Suddenly, Minata, with a courage that bordered on recklessness, threw a book directly at the creature. The projectile struck its grotesque skin, barely provoking a reaction, but it was enough to attract its fury. The beast roared with rage, its eyes flashing with a primordial hatred, and lunged toward Minata with terrifying speed. I fell to the ground, my legs giving way under the weight of a fear I could not control.

  And then, Kiyo appeared. With an agility that defied what was human, he pushed Minata aside, placing himself between her and the creature. His face showed a confident smile, almost amused, as if the entire situation were barely a game to him.

  —Is that all you have? —said Kiyo, with that arrogant softness that seemed inherent to his being. With a movement that seemed almost effortless, he dodged the creature’s first attack, his figure flowing like a calm river. The abomination, frustrated, launched a second attack, but Kiyo, with an elegance that bordered on insulting, avoided the blow again, letting out a short laugh.

  The creature, enraged, roared with a sound that reverberated through the air, throwing itself at Kiyo with unleashed fury. But Kiyo, as if he were playing a macabre game, dodged each assault with unsettling ease. However, a moment of carelessness betrayed him; his attention shifted toward Minata, who was trying to calm me while I, petrified with fear, could not move. That instant was enough for the creature to reach him. With a brutal swipe, it threw him to the ground, and before Kiyo could react, it grabbed him again and violently hurled him against a wall, his body crashing through it.

  The creature, now more dangerous, advanced toward us. Minata, with firmness, lifted a stick with both hands.

  —Stay away! —she shouted with conviction.

  But the creature, with a dismissive gesture, slapped her with such force that it knocked her down, leaving her badly injured. Without hesitation, it approached me, still paralyzed by terror. It lifted me by the neck and began to smell me, letting out a guttural laugh before releasing a howl that seemed like an ancestral signal. With me in its claws, it began to move toward the window.

  Before it could escape, Kiyo suddenly appeared, attacking the creature with deadly precision. With a precise blow, he made it fall to the ground, forcing it to release me. Without giving it time to react, Kiyo struck a vital point, and the creature, with one last groan, collapsed, unconscious.

  Kiyo, with seriousness painted across his face, approached Minata with his voice firm and confident, devoid of any hint of doubt:

  —Take your brother and leave the school.

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  —But… come with us. It’s dangerous here.

  Kiyo let out a confident laugh, his expression not showing even the slightest trace of fear.

  —Me? A dangerous place? I only see a field full of strong creatures… and as you can see, none of them can harm me.

  —Mmm… alright, just don’t risk yourself too much.

  —Don’t worry —Giro replied, a half smile appearing on his lips, just as a scream that seemed to come from hell itself echoed in the distance.

  Without wasting more time, Minata firmly took Kirata’s hand and guided him toward the exit. The school hallways were chaos, a sea of backpacks and abandoned belongings.

  As they approached the main door, the air grew denser, as if the fear of those who had passed before had soaked into every corner. Kirata’s eyes fell to the floor, where traces of blood seemed to follow them, and he felt his heart begin to race.

  Finally, they crossed the school’s threshold and headed toward their home, running as if with each step they left behind a fragment of the horror they had lived through. When they arrived, their mother received them at the door with a warm smile, a smile that seemed capable of erasing any nightmare.

  —Hello, children… how are you? —she asked with a soft voice, but her smile faded when she saw them.

  Kirata was so pale that it seemed he had lost all the blood from his body, sweat soaking him while his breathing became faster and more uncontrolled. Fear had him trapped, his chest tight as if every breath were insufficient. His heart was beating with desperate force, pounding so intensely that it threatened to break through his ribcage, while his mind sank into a panic he could not control.

  Minata, on the other hand, carried on her face the red and vivid mark of a recent slap.

  Without needing words, the mother led Minata to the living room, where she made her sit down with the same delicacy with which she used to cradle her when she was small. From a small first-aid kit, she took out everything necessary to treat her daughter’s wound. While she did it, her hands moved with the precision of someone who had dedicated her life to healing others, but her gaze was that of a mother who suffers in silence.

  —Tell me what happened, my love —she said, her voice so calm that Minata could not help but feel safe.

  With the composure that had always characterized her, Minata began to recount the events, describing the chaos in the school, the sudden appearance of creatures that seemed taken from a nightmare, and how she remained firm for the sake of her brother.

  —You did the right thing by leaving there —her mother replied, with a mixture of pride and relief in her voice—. The most important thing now is that you are safe.

  After finishing treating Minata, the mother turned toward Kirata, who was trembling, his breathing out of control. Without hesitation, she hugged him and took him to his room. She tucked him into his bed, covering him with a blanket, as if by doing so she could protect him from all the evils of the world.

  —I’m going to stay with you all night, dear —she whispered, while she sat beside him, holding his hand firmly.

  Kirata, although still frightened, began to relax when his mother started humming that old song that always managed to calm him during his darkest nights. Little by little, his breathing stabilized, his body relaxed, and although the fear had not completely vanished, the presence of his mother gave him the security he needed so much.

  The mother did not move from his side, and when Kirata finally fell asleep, she remained there, gently stroking his hair, whispering promises of protection.