chapter 35: The shadows Beneath Hamilton

Chapter 35: The Shadows Beneath Hamilton

The warning note felt heavier in Rin's hands than it should have. The implications were clear—someone had expected him to die in that duel. More than that, they were angry he hadn't.

Elsa's words lingered in his mind.

"This isn't just a school. It's a hunting ground."

He turned the note over, searching for any hidden message. The paper was smooth, the ink still fresh. Whoever sent it had delivered it personally—not through a messenger.

Elsa leaned against the stone wall, arms crossed. "I don't know who sent that, but if I had to guess? The ones in charge don't like unpredictability. You winning against Edmund? That wasn't in their plans."

Rin met her gaze. "And what are you in their plans?"

She smirked. "A caged animal they can't quite tame."

The words held weight, but Elsa changed the subject before he could pry further. "Stay alive, Ryukai. This place eats the weak."

She turned to leave, but before disappearing into the night, she left him with one final warning.

"Beware the Red Moon."

Back at Hollow Dorm, Rin found the others waiting. Ezra sat on her usual seat near the door, arms folded. Selena leaned against the window, watching the academy grounds in silence. Charlotte tightened the bandages on his wound, clicking her tongue.

"You should've dodged," she muttered.

Rin smirked. "I did. Just not in the way he expected."

Ray lay on his bed, arms behind his head. "So? What's next?"

Before Rin could answer, the bells tolled. Midnight.

Then, it happened.

A faint, inhuman whisper slithered through the dorm halls.

The temperature dropped. The air felt heavier, suffocating.

Selena tensed. "It's happening again."

Rin moved to the door, opening it just a crack. Outside, the dim blue lanterns flickered, casting eerie shadows along the corridor.

Then, he saw them.

Figures in dark cloaks moved soundlessly through the halls. Their steps didn't echo. Their movements were too smooth—too unnatural.

And they weren't alone.

Behind them, students walked in a trance-like state, their eyes vacant, their bodies moving as if under a spell.

They were being taken.

Rin's grip tightened on the door handle. "Where the hell are they taking them?"

Ezra exhaled slowly. "The Vanished. Every year, students disappear, but no one speaks of it. Those who do… don't last long."

Selena's voice was quiet. "We need to follow them."

Ezra shot her a sharp look. "And get ourselves taken too?"

Rin didn't hesitate. "We'll stay out of sight."

Ray stood, cracking his knuckles. "Let's move, then."

The group slipped out of Hollow Dorm, keeping to the shadows. They trailed the cloaked figures through the academy's winding paths until they reached the West Wing.

Rin's gut twisted. Again?

The figures approached the mirror wall from the previous night. Without a word, they placed their hands on its surface.

A crimson glow flickered.

And then—they walked through it, vanishing into the glass.

Selena muttered a curse. "That's a blood gate."

Ray raised an eyebrow. "Which means?"

Charlotte answered grimly. "A door that only opens with blood. It's old ancient technology."

Ezra stepped forward, examining the mirror. "Which means someone inside Hamilton is using forbidden arts."

Rin exhaled. This school just keeps getting worse.

Before they could get closer, the sound of approaching footsteps forced them to retreat into the shadows. A group of high-ranking students—Noble Class, by their uniforms—marched past.

At the front was a familiar face.

Edmund Crowley.

Rin's blood boiled at the sight of him, but what caught his attention was the emblem on Edmund's collar.

A red moon.

Elsa's words echoed in his mind.

"Beware the Red Moon."

The next morning, Rin and the others sat in the academy library, poring over old records. If they were going to survive Hamilton, they needed to understand its secrets.

Selena traced a finger over a faded text. "The Red Moon isn't just a symbol. It's a faction. A hidden group within Hamilton that controls… everything."

Ray frowned. "So, what? A secret society?"

Ezra's expression was grim. "More than that. They decide who rises and who falls. And according to this… every student who 'vanished' in the past had some connection to them."

Charlotte looked up from another book. "If that's true, then Edmund Crowley isn't just some noble brat."

Rin clenched his fists. "He's part of the Red Moon."

Everything clicked into place. The academy's unspoken rules. The disappearances. The warning note.

Someone wanted him dead because he wasn't supposed to disrupt their system.

Rin closed the book in front of him.

If the Red Moon thought they could decide his fate…

They were in for a rude awakening.

That night, another note arrived under their door.

But this one was different.

Instead of a warning, it was an invitation.

"Squad 7—You have been selected for the Night Hunt. Meet at the Arena of Blood at midnight. Refusal is not an option."

Ezra exhaled. "They're pulling us deeper."

Selena crossed her arms. "Then we'll just have to fight our way out."

Ray grinned. "Now that's more like it."

Champa remaining indifferent as always

Rin smirked.

Let the hunt begin.