As they settled into their dorm, the weight of Kinski's words still lingered in the air. Crinix and Takahishi sat on their beds, their faces somber and reflective. The silence between them was palpable, punctuated only by the occasional creak of the old wooden bedframes.
Takahishi finally broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper. "Hey Crinix, do you think we should continue hanging around with Niski?"
Crinix slowly turned his head, his eyes locking onto Takahishi's. He seemed to be searching for the right words, his expression thoughtful. "Well, you heard what Kinski said. Niski has been alone most of his life. He hasn't had friends until now, so I think we should be his friends."
Takahishi's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowed in concern. "But can we trust him? What if one day he kills us too?"
Crinix's expression turned calm, his eyes sparkling with a hint of wisdom. "The greatest way to gain a friend is to be a friend first. Show kindness, empathy, and compassion, and the friendship will follow."
Takahishi's gaze lingered on Crinix's face, his expression skeptical. After a moment, he shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. "If you trust him, I guess I can trust him too."
The conversation seemed to lift the weight off their shoulders, and they both let out a sigh of relief. They spent the rest of the evening in comfortable silence, their minds at ease.
The next morning, they woke up feeling refreshed and renewed. As they headed to school, the bright sunlight and crisp air seemed to invigorate them. They walked into the classroom, their eyes scanning the room for Niski. He was seated at the back, his eyes fixed on them as he waved.
Crinix and Takahishi made their way to the back, their footsteps echoing off the walls. "Hey Niski, how are you today?" Takahishi asked, a grin spreading across his face.
Niski's eyes narrowed, his expression skeptical. "Huh, that's odd coming from you."
Crinix chuckled, bumping Niski's shoulder with his elbow. "Takahishi is just happy to see you, Niski."
Takahishi's grin faltered for a moment, before he recovered, his voice a little too loud. "Yeah, I'm happy to see you, my friend!"
Niski's eyes seemed to bore into theirs, his expression unreadable. "You guys are acting weird today, but I just feel fine."
Takahishi let out a little lame laugh, his eyes darting to Crinix before returning to Niski. "Ha-ha-ha, that's great. If you're fine, then we're fine too."
Crinix leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We met your brother yesterday, Niski."
Niski's expression turned cold, his eyes flashing with anger. "Huh, funny. Who cares about that guy? I don't see him as a brother to me."
Takahishi's eyes widened in surprise, his voice laced with confusion. "Huh, what do you mean? Why would you say something like that?"
Niski's expression turned detached, his voice flat. "Well, he's just a person I'm blood-related to, and we live in the same house. That's how I can put it."
Crinix and Takahishi exchanged nervous glances, their minds racing with questions. There was still something about Niski they didn't know, something hidden beneath the surface.
Just as they were about to ask him another question, the door slammed open, and Hiruki strode in. "Good morning, everyone," he greeted, his voice low and soothing.
As Hiruki made his way to the front of the classroom, Crinix and Takahishi's eyes followed him, their minds still reeling from the conversation with Niski. Hiruki's exhaustion was evident, his eyes sunken, and his movements slow.
As he began to write on the board, his chalk screeched against the surface, the sound echoing through the room. "Origins of Grims," he wrote, his handwriting messy and uneven.
The room fell silent, the only sound the occasional creak of the old wooden desks. Hiruki slowly turned around, his eyes scanning the room
Hiruki's eyes sparkled with a hint of excitement as he began to speak. "Some of you might wonder what a Grim is and where they came from," he said, his voice low and soothing. "So, that's why today I will be teaching you everything you need to know about Grims. But first, I'm going to tell you a story about the being who became the first Grim to walk this world."
The room fell silent, with all eyes fixed on Hiruki. Crinix and Takahishi leaned forward, their faces eager for information. Someone in the room cried out, "Tell us, teacher Hiruki!"
Hiruki's face broke into a slow smile, and he positioned his eyes in front, his gaze sweeping across the room. He took a deep breath, and his voice dropped to a whisper. "A long, long time ago, when divine beings and humans used to coexist..."
As Hiruki spoke, his hands began to weave a intricate pattern in the air, as if he was conjuring up the very spirits he spoke of. The room seemed to grow darker, the shadows deepening, as if the very presence of the Grims was seeping into the air.
"...there was a being called the Grim Reaper, also known as the Collector of Souls," Hiruki continued, his voice dripping with an air of mystery.
Takahishi's eyes went wide, his voice barely above a whisper. "The Collector of Souls?"
Hiruki's gaze snapped to Takahishi, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Yes, that's right. This being played an important role, his duty was to collect the souls of the dead and escort them to the Nether Realm , that is the afterlife."
As Hiruki spoke, he began to pace across the room, his movements slow and deliberate. The students watched, mesmerized, as he wove a tale of power, corruption, and chaos.
"But however, things did not always stay like that for too long," Hiruki said, his voice dripping with an air of foreboding. "As time went on, he became bored and tired of the job the Divine beings had tasked him to do. And that's when everything started..."
The room seemed to hold its breath, the students leaning forward, their eyes fixed on Hiruki. "He too wanted power, just like the Divine beings. That's when one day he devoured a human soul for the first time."
The room erupted into a chorus of gasps and whispers, the students exchanging nervous glances. Crinix and Takahishi looked at each other, their eyes wide with shock.
Hiruki's gaze swept across the room, his expression serious. "After devouring a human soul, he discovered that the more souls he devoured, the more power he gained. But however, it did not stop there. His hunger for power and bloodlust became too excessive, as he craved for more and more souls to the extent that he started devouring divine being souls too."
The room seemed to grow darker, the shadows deepening, as if the very presence of the Grims was seeping into the air. Hiruki's voice dropped to a whisper, his eyes glinting with an air of intensity.
"The Divine beings tried to stop him, but the power he had obtained was too much. He had now created his own Grim army, and thirteen powerful Grims called the Thirteen Reapers ."
As Hiruki spoke, he seemed to grow taller, his presence commanding attention. The students watched, mesmerized, as he wove a tale of power, corruption, and chaos.
"After creating his thirteen Grim soldiers, he then created more and more Grims, unleashing them into the world, spreading chaos and destruction," Hiruki continued, his voice dripping with an air of foreboding.
Crinix's voice cut through the silence, his eyes fixed on Hiruki. "What happened after that?"
Hiruki's gaze snapped to Crinix, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "After unleashing his Grims into the world, this being became known as Zeigan, the Grim Lord."