Don't accuse me of murder...

Kyle was caught off guard, unable to respond. He sat there, looking like a deer in headlights. Finally, he stuttered, "I mean... I... I'm just an elf..."

Aiden didn't bother acknowledging him, simply standing up after tying his shoe. "We need to get back to class. This place is suffocating."

Kyle readily agreed, relieved to escape further questioning. As they walked down the hall towards their classroom, Kyle suddenly stopped. "The principal requests your presence in his office."

Aiden cursed under his breath, "That man should leave me alone." He turned to face Kyle, asking, "Do you want to come along?"

Kyle felt obligated to follow Aiden, fearing that refusing would only arouse suspicion. He reluctantly trailed behind Aiden to the principal's office.

[System: Do you want to punish him?]

"Who?" Aiden asked, perplexed by the system's question.

He had only asked Kyle to accompany him as a guide, avoiding the need to access his predecessor's memories. But the system's sudden prompt caught him off guard.

[System: To punish Kyle for not protecting you.]

Aiden dismissed the suggestion, "Leave it be."

He sighed, muttering to himself, "What good would that do?"

As they approached the staff building, Kyle asked, "Do you want me to go inside with you?"

He bowed his head, standing beside the door. Aiden gazed at him, then sighed, "I wonder what a loser like you would do in there. Run and hide in a corner while he scolds me?"

"It's not like that…" Kyle tried to explain again, but Aiden's raised hand silenced him.

"It's okay, Kyle. You're starting to disturb my ears." Aiden shunned him, his tone dismissive.

After a few knocks on the door, the principal responded, "If it's Aiden Smith, you can come in."

Aiden entered the warm, cozy room, his gaze sweeping across the space before settling on the principal.

The principal's voice snapped him out of his trance. "So, what now? Stop gawking at the room like you've never seen it before."

Aiden feigned a cough to diffuse the tension and sat down in one of the chairs in front of the principal.

"Why have you called me? I have business to attend to, so be quick about it." He pretended to check his watch, scowling.

The principal began, his voice calm, "Mr. Alex, I didn't summon you to fight. I only want to know how and why you killed Kai."

Aiden's eyes softened slightly, sensing the pain behind the principal's words. He almost blurted out answers but cautioned himself.

"Why should I tell you? Are you keeping tabs on me now?" Aiden asked, his tone guarded.

The principal slammed his hands on the table, his face contorting in anger. "You're a murderer and a suspect in the recent school murders! You need to answer me, and that's the only way I can assist you."

Aiden chuckled, shaking his head. "Are you threatening me?"

He stood up and walked towards the door, leaving the principal stunned and speechless.

As Aiden reached for the door handle, the principal's tears and desperate plea stopped him.

"You...you should please help me." The principal begged, his face a mix of sadness and anger. "You're the only one who can help me solve this."

Aiden turned back, confused. "Why should I help you, and what exactly am I helping you with?"

The principal gestured for Aiden to return and sit. "Can you hear me out?"

Aiden sighed, releasing the door handle. "Giving you a listening ear doesn't mean I'll help you." He returned to his seat, his expression skeptical.

"So, what's it about?" he asked, his legs tapping against the table.

The principal, still tearful, explained, "The higher-ups are threatening to fire me if I can't find those responsible for the students' deaths. At least, give them a name."

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "How does that concern me? I didn't kill anyone. I've been out for 21 days, I couldn't possibly be the one killing your students, could I?"

The principal's face turned grim, and he stuttered, "We...can't say...if you were just faking it..."

Aiden's expression darkened, and he rose from his seat, grasping the principal's shirt collar. "Don't accuse me of murder. I only kill those who deserve death."

He glared at the principal, then released him and sat back down, moving closer. "Do you really need my help, or do you just want a scapegoat?"

The principal, still shaken, struggled to respond before Aiden continued, "When I say those who deserve to die, I'm not sure you're not one of them."

The principal's face paled, and he begged, "No, Mr. Aiden, I'm not threatening you. It's just that Mr. Kai was an important student, and his parents will ask questions."

Aiden smiled, nodding. "Tell them the truth. The truth."

The principal repeated, "The truth?"

He stood up, his back facing the principal, and added, "Tell them their son was a threat to humanity, so we had to eliminate him."

Aiden emerged from the principal's office, his expression grim and his fists clenched.

"Let's go," he spat, his tone terse.

As they walked to the student union building, Kyle attempted to ease the tension with small talk. "So, what did the principal discuss with you?"

Aiden's response was curt. "Nothing much."

Kyle persisted, "It doesn't look like nothing..."

But Aiden's glare silenced him. "If you keep pestering me, then it's better we go separate ways."

Kyle's confusion grew as they've already reached the student union building. "And why the need to do that? We're already..."

Aiden turned to him, his expression unreadable. "Oh, let's go in then. What are we waiting for?"

As they entered the building, darkness enveloped them, making it impossible to see.

Aiden asked, "Is it usually this dark?"

Kyle fumbled for his phone to use as a light, but before he could answer, a sack was shoved over his head, and he was unable to breathe.

The last thing he heard was Aiden's muffled voice, "What the fuck is happening?!"