredibly late, or they assigned him to something else. Looks like nobody cared about the preparation phase at all, but this can''t go on long. Within a couple days they''ll either get him in line or find a replacement, since without ''cleanup'' participants will easily expose the magical world," she said confidently.


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    "Oh... I really hope you''re right. So, you''re going to kill someone again tonight? Can I stay on the sidelines this time? Can''t you share the aura somehow?"


    "Hahaha, I told you twice not to judge by that attack," she brushed it off. "Truth is, I planned a raid today on the spot where Caroline''s resource stash probably is. There''s definitely lots of valuable stuff there and other participants have been spotted nearby, easy to take out. But... recently through my familiar I noticed something really weird in the district near the city outskirts. I want to check it out since it looks like something that could be dangerous."


    "Dangerous for you?" I was amazed.


    "Theoretically, yes, I stared at it for half an hour and couldn''t understand anything except the basic principle. If this really is dangerous magic, I need to find this participant and eliminate him before he makes his first move."


    The fact that Jane has doubts worries me a bit. She hadn''t shown any before.


    "What needs to be done?"


    "This time, you will stay on the sidelines as you wish. Can''t share the aura, but that district is quiet in every sense, no participants there. You won''t even get close to this anomaly since it has unknown effect. Think it''ll take twenty minutes at the most. If we don''t run into anyone, there won''t be fights."


    "Well, nice to hear on one hand... but on the other I''m getting nervous too. What is this anomaly?"


    "Finish eating and come down to the basement so you can see for yourself. I have also prepared some additional equipment for you to make things easier in general," she indicated, stood up and left the kitchen.


    ##


    My hunger was only satisfied after eating half a vanilla berry cake. The one upside of the comedown¡ªI''d never eaten anything so delicious, and the quantity didn''t even make me sick. Well, still hope this was the first and last pill.


    I walk into the garage and quickly descend the familiar stairs. Jane was sitting at the desk, hunched over a medium-sized shimmering hand mirror. She''d left me fifteen minutes ago... had she spent the whole time like this?


    "If the house is attacked, can I hide in the basement?" I ask curiously.


    "Good idea, but only if the passage is open and I have time to seal it. Technically it''s just a regular room with stairs, but hidden by a spell," she explained. "Come look closer."


    I approach as she hands me the mirror. For the first few seconds only bright glints are visible, then a somewhat static picture seeps through.


    It''s a bird''s-eye view of an unremarkable street: regular road, a low lattice fence on the left around some house, partial view on the right. At first I can''t tell what I''m looking at, but then I spot a man lying inside the fence, and from him... literally growing tall red and yellow flowers. Their petals are unnaturally connected, forming some kind of symbol that looks a bit like a pentagram. There''s also lots of plants and random household stuff near the fence, hiding the body from street view.


    "Some flower garden," I laugh nervously and hand back the mirror. "What is this? By the way, what are these familiars of yours?"


    "Various summoned scout creatures, this one specifically is a small crow. I sent it to this area since I knew a participant was based there. That''s his corpse lying there. Everything was fine with him last night, but suddenly this happened. I missed the moment of death but assume he was killed early morning."


    "Maybe the killer follows the time frame rule," I remark. "I suppose there''s something wrong with those flowers?"


    "Everything is. I''ve never seen anything even close to this. The flowers definitely serve some magical purpose. Could write this off as a way to hide the body, but that weird symbol ruins that theory. I really don''t like how this magic looks. And not knowing how he died makes it even more disturbing. This needs to be investigated urgently."


    "What if the killer''s still there?"


    "Unlikely, even the dumbest mage won''t linger in obscure places. And that leads to the second mystery: my familiars sense magical activity and report it immediately, but the crow didn''t react at all. Either this mage is very good at concealing his presence, or he is somehow acting remotely."


    This fact increases my worry.


    "Is he equal to you in power? You said most participants were trash."


    "They are, after Caroline''s death probably no one surpasses me. Her words about strong mages she knew were just to impress you. But this one might possess special techniques or very rare magic that''s dangerous because it''s unknown. You won''t understand other details, and don''t even try to talk me out of it."


    "Guess I''m down for the raid," I force out reluctantly. "Want to be sure you''re the strongest one here and nobody''s gonna turn us into a flower garden."


    "Thanks for no arguments this time. Additional equipment''s on that shelf," she points right without looking away from the mirror.


    I look over: the new "gifts" consist of two dark blue gloves, a substantial knife resembling a hunting knife, its sheath, three small pouches, a green ring, and a Deagle.


    "Don''t like how much you''re arming me up..." I mutter.


    "This bumps up your defense big time and means you don''t need to take the pill early, like you wanted. You know about the gloves; with the knife be super careful, you can easily slice something off, always keep it in its sheath and try not to use it for small stuff; the pouches have small crystals that make a veil and blind¡ªjust break them on the ground and look away yourself; the ring slightly suppresses mana in a small radius, making it harder to cast spells; Deagle''s for absolute emergencies only, its bullets pack about as much punch as... artillery," she explains dryly.


    "Looks like I don''t have those bullets," I said, collecting everything. The attempt to lift the knife with my bare hands fails, indicating great power.


    "It''s already loaded with seven shots. Trust me, that would last the whole Game. And only shoot wearing gloves, otherwise it''ll tear off your hands."


    "Nice recoil. When do we head out?"


    "As soon as you gear up. Waiting in the car," she set aside the mirror and ran upstairs.


    Well, at least she''s honest, I sighed.


    The gloves slip on easily and feel no different from normal ones. The knife becomes light and fits easily in the sheath, which I attach to my jeans. The ring fits my ring finger, pouches go in side pockets, Deagle in back.


    Feel like some action movie star about to drop into a hot zone from a helicopter.


    I go up to my room and add the Glock and pills to my gear, which Jane will definitely check. This time I take four spare magazines.


    On the way I swallow a cupcake from the kitchen, return to the garage and sit up front. Engine''s already running and runes probably applied.


    "Don''t worry, got the stimulant. And if the observer suddenly appears during this, won''t it be a problem that it''s not 10 yet?" I wonder.


    "I''m not planning to fight anyone so the rule isn''t broken, and if we meet someone aggressive on the way, we have the right to defend ourselves. Don''t worry about it, he''s more likely to object to involving third parties in the Game," Jane laughed and floored it.


    "Yes, and technically he''ll object to me," I correct grimly. "By the way, did you run into anyone on the way back last night?"


    "No one worth mentioning, the rest doesn''t deserve discussion."

 16: Symbol

    On the way I renewed discussion about the stimulant and learned about people who take the pills, whose magic has unusual nature and types. The unusualness comes from possessors of magic being born without magical sensitivity and abilities originally.


    The first type is called anomalous or mutational: person gains abilities from being in epicenter of very powerful mass spell, exposure to forbidden magic, and so on. Roughly speaking, the consequences are so huge that a magical gene is acquired. Only 1 in 1000 survive this, but the power gained is often quite impressive and you''re recognized as part of magical world.


    The second type is even rarer than the first, and the only one that can make you a target for elimination from above: connection with demonic entity. There are some number of demons who for various reasons relocated to our material world. In order to maintain their power, they need to feed on human souls, which they can''t do directly because their activity would be noticed immediately and special magicians would be sent to destroy them. This forces them to make deals with humans, sharing their power in exchange for the supply of souls. Exact conditions and granted power are never known, for obvious reasons humans always hide such connection. Only the general principle of the selection of humans is known: they must be in real despair and under threat of death, but details are also missing.


    The third type is safest and most common: true faith in god and higher powers. I still didn''t understand how it works, but if you''re deemed worthy, they''ll contact you, enlighten you to true world structure and you''ll be granted sacred magic, but only while your faith remains strong. Most often such people become something like paladins and work on destroying dark entities, including demons.


    It was interesting to listen, but I only understood that something from this was very unlikely for me... And not needed.


    ##


    The drive took twenty-five minutes. We almost arrived when Jane stopped quarter street before navigation point. I looked at her questioningly.


    "You''ll stand by the car and watch the area. If anything¡ªrun to me and yell."


    "Why so far?"


    "If this thing hits an area, it could easily destroy the whole house and surroundings, and no pill would save you. Can''t risk that, let''s go."


    Jane puts on a dark cloak, we check the equipment once more and get out of the car.


    "Can I at least stand closer? Takes twenty seconds to run to you," I complained.


    "No, it''s too risky and someone needs to watch the car. Don''t worry, I sense no one and checked the territory twice with familiar, no one''s here."


    "Okay... But if anything happens¡ªit''s your fault."


    She ignored my jab, told me not to go anywhere and walked forward. Since she''s not worried about entering someone''s property, probably that house belongs to the dead participant.


    Fine, I''ll do my best, I thought, looking around.


    Turns out this isn''t really a residential area: no cars, some warehouse nearby, abandoned construction, unclear buildings. Only one more house far away. No people accordingly.


    While I study the surroundings, Jane jumps the fence and disappears from view. This adds discomfort, but I ignore the worrying feeling.


    Do you want to win the Game? The thought hits me out of nowhere. I want to think about it but catch how absurd it is first.


    "Don''t even care how, why would I need this?" I answer aloud to break the silence. "I''m not a mage, this status means nothing to me."


    That''s impossible, only a mage can put on the bracelet, consciousness echoes for some reason.


    "Really wish so, but seems the system''s so stupid that my 0.004% magical energy was enough for activation. And I definitely don''t want to be part of the magical world."


    But it means you already became part of it and didn''t die. That doesn''t just happen. Either you want to win, or someone needs this.


    "John, what nonsense? My sister should win, and I want to erase memory of all this trash and return to normal human life."


    Don''t you think if that was possible, it would have happened already? A normal person just can''t survive, especially in the Game.


    "No, there''s no merit of mine here: Boar just liked stretching pleasure, and with Paul got lucky due to his insanity and Caroline''s arrogance. The only reason I''m still here is the idiot observer."


    What if he''s deliberately doing nothing and enjoying... an amusing show? This adds to all the supposedly impossible things you described.


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    I want to refute and dismiss these thoughts again... When I suddenly realize that this isn''t in my head at all and the questions aren''t in my voice.


    My heart skips a beat, I grab the Glock and turn around¡ªat arm''s length stands an unfamiliar girl leaning against the car and studying me with interest.


    I instantly aim the gun at her head and am about to shoot, but the barrel passes through her head like she''s a ghost. This completely throws me.


    "Why kill right away? We had such a nice conversation," she sighs disappointed and steps back. "Put the gun away, you''ll just waste bullets."


    "Who the hell are you? How did you get into my mind?" I ask threateningly.


    "My name is Eva, nice to meet you, John," she answers friendly. "And I''m just a Game participant like you."


    I can''t help firing¡ªthe sound carries down the street, but the bullet... dissolves, passing through the girl''s head.


    "What the fuck?!" I''m even more stunned.


    "I told you you''d just waste bullets," she shook her head. "Calm down, I''m not going to and can''t harm you."


    "All participants I''ve met intended to kill me one way or another," I take a few steps back. "So what are you doing here and why digging in my head?"


    "I''ve been just observing for three nights now," Eva said calmly. "I was scouting the city outskirts, came upon this place and noticed very strange things. By chance, you also appeared here and seemed interesting to me, which turned out to be true."


    Seems she lost access to my thoughts if she''s talking this way. Need to get some information and call Jane, I quickly decide.


    "Are you not human?" I ask distrustfully.


    "Hah, you really had nothing to do with the magical world. Very interesting..." she drawled. "You''re seeing a regular harmless illusion, easy to dispel but hard to detect. Any mage would understand this."


    "A regular illusion that digs in heads?"


    "Those are my special abilities, which I won''t reveal to anyone," she smiled. "I got extremely interesting information and now know more about the Game''s progress, so thanks."


    How cynical.


    "That I''m a normal person who''s wanted to remove the bracelet for three nights?" I mockingly parody her words. "And how will this help you win if I soon stop being a participant?"


    "I''m sure it''s not as simple as you think. In our world such extraordinary events can''t just happen, especially within the Game. Someone needs you to be right here right now and possibly hearing these words from me. This is a factor that will influence the course of the Game tremendously."


    "Well, if so... Does this ''someone'' randomly want you to tell me about the strange things here? For more influence," I said suspiciously and sarcastically.


    "It is very dangerous to stand here openly," she said suddenly seriously. "Many unclear... entities hide here. I couldn''t get close enough to them, but judging by their strict organization, I think they''re somehow controlled by a participant who''s somewhere unclear. Your sister looks strong, hopefully she''ll handle them easily."


    If Eva isn''t lying, this could be called success. Though then she''s openly counting on pitting this unknown and Jane against each other... and in that case, I''m even more nervous.


    "What entities...?"


    "They look like people, but I''m not sure. I can''t say anything else useful, and I''ve learned everything I wanted to. Be careful, you clearly got their attention with that shot. I think we''ll meet again."


    Finishing speaking, she waved her hand and quickly dissolved in the air, winking at the end.


    Very strange girl... Good thing I didn''t reveal anything really important, the rest is her guesses. In any case, need to tell Jane everything immediately.


    I turn toward that house and immediately raise the Glock¡ªin front of my eyes, from about the third floor of one of the unfinished buildings, two human figures jump down and block the path. They''re about 60 feet away, tall, wearing long dark robes. Striking that this happened absolutely silently.


    "Who are you?" I shout, waving the gun. No response follows.


    Some crackling sounds behind me, I carefully turn my head¡ªat about the same distance two more figures appear behind and one to the side. I end up in a kind of semi-circle.


    Well, I guess she wasn''t lying, I thought, trying to calm my wildly beating heart and not collapse from fear. My other hand reaches for the pill pocket... but at the last moment I stop. I want to avoid them if possible, and they won''t wait five minutes anyway.


    Just need to reach Jane, with her speed she''ll quickly come and take them on. Only the two in front are obstacles.


    I take a deep breath and dash forward, intending to wound or shoot them. Suddenly, they do the same in sync with me, only much faster, and in my peripheral vision I see the other three moving in unison with them. This hits my confidence, but there''s nowhere to retreat.


    One of those in front makes a dash and jumps high towards me. I react quickly and fire three bullets at him, two of which hit his torso... with no effect. At the last second I manage to roll¡ªhe only grazes my palm and lands softly on the road. The pain is quite sharp, like being slashed by large claws, but bearable.


    I scream Jane at the top of my lungs, barely dodging a very wide swing from the second figure. The unknown tries to knock me down, I dodge and fire five shots into his back while running.


    Stupor hits me: the bullets definitely hit, but the figures make no sounds, also no blood or loss of mobility. Since the bullets are magical, can assume these aren''t mages and their power doesn''t depend on magical structure. And that''s very bad news.


    I run no more than 10 feet when the jumper leaps back into the air and lands right in front of me. Reflex kicks in immediately and I empty the remaining bullets into his head, moving to the right.


    I call Jane for help again, frantically load a new magazine and turn to assess success. The figure comes at me with the same speed, but my shots have managed to pull back the hood of the robe.


    What I see sends me into shock, I try to hold back vomit: looking at me is a completely gray, literally rotting face of indeterminate gender, with a swollen nose, black pits for eyes, elongated ears and missing lips. But most terrifying¡ªthe whole head is covered in that same symbol seen in the petals, like tattoos. These signs "absorb" the bullets, regenerating even small damage. Not only is this not a mage, it''s clearly not human.


    Fuck, probably even a whole magazine to the head won''t help here, the thought crosses. Doesn''t help that in these fifteen seconds of fighting the number of entities behind doubled. All of them rush towards me, some of them already preparing to jump. They''re about to catch me, the pill doesn''t take effect immediately, and Jane has disappeared again.


    Let''s hope you weren''t exaggerating about artillery, I thought, pulling out the Deagle and firing into the center of the entity crowd.

 17: Possession

    My hands aren''t actually torn off, but I''m lifted off the ground. When fired, the bullet instantly transforms into an extremely powerful shock wave accompanied by fire.


    Several powerful explosions occur along its trajectory, throwing me back onto my back. Additionally, I''m deafened and partially blinded. I don''t know much about heavy weapons, but this thing is clearly more powerful than an average mortar or rocket artillery system.


    I shake my head, trying to recover quickly, jump to my feet and examine the aftermath of the shot. The smell of something burning has filled the air. Burned remains and pieces of these creatures are visible through the smoke where the crowd was.


    The burned robes allow me to examine their bodies. It takes just seconds to understand that structurally they''re no different from the head and also covered in this symbol. They really do have very sharp dark claws on their hands. I have no desire to look at them any further.


    However, I don''t get to celebrate as I notice twitching bodies among the corpse mess. Victory mood evaporates¡ªafter a few seconds two surviving freaks emerge from the smoke. The first apparently managed to jump, so he only lost his legs which are healing. The second''s robe is partially burned, either he wasn''t hit or managed to dodge.


    Well, two is better than ten, I thought, trying to find something positive. Since Jane didn''t show up even after the Deagle shot, there''s no point in calling her. I have to handle this myself.


    Easiest option¡ªhit them again with the Deagle. However, I can''t be sure no one else will show up, wasting bullets this way on one or two creatures would be suicidal. Besides, I now know that they can actually be killed. There must be a more effective way...


    On the bright side¡ªthe shot noticeably reduced the survivors'' mobility, which evens the odds and gives time to think.


    I look carefully at these two: can''t tell much from the fully intact one, but from the legless one can assume their weak point isn''t in the lower body... But it''s definitely present.


    Meanwhile the intact one fully recovers and charges at me. I run back and start dodging while examining him and shooting at joint intersections to slow him more. Once he manages to graze my cheek with those claws.


    After about a minute I notice a detail that was hidden before. Around the creature''s collarbone area the symbol kind of merges into three and takes on a pinkish tint. And this definitely isn''t from the shockwave, since such a small detail would have regenerated.


    Latching onto this, I fire several shots at that point. He immediately hunches and starts covering this area with his hands, which speaks for itself. I become significantly encouraged.


    Loading another magazine, I empty half the bullets into the same spot. Some hit his hands, but the creature slows more and starts looking considerably more "dead," though doesn''t lose ability to move and continues attacking.


    I decide to watch for a while. But after only ten seconds without fire, the creature began to regain strength and speed. I can see that all the embedded bullets are being absorbed into its body.


    Obviously it''s taking damage, but not lethal. I note that all bullets specifically get stuck in the body like in jelly, but none pierce through. I don''t have resources to contain it long, and soon the second will join.


    Do I need to pierce this point deeper...? I thought as my hand reached for the knife. They''re weakened, I have to act.


    I fire a few more rounds at the clavicle area and switch to the knife. After several dodges I manage to get close enough. I''ve never had any experience with such weapons, so not on the first try, but I manage to stab the blade cleanly into the middle of the triple sign.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    I expect terrible howling, turning to ash or explosion... But the entity just freezes and falls to the ground motionless. Within moments the triple sign starts erasing, followed slowly by neighboring regular ones. The creature''s abnormal grayness changes to pale green.


    Really want to celebrate victory, but the second one remains in view, having almost regrown legs. I run to him, dodge a sudden jump and want to shoot the same spot... but there''s no triple sign.


    Confused, I start checking his whole body since the robe''s completely burned off. Find the spot I need on the left side of his stomach. Put several bullets there to be safe, dodge another wild jump and stab the knife in more precisely. Death happens the same way. It''s weird how the triple sign location changes depending on the creature.


    "Phew, now these monsters are definitely dead," I exhale, leaning against a lamppost. Moving in this style without stimulant is very exhausting, I''m almost drained. However it''s too late to take the pill¡ª


    ¡ªor is it...? I thought with a mix of mockery, despair and irritation, looking around again. At least two dozen more figures have emerged across the area, slowly closing the same semi-circle.


    Pure rage and not wanting any part of this shit keeps me from falling into despair. I move from the lamppost to some garage wall and switch the knife for the Deagle. Looks like this district''s about to get fucked up. Good thing they''re dumb as rocks and bunching up again.


    With slightly trembling hands, I wave the pistol from side to side, watching to see who will attack first. Fortunately, luck is on my side at the last moment.


    Unlike last time, the oxygen evaporation in my lungs and blurred vision cause almost childish delight. I watch as the shadow of static runs from figure to figure, tearing off robes and chopping them to pieces. In my perception this lasts very long, but probably takes no more than five-ten seconds. Then the blur gradually fades, Jane takes human form and approaches me.


    "We agreed there wouldn''t be more shit like this!" I protest, unconsciously releasing built-up tension.


    "I said I couldn''t guarantee anything," she replies indifferently. "Took the pill? Any wounds besides the palm and cheek?"


    "No and no, but I fired the Deagle once."


    "Yeah, heard that. Surprised you didn''t hit the car. How many freaks jumped you at first?"


    "Around ten."


    "When I went to inspect the house, about fifty jumped me. Think your next question is answered," she smirks. Overall, for some reason she looks in high spirits.


    "This isn''t someone dangerous? But how didn''t you sense this whole damn horde?"


    "As you can see, even I can miss things," she sighs. "These creatures are possessed undead, they don''t radiate magic at all, which makes detection very difficult. It also helps that I''ve never encountered anything like this before."


    "Undead...? Is that why bullets were harmless?"


    "Yes, against undead there are three counters: holy weapons, physical destruction of the entire body, and for possessed ones, a special sign. I assume you discovered it."


    I nod.


    "This participant''s got serious skills in necromancy and control techniques, that''s why the creatures are so physically strong. What''s really impressive is that he''s personally far away, making him basically untouchable. What you saw in the mirror is basically the ''turning'' process, which also doesn''t give off mana. The undead snuck in here unnoticed and killed the participant, starting the turning through them. I haven''t studied the torn flowers yet, but I can tell that by tomorrow that triple sign would form where the petals were, the rest of the body would be covered in regular signs and he''d join the ''army.'' He''s truly a master¡ªeven I''m impressed."


    "So... is he dangerous?"


    "His undead specifically are gone. There were about sixty more hanging around here, but when I killed everyone in the house, he called them back. Only the ones attacking you were left. But his abilities as a mage are unknown¡ªif he wants to attack me, he''ll do it in person now. He''s definitely my next target to eliminate."


    Jane puts away her scythe and indicates to move to the car.


    "Well, good we won''t turn into flower garden," I note. "Will there be trouble with the participant personally? And why were there so many undead?"


    "Each ghoul like this is deadly to someone who doesn''t know what they''re dealing with. No wonder he sent a whole pack to guard the turning. This also tells us he''s got tons of undead total, but that doesn''t matter anymore. We''ll know his strength and rough location after I study the flowers."


    We get in the car, she starts the engine.


    "Oh, and one more thing..."


    I tell her about meeting Eva. Weirdly, Jane isn''t surprised.


    "There are lots of crazies among the participants, don''t bother listening to their bullshit," she brushes it off. "Illusions really are harmless, they''re mainly for stealth. This Eva''s pretty smart, sharing useful info with the right person. She might not even die in the first week."


    "She definitely couldn''t see anything important in my head?"


    "Through illusion¡ªno, though her skill itself is strong. And even if she did see¡ªshe definitely poses no danger, forget about her."


    "Okay, you know better. So tomorrow you''ll take me to find that participant?"


    "No, tomorrow from morning till night we''ll sit in school," she suddenly announced.

 18: Imitating Normal

    Thursday, March 15.


    The waterfall dream came as a timely reward for surviving these wonderful past days. Against the backdrop of real-life chaos, the peace here felt especially sweet. I''d completely forgotten what it was like not feeling constant threat.


    This time the scenery was incredibly vivid: brilliantly green grass and leaves, an almost blinding sun, turquoise sky and the waterfall''s intensified rush. The beauty brought so much more pleasure now. Was it just luck, or had the dream somehow adapted to my state of mind...?


    Caught up in euphoria, I approached the waterfall''s edge for the first time and jumped. The fall lasted long, but instead of wind resistance I felt only gentle breezes.


    In one moment I slipped softly back-first into the warm water, foam floating on top. For some reason I could still breathe. I started sinking slowly to the bottom, moving away from the sun''s rays. A few times strange deja vu washed over me but quickly faded.


    I wanted to stay swimming here forever... but as usual, the dream began dissolving. In the last second before it vanished, I thought I heard a woman''s voice echo through my consciousness:


    Soon...


    ##


    Awakening comes from the alarm Jane made me set again. Jumping out of bed, I go through the usual routines.


    In the bathroom I examine yesterday''s injured palm and cheek, they only have small scars. Yesterday Jane rubbed some very smelly ointment on the wounds and assured that by morning "everything would be great." They really are barely noticeable... Wonder how I''ll explain them to myself in case of memory erasure?


    After brushing teeth I head to the kitchen. Rob and Sharon will arrive soon, I need to meet them in my usual image.


    Jane''s already gone. Since it''s morning and I''ll be around people, and most participants still don''t know about the observer being gone and are scared shitless of disqualification, she thought it was safe to split up briefly so everything looks normal. Finally get a break from her heavy presence.


    If Jane''s plans seemed deadly dangerous before, this current one is just weird and confusing. Turns out the school''s location makes it a super valuable strategic point for some kind of spectral trap. Jane needs to do four complex rituals at each spot like this, setting up control and some ''barriers.'' The trap will cover part of the city but start off inactive and basically unnoticeable to other participants. This is prep for the final stage when the territory shrinks. I stopped understanding anything around that point and tuned out. I''ll be out of the Game by then anyway.


    The ritual will take all night. To avoid extra strain, Jane decided to naturally come to school and after classes settle in the abandoned wing. Since I must be nearby, she made me message friends and report recovery.


    Plus, even though I didn''t want to, I answered Lily before bed just to be polite. Her last messages were really pitiful, showing some strange desperation. We agreed to skip second period and meet "strictly alone" in the school courtyard, another good spot for cutting class, to sort things out. Figured the abandoned wing wasn''t smart¡ªif we got caught, getting back in would be tough.


    I eat breakfast, get ready and go out on the porch. Besides school stuff, I brought evening food, the Glock and stimulant. Jane said to leave everything else due to difficulty sneaking in and lack of need.


    I would have taken minimal equipment of my own free will. A clear understanding came to me¡ªwe have no stability, and all of Jane''s words are just assumptions. I have to take care of my life no less than she does.


    Sharon''s car doesn''t keep me waiting long. Friends are surprised that I have come out for the first time in several months to meet them in person and congratulate me on my recovery. Fortunately, no one notices the scars.


    Talking to Rob is awkward because of that date, so I pretend to be sleepy and as usual lie down in back. Information about Lily can wait.


    After getting out of the car we split up for our business. First period is history, so no tension except¡ª


    "Everything okay?" Jane asks sternly, appearing out of nowhere.


    "Shit!" I''m startled by such suddenness. "You want to lose the bracelet by giving me a heart attack?"


    "So everything''s okay. Don''t mention the bracelet, Game, magic or anything else out loud when in crowded places. As you saw, even I can overlook or miss something or someone between the eyes," she said seriously.


    "What do you mean? Are there participants at school?"


    "Eyes and ears can be anywhere, keep that in mind."


    "Can you not speak in riddles?"


    "That''s all you need to know. At 4 meet at the chemistry room and we''ll start. Until then figure out and be ready to describe the path in detail, I never bothered with things like sneaking into that wing."


    "Always appreciate your politeness and gratitude. Okay, see you."


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    She nods and dissolves into the crowd. If that''s not magic, need to ask her to teach me how to do that. But this annoying lack of explanation... will consider it better for me to be uninformed.


    Suddenly, in my peripheral vision, I notice Zack and his suck-ups in the crowd. After Jane''s humiliation, meeting him clearly promises nothing good, so I quickly head into the building. I have to enjoy this peaceful time to the fullest.


    ##


    The plan didn''t really work: I immediately fell asleep in history and only woke up at end of class. My cell phone already had a reminder about meeting from Lily. I regret answering her a million times, as by now desire to clarify anything has completely vanished. After involvement in the magical world the reason seems funny and absurd.


    However, there is no telling how vindictive she might be if I blow her off. It really is better to have a frank conversation and close the subject.


    After the bell I head to the courtyard. It''s behind the school, closer to the fence. Have to wander nearby all ten minutes of break. Unlike the abandoned wing, this is a popular spot and some jocks with their girlfriends were already sitting there.


    Last year one of those wanted to show off to his friends, deliberately bumped into me in the hallway and demanded apology for "carelessness." All I had was my backpack with a big juice bottle. Pretending to be scared, I quickly pulled out the bottle, hit him in the face with it and started pouring juice on him. Either the hit was painful or he was just stunned by ruined clothes, but he immediately backed off. That incident fully cemented my dislike for them.


    Luckily they weren''t planning to cut class and left closer to the bell. After waiting a while, I move to the entrance... and come around the corner, crashing into Lily. We cry out in sync and rub our bruised faces.


    Well this is going great, flashes through my mind. Knowing her mood...


    "Hah, got lost in thought there, sorry," she says in a friendly way. That reaction lightens the mood.


    "No problem," I wave off, "wasn''t looking where I was going either. Listen¡ª"


    "Let''s go in?"


    I agree. We pass through a small arch and sit on one of the benches arranged around a small fountain. The courtyard is surrounded by various bushes and flowers on all sides, making us invisible.


    Lily nods, waiting for my words. I note that the skirt and t-shirt still suit her much better than the dress. Especially with those shiny burgundy earrings she didn''t have before.


    "I wanted to say..." I stumble as attention is drawn to a fat pigeon that landed nearby and started cooing. I shoo it away with my foot, but my prepared speech... completely fled my head.


    "Yes?" Lily asks again.


    "Yeah yeah, right... Sorry, forgot, you go ahead," I say with an awkward smile.


    The girl rolls her eyes but maintains a charming appearance. Unlike that day, she exudes genuine relaxation, making her more... attractive?


    "John... I understand we parted on bad terms and you have a spoiled impression. Probably also annoyed you with messages during your illness, so¡ªthanks for agreeing to meet," she started softly. "And sorry for everything said and done."


    I recall parting after the shooting range. Due to subsequent events it seems hazy and stands out no more than anything else from that day. And most of her messages I didn''t even read.


    "Lily, don''t stress, I''m not sensitive enough to be traumatized by this. Honestly, a lot has already been forgotten. I don''t have any negative feelings towards you," I admit.


    "Nice to hear, but I still made mistakes and didn''t behave my best. And... I am who I am. So, I want to hear clearly¡ªdo you like me or not?"


    While this question stunned me in the music room, now it brings indifference and unwillingness to figure things out.


    "You basically just want someone for one night or just to have fun for a while? Why did you pick me?" I ask perplexed. Meanwhile, I try to ignore that for some reason Lily is becoming more attractive in every way with every passing second, even though nothing about her has changed.


    "It hurts that you think that. Would I fall into such hysterics having such a primitive goal?"


    "But how could I attract you? We literally never talked."


    "Not everything in the world has a rational explanation," the girl laughed. "There are just facts or feelings you can''t do anything about. You either think too little of yourself, or continue worrying what your friend will think."


    "Rob and I have been close friends for many years. It''s natural for me to take his opinion and feelings into consideration."


    "Try abstracting from your friendship, imagine he doesn''t exist. What do you feel?" Lily moved closer and stared into my eyes. Inexplicably I get embarrassed and blush slightly.


    "Well..." I mumble, looking back at her.


    Damn, was she always this pretty? Why didn''t I notice before?


    I can''t help picturing it: regular dates, hanging out at each other''s places, hours of talking, being there for each other. I''d probably teach her to shoot and help with hands-on stuff, while she''d help with my grades and figure out college. Spending holidays together, and even sex... I''ve really never had anything like this.


    I blush harder, not believing all this is really possible. But it must be really awesome...


    "It''s pointless since I can''t remove the Rob factor," I force out, though the girl obviously sees my nervousness.


    "You''re lying," she states confidently. "You just imagined it and liked it. I imagine it too, but the impossibility burns emotionally. I''ve also never had any normal or somewhat sincere relationship. You remember how pleasantly we spent time and that we share views on many things. And we only learned a small part about each other."


    "What do you mean also? You were stalking me after all?"


    "Okay fine, I admit, a little bit. But I don''t call it stalking, rather reasonable reconnaissance. I just tried to learn more for more comfortable communication with you. Does that really matter now?"


    "At the very least, it''s messed up and creepy. And why aren''t you worried these relationships would trash your reputation? Even the jocks don''t try to shake me down for money since they think I''m completely nuts."


    ...or fear Zack, I add in my head.


    "You have this strange idea that relationships have to be shown off. Just because all those popular idiots do it means nothing. Everything can be kept secret, it just adds spice and romance," she smiled flirtatiously. "Well, if showing off at school is really that important to you, we could meet in the abandoned wing¡ª"


    "You''ve got some nerve," I interrupted, gently pushing her away. "Openly asking me to betray my best friend and not even being embarrassed about it. You seriously think that''s supposed to make me trust and sympathize with you?"


    "I''ve told you several times nothing will happen with Rob since you can''t control or direct feelings. Why would he need to know anything? By the way, I have some girlfriends who think he''s cute. If you''re so worried about his broken heart, I can nudge one of them to make the first move."


    At that moment being near Lily turned into physical discomfort from some inexplicable excitement. She seems like the most beautiful person I''ve ever seen in my life.


    "Ah... You''re just... some wild beast," I kept objecting, though such an accusation coming from me is pretty funny.


    "Hahaha, how so? I''m a completely normal girl who doesn''t understand what terrible thing you see in dating. So what''s your answer?"

 19: Trap

    I froze looking at her, literally not knowing what to answer. It should be a clear rejection... but the image she suggested won''t leave my mind. To make matters worse, my attention has shifted completely to her attractiveness, severely disrupting my thoughts. Lily looks at me for a few seconds and smiles.


    "Okay, don''t struggle. Your answer is visible," with these words she skillfully moves onto my lap, pulls me close and kisses my lips.


    During the last kiss I felt disgusted and uncomfortable, but now it feels incredibly pleasant and is fueled by bright emotions. I automatically give in to this feeling, hug her neck and reciprocate.


    This time everything is much more successful and smoother, I manage not to break away for long. My heart is beating faster than when I met Boar, and I can tell from the physical contact that Lily''s is as well. The friendship with Rob is cracking visibly, but I can''t do anything about it.


    After about five minutes we finally separate and catch our breath.


    "I''m glad we came to an understanding," she smiles widely and lays her head on my shoulder. Deep down I somehow expect her friends to appear any moment, say "haha, caught the loser" and demand money... but nothing happens.


    "I haven''t told you anything yet," I say.


    "Oh, is that still needed? Well okay, how about expressing it today on a... secret date?"


    "No, impossible today."


    "Okay, I''m not rushing anywhere. Text me tonight when you can meet. And remember, everything between us is strictest secret."


    "But I¡ª"


    She interrupts me with a light kiss and jumps off the bench.


    "Stop playing hard to get already. John, since we sorted everything out quick, I''m heading back to class. Any objections, or want to stick around and hang out properly?"


    "Whatever you want."


    "Thanks, keep in touch!"


    She quickly throws her bag on, blows a kiss and runs out through the arch. My heart''s barely slowed down, I stay frozen in place, shocked and not believing what just happened. Especially absurd that I wasn''t this nervous even facing death.


    One thing''s clear¡ªthe Lily situation didn''t just stay open, it took a sharp turn. I have zero idea what to do with this under current extreme conditions.


    Got to admit, her persistence is something else, I thought mockingly. But... Even though the Game complicates everything right now, life won''t end after the bracelet comes off...


    I look at the sky, today''s my favorite sunny weather. In my head, all thoughts are pushed out by Lily''s image and ways this situation could play out.


    This sudden attraction... Maybe this is that feeling they talk about...?


    ##


    I spent about thirty minutes staring at the sky, tangled in doubts. For now I can say this question is definitely postponed for today, since Jane is busy with the spectral trap.


    First I have to take the bracelet off, then I have to think things through, understand my feelings, and make a considered decision. Right now, I just don''t have the ability to manage my time.


    I leave the courtyard a few minutes before class ends and head to my next scheduled classroom. Still long until 4, will stick to the rest plan.


    ##


    The rest of the school day went by without any surprises. Several times I even forgot I was participating in a death battle.


    After classes Rob, Sharon and I went to the cafeteria. Being around Rob became more uncomfortable, so unusually for me I started long dialogues with Sharon, making him mostly listen. Despite this, seems after the battle with undead my character significantly shifted to become firmer, making me maintain complete outward calm.


    As usual, friends offered to drive home together, but I said I wanted to sit in the library and watch an ongoing board game tournament. This caused strong surprise from them, but I was convincing enough and declined their offer to keep me company.


    At this point, I realized that I had acted as unnaturally as possible all day, contrary to Jane''s request... but already didn''t care.


    On the plus side, no spam or meeting requests from Lily. Most likely this will only last until the evening. She clearly indicated that she''s waiting for me to set up a meeting. Will have to answer something at least...


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    I was deep in thoughts about her and our hypothetical "relationship" while waiting for Jane at the designated spot. In one moment she sharply emerged from behind, scaring me again.


    "You''re trolling me!" I protest.


    "Stop whining. Nothing suspicious happened?"


    "No, all quiet. Even got praised in astronomy for knowing the number of planets in the solar system," I smirked.


    "Good, let''s go."


    "Listen, can''t you just teleport us there or fly through the wind¡ª"


    "I told you not to mention magic in crowded places," she says grimly, interrupting me with a slap.


    I rub my cheek, stick my tongue out at her and we head to the "transition" corridor between the abandoned wing and active school. Officially this passage is sealed on all four floors, but on the second they did it poorly and "pioneers" broke through the board so it slides aside. Fortunately, everyone''s too lazy to repair it.


    We''re lucky not to meet any school staff, in five minutes we arrive. I manage to tell her all details, which aren''t that many.


    Using my own example I slide the board and crawl inside, Jane easily repeats. On this side there''s lots of trash, dust, many things creak and some windows are broken.


    "From what I''ve been told, the biggest room here is the laboratory on the fourth floor. I''ve seen photos¡ªit''s dirty with lots of junk, but if we clear it out, should be about the size of the library or cafeteria," I explain.


    "That''ll work."


    "Then let''s go up the royal staircase, it''s the only way," I point to rickety, crooked steps, some broken and covered in cobwebs.


    "Some royal staircase. Will it even hold two people?"


    "Just a local joke name. It''s totally safe if you avoid the holes. Though everything will be safe for you anyway."


    Jane snorts, steps onto the stairs and jumps up nimbly. I don''t risk testing my luck and go civilized, holding on to the railing.


    I''ve only been up to the fourth floor once or twice, just for a quick peek. Since there''s almost no light, Jane and I turn on our cell phone flashlights. Upon closer inspection, I''m really surprised at how much worse it is compared to the others.


    After a short walk down the corridor, Jane finds and opens the door marked "Laboratory" herself.


    "Ugh... Did someone die here?" she asks, scrunching up her face. I''m also grimacing at the horrible smell and all the dust.


    "Ha, looks like someone already did some rituals here."


    Jane smirks and steps into the room. I pull my hoodie over my nose as best I can and follow.


    The door stays open, we open windows as inconspicuously as possible for ventilation and light. Then we quietly clear the center of the room of all objects, piling them in corners. The rotten smell came from a small bag with long-spoiled food someone forgot and never returned for. We threw it into the next classroom.


    Free space turns out larger than I thought... but not for long. Jane takes several items from her backpack and begins to draw a large circle with purple chalk. Then she draws an "X" cross inside it, and in each "section" she draws complex runes from her notebook. Wherever the lines intersect, she places dark candles and sprinkles some powder on top.


    This takes about an hour. The whole time I''m sitting on a big table by the entrance, watching with interest. After the final touch¡ªa German spell that makes all the candles burst into blue flames¡ªJane finally steps out of the circle and sits next to me.


    "Is this the ritual platform?" I ask curiously.


    "The drawn construction¡ªyes. Candles and powder are needed for protection from detection by mages and various otherworldly entities."


    "Like poltergeists?"


    "Mana emissions and buildups, like after rituals like this, attract these creatures. The protection will hide them, but without it all the undead from our district and nearby would flow here. Spirits like poltergeists are harmless¡ªyou need to watch out for aggressive physical beings. They usually feed on people and their own kind, but they''re also happy to devour magical energy."


    "So when I''m out late at night in some sketchy place, I really could get eaten by some monster?"


    "Most times these creatures disguise themselves as someone¡ªit''s better for them to stay unnoticed and keep things clean. One of their favorite forms is a sweet old person asking for help crossing the street. They come out when it''s empty, so trust your gut and look for things that don''t fit: blank face, talking without opening their mouth, weird colored eyes, burning smell. They can''t copy people exactly."


    "And if already encountered an entity, what to do?"


    "I don''t hunt entities and haven''t personally met aggressive ones. They sense well if someone can fight back. Know you shouldn''t wait for their attack and should try running. However if you''re a normal person and meet a powerful and cunning entity, nothing will help. Surely you''ve heard stories of someone drinking at a bar, stepping out to bathroom for two minutes and disappearing. Or disappearing during evening park walk. That''s exactly their activity."


    "I see... Now I''ll be more paranoid about darkness and night alleys."


    "They attack any time of day, not just night. Enough to maintain basic cautious behavior. Entities are very rare, constantly being exterminated. Much higher chance of dying from bandits met in alleys," she grinned.


    ##


    When my phone said 12:00, I was going crazy, climbing walls and desperately wanting to sleep. Jane and I talked until about 7, but then my ability to process complex and unclear information ran out and we both buried ourselves in our phones.


    The ritual had to start at midnight exactly for maximum effect, something about "special energy" and all that. I got bored with funny videos after an hour, none of my friends could text for long, and even Lily didn''t mind when I moved our date to tomorrow. And worst part¡ªI''m stuck here for another three or four hours


    "I''m starting. You can walk around the laboratory but absolutely don''t enter the circle or distract me," Jane announced in very serious tone and headed to the drawn construction''s center.


    "I''ll grab a snack in the computer lab, it''s the cleanest place here."


    Jane doesn''t answer. She sits on her knees at the cross intersection, closes her eyes, crosses her arms, and quickly whispers something. The runes slowly begin to glow, but that''s all for now.


    How did she make top three most popular with such rough manners? Or am I the only one getting this treatment...?


    I throw on my backpack and run into the corridor, lighting the way with my phone. Computer lab is by the stairs, main thing is not tripping on anything.


    Well, at least I''ll sleep well, I thought. Tomorrow she plans to study the petals from morning till evening, then visit Caroline''s warehouse at night. Observer, you bastard, just appear already¡ª


    ~ BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM.


    My thoughts are interrupted by an incredibly powerful explosion. I''m deafened, blinded and thrown somewhere to the side. I hit my head on something hard and instantly lose consciousness.

 20: Raising the Stakes

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    Consciousness returned with ringing in my ears, pain in my head, and the image of some creepy gray figure against a dark background blocking most of my view. I was lying on something cool. Strange sounds could be heard.


    I had no sense of self. I stayed in this disoriented state for about fifteen to twenty seconds before my sense of reality partially returned.


    The gray figure turned out to be a broken desk looming over me, and the background was the night sky. Even from this angle, I could see an abundance of stars.


    I had no desire to get up since I felt tingling and burning in several parts of my body. Movement would clearly bring flashes of pain.


    I couldn''t relax and enjoy the view for long¡ªsoon my memory and ability to think fully returned. The first gust of wind from an unknown source made me start.


    Through the pain, I turn my head to the side¡ªI get a view from below of the school grounds surrounded by fence.


    What the hell?!


    I gather my strength, lift my bruised arms and push the desk off me. As expected, a wave of pain courses through my body¡ªI suppress my cries through sheer willpower. Right after this action my head starts splitting even worse.


    My whole body is covered in dust, dirt and slightly bloody, with a sharply throbbing bruised temple. I really am lying on the ground not far from the school building, and the building itself¡ª


    ¡ªHoly fucking shit, I thought, looking at the gigantic hole where the third and fourth floors of the abandoned wing used to be. The edges are black, as if burned, with debris. Half of the second floor is also demolished, with objects like that desk scattered around me. Well, definitely can''t hang out there anymore.


    This turn of events was hardly part of Jane''s plan. I need to do something. The question is¡ªwhat actually happened? Did she mess up drawing the runes, or... And where is she anyway?


    Intuition screams that some wild shit went down, and even worse is coming. After several days in the magical world I''ve learned that anything is possible, so I urgently decide to take precautions.


    Fortunately, my backpack landed not far from me¡ªjudging by its appearance, only the food that spilled out was damaged. I need to take a pill and find Jane... but first I have to stand up.


    I grit my teeth, brace my hands against the ground and try to sit up. Besides the piercing pain, it comes fairly easily. On the second attempt I make it to my feet and carefully maintain balance.


    Worth noting that for someone who flew out of a fourth floor window and got hit by a desk, I''m in pretty good shape. At least, nothing seems broken or dislocated on the outside, just bruises, contusions and a migraine.


    I head toward my backpack. Along the way I take out my cell phone, which has a cracked screen protector, to check how long I was out. The time is 12:09, meaning about seven minutes passed. Whether that''s a lot or a little in the current situation is unclear.


    I also notice another strange detail: closer to the other, front side of the school there are large black marks of different shapes on the ground. They resemble remnants from Deagle explosions, but logically they must be of the same nature as the burned edges of the hole in the wing. Magic is definitely involved here. I haven''t seen "patterns" like this before, which significantly worsens my premonition.


    Approaching, I reach into the secret compartment of my backpack, take out the pills and immediately swallow one. I stuff the ziploc with the Glock deep in my pocket. Unfortunately, upon closer inspection the backpack is torn and no longer usable. Already the second one this week, damn it.


    Hoping for the best I run toward those marks. On the other side there are even more, all different shapes from circles to lines, some literally burned into the ground. Compared to this the Deagle seems like a kid''s water pistol.


    The new view reveals new oddities: despite all the school items scattered around here too, this side wasn''t damaged by burns or anything else. The second suspicious thing is blood, or rather its absence. The carnage at Caroline''s mansion is very well imprinted in my memory, but here there''s not a drop of anything red. Besides the burns there aren''t even any scratches from the scythe, bullet holes or body parts like with the undead. And I don''t know whether to be happy about that or worried.


    I walk through broken desks and shelves along the school entrance and end up on the central path in the middle of the chaos epicenter. Looking around carefully, my heart stops as I notice a familiar figure lying behind a small bush.


    No-no-no-no, fuck, not this.


    My legs carry me forward on their own. With each step I feel reality breaking into pieces.


    I really wanted to be wrong, but it really is Jane. She''s lying on her side with closed eyes, wearing the same dusty clothes, no scythe nearby, expression blank.


    "Fuck, no-no-no. Jane!" I call loudly, but there''s no response. Horrified, I bend over her and bring my fingers to her nose, ready for the worst moment of my life¡ª


    ¡ªbut she''s breathing. Bringing my head closer I realize she''s actually snoring softly.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    My heart unclenches while simultaneously being gripped by new worries and uncertainty. To be absolutely certain she''s alive, I check her pulse and heartbeat. Both are there.


    I''m visited by a faint hope that the presumed explosion and everything else was just a ritual mistake and she somehow flew all the way over here and lost consciousness. Her physical intactness supports this, but the burns...


    "Hey, Jane, wake up!" I start roughly shaking her and yelling right in her ear, testing my theory. Nothing else to do anyway.


    The result is painfully predictable: half a minute of effort goes nowhere. At the end I gather courage and do what I was afraid to even think about earlier¡ªgive her a solid slap. But Jane just continues snoring with a serene face. She looked about the same when she''d come home in the middle of the night after her shift at... not just the cafe and fallen asleep right on the kitchen couch.


    I shake her again, but she doesn''t even roll to her other side. The situation once again takes on a creepy-idiotic appearance.


    Maybe she''s coming down from some pill...? I thought. But when would she have taken it? And that doesn''t explain the destruction around us.


    "Jane, come on¡ª"


    "She won''t wake up," suddenly interrupted a familiar voice that sounded different.


    I cautiously turn around¡ªLily is standing by a nearby tree, holding a long sharp spear with a dark gold tip, her gaze piercing. I should have gone into shock, but instead I finally start grasping the essence.


    "What the fuck are you doing here? Noooo, this can''t be¡ª"


    "That''s right, John, I''m also a participant. And your sister won''t wake up."


    There was no trace of that sweet and playful girl from the courtyard. She looks and speaks with maximum coldness. Like back then, ordering me to give her my number and swear I''d keep my promise.


    2+2 add up on their own. The whole time Lily''s motivation was absurdly simple¡ªget closer to Jane.


    "What shit went down here? Did you put her to sleep?" I pull out the Glock but don''t manage to aim before Lily whispers something, waves her hand and it becomes hellishly hot¡ªmy fingers uncurl on their own and the gun falls to the ground. "Aaah, why''s it so burning hot, fuck!"


    "Who knows, who knows..." Lily purred sarcastically. "But the fact is she won''t wake up and is taken out. And you''re coming with me."


    "Yeah right, already running," I snapped. "Answer the questions. Did you do this to her? Is this why you tried to get close to me?"


    "You''re not in a position to talk to me like that," she sharply returned to her cold intonation. "Right now you have a simple choice: you come with me voluntarily or I force you. Come on, demonstrate some intelligence."


    What a bitch, obviously getting revenge for all the ignoring and groveling, I thought. Why isn''t the damn pill kicking in? It''s been like four minutes already.


    "Fine, we''ll skip the sudden movements," I pretend to surrender and demonstratively raise my hands. "But why do you even need me after, as I understand it, eliminating Jane? Wouldn''t it be simpler to kill¡ª"


    "My goals don''t concern you," she cuts off harshly. "Let''s go, we need to get out of sight quickly."


    I wait until she starts turning, quickly grab the gun and squeeze the trigger while raising it toward Lily¡ª


    ¡ªafter which it becomes even hotter than the first time and I drop it back with a cry. The two bullets I managed to fire only hit near my own feet.


    "Aaaah! Fuck, why does your magic hurt so bad?!" I howl.


    The next second the Glock flies into Lily''s hand, she clips it to her belt, lightning-fast runs up to me and lands several punches to my stomach. I instantly double over and cough up blood. They turn out to be so brutally powerful that it feels like I was beaten by a professional heavyweight boxer, not a fragile classmate.


    Lily delivers a final strike to my face, causing me to organically fall not far from Jane. However, I''m not given time to rest¡ªwith the same power she lifts me up by the shoulders and puts the spear to my neck.


    "Pull one more bullshit move, and it''ll be cuts instead of punches," she says with either sarcasm or threat.


    "Relax babe, I get it now," this time I genuinely surrender. The thought crosses my mind that besides spells she can somehow massively enhance her body.


    "Excellent," apparently for certainty, she grabs my arm and starts walking quickly, "let''s go."


    "You''re just going to leave Jane lying here?"


    "An ambulance will pick her up and take her to the hospital any minute now. And we definitely shouldn''t be seen here, so don''t slow down."


    "A regular hospital?! What nonsense? And who called it?"


    "Shut up. I said I won''t reveal my plans."


    I can only obey and silently maintain her pace, which isn''t so easy after the beating. After a few seconds I notice that the Glock is hanging on the same side where she''s holding my arm. With proper agility I should be able to grab it and shoot¡ªit would be an almost guaranteed hit that would strike her magical structure¡ª


    ~ THUMP.


    All thoughts abruptly stop and clear¡ªthe pill''s effect finally hits me. The physical pain goes away, I feel an unreal surge of energy and strength. Emotions dull, leaving pure reason and analysis. I reassess the situation.


    No, I clearly understand. The shooting plan is doomed to fail. Even if I succeed, her physical injury would be insignificant¡ªshe''d probably just knock me out.


    For now it''s better to obey Lily and wait for a more suitable moment. Seems she''s clueless about magical drugs and hasn''t realized I''m on the stimulant, which will give me a huge advantage. Main thing is not to reveal myself.


    Showing no sign of change, I continue limping and breathing heavily. The only problem is that I''m severely time-constrained¡ªI''ll have to seize an opportunity soon. And I''ll need to somehow make it to a safe place before the comedown.


    Meanwhile we leave school grounds through another exit and head to the parking lot. Obviously the rest of the journey will be by car. I''ll need to orient by the landscape.


    In parallel, other strategically more important thoughts fill my mind¡ªwhat happened while I was out? Everything is extremely strange and inexplicable.


    Most likely, someone attacked right as the ritual started. After all, it''s hard to believe Jane could mess up such an important process¡ªthis isn''t overlooking undead which she had no experience with. But who was it and what did they do to her?


    Analyzing it dispassionately, while I''m uncertain of Lily''s actual capabilities, her involvement seems dubious. Jane definitely knew she was a participant but chose not to inform me or move to eliminate her afterward. Most likely, she didn''t perceive Lily as a genuine threat¡ªthough the possibility of miscalculation remains.


    In that case¡ªit''s completely unclear what Lily is doing here. And if she did attack, why not finish Jane off and why "take me prisoner" when I''m totally harmless? What''s the nature of this "sleep" and can it be reversed? Will Jane really just go to a regular hospital?


    After thinking along these lines I come to the only conclusion¡ªI won''t be able to figure anything out on my own, but Lily has this information or some part of it, since she apparently saw everything firsthand. This means that after escaping I''ll have to face her again and somehow force explanations out of her. The chance of everything resolving itself is close to 0%.


    Damn, no sleep for me tonight. Oh well, first priority¡ªescape.

 21: Provocation

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    We entered an empty open parking lot and stopped beside a silver Lexus NX with fully tinted windows. Lily took some stylish keys from her belt and unlocked the car.


    "Hot damn, that''s some car," I comment in my style. "So you weren''t lying about being well-off, or do you also moonlight as some kind of thug?"


    In response I get a hit right to the solar plexus. Even under the stimulant I feel pretty sharp pain, convincingly stagger back against the hood and pretend to be gasping for air.


    "Ahh... Clearly you''re not worried about getting it dirty," I wheeze, naturally coughing and leaving drops of blood and dirt on the car. "Did I touch a nerve or something?"


    "No, I just want to comfortably put these on you," she said coldly, pulling out green handcuffs from somewhere in the back seat. Judging by the color, they have some magical effect, but I doubt I''ll feel anything.


    In a second Lily appears behind me, pulls my arms behind my back and there''s a restraining click. She has insane speed, but seems like she still doesn''t quite match Jane''s level.


    "I wouldn''t have resisted anyway."


    "We''ve been through that, so I prefer to be maximally harsh with you," she says firmly. "And if you''re so curious, I''m not involved in any criminal activity. My dad really does have a lot of money. Get in the front."


    "Haha, I was expecting the trunk or back seat with my mouth taped shut."


    "If you were a good little dog, you could ride wherever you want. But since I don''t trust you one bit, you''ll stay where I can watch you."


    "You''re being awfully rough with someone you wanted to hook up with romantically and passionately just hours ago¡ª"


    Lily interrupts me by slamming my face into the hood. Surprisingly it doesn''t dent, though it gets even dirtier. There''s almost no pain, but I wheeze anyway.


    "You perfectly well understood that was all an act, which you fell for," she says authoritatively. "Don''t push me, or I''ll beat you so bad you won''t be able to talk."


    "Ahh... Okay-okay... But babe, you clearly don''t care about keeping the car clean," I taunt and burst out laughing.


    Lily purses her lips, anger flashes in her eyes and the next second I get a series of knee strikes to the stomach. I fall back onto the ground, she sits on top and hits my face with both hands, then gets up and kicks me in the side to flip me onto my stomach.


    Blood flows from my nose and mouth, I convincingly groan and breathe heavily. It feels like taking a decent spill off a bicycle. Without the stimulant, I''d be genuinely screaming like I''m pretending to.


    I half roll my eyes and act like I''ve fallen into a semi-conscious state from the pain.


    "I warned you, asshole. Now you''ll think three times before daring to run your mouth again," the girl laughs, dragging me back.


    Perfect, exactly the reaction I was provoking. Now she''s sure I''m weakened and can''t move normally. This will significantly lower her guard, I thought. Can move on to the next phase.


    The stimulant exceptionally improves brain function and mental capabilities. In a normal state I wouldn''t have figured out how to play the situation so quickly.


    Lily effortlessly lifts my body and throws me into the front seat, I let out a fake groan. Then she jumps right over me into the driver''s seat, starts the engine, puts on some relaxing retrowave and carefully pulls onto the road.


    Combined with the almost full moon and comfortable seat of the luxury car, it creates an awesome vibe atmosphere... if you ignore my position as a beaten prisoner.


    Not wasting time, I carefully start working at the handcuffs with my functioning right hand to assess their strength. Fortunately she threw me half sideways and has limited peripheral vision.


    A couple times I have to stop as I anticipate they''ll make a clinking sound. After a few minutes I realize they definitely don''t have any extra weight or effects, like spikes piercing your hands if you squirm. Most likely they have some basic magic immunity or a kind of "silence" effect that prevents spellcasting.


    Next I slowly press my left hand to my back, "narrow" the fingers of my right and pull it back. The cuffs are fairly narrow and dig into the skin in front of the palm, but physically their material isn''t very strong. Applying a bit of force I push the cuffs forward, but this is accompanied by some stinging.


    Freeing both hands won''t work, but if I use my maximum strength, following this method I can get the right hand out, though it will be badly scraped. Really, I don''t need more than that, since the next second I''ll need to grab the gun. Just have to time it right and play out the scene.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I relax my arms and glance at the navigator on her phone. From my angle it''s turned too much sideways, I can only make out a clearly zoomed out map and blue arrow pointing almost straight up. This means we''re heading somewhere to the north of the city, but outside still just regular streets.


    Staying alert to my surroundings, I simultaneously turn over thoughts about why Lily needs all this. The dialogue between Caroline and Paul immediately comes to mind, where the latter begged to at least be used as bait for other participants.


    Can a normal person serve in that role while disguised as a supposedly weak mage...?


    No other even halfway coherent theories come to mind, but this chain of reasoning suddenly leads me to wonder about Lily''s identity as a participant. Why is she in such a good financial position but with low status? She must have a magical family, but from her tone you wouldn''t think her dad was detached from anything, though logically he should have the same status. Why did he let her participate in the Game? There are clearly some missing pieces here...


    While everything''s stable, I decide not to limit myself to guesses and directly find out as much as I can. Waiting about five minutes for realism, I act like I''ve somewhat recovered, moved around and comfortably fell back against the seat.


    "And still... I understand the logic of your actions before, but now why the hell do you need me? You know I''m a normal person and useless. As I understand it, you can''t blackmail Jane with her bracelet anymore," I force out through coughing. To encourage dialogue I deliberately mention information Lily might not know.


    "Hmm, so it was her bracelet..." the girl whispers barely audibly. I''m only able to make it out thanks to the stimulant. "If you''re still expecting some other answer, then you''re even dumber than I thought. Let me be crystal clear: from now on you''re my obedient and powerless pet, until a certain point. Either accept it and submit, or keep acting tough and take some serious beatings. And don''t get any ideas about escaping¡ªnormal people will never find you, and there''s no mage out there who''ll come to your rescue," she says, her tone suddenly turning harsh.


    "You''re not what you seem... If you''re planning to torture me, I''ll tell you right now I don''t know anything."


    "You do have certain information and you will share it, like where you and your sister''s house is. That''ll be in the morning, and your future condition will depend on you and your behavior, since I only need you physically intact. Be an obedient toy¡ªyou''ll keep some freedom, and in the worst case¡ªI''ll turn you into a drooling piece of meat."


    Magic can reduce someone to a vegetative state? Interesting...


    "Where''s all this hatred for me coming from? Because of unread messages?"


    "Don''t flatter yourself. I couldn''t care less about you¡ªyou''re just a tool to me. But it really pisses me off when things act up and resist, so shut up for your own good."


    When she finished speaking, she punched me in the stomach, causing me to double over and gulp air.


    Not much information, but one thing is very significant¡ªdespite her dismissive attitude, for some reason I represent high value to her, which needs to be used. Her ignorance about the bracelet reduces the chance that she caused all the chaos. The desire to visit our house, or rather base, can be interpreted different ways and speaks to lack of knowledge. Bottom line¡ªthis time she has a very convoluted strategy.


    Several minutes of silence pass, the surroundings finally change: we drive out of the main city area. I remember that northern Nightcrest has large administrative boundaries that include many suburban districts. If we need to find Lily''s base later, it''ll be somewhere in this part.


    Trees rush past outside, transitioning into a green park. On the other side buildings disappear and forest also begins. I notice we''re approaching a small bridge over a river. And it''s clearly high above it.


    Something clicks in my head¡ªinstantly a clear and simple plan forms with high chance of success. I don''t know the local geography, but there''s only one river and it doesn''t pass through other places. There won''t be better landscape.


    "Lily... I think I''m gonna throw up..." I complain in a strained voice.


    "You''ll hold it, we don''t have far," she responds indifferently.


    "I really... really don''t feel good. I can barely hold it in."


    "Shut it."


    "Lily, just a few minutes, otherwise I''m gonna puke everywhere... What can I do to you? I can barely move after you beat me up so bad," at the end I skillfully suppressed a reflex for convincingness.


    The girl turns her head and pierces me with a distrustful look while I supposedly gasp for air with my last strength. Finally she rolls her eyes and slows down, just as we''re driving onto the bridge.


    "You have a point, should take better care of keeping the car clean. Cuffs stay on, quickly puke in the river and back."


    "Th-thanks at least for that," I say with relief. She''s completely fallen for it.


    We stop roughly in the middle of the bridge. Lily jumps out of the car, opens my door and helps me to my feet. I pretend my head is spinning and nearly fall several times. After half a minute I start holding myself more or less steady and slowly approach the bridge edge, puffing my cheeks out strongly.


    The height is very good, plus there are several stone boulders right under the bridge, which opens up a better option. Time to act.


    I tilt my head forward, then deliberately lean my body forward and lose balance.


    "AAAAH, SHIIIIT!!! LILY, HELP ME!" I yell, bending over the railing and starting to fall.


    "IDIOT!"


    I''m already feeling weightless when I get yanked back by my hoodie and pulled back, set against the railing. I wasn''t wrong in assessing my value to Lily. And her speed really is inferior to Jane''s.


    "Why the hell did you get so close?! Puke while I hold you, otherwise you''ll¡ª"


    Using all my strength, I suddenly rip my right hand from the cuffs with a bloody tear and strike Lily in the back full force. She needs a second to process what happened, but it''s already too late¡ªshe falls down with the rusty railing, letting out a small cry. At the last moment I manage to reach out with my left hand and grab my Glock from her belt.


    "Eat that, you crazy bitch," I smirk and immediately jump back from the edge. A white magical flash can already be seen from below, I need to run as fast as possible. Trying to capture her would lead to a doomed fight.


    I sprint back at full speed. Passing by her Lexus, I realize the need to deprive her of mobility advantage and precisely fire a series of bullets into its gas tank. The car bursts into flames.


    I figure the best option is to disappear into the park, so I turn right and jump into the thickest brush. There''s no sense of pursuit, but I can''t relax for a second. Meanwhile I take out my cell phone, which Lily hadn''t discovered, determine my location on maps and look at the route home through school.


    2 hours 46 minutes, fuck... Good thing under the stimulant I can run continuously three times faster than normal.