As night fell, an unsettling silence enveloped the academy.
However, an indescribable sense of oppression filled Mio's room.
She tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
The influence of her sins, imprinted on Rei, seemed to resonate and extend into her dreams.
Suddenly, Mio found herself standing in an endless black space.
The air froze and time seemed to stand still.
A gigantic "eye" appeared before her, its blood-red pupils rotating as if capable of piercing the deepest recesses of the soul.
as if capable of piercing the deepest recesses of the soul.
The eye slowly opened, and Mio saw Rei trapped within, her entire body being pulled and devoured by an invisible force. The black mark of sin twisted as if it had come alive.
"This...is not real!" Mio cried out inwardly, but she couldn't move.
Another deep, familiar voice rang out:
"Suitable one, bear your judgment."
Mio sensed that an external force was controlling Rei's existence, and it was stronger than any supernatural phenomenon she had ever encountered.
Her eyes slowly narrowed as she reflected on fragments of Li's life: the student council, the nightclub, and the fake trial.
Mio saw:
The scarlet message announcing the school-wide trial and the students' fear of manipulation.
The fake judge used Li's pattern to automate his actions.
After the second seal was broken, spiritual energy surged and the students were powerless to protect themselves.
The eyes whispered,
"What you see is only the surface. The real threat comes from within him."
Mio's heart skipped a beat—Li's greatest danger wasn't external manipulation but being consumed by the concept of judgment.
In the dream, Mio reached out to grab Rei.
The moment her hand touched the darkness, the space rippled and her hand felt as if it were passing through smoke.
She cried out, "Rei!
"Rei! Wake up! You are not alone!"
But his eyes seemed to mock her, and the voice rang out again:
"Even if you reach out, you are only reminding him of the essence of the Fitter."
Mio understood that this dream was not just a warning but also a trial. Rei must face the impending judgment alone because any external interference could lead him astray.
The blood-red eyes gradually faded into the distance as the dark space transformed into a bottomless abyss.
Li's figure gradually disappeared, leaving Mio alone in the emptiness.
The whisper echoed again, this time with a prophetic tone:
"The other eye will decide the fate of the judge."
When Mio awoke, she was covered in cold sweat and her chest was tense.
The night wind outside the window felt like a knife. She took a deep breath, knowing she had to keep a close eye on Li.
Otherwise, the devouring she experienced in her next dream might come true.
Mio awoke with a start, her heart pounding.
The night outside was as dark as ink, yet she could sense it—the spiritual pressure at the academy had not subsided.
Her hands were still trembling, and the warmth in her chest reminded her that the danger to Rei wasn't a dream.
That "other eye" had already been quietly watching him.
Li was organizing documents in the student council office.
He couldn't feel it himself, but the Mark of Sin swelled slightly, as if in response to Mio's dream.
The students' souls were fluctuating abnormally. Some were hallucinating, coughing up blood, or fainting for no apparent reason.
Traces of the false judgment spread across the campus like tiny cracks, unnoticed by anyone.
Li looked down at the black mark on his palm and felt a chill creep into his heart.
The eyes in the dream weren't an illusion. They saw his most vulnerable side.
Mio texted Rei, but the message appeared intermittently on the screen as if it were being interfered with by an invisible force.
"Rei, you must be careful. Not all judgments are for you."
Upon reading these words, Rei felt a sudden, sharp pain in the mark of sin on his chest as if he had been pricked by needles. He understood. Dream and reality were overlapping, and Mio had indirectly sensed the source of the false judgment.
Li reviewed the deciphered student council files from last night and discovered:
The code for the fake trial was highly similar to his own trial pattern.
Some of his soul projections even mimicked his eye movements automatically.
For the first time, Li realized that the fake trial wasn't just external manipulation.
It lurked within the hearts of every student in the academy, waiting for its opportunity.
"If I'm consumed, the entire campus will become an extension of it."
As night fell, Li received a signal that Mio had come to find him in person.
Through dream perception and soul fluctuations, she slowly connected with his consciousness.
In just a few seconds, Li sensed Mio's fear, anxiety, and determination.
Mio's fear, anxiety, and determination.
The faint fluctuations of the source of the false judgment seemed outlined by the resonance of their souls.
Li clenched his fist, silently resolving:
"Next, I must actively seek out the source of the false judgment. I can't be passive anymore."