Ascension: The First Ending

Syafina gripped the box cutter Bayu had given her, her fingers trembling slightly. Doubt crept into her mind, but she knew she couldn't stay frozen forever. Holding her breath, she steeled her resolve.

One deep inhale.

Then, with all her strength, she hurled the cutter at the creature.

Ctak!

The cutter lodged deep into the creature's back. A piercing shriek filled the air, sharp enough to make ears ring.

Bayu grinned. "Good. Now, it's my turn."

He stomped the ground and shot into the air. In one swift motion, his sword slashed downward, cutting through the air.

Sraak!

A deep gash opened, and black blood gushed from the wound. The creature thrashed wildly, its screech shaking the entire room. The window panes trembled—then shattered into a rain of sharp fragments.

Bayu landed firmly, unfazed in the slightest. He twirled his sword before slashing at the red tendrils creeping toward him without hesitation.

"Noisy," he muttered coldly before continuing his assault.

"Okay, think fast. How do I end this?" Bayu murmured, his mind racing for a solution.

He couldn't keep fighting like this. His strength was nearly drained, his breaths turning ragged.

His chest felt tight. His body grew weaker. Probably the aftereffects of the earlier attacks.

His eyes remained locked onto the creature, analyzing every movement. He needed an opening—no matter how small.

And he had to find it—before his body gave out first.

Bayu halted his steps. Something felt off.

His nose caught an unfamiliar scent—the smell of smoke.

"Wait... There's no smoke without—"

His mind raced. He turned in every direction, searching for the source.

"Bayu!"

Syafina's voice made him instinctively look her way. His eyes widened.

Flames spread rapidly, devouring the edge of the classroom door. Smoke began filling the room.

Then—

Boom!

The floor shook violently. The walls trembled. The remaining windows shattered one by one, sending shards of glass flying.

Bayu nearly lost his balance. He turned to look outside—

And his chest tightened in horror.

The ground floor was already engulfed in flames.

"A fire?! Just like that?!"

No wonder the room was getting hotter. At first, Bayu thought it was just the heat from the battle—but he was wrong.

The smoke thickened. The fire from below started creeping upwards.

The creature was still writhing, screeching in agony as its crimson roots had all been severed.

"Bayu!" Syafina ran toward him, panic written all over her face. "We need to get out of here!"

"Wait a second, Syaf. This isn't over yet." Bayu glanced at the creature.

"Who cares?! Can't you see the lower floor is already burning?!"

"And what, you want to jump from the second floor? You wanna break your legs?"

"Better than burning alive! You wanna turn to ashes at a young age?!"

Bayu let out a deep sigh, shaking his head. "Go ahead without me."

Syafina's eyes widened in disbelief.

"You can't be serious—"

CRASH!

The ceiling collapsed. A massive wooden beam nearly crushed them, but they dodged just in time.

Bayu looked up. The fire kept spreading, and the smoke was getting denser.

"Before this building collapses completely, how much time do you think we have?"

Syafina clenched her teeth. "...Five to six minutes."

"Okay. That's enough."

Bayu stretched his arms, his gaze locked onto the creature.

"You're actually insane, aren't you?"

Bayu turned to her, grinning. "Yep."

He took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, his body felt lighter. His movements—sharper.

The panic that should've consumed him—was gone.

Bayu deflected a falling wooden plank with his sword.

The creature flinched before letting out another screech and lunging at him—this time, not with its roots, but with its claws, aiming to rip him apart.

Bayu swiftly dodged. Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted the flames devouring the edge of the room.

A small smile formed on his lips.

An idea sparked in his mind.

Bayu shot a glance at Syafina, signaling her.

Syafina exhaled sharply. She hesitated for a moment but then grabbed a nearby chair and hurled it at the creature.

The creature turned its head—its attention successfully diverted.

Bayu acted immediately. He tore a strip of fabric from a fallen student's uniform, wrapping it tightly around his sword blade.

He approached the fire at the edge of the room, holding his sword close to the flames.

In an instant, fire engulfed the blade.

Bayu turned back, gripping the hilt tightly.

Then, he lunged forward.

Bayu swung his sword with full force, slashing across the creature's back.

Black blood spurted out, flowing freely from the gaping wound.

The creature screamed—but this time, its cries sounded far more agonizing. Not just from the deep wound, but from the flames now spreading across its body.

Syafina acted fast. Her eyes landed on a wooden craft board left from class. Without hesitation, she grabbed it, brought it close to the licking flames in the room, then hurled it at the creature.

CRACK!

The fire immediately latched onto the creature's body.

A piercing, agonized scream echoed through the room—so sharp, so raw. For a moment, the sound almost seemed… human. But the sight of the grotesque creature quickly crushed any sense of pity.

"If I slash its neck, will it die instantly?" Bayu wondered.

The next second, he let out a breath.

"Screw it. Let's find out."

He lunged forward. With swift movements, he leaped onto a desk, then swung his sword straight at the creature's neck.

SLASH!

The cut was deep—though not enough to sever its head. But it was enough.

The creature let out a final, tormented wail, its body convulsing violently before finally collapsing.

The fire hungrily consumed what remained.

And just like that, its screams were silenced.

Only the crackling flames remained—devouring a building that was moments away from collapse.

Bayu stood still, his eyes fixed on the creature's body, now completely consumed by flames.

Even though it was dead, an unsettling feeling lingered in his chest.

Something felt... off.

But before he could think any further, a hand suddenly grabbed him.

"Bayu! That's enough, right?! Let's get out of here!" Syafina's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

Bayu hesitated for a moment, watching the fire rage on—then finally nodded.

"Let's go."

The two of them sprinted toward the shattered classroom window.

Bayu glanced down—it was only the second floor. Not too high, but high enough to make him hesitate.

Ah, screw it.

Taking a deep breath, he jumped.

The next second, his body hit the ground. His legs wobbled slightly, but thankfully, nothing was seriously injured.

"Damn." Bayu chuckled, still a little shocked that they made it out alive.

"Don't laugh yet!" Syafina yanked him forward, forcing them to keep running away from the burning school building.

Only when they were far enough did they finally stop, gasping for breath.

Their eyes locked onto the school, now collapsing, turning into ash.

Then, a familiar blue screen appeared in front of Bayu.

This time, with a different message.

[Congratulations, Bayu. You have eradicated the parasitic creature, proving your worth as a candidate for 'Ascendant.']

[Revolution successful. You have fully become an Ascendant. A congratulatory reward has been granted.]

Bayu froze.

His eyes scanned the message over and over, making sure he wasn't seeing things.

'…Fully become an Ascendant?'

'What does that even mean…?'

"What exactly is this blue screen?"

Bayu turned to Syafina, who was now staring at her own screen with a confused expression.

She let out a sigh before showing it to him.

[Congratulations, Syafina. You have been chosen as a candidate for 'Ascendant.']

Bayu narrowed his eyes. So, Syafina was chosen too?

But… what exactly was an Ascendant?

Why were they selected?

And most of all—who was the one choosing them?

Bayu shook his head, trying to push away the unease creeping into his mind.

"So, what do we do now?" Syafina crossed her arms, her eyes still fixed on the blue screen.

Bayu stayed silent.

Good question. After everything that happened… what was their next step?

For a moment, uncertainty surrounded them both.

"Maybe we should find a safe place first?"

"Fine."

With that, they turned away, leaving behind what was once their school—now reduced to burning ruins.

But just before they walked away completely, Bayu glanced back.

For some reason, one question wouldn't stop nagging at him.

Were they the only ones who survived all of this?

Bayu stole another glance at his school—now reduced to smoldering ruins. That unsettling feeling from earlier still lingered in his chest.

What was wrong?

He let out a quiet sigh, deciding to push the thought aside for now, and followed Syafina toward the school gate.

They didn't step out immediately. Bayu peeked out first, scanning the outside before making a move.

"There's a lot of weird creatures," he muttered.

His eyes swept over the scene beyond the gate. The creatures varied in form—some resembled rotting humans, while others took on twisted, monstrous shapes. But they all had one thing in common…

Red roots.

Almost every one of them had those red, pulsating veins crawling across their bodies, writhing as if alive.

"They all have those red roots… just like that thing earlier," Syafina murmured, worry lacing her tone.

A rancid stench filled the air, forcing them to hold their breaths.

Bayu glanced at his blue screen once more.

[Parasit detected.]

Parasit?

So those red roots… were they really parasites?

Bayu clenched his jaw. More and more questions piled up in his mind.

But now wasn't the time for answers.

He turned back to the creatures and whispered, "Wanna take a risk?"

"What do you—" Syafina stopped mid-sentence, then immediately facepalmed once she realized what Bayu meant.

Bayu grinned. "Yeah. We're running for it."