ACADEMY OF SURVIVAL

As Tohira and Micheal took a turn into a new lane and continued running, a few hours into their journey, they suddenly encountered something that caused Micheal's heart to drop. He and Tohira immediately stopped in their tracks.

Micheal, horrified, stared at a 19-foot-tall human like and zombie like figure with no facial features, standing just a few inches away from them.

"What is that...?"

The words barely escaped Micheal's mouth, his voice trembling in terror.

Just then, he heard Tohira's cold tone addressing him.

"That thing is called a Sinder."

Tohira said calmly, causing Micheal's unease to deepen. Tohira's calmness was unsettling, especially since the first day they met.

Suddenly, the Sinder a line began to crack causing a Mouth began to emerge, and suddenly let out a deafening roar, causing the birds in the trees to scatter. Micheal covered his ears, and Tohira did the same.

"I've only seen them in drawings. But encountering one here? It amazing."

Tohira added, his voice still eerily calm, as the Sinder's roar echoed through the air.

Without warning, the Sinder dashed toward them at full speed, the ground shaking and trembling beneath its powerful strides.

Micheal's legs were so shaky that he couldn't move. His body was paralyzed with fear, and his eyes were glued to the horrifying figure charging toward him.

Meanwhile, Tohira, though internally nervous and scared, stood up. He slowly lifted one of his sleeping masks, his piercing pupils locking onto the Sinder.

"I never wanted to do this, but... I have a feeling the only reason I was chosen for this project was because of this."

The thought crossed his mind as a faint smile curled at the edges of his lips. At the same moment, he raised his hand, shaping it into a flickering motion, as if weaving an unseen force in the air.

"Boom!"

He said With a casual flick of his index finger, the Sinder's body erupted at its belly, a grotesque explosion of blood and organs splattering across the trees, the crimson liquid raining down like a horrific shower. The ground beneath them quickly pooled with blood, turning the earth into a macabre sea, both soaked in the dark, sticky substance.

Micheal stood frozen in shock, his mind struggling to comprehend what had just happened. His eyes traced the pool of blood flowing across the ground, before slowly turning to Tohira, who was calmly adjusting his sleeping mask, covering his eyes again.

"Who really are you?!"

Micheal thought, an icy chill creeping down his spine at the sheer power Tohira had just displayed.

"What?! Don't tell me you don't know!"

Tohira teased, his voice light and playful.

"Oh, sorry, I know. I know!"

Tohira continued, cheerfully jumping up like an excited child.

Micheal couldn't help but stare at Tohira, bewildered by his continued strange behavior as usual.

"You really have no idea, do you?"

Tohira said, still full of energy, as he bounced around with a grin.

Then, without warning, Tohira stopped, suddenly moving closer to Micheal's face.

"But the truth is, if you weren't like me, you wouldn't have been chosen for this project."

Micheal's eyes widened in shock at Tohira's revelation. Before he could speak or ask any questions, 

"I think!"

Tohira playfully tapped him on the forehead.

"Anyways, Let's get washed up before I answer any questions you might have," Tohira said with a smile soaked in blood.

Micheal, now filled with more questions than ever, wondered about his team. Was everyone like Tohira? The mystery of the Sinder still hung in the air.

The world he had always known was changing, and it seemed the darkness he'd been living in was only the beginning. More secrets about this systemic world he lived in and the outside world remained to be uncovered.

As Tohira and Micheal hurried toward the river to wash up, a man sat from deep site of the forest with one leg stood perched on a tree branch as he pull his bottom lip lightly and playful. His eyes, cold and calculating, followed their every move as they walked away.

"Impressive ability,"

Carter muttered softly, his split bangs swaying gently with the wind. His purple pupils fixed on the receding figures of Tohira and Micheal, a faint smirk crossing his face as they disappeared from view.