The exam paper was placed in front of me, its crisp white sheets taunting me as I nervously wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans. My eyes scanned the first few questions, and my heart sank - they were all complex trigonometry problems. I mentally cursed myself for not bringing a calculator, knowing it would make this exam much easier. I could hear the frustrated groans and sighs of my classmates around me, all struggling with the same equations. But unlike them, I had no weapon to aid me in this battle against numbers.
Time seemed to slow down as my anxiety intensified, each minute feeling like an eternity. Despite my efforts, I only managed to solve five questions in fifteen minutes - a new personal low. Mr. Allen's humming at the front desk was a distraction, but suddenly the sound escalated into a piercing screech that sent shivers down my spine and made every muscle in my body tense up. The chalkboard seemed to vibrate with the intensity of the noise, filling me with a growing sense of dread.
Mr. Allen's eyes bulged with a manic intensity as he violently scribbled on the blackboard, his oversized cursive writing resembling twisted vines that seemed to writhe and pulse. I strained my eyes in an attempt to decipher the chaotic letters, but before I could make sense of it, my classmate next to me let out a sharp gasp. Their voice rang out in a panicked tone, breaking through the tense atmosphere like a gunshot.
" The game is on." my classmate read it out loud.
Mr. Allen turned to face the class, his eyes dull and lifeless. He shifted from one foot to the other, his hands fidgeting at his sides. The students leaned backward in their seats, their eyes fixed on him with uncertainty. I sat on the edge of my seat, cautiously looking at his movements. "We should all perish for the new god to be welcome." Mr. Allen's voice becomes manic, his words spilling out in a frenzied rush. Before I can even process what he is saying, he frantically grabs a pen from his desk and begins stabbing at his own eyeballs, the sickening squelch of flesh and fluid filling the air as he repeats his sentence over and over again with each stab. The once-white surface of his desk is now splattered with red, and yet he continues to mutilate himself with crazed determination.
" We are all unworthy of you, Majesty!"
Panic-stricken, the class jolts up from their seats and frantically scurries to collect their belongings, desperate to escape. I snatch my backpack from behind my chair, but a sickening sight stops me in my tracks. My classmate stands behind me, his once-friendly face twisted into a grotesque mask of anguish as he slices a deep gash from ear to ear, blood spraying out like a macabre perfume and dousing me in its crimson spray. The stench of iron fills my nostrils and I can't look away from the horrifying spectacle unfolding before me.
My body hit the ground with a thud, sending shockwaves up my spine. My clothes were quickly stained with crimson blood, and I could feel the wetness seeping through the fabric. As I lay there in shock, my vision was obscured by long purple locks swaying in front of my eyes. Suddenly, pale hands grabbed onto my shirt collar and pulled me up from the ground. My heart raced as I struggled to make sense of what was happening. "Yugin, get a grip of yourself. Run!" was the first time I ever heard Mari yell. She shoved me away from the deceased body and we both ran out of the classroom.
The metallic scent of blood filled the air, coating every surface in a sickly sheen. The shrill screams of terrified students echoed through the halls, mixing with the sound of desperate footsteps and pounding heartbeats. Handprints smeared with blood left a gruesome trail along the cold floors, leading to lifeless bodies twisted in contorted positions - their eyes frozen in terror, their mouths agape in silent screams. This was a scene of pure horror that would haunt anyone who witnessed it for years to come My sole mission was to escape the building, but I wasn't alone in that goal. The mass of bodies surging toward the front exit of the school building created a chaotic and suffocating atmosphere. I was jostled and thrown around like a rag doll, struggling to stay upright amidst the sea of frenzied students. Finally breaking through the doors, I was greeted with blinding sunlight that stung my eyes but also brought a sense of liberation after fighting tooth and nail for freedom.
" Repenting is the only salvation to be in god graces!" As the religious cult members descended upon the chaotic scene, sirens blared and police cars arrived in a frenzy. Students scattered in all directions, some pushing past officers in their panic to escape the terror that had unfolded inside the building. Officers tried to stop them, shouting questions, but the fear in their eyes made it clear: something unimaginable had taken place within those walls. My only option was to go home and gather my thoughts.
******
I stumbled over the threshold, my limbs heavy and sluggish from the events that just took place. I made a beeline for the living room TV, fumbling with the remote until I found the news channel. The anchor's voice was a welcome relief amidst the chaos of my blurry thoughts, as they succinctly summarized the latest events.
"Yugin, today was certainly an eventful day for you." I heard Edel speaking from behind me.
"I guess you can say that again." My index finger clumsily pressed the buttons on the remote control until the news channel flashed onto the screen. The same woman I had seen earlier, with her wild hair and determined expression, now stood in the midst of the chaotic streets of Times Square, microphone in hand.
"Citizens of New York, beware of strange killings happening. More than five thousand killings are accounted for and the number is rapidly increasing. Bodies are being identified now but the name that brought many hearts to tears is Akane Kato. She is a beloved lawyer whom the citizens love and always put her in high regard. Today this morning she was killed along with her husband and small children. May she and every one of the now-deceased get the justice that they deserve to have."
" The other candidates are more focused on others rather than the other God candidates."
" They killed my mom . . ." I wondered which one of them had hatred for her.
Edel's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in shock, revealing the dark emptiness of his mouth. He couldn't believe what he had just heard.
The keys started to jiggle in the locks and I made quick eye contact with Edel, but he started to laugh out loud at me.
" Remember normal humans can't see me." However, Edel still went to my room, probably giving me a feeling of peace of mind.
Anxiety ran out of my body as the door finally opened, showing my father in his normal raggedy state. His eyes bulged open once his eyes fell on mine. "You shouldn't be alive." His mouth dropped open, his eyebrows raised in disbelief, and his fists clenched at his sides. Then suddenly, his expression turned cold and he fixed me with a glare full of resentment and anger. "I have written your name. Goddamnit!" He angrily dug into his baggy torn-up jeans and pulled out the death note. He showed me the page where my name was written in bold letters. "I'm going to start fresh and get rid of you people! I will be the next God!"
" That explains why Mom and her family died. You killed her."
"That's what that slut gets for cheating on me! Leaving me here to rot!! She even named my dead son after her affair partner. Damn to my son for being tainted by that name and damn them." his eyes darkened as he looked at me, " And damn you."
I clenched my jaw and tightened every muscle in my body to suppress the laughter bubbling up inside me. As he scribbled my name for the second time, his face twisted with frustration and I felt a wave of satisfaction wash over me for watching this drunken fool. I opened my bag and pulled out my death note which made my father go in shock. He stumbled back as he dropped his.
"Use the arrow you idiot drunk." white mixed with black angel had her hair like how the historians had theirs in the 1600's. Her dress was fitted on her with different colored gems laced on it. She looks expensive.
" O . . . oh, right." he frantically put his hand out as a red arrow appeared and threw it at me.
"It's pointless, Father."My voice dropped an octave, and my eyes grew cold as I forced myself to shed the fake persona I had been living with for so long. It was time to let go of the mask and show my true self. "Jiei Kato," I said as I wrote his name along with the other victims I had written before I left for school.
"Why won't you die!" He let out a deafening roar, the veins in his neck bulging as he seethed with rage. He couldn't understand how he had failed his mission to eliminate me, and the thought only fueled his anger further.
Thirty seconds had already passed, thirty more until he has a heart attack," Because I'm not Yugin, you fucking Drunk." I took the glasses off my face and tossed them to the side as I pushed my hair back to remember this pathetic sight of his. " I'm Dolion." as expected he was lost for words as his companion was shouting at him to do something. " Now seven users to go."
When he finally took his steps, he started to clench his chest where his heart was located, "I have the eyes, I see your name as Yugin and your lifespan . . . you are not supposed to live that long due to your heart issues. . ." His lungs burned with each agonizing breath, his knees buckling beneath him as he collapsed to the ground. The once pale skin of his face now flushed a deep red, veins pulsing as he gasped for precious air that seemed to slip further and further away from his grasp.
I walked to his body and crunched down to meet eye level with him as a wicked grin was placed on my lips. " And that's where you lost. I thought ahead for people like you. Good riddance."
"I was wondering when you will break character,"
I tilted my head to see Edel," I would still like to be called Yugin."
" No complaints from here, hello, Xena, I see you always pick the misfortunate people."
The other shinigami rolled her eyes in disgust, " I'm going back to the realm and I do not want to be disturbed."