Ascension: The First Ending

No one dared to move.

Even breathing felt suffocating.

The atmosphere grew heavier, fear thickening the air.

The creature stood still at the front of the classroom, yet the crimson roots coiling around its body pulsed as if they were alive. Its hollow black eyes swept across the room, as if searching for something.

Bayu held his breath, his gaze locked onto the terrifying figure.

Why is it just standing there?

Amidst the suffocating silence, suddenly—

Creeeak!

A sharp, grating noise echoed through the air. A female student had accidentally bumped into the desk behind her.

In the very next second, the creature's head snapped toward the sound with an unnaturally rigid and jerky motion. Its mouth—if it could even be called that—split open, unleashing a piercing, unnatural scream.

KRIEEEEEEEKKK!

The sound tore through the air, stabbing into their eardrums. It was so sharp that the classroom windows trembled violently, on the verge of shattering. Bayu instinctively clamped his hands over his ears, his jaw clenching.

Damn it, this sound is insane!

As if it had pulled the trigger, the creature's shriek shattered what little composure remained. Chaos erupted.

"AAAAH!!"

"Get out! WE HAVE TO GET OUT!!"

Students scrambled in every direction, some tripping over desks, others crashing into chairs. The classroom became a cacophony of screams and crashing furniture—a complete disaster.

And the creature… went berserk.

The crimson roots that had been wrapped around its body shot out wildly, lashing, ensnaring, and striking with terrifying force. One root slammed into a desk, splitting it clean in half, while another coiled around a student, yanking them backward with brutal strength.

Bayu remained frozen in place.

His fists clenched, his body stiff, yet he did not move.

And strangely… the creature did not attack him.

His heart pounded in his chest. His eyes studied the creature carefully.

It… can't see?

The thought flashed through his mind. He bit his lip, his brain racing.

It reacts to sound.

The realization sent chills down his spine.

One wrong move, and he was dead.

Bayu took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the rising panic.

He couldn't afford to be reckless.

One wrong move meant death.

His gaze flickered to the window on the side of the room. Escape through there? No. Bad idea.

The drop from the second floor was too high. If he jumped, he'd likely break his leg—and the moment that happened, he'd become easy prey.

CRACK!

Bayu flinched. That sound…

With a sinking feeling, he shifted his attention back to the classroom.

And then he saw it.

One of his classmates—the student who had been sitting in the front row—was now only half of what they once were. Their torso was torn open, intestines spilling onto the floor like discarded, rotting meat. Their face remained intact—eyes wide, mouth slightly open, as if still trying to scream.

Nearby, the creature writhed. Its crimson roots were buried deep in another victim, dragging them closer.

Then—

CRUNCH!

Bayu watched, unable to look away. Its formless jaws clamped down on a girl's shoulder, tearing through flesh as if it were nothing more than raw meat.

His hands trembled.

The horror was too real.

Too close.

The air in the classroom reeked. The stench of blood mixed with something sharper—burnt flesh, as if the creature wasn't just killing, but cooking its prey alive.

Nausea rose in his throat.

This wasn't a dream.

This wasn't a horror movie that could be paused.

This was real.

Bayu swallowed hard. His vision blurred.

Screams, sobs, the grotesque sounds of flesh being torn apart—it all rang in his ears, threatening to crack his sanity.

And worse…

There was nothing he could do.

His mind raced for answers, but none came.

Are we all going to die?

Then, amidst the despair—

Ting!

A familiar blue screen flickered into view before his eyes. Digital text flashed on the surface.

Bayu's heart stopped. His hand shot up to his mouth, holding his breath to stop any sound from escaping.

What the hell?! Why now?!

His eyes locked onto the screen, watching as the letters slowly formed.

[Your gift has arrived.]

He frowned, his panicked mind struggling to comprehend the words.

A gift? What gift?!

And then—

Something began to take shape in the air.

Light twisted, swirling into a single point. Pieces of metal assembled, forming a sleek, gleaming blade.

Until finally, right before his eyes—

A sword materialized.

And it wasn't just any sword.

It was beautiful.

The sword fell.

Without thinking, Bayu caught it.

Cold. The weight was real—too real.

His fingers tightened around the hilt. Though he had never held a weapon like this before, strangely… it fit perfectly in his grasp.

But amidst everything, one question repeated in his mind.

What am I supposed to do with this?

CRUNCH!

His heart stopped.

He turned to the creature. Its next victim was already in its grasp—a male student, thrashing wildly, legs kicking at the air in vain. His eyes pleaded desperately.

But within seconds—

CRACK!

His neck snapped. His body went limp.

Shit!

Bayu's grip on the sword tightened. The fear clouding his mind shifted. Shifted into something hotter.

Anger.

And at that moment, a reckless thought entered his mind.

A thought that had no place in a situation like this.

What if I kill that thing?

Stupid? Maybe.

Insane? Absolutely.

But doing nothing meant death anyway.

Bayu glanced around. His eyes landed on a girl—one of his classmates—who seemed to realize the same thing he did.

The creature was blind.

Slowly, he stepped toward her.

"Hey," he whispered.

The girl flinched, turning to him with wary eyes. But the moment she saw the sword in his hand, her expression shifted.

Her eyes widened. Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to ask something, but no words came out.

She pointed at the sword, then back at Bayu, disbelief written all over her face.

"No time to explain," Bayu whispered, exhaling. "Will you help me?"

She frowned. "Help you what?"

"Take that thing down."

Silence hung between them.

The girl's eyes grew even wider, staring at Bayu as if he had lost his mind.

"You're insane," she whispered, barely audible.

"What do we have to lose?" Bayu replied, his voice unnervingly casual—like they were discussing strategy in a game, not risking their lives against a monster that had just slaughtered their classmates.

Strangely enough… since the sword had appeared in his hands, the overwhelming fear that had once paralyzed him felt suppressed. The tension still lingered, but now something else dominated his senses.

Adrenaline.

The girl shook her head, over and over.

Bayu understood.

She was terrified.

She knew this plan was madness.

But—

"…Fine," she finally said, swallowing hard. "Let's do this."

Bayu smirked.

A smirk full of satisfaction—like he had just won the lottery.

A lottery straight to death.

"Good. Just follow my plan. Don't worry, your chances of dying have dropped… to about 75%," he whispered casually.

Syafina glared at him. "What the hell, that's the same thing!"

"Better than having no hope at all, right?"

They both glanced at the creature, still busy devouring its victims one by one. Its crimson tendrils writhed across the blood-soaked floor, slithering over lifeless bodies.

The metallic stench of blood mixed with something even fouler, suffocating the air.

Syafina swallowed hard. Why the hell am I going along with this madness?

"Alright," she exhaled sharply. "What's the plan?"

"You distract it," Bayu said nonchalantly. "And the moment there's an opening, I'll strike."

Syafina stared at him, despair written all over her face. "This is basically calling the Grim Reaper to come get me."

Bayu didn't answer. He only tightened his grip on the sword, eyes locked onto the creature, sharp and calculating.

Silence.

"Are you in or not?" His voice was quiet but firm.

Syafina hesitated for a few seconds. Her breaths were heavy.

Then, she let out a long sigh—like she was surrendering to fate.

"Screw it. If I'm gonna die, might as well go down fighting."

Bayu's smirk widened. "Good. By the way, what's your name?"

"Syafina."

"Alright, I'm Bayu. Let's hope we make a good team."

He then moved to the other side of the room. No further commands. No additional discussion. Just action.

Syafina closed her eyes briefly. This is insane. Absolutely insane.

But she had already made her choice.

Slowly, she stood up, glancing around. Her hand reached for something on the floor—a whiteboard eraser.

Without hesitation, she hurled it toward the opposite direction.

BANG!

The object struck a desk with a loud thud.

The creature instantly froze.

Its writhing tendrils stiffened.

Then, in a flash, it twisted its grotesque form and lunged toward the noise.

Bayu clenched his sword tighter.

"Perfect," he muttered under his breath.

Time to strike.

Bayu tightened his grip on the sword.

The air around him felt thick, saturated with the heavy scent of blood.

His fingers were slick with sweat. But for the first time since this nightmare began…

He felt alive.

For a brief moment, he forgot how weak his body was.

It didn't matter.

Because somehow, this felt exhilarating.

His sanity? Not completely gone… but it was definitely cracking.

Bayu took a deep breath.

Then, just as the creature reached the source of the sound—he moved.

Using a desk as leverage, he propelled himself upward—

SWOOSH!

His sword sliced downward.

CRASH!

The red tendrils were severed.

The cut-off pieces writhed on the floor, squirming like decapitated worms.

The creature shrieked. A sharp, ear-piercing screech that tore through the air, like metal scraping against glass.

Bayu landed safely, immediately retreating to a better position. He flicked his gaze toward Syafina, giving a silent signal.

Syafina moved instantly. Her hands grabbed a chair, shaking it violently to create noise.

BRAK! BRAK!

The creature froze again.

Then, within seconds, it turned and lunged toward Syafina.

Faster.

Much faster than before.

"Good," Bayu muttered.

He sprinted, eyes catching something on the floor—a pair of scissors.

With all his strength, he hurled them at the creature.

STAB!

Another shriek.

The scissors lodged deep into its back.

Wasting no time, Bayu dashed forward. His sword swung from the side—

SLASH!

Black blood spurted out.

The first cut wasn't deep enough, but it hurt.

The creature thrashed wildly, its crimson tendrils lashing through the air. Bayu dodged swiftly, leaping from desk to desk.

Then, with a powerful push—

He launched himself straight at its head.

STAB!

His sword plunged deep into its eye.

Sure, the creature was already blind. But this? This was enough to cripple it.

Bayu wrenched his sword free, then attacked again.

SLASH! SLASH!

More tendrils were severed. Black blood gushed like a river, staining the floor already littered with corpses.

The creature convulsed, writhing like a fish caught in a net.

Bayu jumped back, landing smoothly. His eyes flicked downward—

A box cutter.

He picked it up and tossed it to Syafina.

Syafina caught it, staring at him like he had lost his mind.

"…The hell is this?"

"Try throwing it at the creature. Make sure it pierces through."

Syafina gawked at him.

"You're insane."

Bayu grinned.

"Obviously."