8. The Return to Hell
The iron gates of Blackwood Academy stood tall in front of Ethan just like they always did
Big. Cold. Hard.
They once felt like a prison
Now they felt like a graveyard
A graveyard where his old self had been buried
The weak boy who was scared in the halls
The boy who begged for help
The boy they left to die
And still he was here again standing at the entrance
But this time he was not the same Ethan
He was not the helpless boy they hit and kicked
He was not the boy they laughed at and spit on and broke
That Ethan had died in the old dorm
This Ethan had come back from death
His hoodie was pulled low over his face. Shadows covered his eyes. His hands used to shake and feel small. Now they felt strong and still
His body moved different now. Every step was sharp. Every breath was steady
Even his heart beat slower
Quiet. Cold
The system spoke inside his head. A soft voice he now lived with
"Claim vengeance"
The words wrapped around his thoughts like a rope. They pulled tighter with every step
"Make them suffer"
Ethan walked through the gates
The other students moved around him like always. Laughing. Talking. Pushing each other for fun. None of them saw him
None of them knew the dead boy was back
His breath shook as he stepped into the courtyard
Then he saw them
Damian
His blond hair shone under the weak sun. His uniform was clean and neat like always. He stood tall like he owned the world. Like nothing could touch him
And near him—
Tyler. Mason. Jake
The ones who held Ethan down
The ones who kicked him again and again
The ones who laughed while he begged them to stop
Ethan's hands twitched
Then—
Damian laughed
It was loud. Full of pride
Ethan's eyes blurred. His breath became slow and rough
He knew that laugh
It was the sound he heard when he could not breathe
It was the sound in his ears as they hurt him
It was the last thing he heard before everything went dark
"They think you're dead"
The system spoke again. The voice was cold
"They think they won"
Damian smiled now. He leaned on a bench. He had no idea that the boy he left to die was right there
"That little rat finally did something useful and died"
The words hit Ethan like lightning
For a second everything else was gone
The voices around him. The people. The noise. All gone
Only his heart stayed
Slow and dangerous
Only his eyes stayed
Locked on them
Laughing
Smiling
Still living like nothing happened
Ethan's hands became fists
His nails dug into his skin but there was no blood
Because he was not weak anymore
He would never be weak again
"Claim vengeance"
The voice wrapped around him. It held him close
"Make them fear"
"Make them suffer"
Ethan swallowed hard
He closed his eyes for a second and pictured it
Damian's face full of fear
Tyler and Mason and Jake screaming for help
Just like he had
Just like no one helped him
The feeling was strong
The need to hurt them to break them to give them pain
He could do it now
Right here
Right now
He could stop all of them before they even knew
His body was too strong now
His speed was not human
They could not fight him
He could pull Damian into the dark and bite into his neck before he could even speak
The thought made Ethan shiver
His hunger woke up
But he pushed it away
No
Not yet
Not here
A quick death would be too easy
Too kind
They did not kill him fast
They took their time
They liked it
And now he would do the same
His lips moved a little. Not a smile. Something darker
He would wait
He would watch
He would let them laugh and live and feel safe
And when the time was right—
He would take it all from them
One by one
Until nothing was left
Ethan let out a breath. His hands stopped shaking
His heart did not race anymore
His anger did not burn wild
Now it lived deep in his bones. Cold and strong
"You are not the same anymore"
The voice in his head was not soft now
It was the truth
And Damian
He had no idea what was coming
Ethan looked at them one last time then turned away. He stepped into the dark
Tomorrow the hunt would begin