DARK CAMPUS

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2: The Rules

The next morning, the atmosphere in the classroom felt even heavier than before. The air was still and cool, and when Professor Lux walked through the doorway, the room seemed to shrink around us. He walked to the chalkboard and began to write, his movements fluid and deliberate. His handwriting was elegant, almost too perfect, as if drawn by something other than human hand. The chalk scratched against the wood, the sound sharp and precise in the quiet room.

📜 RULES OF THIS CLASSROOM:

1. Be seated before I enter. No one leaves until I dismiss you.

2. Never look directly at the windows when it is dark outside.

3. Never step out of line. Disobedience will not be punished by me... but by them.

He stepped back, turning slowly to face us, his golden eyes sweeping across every face in the room as if memorizing our expressions. No one spoke. No one moved. Then from the back of the room, Kurt let out a short, nervous laugh that sounded more like a gasp of fear than amusement.

"Seriously? This is like a horror movie or something," he muttered, though he kept his voice low, thinking no one would hear.

Professor Lux turned slowly on his heel. The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly. The candle flames on the desks flickered and dimmed, shrinking away as if afraid. The shadows in the corners of the room lengthened and deepened, stretching toward the center as if reaching for something.

"Did you say something, Kurt?"

Kurt's face went pale, his eyes widening in panic. He looked around as if searching for someone to save him, but every other student kept their gaze fixed forward, completely motionless. "N-nothing, sir. Nothing at all."

The professor nodded slowly, but I caught the corner of his mouth twitching upward. He looked pleased by the fear in Kurt's eyes. "Good. Remember what is written here. Ignorance will not save you." He walked to his desk and sat down, but his gaze remained fixed on Kurt throughout the entire lesson, as if watching a specimen beneath a microscope.