Chapter 56: Everything that could go wrong

From the restroom, where Nero was standing, he could not see the hallway. Nevertheless he felt the sudden shift in the energy in the room, and time seemed to flow down as he saw the expression on his roommates change. The casual nonchalance changed into surprise and horror, which was immediately followed by great vigilance.

Before Nero could inquire about the situation, the smell hit him like a sledgehammer. The raw, metallic tang of blood could be both nauseating and debilitating, but none of them were inexperienced.

Anthony and Felipe raised their weapons and eyed Nero once more, seriously assessing him for any dangers.

"We need to alert the guards without attracting too much attention," Anthony had only begun to say when the ear piercing, blaring fire alarm turned on. There were alarms in every room, and larger sirens in every hallway to ensure that the noise could not be ignored.

"Close the door and come back in," Nero yelled. He did not know what they had seen outside in the hall, but it was clear that the guards were alerted to the situation here, or at least would be as soon as they investigated the alarm.

More importantly, they needed to not attract any attention. Countless scenarios ran through Nero's head, and while this was not the time to indulge in conspiracies, he was certain that this had something to do with the ruins, and maybe even the impending recruitment test.

But the situation was deteriorating quickly. The door to his room burst open and Gabriel came limping out, the right half of his body slack as if he had no control over it.

Fear and panic were evident on his face as he searched the room and finally locked eyes with Nero.

At the same time, a viscous shriek travelled through the hallway and the three seniors locked eyes with something.

"That's not a curse," Anthony yelled as he ran outside. The rest of what he was saying was drowned out by the siren.

The situation was well screwed, so Nero immediately entered a state similar to the one he had been in the temple. A flame was lit in his heart, absorbing all his unnecessary emotions and bringing him to a state of perfect clarity.

Gabriel, while in an unusual state, was still lucid and in control of himself so Nero approached while raising his guard. The three other roommates must have come to the same conclusion since they decided to ignore him, and had begun fighting something in the corridor. Soundings of chaotic fighting already filled the building, and Nero could hear the sounds of countless children panicking.

He did not dismiss the sounds or push them out. It was important to know what was happening around him, even if vaguely.

But it was not his disfigured state that was the most horrifying. It was his eyes, the sheer panic in them. Through his eyes Nero could see traces of the students mind, aware and trapped within his own body as it was used by some abomination. He was very much still alive.

Nero did not wait for the creature to attack first. Despite the soreness of his body, and the fatigue that had carried over from yesterday, he struck with speed and swiftness that left his figure a blur, with even the student not being able to respond properly.

He raised his right hand, as if to block him, but Nero struck the feet first. There was no mercy or hesitation in his movements as he cut through the vines, and probably the students' muscles as well. The student, having lost his balance, fell forward. Nero used that opportunity to climb behind him, and cut the vines in his arms as well, just for good measure.

To be safe, since he didn't know how sturdy the creatures' defences were, he slammed the students head into the ground, hoping to knock him unconscious. Fortunately that worked.

Perhaps others would have been more lighthanded in their attacks, considering that this was the body of their own school mates. But by not cutting his neck off and eliminating the threat completely, Nero was already being soft hearted.

Without the need to look, Nero used his free hand to sift through his cards in his case as he quickly retreated back into the apartment. He would be unable to identify most cards based on touch alone, but there were a few cards in his collection that were higher quality than the rest, and so could easily be identified by the subtle differences in how they felt on the tip of his finger.

When he found the card he was searching for, without even double checking for confirmation, he pulled it out and used it.

A few seconds later, darkness began to fill the room, hiding everything from view as he pulled Gabriel back into their room. Hopefully that would be enough, either until the guards came, or until Nero was done.

Continuing right where he left off, he began tracing the vines with his flaming finger, freezing them stiff. There was a good chance that this might cause Gabriel frostbite as well, but they couldn't really be picky right now.

Although the plants began to freeze almost immediately, it took much longer for them to actually freeze to the point where Nero could snap them off. For whatever reason, with Gabriel, the plant had not been able to move past the leg, which made his job easier. Or, if it did move past it, it did so internally.

Throughout this process Gabriel was grunting and whimpering as the vines squirmed, trying to resist his flame, no doubt causing him a lot of pain. But Nero's hand remained steady throughout the process, his eyes cold and calculating.

It felt like eternity, but in truth, Nero was able to break off most of the vine in under a couple of minutes, until it stopped moving completely. Although he had not removed all of it, since he did not want to pull it out of Gabriel's body, he was at least certain that it was dead.

With the immediate concern for his roommate resolved, Nero focused on the next thing. It had been a couple of minutes, and help had not arrived. Was the situation more serious than he realised?