Do you want them to fade into nothing?

Better than being swallowed up by you.

Us! To kill a RiftRipper, we must become one. Our union brings strength.

You want to kill them for strength? Is that all they are to you?

Food. Souls are food to us. We eat and become. The strength of their souls can be ours. But only if we act.

Why don’t you just do it then? Why do you need my permission?

We can only become one if we learn to agree. Surrender brings union.

I look out to see my fellow classmates.

Never eat another face. Understood? It isn’t right.

Eating is transference.

Promise me.

We promise us to never eat the sad faces.

Very well. I surrender to you.

Keheh. Surrender your morals but kill with resolve.

Black goop coils around my arms, pooling into my hands and making them blades.

We kill together.

I step into the crowd. “Soul Claim.”

My mind is in a jumble, and though I’m bleeding out my body still moves. Rage courses through my blood as I stab my knife into the boy I had a crush on for years. Unable to stop my own body from moving, I bring down the blade along with it, seeking to make him stay with me forever. My arm explodes in pain and falls to the floor. A black blur then pierces me, lifting me off the ground.

I look up at a black blur killing a girl whose face I no longer recognize. I see the monster for a moment. He’s as tall as a boy, but darkness covers his body like a fog. A black appendage emerges from the fog and my head goes spinning.

While screaming at my body to defend myself, I see my friend’s head in the air. It took me a moment to realize the odd thing about it. There was no body. Pain runs up my spine and my vision splits.

Blood sprays on me from the student in front of me. That monstrous child killed him. I pray with all my heart that the rebels burn the school and its twisted ideologies to the ground. The monster approaches me and pierces his knife into my chest. I was already dying before. Why…

The floor turns black. After each kill, the Monster devours the body with a mouth of darkness, eating flesh and memory. I tell my body to run, but it instead chokes my classmate. He was always a show off, but I never wanted to kill him. Screams erupt as the black fog becomes blades, slicing us to pieces in an instant.

We see the Monster from a panorama of different angles. Death does not simply seize us with its blades, it devours our flesh and blood. Even our screams are pooled into the creature, leaving our last moments in silence.

I no longer recognize my body. My arms and legs have been swallowed by black fog, hiding my true form under a cloak of guilt.

We no longer recognize my mind. Screams are all we hear in our head. Our identity is drowned beneath them.

We no longer recognize anything. The ground is caked in white something. There are objects that erect from it, but we can’t recall their names. Two spheres, one rising and one setting…the name is lost to us.

The black cloaks around us slice apart the darkness and pull out a body of flesh.

Is this our flesh? Or theirs?

One of the black hoods looks down at me. “Every one of the Assailants survived. I’m very impressed. Round them up. It’s time for them to return home to claim victory.”

We see figures leave a cave and approach me. A hand pulls me out of the muck.

“Pull it together. We’ve won.” Her lips touch mine and though I can’t recall her name, I can feel her love.

She’s important to us.

Another figure pats my cheeks over and over. “Wake up, Weech.”

Is that our name?

We reach out and pat her head.

She smiles at me.

The first figure kisses me again. “Say something.”

We smile. “If I speak…you’ll stop kissing me.”

The two girls embrace me with their warmth.

The black hood cuts the air and tears it open into a portal. “Enter now. There’s no time to waste.”

We all step through the portal, hand in hand.

We find ourselves in a classroom.

Teacher’s classroom…where it all began. My memories…are coming back.

WarWolf hugs me. “You’re looking better already.”

Yes! Me not us. I’m someone. I’m Weech.

I grab her as tight as I can. “I almost lost it…but you’re my anchor. You saved me.”

WarWolf rubs her knuckle against my forehead. “BunBun helped too, you know.”

Goopy grins. “I knew you’d be okay.” His hand was shaking.

I hold my head. “Did I really kill them all.”

WarWolf kisses my forehead and holds my hands. “Feeling guilty about it what they…it isn’t what your parents would want. They were already dead. We all were.”

BunBun pulls everyone into a group hug. “We did it!” She kisses my cheek. “Way back when my mom warned me. Said I should get a shield to die for me, that’s why I first became your girlfriend.” She blushes. “But it wasn’t necessary! We made it! We all made it together! Friends forever and always! Go Assailants!”

The Principal’s voice echoes throughout the room. “One last sacrifice is needed. Glory to the Guild! Glory to Isekai!”

No…no more. Eat my tears, please.

Mmm. With pleasure.

Goopy looks up at us with swirling eyes. “Why does it have to be this way. I knew it was coming. The final test, my parents told me too. After I blackmailed them. It’s obvious who you’re all going to pick.” He whips out his blade. “I’m not just going to accept death.”

BunBun steps up to him. “We’re friends; we wouldn’t.”

“Stay away!” Goopy slashes her hand and she cries.

WarWolf pulls BunBun aside and growls at Goopy. “Nobody said we’re killing you.”

Goopy kept his knife out. “Then step back. If we’re going to talk about this, do it fairly. Then I get to cast my vote. Weech should die! He killed the quitters. He killed CamOctopus and he didn’t even realize it! He’s already a walking corpse.” He stares at me with hate in his eyes.

That girl’s voice. Back when I killed the quitters and traitors. It was her.

I ate her face for us. I ate all their faces. Did it for you, for us!

I turn and throw up. “I…agree with him. I should die.”

BunBun stomps her feet. “No! No! No! I’m going! I’ve held it back long enough. I’m not the great assassin I used to be. I lost all that when I killed Momma. I can’t even see. I’m not gonna survive out there. They’ll probably use me to hurt the rest of you. If I can die for my friends, then I’ll be a happy girl. Momma and the BunBuns in my head will be free.”

WarWolf restrains BunBun. “Goopy should go! We barely know him! For all we know he could be a traitor.”

She’s protecting me. That’s right. I owe it to her to live.

I gulp.

The exam has only begun and we’re already at the edge of despair. If I don’t act soon, I’ll lose someone precious to me.

I silence my breath and hide my presence as I approach Goopy.

“Turning invisible just like CamOctopus! Great trick!” Goopy points his knife at WarWolf. “You love her, Weech?”

“Of course I do. That’s why we need you to die. We’re like a family. We wouldn’t do this if we didn’t have to.”

“I loved CamOctopus. She was my best friend. You killed her. Forget the sacrifice. This is payback.” He rushes at WarWolf but I kick him back. “I’ll kill you too!”

“You’ll have to before I let you hurt her.”

Goopy lunges at me with his knife. I let him cut me. My darkness eats his knife. My hand holding his throat then grows the blade.

He falls back, blood squirting from his neck.

BunBun screams and sobs. “I could have saved him.”

Goopy glares at me as he dies. His cloak distorts and then juts out.

WarWolf deflects the first six hits.

Must protect her!

My darkness comes out of me and slices the air.

I see black tendrils flailing around. They look so close. I look down to see my fingers fall off my hands. Then my legs fall apart.

It doesn’t hurt. Weech, I forgive you.

My awareness returns to me in a jumble. Goopy is blood-soaked. A pile of flesh lies before him.

“Don’t tell me what happened. I…don’t want to know.” BunBun sobs in her hands.

I turn around. I don’t see WarWolf anywhere.

What just…happened? Oh…

I spot her head and pick it up.

Smile for me, sweetheart.

“You…you don’t look so good. I’ll put you back together.” I take the slabs of flesh and start putting her back together as my mind wanders. “Don’t worry, BunBun. WarWolf is going to be fine.” I stifle my tears.

Goopy holds himself shivering. “You killed her! You’re a monster!”

I look at him with empty eyes. “You…pulled her in. Used her as a shield.” I step to him.

“I’m not going to be another of your victims!” Goopy plunges the knife into his own chest. “Who will you blame now?”

I pick up another piece of WarWolf but my hand freezes.

She’s really gone. And so is our baby. There’s nothing left to lose.

BunBun touches my cloak and then gropes around until she finds my hands. “Weech…you want to die…don’t you?”

The darkness can’t eat my tears faster than they flow. It eats my legs.

I’m becoming a RiftRipper.

“Yeah…if she’s gone…what is the point. You have to end me. You won’t get another chance.”

My legs are already gone, taken over by the Black Seed.

There is no becoming one is there? You just eat me like all the others.

So cynical.

BunBun pats my cheeks, bringing me back to awareness. “If I do it…do you think I’ll be able to see again?”

I set down WarWolf hand and grab BunBun’s.

It’s shaking.

I steady her hand and move the needle to my neck. “I don’t think it will work if you don’t push it yourself.”

BunBun sobs. “Will you stay with me forever?”

I force a smile. My eyes are as dry as a dessert. “I won’t have a choice. And as long as you live on…we all do.”

BunBun presses the needle into my neck but I feel nothing.

The walls turn black. She gets swallowed up by darkness.

Everything goes black.