Argh, what the hell just happened?
River opened his eyes before immediately flinching from the sudden light. He raised his hand and brought it to his face, hiding it from view.
Strange sounds echoed all around him, distant and incomprehensible, as if he were surrounded by glass walls.
He peeled his hand, blinking through the haze, trying to make sense of the disturbing situation. The last thing he remembered was being swallowed by a storm of colors...and now he was here?
But where exactly was here?
A classroom?
That was the only word that came to mind, even if it wasn’t entirely correct.
Rows and rows of desks were arranged in neat lines, each occupied with students of various descent. Moonlight cut through the room like a blade from god, illuminating the podium with its pale light.
But that was where the similarities ended. The first weird thing was, obviously, taking classes in the middle of the night! Who even wanted to study that late?
The second thing River would have commented on would be the uniforms his classmates were wearing, including himself.
Royal blue blazers, immaculately tailored, trimmed with silver. Fitted vests over white dress shirts, blue ties.
And the skirts, or pants, depending on the gender, were long, layered, adorned with silver embroidery so intricate it didn’t look like clothing, more like something you’d wear in a ball.
And the accessories, there were so many that River couldn’t count them even if he wanted to.
Decorative chains, ribbons, and an academy crest stitched to his chest, alongside a single red stripe that went down their shoulder.
River couldn’t comprehend why someone would force children to wear so many things to class. It was simply...useless.
The students themselves didn’t seem to care, taking notes on their laptops, following along with what the instructor was teaching.
His heartbeat spiked, and pupils dilated. The vast classroom suddenly felt so small. The walls were closing in on him, dancing alongside his dread.
His face turned pale, blood dropping to his feet, leaving him lightheaded. What the hell was happening? Where was he and how was he?
Is this a sick prank? Cause it’s not funny.
At that, River could only silently laugh, because he knew, oh, he knew all too well that what was happening around him wasn’t fake.
The question wasn’t why or when.
How?
River gripped the desk with his trembling arms, forcing himself steady. He felt like he was on a ledge, and a single mishap would leave him spiraling down a hole with no return.
Okay, so the TV fixed itself, ate me, and now I’m in a classroom full of teenagers wearing weird blue robes...? And Perseus is—
River turned sharply in his seat, scanning the room. Row by row, face by face, River took in the appearance of every single character, but there was no sign of Perseus.
There were over 30 students in the class, and all of them were fully focused on the instructor at the head of the classroom. The only exception was a black-haired boy, who for some reason seemed strangely out of it, falling asleep and waking up instantly.
He clenched his teeth and turned to look at the instructor. They had the same uniform as the female students, only with a silver cape billowing behind them.
She was tall, and combined with the already raised podium, it seemed like she was towering over everyone else. Her hands moved over the projected screen, a ruler held in hand.
She pointed at the top of a triangular semi-circle.
"And so the derivation follows directly from the property established in the previous theorem..."
Maths, she was teaching maths.
I got eaten by a TV...only to be chucked into a maths class?
The situation was getting more insane by the second.
He pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. The nausea had receded to a dull background presence, and his thoughts were beginning to organize themselves into something resembling order, which was a good sign.
He was adapting.
It’s fine, I can work with this, I only need to know where I am, and then I can make my way back hom—
"TV!"
The sudden scream shattered the tranquil atmosphere, cutting through the instructor’s lecture.
Slowly, all eyes turned to the black-haired boy, who was now standing on his desk, laptop beneath his feet. An incredulous expression made way on the instructor’s face.
She seemed torn between slapping the black-haired boy or burning the classroom itself.
"And what might be the sudden need to shout in my classroom, Mr Alexander?"
That name...
It was familiar, but River couldn’t quite get his disoriented mind to put a finger on it.
Before Alexander could answer, something else garnered the instructor’s attention.
The sound of a chair creaking echoed through the room.
River’s eyes snapped open, a feeling of unease crawling over his spine.
Plop.
Something landed on his nose. It was a snowflake, cold and white, barely larger than his fingertips.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to think about it as the silence was shattered once more. The white-haired student took a step forward, nearing the center of the room.
The podium where the instructor was standing was right before him, and the back of the room was behind him. The boy’s hands were dripping with a red liquid, and faint scratches lined his face.
The instructor, slightly annoyed at the disturbance, spoke directly to the boy.
"Is something the matter, Mr. Snow?"
The boy—Snow—didn’t respond, and instead stared at the ceiling of the classroom. It was a shade of blue, much like everything else.
The students were openly staring now, faintly annoyed at Snow for interrupting what would have been a brilliant shake-down of the black-haired boy.
Their laptops were pushed to the side, and even those who were sleeping were now awake. Snow took another step forward, now standing at the base of the podium, and the room went very, very quiet.
Unnaturally so. It was as if sound had been stripped from the air. River could hear his heart beating in his chest, his mind flowing with thoughts, each unbearably loud.
When the white-haired boy spoke, his voice was soft and warm, like a small flame.
"Instructor, do you know the future of our great coalition is in this very classroom?"
Snow pointed at the students, his eyes taking them all in.
"All of you students here will soon grow into powerful men and women. You are the protagonists and antagonists of this story we call life, and this..."
Another snowflake fell on River’s head, melting immediately after.
He paused, then glanced at the black-haired boy again.
"This is the first act!"
The instructor, realizing something was wrong, inched towards an alarm near the door.
But it was too late.
With a crazed smile on his face, Snow pulled a white handgun from thin air and fired.
The bullet tore through the classroom with a silent whizzing sound and smashed through the instructor’s forehead.
Her head burst like a balloon, sudden and total, with the air inside spilling outwards. But that was the thing, there was no air, only blood and flesh.
Blood sprayed the room in disgusting shades of crimson, organs and flesh splattering across the carpeted floors. Chunks of the instructor went everywhere with cheerful indiscrimination, leaving nothing unturned.
A-ah...She just died...
Snow fired four more bullets, each hitting a student dead center, the life snuffed from them in an instant.
They were drenched in the blood of their fellow classmates. And River, sitting near the podium, took full charge of it.
Blood spattered over his body, drenching him from head to toe. Bits and pieces of the students smashed against his face, dragging along his body with a sickening squelch.
River screamed, but there was no sound. None of the other students could scream either. It was as if sound itself had stalled, refusing to move in the presence of the terrifying man.
River’s heart beat in his chest, thumping wildly, the sound echoing inside his ears. Snow glanced at him, a crazed smile on his face.
A snowflake fell on the desk, the cool white a sharp contrast against the crimson blood.
His white eyes were glowing with a soft light, and his hair was dancing in the wind.
Snow raised the silver pistol to his head, laughing like a maniac.
"Say hello to the final boss!"
He fired, and just like that...
Snow died.