Black Solstice-Chapter 3: Solstice Academy [2]

After what felt like an eternity, I finally regained my composure and snapped out of my stupor.

Let’s rewind a bit here;

I, Cassius Cain, had not woken up this morning expecting to be dumped into a wasteland straight out of a cosmic horror novel. I thought I’d go to some mysterious-but-normal college, maybe complain about my parents a little, and try not to embarrass myself on the first day.

Yet I was standing alone in a place literally called the Dark Lands, staring at a gothic nightmare academy my parents apparently paid tuition for.

I rubbed my temple in an attempt to proces everything.

"Alright, let’s take a breather here. First of all, I’m not dead. I’m completely certain of that and I’m not hallucinating either. And I definitely didn’t eat anything funny as well. I also wasn’t kidnapped against my will. Your parents wouldn’t pay for your abduction. Probably."

"So that means this is still a school. I think? Then what kind of university is this anyway? It’s incredibly creepy and scary. It’s like a different world compared to before we entered the tunnel."

...Wait.

A different world?

Did I seriously enter another world through a tunnel?

"...!"

Upon reaching that revelation, a cold shiver shot down my spine, and the hairs on my arms stood on end. My mind spiraled as everything suddenly clicked together — the empty bus, the impossible sky, the barren lands. None of this belonged anywhere on Earth.

My breath hitched.

And for the first time since arriving in this place, true dread began to crawl its way into my chest.

"Nope!"

I shook my head vigorously.

Hell no. There was absolutely no way I was attending this school. And to make matters worse, this place was literally called the Dark Lands for God’s sake!

Was this Hell? And if it wasn’t, then I was probably standing in a place that strongly resembled the underworld.

Either way, this was definitely not a place meant for humans.

The only logical choice was to get out of here as fast as possible.

But there was one gigantic problem.

The bus driver had already left.

He was likely my only ticket back home.

Damnit. Did this mean I had to wait for him to come back...?

For some reason, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.

"Oh my, what a peculiar predicament I’ve found myself in."

I shifted my gaze toward the massive silhouette looming in the distance.

"Guess that must be the academy... and it’s huge. From top to bottom, it looks like some kind of haunted mansion. No, calling it a giant castle is probably more accurate. What’s the history behind that place, I wonder."

A weak chuckle slipped out.

"God damnit. I seriously want to go home. Yeah, I’m going home. I’ve seen enough. I don’t want to continue this horror gameplay anymore."

Just then...

"GYAAAAGOOHHHOOO! COMING THROUGH!!"

A voice shrieked from behind me. Confused and alarmed, I snapped my head around only to see a girl, or rather, a young woman, barreling straight toward me on a bicycle at a terrifying speed.

W-What... this is...

My thoughts froze, unable to process anything further.

It was too sudden. There was no way to dodge at this micro instant.

As a result, the next moment slammed into me with the force of a freight train.

The bicycle collided with my side, sending me sprawling backward onto the cracked, dark soil. Immediately, pain flared across my ribs as I landed hard, the wind knocked out of me.

The girl tumbled off her bike in a dramatic flip, landing a few feet away in a crouch. She shot me a wild, panicked glance, and scrambled to her feet as if nothing had hurt her.

"Are you okay?! Are you okay?!"

I coughed and winced in pain. "I—I’m fine! I think..."

She skidded to a halt in front of me, her legs trembling like a sprinter at the starting line. Her eyes were wide, almost feral, and her expression a mix of guilt and adrenaline-fueled energy.

"Sorry! Sorry! I wasn’t... I didn’t see you... I mean, you just appeared of nowhere...!"

I blinked, struggling to process what I was seeing.

No, it wasn’t the collision with the bicycle that left me stunned. It was the young woman herself.

"She" was just too strange.

Her hair, long enough to cascade past her shoulders and nearly reach her waist, seemed normal at first glance. But it wasn’t the length that caught my attention, it was the quality.

Blood-red, darker and deeper than any red I had ever seen, like a vast, endless sea of blood. It moved with an almost unnatural fluidity, swaying even though the air was still. Something about her presence made my skin prickle.

And her eyes... I couldn’t take my gaze off them.

They were sharp, glinting with an intensity that felt too knowing for someone so young. An unholy intelligence was hidden within those green eyes.

Of course, there was also her body figure to consider.

First and foremost, her physique was porcelain and beautiful, with curves that seemed perfectly proportioned. She wore a loose-fitting red sweater that clung to her in a way that suggested both casual comfort and an unintended emphasis on her ample chest, the fabric stretching slightly at the seams.

Paired with it were black athletic leggings with white stripes running down the sides, hugging her hips and thighs in a manner that accentuated their fullness. A black choker adorned her neck, from which hung a small, intricate pendant that glinted faintly, adding a touch of mystery to her otherwise sporty attire.

Her movements were a whirlwind of energy, as she bounced slightly on her feet, her hands fluttering nervously as she continued her barrage of apologies.

"Oh no, you’re bleeding... Here, let me clean that for you."

Noticing the thin trail of blood sliding down my forehead, the strange girl stepped closer, raising a handkerchief with delicate care. But just as she reached me, her movements faltered. She froze as if something unseen had seized hold of her.

"Ah... the scent... of blood..." she whispered, almost entranced.

Before I could ask what that meant, her body slumped forward, collapsing against my chest.

"...!"

Huh? What... what is happening? More importantly, what am I supposed to do in this kind of situation?

Her weight wasn’t much, but the suddenness of it made me freeze like a statue.

Not only that, her scent was rather enchanting herself or was it her perfume, I wonder.

She lay against me, her cheek pressed to my chest, breathing softly. Her fingers twitched, almost as if resisting the urge to grab something.

Or... bite something.

Wait.

"Um... h-hey?" I croaked, unsure whether shaking a potentially unconscious girl was morally acceptable in this situation. "Are you, uh... okay? Did you just faint right now? Hold on, am I an idiot? Of course, she won’t be able to answer me if she really lost consciousness!"

In addition, why was she pressing her face into my chest like she was inhaling the very essence of my soul?

I slowly raised a hand to poke her shoulder, gently.

"Hey. Y-You’re alive, aren’t you?"

At first, there was silence.

Then—

"...warm..."

I stiffened.

Warm?

Warm what?!

Her fingers curled ever so slightly into the fabric of my shirt.

"Warm... blood..." she breathed out in a whisper so soft it crawled directly up my spine.

My brain went blank.

I felt a chill so severe it could’ve flash-frozen the Dark Lands themselves. Instantly, I tried to inch away without moving her too abruptly because the last thing I wanted was to wake whatever instinct just took over.

But the moment I shifted even an inch, her arms suddenly tightened around me like a steel trap.

"H-Hold on—! Personal space! PERSONAL SPACE!"

To my dismay, the only response I received was a slow, deep inhale of someone smelling a very fine wine.

Oh God.

This woman was sniffing me.

She was literally sniffing me like I was a restaurant special.

Under normal circumstances, I would have been happy somewhat, perhaps even a little horny but this entire situation was just odd and weird.

I whispered shakily:

"P-Please stop smelling me... That’s a very weird sentence to say out loud but I stand by it."

Suddenly, she stirred.

Her eyelashes fluttered, brushing lightly against my chest as she lifted her head. Her unfocused gaze slowly sharpened, pupils dilating slightly before settling into their earlier intense brown.

She blinked.

Then she blinked again.

"...Ah."

Her expression brightened, as if remembering something wonderful.

"You smell absolutely delicious!"

...Yeah, those words were not ominous at all.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Or rather, nothing had the chance to come out.

Because in the very next heartbeat, faster than a reflex, faster than thought itself, she darted forward.

A cold breath brushed my skin—

Bite!

And her teeth sank into my neck with frightening speed.