Chapter 223 – Everyone's Dream
Bang!
Gideon jerked his head up violently.
Only then did he realize that everything just now had been a dream.
The classroom was normal. Completely normal.
Still, he subconsciously started bouncing his leg, his expression calm and casual—as if nothing had happened.
Several classmates looked over, drawn by the noise.
But after a glance, they quickly lost interest.
After all, everyone had experienced sleep deprivation before.
In North America, public high schools might be relatively relaxed—but elite private schools like Jackman were a different story.
For students chasing high GPAs and admission into top-ranked universities, after-school tutoring was routine.
Many even sacrificed sleep voluntarily.
"Hey! Gideon, didn't you say you didn't need to go to church yesterday? Why were you still up all night?"
A girl beside him whispered.
Gideon froze slightly.
Church? Staying up late?
He shook his head, like someone nursing a hangover.
Those things felt familiar—yet strangely vague.
"Oh… Gale, I'm not sure either. Honestly, I even feel like I'm still dreaming."
His eyes were unfocused as he instinctively called out her name.
"Speaking of dreams," Gale leaned over her desk, covering her mouth as she lowered her voice,
"have you heard the rumor going around lately?"
Gideon's attention, unfortunately, was focused on a certain compressed and very distracting curve.
"Hey! Gideon, are you listening?" Gale waved her hand.
"Huh?" Gideon finally looked up.
"Recently, a lot of people at school have been experiencing something strange," Gale continued, unaware of his earlier distraction.
"They say that in their dreams, they run into a creepy man wearing a red-and-green striped sweater—he tries to hunt them down."
"Even Mark had the dream! He said when he woke up the next morning, his palm was actually cut!"
Gideon's mind snapped sharply into focus.
If his memory served him right… he'd just seen that man too.
Ring—ring—
The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Students immediately stood and began packing up.
Gideon's thoughts were interrupted, and the fragments of his nightmare slipped back into the depths of his mind.
"Want to go to the library together?" Gale asked as she slung her backpack over her shoulder.
"I heard Professor Lombarn is giving a surprise quiz tomorrow."
Gideon shook his head.
"No, I'm going back to catch up on sleep. Otherwise, I'll be completely out of it tomorrow."
Gale stared at him in disbelief.
"You're not afraid of running into that guy again in your dreams?! For tomorrow's test, I've already decided not to sleep at all!"
Gideon paused, a quiet question surfacing in his mind—
But… after the exam, won't you still have to sleep anyway?
Before he could say it, someone else beat him to it.
"Tch. What a coward," a voice sneered.
"Getting scared by a guy in a dream—how pathetic."
Gale turned red with anger.
"Henry! I'm not lying! Besides Mark, even Wilton dreamed about something dangerous!"
At the mention of Wilton, Henry's expression darkened slightly.
"Hmph. That guy just wants to push his Bible nonsense," Henry said dismissively.
"Only idiots would believe that."
He straightened his back proudly.
"If that freak ever shows up in my dream, I'll cut him to pieces with my sword!"
Henry even mimed a dramatic sword swing.
"…Henry," Pence whispered hesitantly,
"didn't you say you were going to ask Principal Roberto today to help you get your sword back?"
"That's a prop from the drama club," Pence added quietly.
"We still need it for rehearsal later…"
Henry's expression turned solemn.
"Pence, as a knight, how could you lose your personal sword?!"
Pence muttered under his breath,
"Wasn't it when you took it out to play with it and got caught—"
"Knight Pence," Henry cut in sharply,
"what did you just say?"
"N–nothing."
Gale sighed, clearly done with this conversation.
Just as she turned away, her eyes suddenly widened.
A transparent body bag stood in the hallway.
Blood smeared its surface.
Inside was a man dressed in a black robe—his skin deathly pale, facial muscles rigid. His eyes were completely black, pupils swallowing the whites whole.
He was staring straight at her.
"Your negligence… killed us."
Gale spun around in panic.
"Did you see that?! What was that thing?!"
Her voice was urgent—then she froze.
At some point, the classroom had gone unnaturally silent.
Gideon, Henry—everyone—stood perfectly still, as if time itself had been paused.
A sharp chill ran through Gale's spine.
She turned back toward the hallway.
The body bag was gone.
Only a long, dark smear of blood dragged across the floor.
The words echoed in her mind.
Her breathing grew shallow.
Needing answers, Gale slowly followed the trail.
At the corner of the corridor, she saw the body bag being dragged away.
For just a moment—she thought the man inside smiled at her.
Heart pounding, Gale rushed forward.
But the instant she reached the corner, she collided with someone.
"Hey! No running in the hallway! And you definitely don't knee someone in the nose!"
A low voice scolded her.
"I—I'm sorry, Professor Lombarn!" Gale quickly reached out, helping him steady himself.
Then she felt it.
Cold.
Icy against her cheek.
She looked down.
A glove fitted with razor-sharp metal blades covered Professor Lombarn's hand.
He grinned darkly.
"Gale… the blood on the floor is still fresh. Did you just kill someone? Hehehe."
Gale recoiled, stumbling back.
She turned and ran toward the direction where the blood trail led.
Huff… huff…
Leaning against the wall, she looked back.
Professor Lombarn hadn't followed.
Wiping sweat from her forehead, she decided to wash her hands.
The blood trail led straight into the restroom.
"Oh—!"
She pushed the door open and hurried to the sink.
Cold water splashed onto her face. She rubbed it a few times, then looked up.
Her body froze.
The restroom lights had dimmed.
In the mirror, she saw over a dozen body bags standing behind her.
All of them contained corpses dressed in black robes.
Through the reflection, she saw them all staring at her.
"You pushed us toward the devil. Now it's your turn to join us."
The sound of tearing plastic echoed.
Through the mirror, Gale watched as the bags split open.
Rotting flesh spilled out, blackened, foul-smelling fluid dripping to the floor.
Hands—dozens of them—reached toward her back.
Her eyes widened in terror.
She tried to run.
Her legs wouldn't move.
Helpless, she watched the hands close in.
Then the sludge gathered.
It shaped itself into a grotesque man.
Red-and-green striped sweater.
Bladed glove—just like Lombarn's.
The blades hovered inches from her eyes.
"Nngh…! Nngh!!"
She tried to scream, but only hoarse gasps escaped her throat.
Just before the blades pierced her eyes—
"AHHH!"
Gale shot upright.
Her clothes were soaked with sweat.
Panting, she looked around.
Her classmates were staring at her.
"It was… just a dream."
She collapsed back into her chair.
Bang!
Something slammed beside her.
She turned her head—it was Gideon, twitching violently.
He immediately pretended nothing had happened.
"Hey, Gideon! Didn't you say you didn't have to go to church yesterday—"
Ring—ring—
The bell rang.
Students stood and began packing up.
Gale invited Gideon to go to the library, but that irritating Henry cut in.
"If I ever run into that freak, I'll beat him into the ground!"
Henry said confidently, finishing with a clean sword-sheathing pose.
"Knight Pence! It's time we head to the sealed grounds and retrieve your blade!"
Chin held high, Henry strode toward the classroom door.
The moment he stepped through—
The world changed.
"The church people are coming to the orphanage soon. This time, it'll definitely be us they take away!"
"I heard… they have bread. And milk…"
"Don't be stupid! I saw Aria's body myself—they threw her out naked, covered in wounds! Do you want to end up like her?!"
"S–sorry…"
"The escape tunnel isn't finished yet. We might not make it."
"Don't be afraid! Today's our last chance! One person keeps watch—everyone else works!"
"Who watches? The headmistress is already suspicious. If she sees us, she'll interrogate us!"
"Let Henry do it! He always sits in the corner reading—no one will suspect him!"
Several children gathered around Henry.
"Henry! We're doing something important. If you see the headmistress, run and warn us!"
Henry sat on a stool, holding The Song of Roland—a tale of loyalty and sacrifice.
He was completely absorbed.
"H-Hey, Henry! Don't forget what you promised!"
The children ran off.
"…Mm."
Henry nodded absently.
Time passed.
A shadow fell over him.
He looked up.
Madam Yoda, the headmistress, stood there—smiling.
Several black-robed figures stood beside her.
"Little Henry," she said gently, crouching down,
"do you know where Clement and the others are?"
Wrinkles creased her eyes as she smiled.
"The priests arrived early today. They brought gifts—for all of you."
She handed him a book.
The Legend of King Arthur.
"You can't enjoy a gift all by yourself, you know."
Henry stared at the pristine pages.
Then he hesitated.
"They… went that way," he thought.
He pointed.
The adults left.
Moments later, screams erupted from the building behind him.
"You worthless vermin! Being chosen as 'snacks' is a blessing from the Lord! How dare you try to escape!"
The screams were agonizing.
Henry crept to the window.
The book slipped from his hands.
Inside, his friends were naked.
The black-robed figures reached for them.
Madam Yoda watched calmly.
Henry's mind went blank.
Then he noticed—
His friends were staring straight at him.
A whisper echoed in his ears:
"You betrayed us."