The screen vanished, leaving him in the suffocating silence of his dorm room. Dante Creed tightened his grip .

  I need to act now, he thought, slinging a light backpack over his shoulder and stepping out into the hallway.

  The dormitory was empty, a stark contrast to the usual bustle of students. The afternoon sun was gone, replaced by an unnatural twilight that cloaked the campus in a gloomy haze. Overturned furniture and abandoned bags littered the path outside, signs of hurried evacuations.

  Where is everyone? he thought.

  As he ventured deeper into the campus, Dante spotted the student union building. His stomach tightened at the sight of the door ajar, the shadows inside unnervingly still. He approached cautiously, his instincts screaming for him to stay alert.

  A rustling sound made him freeze. Slowly, he pushed the door open wider, the creak echoing in the quiet. What he saw sent a chill down his spine.

  Four skeletal figures moved sluggishly in the hallway, dragging a dead student body, their glowing blue eyes flickering like dying embers. They were grotesque, their bony frames barely holding together, with remnants of tattered clothing hanging off them.

  Dante steadied his breathing. The skeletons hadn’t noticed him yet, their movements slow and aimless. His heart pounded as he evaluated his options. Running was tempting, but he’d already decided: if this was his new reality, he needed to adapt. And fast.

  With a determined breath, Dante stepped forward. The nearest skeleton turned its head toward him, and its eyes flared brighter, locking onto its target.

  Before it could fully react, Dante rushed forward, his fist connecting with its ribcage. Bone splintered under the impact, fragments scattering across the floor as the creature staggered. Wasting no time, he grabbed the skeleton by its arm and swung it into the wall. The brittle frame collapsed into a heap of disconnected bones.

  The noise drew the attention of the other three. They turned toward him in unison, their movements jerky but deliberate.

  Dante’s pulse quickened. The second skeleton lunged at him, its clawed hands swiping for his chest. He sidestepped, grabbing the creature’s bony wrist and yanking it off balance. With a swift motion, he drove his knee into its spine, shattering it in two.

  The third skeleton charged him, its glowing eyes burning with hostility. Dante darted to the side, scooping up a loose femur from the ground. He swung it like a club, smashing the skull clean off the creature. It stumbled, its movements slowing before collapsing.

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  The final skeleton hesitated for a moment, its head tilting as though assessing him.

  “Come on,” Dante growled, adrenaline fueling his resolve.

  The skeleton leapt at him with surprising speed. Dante barely dodged in time, rolling to the ground and grabbing another loose bone. As the creature turned to attack again, he swung upward with all his strength, striking its jaw. The force of the blow sent the skull flying across the room, and the rest of its body crumbled in a heap.

  Dante stood amidst the wreckage, his chest heaving. Dust and fragments of bone littered the floor, the eerie glow in the creatures’ eyes extinguished.

  As he caught his breath, the familiar blue screen appeared in his mind.

  Dante stared at the screen as the words shimmered and shifted.

  Dante couldn’t contain his excitement. Not only had he survived, but he had emerged victorious. The fight had pushed him to his limits, and in return, he had been rewarded with a unique skill—Bone Control.

  The possibilities raced through his mind as he thought of how to use it. His fingers flexed instinctively, eager to test the power that now flowed through him. The battle had been a trial, but it was also a turning point.

  With a steady breath, Dante pushed aside his lingering doubts. This was just the beginning. He had taken his first steps toward something greater—toward becoming stronger in this strange, transformed reality.

  He adjusted his backpack and looked ahead, his resolve hardening. The campus stretched out before him, its shadows thick and ominous, but no longer did they feel insurmountable. He wasn’t just surviving anymore. He was preparing for what came next.

  And whatever lay ahead, Dante was determined to meet it head-on.