The Collapse of the Eternal Life Society and the Outbreak at Leicester University

Deep within the underground caverns of the Eternal Life Society, Balin stared with a grimace at the report detailing their dwindling supplies, a fresh surge of hatred for the Chant Church festering in his heart.

Surrounding Balin were the seven remaining core members of the Eternal Life Society, their expressions equally grim.

One of them reported, “My lord, with the destruction

—the sacrifice

—of the Aiwen family, our financial lifeline has been completely severed.”

His words opened the floodgates, and a torrent of bad news followed.

“My lord, the Chant Church is now comprehensively monitoring the Westin District, making the procurement of food and clean water exceedingly difficult; all essential supplies are critically low.”

“Balin, you must come up with a solution! If things continue like this, we’ll starve to death in this wretched place long before the Church even gets to us!”

Balin finally snapped, crumpling the supply report into a ball with a furious roar and smashing it to the ground.

“Enough! Do you truly believe this is what I desire?”

The leader of the Eternal Life Society was teetering on the brink of collapse, muttering nervously to himself: ‘Two bishops… one divine favor, two bishops! One divine favor! Tell me, what am I supposed to do?!’

A profound silence descended upon the room.

“Leave! All of you, leave! Get out!”

Under immense pressure, Balin ultimately succumbed to hysteria, roaring as he expelled all the core members, even the elder, from the chamber.

The seven core members exchanged glances, then silently departed from Balin’s presence.

Everyone knew the Eternal Life Society was on the verge of utter collapse.

Without a significant turnaround, they would disintegrate within a month.

Ironically, the Chant Church played a significant role in preventing the Eternal Life Society from immediately disbanding.

Given the Church’s ruthless pursuit, most cultists believed they would likely be killed by the Chant Church if they ventured outside, preferring instead to cling to life in the underground, surviving one day at a time.

Nevertheless, some harbored different intentions.

‘The collapse has already begun,’ mused Kaik, one of the core members.

He had joined the cult with the sole aim of achieving eternal life, having dedicated over a decade of arduous service.

But what now?

Eternal life remained a distant fantasy, and he couldn’t even get enough to eat.

‘It’s time to end this,’ he decided. ‘I need to find a way out for myself.’

Kaik hurried back to his underground dwelling and pulled a pre-prepared package from under his bed.

Inside were fake identification papers, a handful of loose change, and some dried rations.

After a quick inventory of the contents, Kaik repacked the bundle, left the room, and prepared to flee.

As he exited the room, however, his peripheral vision caught sight of a small vial resting on a stone table, catching his attention.

It was a newly developed, semi-finished potion, samples of which had been distributed to every core member.

Kaik hesitated for a moment, then scurried back into the room, snatched up the small vial, and tucked it into his pocket.

Although the potion transformed people into mindless living corpses, it did offer physical immortality.

Kaik felt compelled to take it, reasoning that if there were a chance to refine it later, it might lead to a true elixir of eternal life.

Having gathered his belongings, Kaik departed from the Eternal Life Society’s stronghold.

With Balin’s breakdown and the murder of numerous core members branded as traitors, the entire Eternal Life Society was now in utter disarray, allowing Kaik to escape without encountering any obstruction along the way.

Yet, the real trouble had only just begun; merely escaping the cult wasn’t enough.

To truly break free from the Eternal Life Society’s grasp, he needed to leave the Westin District entirely, thereby severing all ties with his past life.

While the usual routes out of the Westin District were under the Chant Church’s stringent surveillance, Kaik knew of a secret passage.

It was a hidden passage leading to the heart of Landon City, and Kaik recalled its exit being in a disused warehouse at Leicester University.

A month prior, he had used this very passage to murder a noble’s offspring; now, he intended to use it to escape to freedom.

The entire escape was astonishingly smooth; he emerged effortlessly from the other end of the secret passage, his clothes only slightly torn during the climb, a minor inconvenience.

Moreover, for some inexplicable reason, Leicester University was bustling with people today

—students, parents, and teachers milling about

—which greatly facilitated his ability to blend in and slip away unnoticed.

‘Odd, why are there so many people?’ he mused. ‘Could it be that I’ve stumbled upon the first day of school? This is truly a godsend!’

Overjoyed, Kaik melted into the crowd and slipped out through the school gates.

Yet, amidst his elation, a subtle sense of unease began to gnaw at his mind.

‘Strange, why do I have this persistent feeling that something isn’t quite right?’

Why did his pocket feel lighter?

Kaik stopped abruptly, as if hitting an invisible wall, and frantically reached for his pocket.

When he plunged his hand inside, his fingers poked directly out through a tear on the other side of the pocket.

As for the vial of living corpse potion he’d tucked away, it was nowhere to be found.

‘Blast it! Was it torn when I was climbing through the secret passage?’

‘That living corpse potion must be…’ Kaik mumbled to himself, turning to gaze back at the bustling university.

Kaik swallowed hard.

Then, he turned and bolted, running as far from the school as his legs could carry him, wishing he could instantly board a ship and flee to Carolingian across the sea.

****

In the bustling central plaza of Leicester University, a small glass vial lay unnoticed on the ground.

“Crunch!”

A student, not watching their step, inadvertently trod upon the already cracked glass vial.

Unable to withstand the pressure, the glass bottle shattered into fragments.

The green liquid spilled onto the ground, slowly evaporating under the summer sun, mingling with the air.

****

“Yali, please take good care of yourself at university. If anything happens, don’t hesitate for a second

—you absolutely must tell me or the old principal,” Yodel admonished Yali, speaking with the concern of a doting father.

Today marked the first day of classes, and despite Yali’s repeated assurances that she could manage on her own, Yodel had insisted on accompanying her to Leicester University.

Yali, far from being annoyed by Yodel’s incessant chatter, responded with a gentle smile each time.

She understood it as a clear testament to her brother’s unwavering affection.

“Hm?”

As they walked, Yali suddenly noticed that her brother had fallen silent.

Turning to look, she saw him standing stock-still, the hand holding his luggage trembling slightly, his eyes fixed on the surrounding students and parents as if he had witnessed something truly horrifying.

“What’s wrong, brother? What’s happening?” Yali’s voice was laced with worry at Yodel’s unusual behavior.

No sooner had she spoken than she watched Yodel fling all their luggage to the ground, dash forward, scoop her up, and bolt.

“Huh? Brother? What is it?” Yali had no idea what was happening or why her brother had suddenly picked her up, but she didn’t struggle, instead clinging tightly to his neck.

Soon enough, however, she understood precisely why Yodel had acted so decisively.

Peering over her brother’s shoulder, she vaguely discerned a middle-aged man in the distant central plaza tackling a student nearby.

Within seconds, that student rose, covered in blood, and lunged at others.

Screams and gasps erupted, spreading rapidly outwards.

Fleeing individuals and blood-splattered living corpses intermingled, scattering in all directions, their chaotic flight radiating from the plaza throughout the entire campus.