It wasn't just the vending machine.
There was that day on the field.
Sports day rehearsal.
I was working sound crew.
Taping cables. Hiding from the sun.
I ducked under the tent stage—just for shade.
And then—
Creak.
The whole rig shifted.
Metal groaned overhead.
I looked up. Too late.
A shape slammed into me.
Pulled me out.
Sasha.
One second earlier, and that joint would've crushed me.
Flattened.
Alek came running right after.
Face tight. Breath sharp.
"…Careful," he said.
Again.
Why?
Why were they always… there?
Fritz, meanwhile, logged every detail.
He'd messed with the rig.
Just a little instability.
Enough to tip. Not kill.
Just scare.
But Sasha?
She knew.
She moved too fast. Too exactly.
It wasn't reflex.
It was calculation.
And then—
the damn copier.
Fritz planted RED current.
Minimal.
Enough to sting. Not enough to maim.
Ian stepped up to copy something.
And just as the lid shut—
Spark. Pop.
He flinched.
Started to step back—
And then Nikky crashed in through the open window.
No words.
No delay.
Just powered it down.
Then stood there.
Between Ian and the machine.
Breathing. Watching. Silent.
Too fast. Too smooth.
Too… protective.
That moment?
That's when Fritz knew.
He watched it happen again.
And again.
Same reaction.
Different student.
Like they were synced.
They bled for him.
Stepped in for him.
Took the hit every time.
That's not coincidence.
That's coordination.
A human teacher?
No.
Ian was something else.
Something deeper.
Maybe he didn't even know.
But they did.
They were guarding him.
Fritz clenched his jaw.
He'd already captured Sasha's real body.
The original.
One down.
Alek and Nikky would follow.
Soon.
Ian?
He'd prove it.
Once and for all.
He checked his watch.
10:00 AM.
"Still in the stall?" he muttered.
"That's fine. I've got something for you."
The air cracked.
Literally.
A line tore itself open midair.
Black mist slithered through.
"…Seriously?" he scoffed.
"A necromancer?"
From the rift stepped a tall figure.
Draped in black.
No wind, but the robe fluttered.
The hood shadowed the face.
But inside?
Two red eyes.
Unblinking.
Burning.