SHAMAN PROTOCOL-Chapter 125: Nights before the Labyrinth Incident…

Days had passed for everyone without conditions. For the past several days, agents from Zone Zero were seen all across the campus, going in and out of the facility. Students were given homework and activities in the first few days after the incident, before classes resumed on the fourth day... except for the last section of the first year.

Most of Mikel’s classmates were injured, needed treatment, and underwent questioning about what they could remember. Many cooperated as they believed it was the only thing they could do, but very few couldn’t even start detailing the incident from their perspective due to trauma.

It was the same for the homeroom teacher, Mr. Nocty, and Mikel.

And just like that, one week had gone by.

Mikel rested his head on his arms, lying comfortably on the bed. He snapped his eyes to the other beds in the same ward, catching a few students surrounding some of the patients. Other patients were busy on their own, either reading, playing on their phones, or doing what normal teenagers would do when stuck in a hospital.

Doom, he called in his mind. Did something happen that I didn’t know about? How come these guys... look a little more energetic than a few days ago?

[Scanning...]

[All patients who were directly affected by the incident used to carry a strained and corrupted spiritual energy due to the extremity of the cursed zone. However, now, I could no longer detect it from any of them.]

Meaning, they were cleansed?

[Not exactly, but you can say that.]

Explain.

[Spiritual energy and will are the shaman’s core. Without them, a shaman might have a hard time utilizing their full potential. Following this logic, a corrupted shaman’s energy or will could affect their current status.

Cleansing or healing the root of what used to be considered a shaman’s disease would help an individual get past grief and trauma through a ritual.]

[Note: A Healing Shaman could only succeed if such deeply affected the other shaman. Here, your classmates had gone through a traumatic incident.]

By healing, does that mean their memories were lost?

[No. The shaman’s way of cleansing a tainted shaman is through blocking their emotions. In simpler terms, the particular event would feel less traumatic, and the individual who received the healing would automatically focus on the good side of things.]

[In your terms, for a basic explanation, instead of making them cry and depressed about what could’ve happened to them, they would be focused on being grateful for making it out alive.]

That sounds like...

[Side Note: Rituals such as this only work in certain situations. The variable of it failing is always high.]

Mikel stared at the long, systematic answer with a blank stare.

Whenever you are like this, I get worried, Doom. Just tell me now. What are you not telling me?

And like a new set of systems, Doom’s screen appeared once more.

[Master, it’s been seven days since the incident passed.]

And?

At first, Mikel didn’t get what Doom was trying to imply until he felt a sting around his wrist. Looking at the dormant bracelet, his face contorted.

No shit.

[Yes.]

Ignoring Doom, Mikel winced as he looked away. With everything that had happened, it slipped his mind that he had a scavenger that needed fuel.

Damn!

****

Even when night fell, people on campus were still actively going in and out — mostly Zone Zero. Although it was unlike how it was during the day, the security in the evening was stricter.

Eron paced back and forth in his dormitory room. He was biting the tip of his thumb until the tang of iron slowly filled his taste buds. He only realized it when drops of blood started dripping to the floor.

He stopped, eyes falling on the drops of blood inches from his feet. Slowly, he gazed at his bleeding thumb.

"Damn it!" he hissed, eyes burning with equal anger and deep anxiety.

Eron ran to the window, checking the situation outside. Just like the past several nights, there were more night guard duties, as if an outsider had caused the recent incident.

"They don’t know yet," he told himself, scanning the additional guards patrolling the campus. "Otherwise, they wouldn’t have added more guards."

Instead, they would’ve been knocking on his door and apprehending him.

*

*

*

Nights before the Labyrinth Incident...

Eron smirked as he sat in his dormitory, eyes on the small package that had been delivered to him. Excitement shone in his eyes as he pulled the ribbon, opening the "present."

When he did, what graced his eyes was... another small and old metal box. Wrapped across it was a talisman with text written in red. It appeared more like a mini music box, but smaller.

"I might not be able to use my phantom, but there are plenty of ways to settle scores."

His eyes glinted dangerously, screaming with malice. But in his heart, this would make things even for Mikel — perhaps that loser Ran too, and those stupid classmates of theirs. After all, because of them, Eron had been punished on top of getting humiliated by everyone.

Worst of all, he was grounded from unleashing his phantom. If he ever did so on campus grounds, or without permission, the consequences would be dire. The headmaster said so himself, and Eron knew it meant expulsion.

"Let’s see how you guys can still act tough once you experience this," he smirked, laughing to himself before staring at the small box with fiery eyes.

Having a grand plan in mind, Eron quickly told his lackey to find out the first years’ schedule. By the end of that day, his lackey had managed to find the first year’s trial schedule.

Once Eron heard it, he put his plan into motion.

On the night before those fools’ trial activities, Eron and his lackeys snuck out of their dormitory in the middle of the night. While everyone was unsuspecting, they planned to set up something that could redeem their dignity and pride.

But what Eron and his lackeys didn’t know — or rather, what no one knew — was that the nightmare had already started the night before the trial.

Because what Eron unleashed was something that was not part of his plan. Only when his lackeys were consumed by the monster he had unleashed did he realize his grave mistake.