12

(Be warned)

"You only have seven students?" Ryo inquired.

Chun smiled and nodded at the other. As they went around the school, the silver haired youth introduced many buildings, he has a retentive memory so he easily stated each buildings from Rin's introduction. But the things that seemed to be off were Chun would slightly toured them near some danger zone or areas that were not allowed to trespass.

It was a signal for Xi Chen, an indication that it has a connection to the hidden sects here. Her butler already briefed her the secret pathways, while she was giving some clues towards the general, she too was confirming the passages.

"Thank you for touring us around, young master Chun," Ryo said as he eyed the general, conversing through their eyes.

They stopped infront of the secret passage of the three hidden sects which was near the secluded mini garden.

"We will be resting here, Third Young Master Shuho. Thank you for the assistance," Xi Chen said and nodded at Chun, his words has a deeper meaning to it.

"Alright, I'll be leaving first. Art can't handle those naugthy students," Chun smiled and left.

At the other side, two hours earlier.

As their handler left, the indiffirent butler glanced at them and  just stood their by the side of the teacher's podium like a statue.

The silver haired youth left an activity, a brain puzzle activity. It used many different crypts and ciphers, making the seven students more serious than before. Every minute passed by, as Art suddenly moved from his spot and neared their crowding form to a piece of puzzle.

"1 hour, 32 minutes and 25 seconds. Lerrent solved 7 codes and puzzles out of 15 of it, his total score is 83 points. Lith and Terra solved 2 puzzles out of 15, scores are 49 points, an additional of 5 points for cooperation and teamwork, a total of 54 points. Han solved 1 puzzle out of 15, a total of 50 points for the medium difficulty of that puzzle. Kai Sun and Li Li managed to solve 2 puzzles for 47 points, an additional of 6 points for cooperation and camaraderie, a total score of 53 points. And lastly, Rye for 65 points for decoding a hard difficulty algorithm while using ASCII code," Art calculated their total scores as they were shocked hearing their exact actions and contributions on solving the activity from the butler.

They truly underestimated this person. The butler looked at them and glanced at a deciphered message of Rye that was being solved by the six of them, as Lerrent already exhausted his energy so he was sleeping by his table.

"What do you mean by 'out of 15'?" Kai Sun asked as he raised his brow.

Art did not responded as he observed them. Trying their best to solved this forsaken puzzle. After Rye deciphered the algorithms and used the ASCII shift which resulted to this current message puzzle on his laptop.

' A world traveller entered four continents which were Zenzen, Greatworld, Phoenix and Xenun continents and each of it were suffering from frostbite, typhoons and landslides, drought season and forest rains. Through the month cycles of January-March, March-April, April-August ans August-December. Help the world traveller on classifying the four continents' seasons and month cycles as he accidentally mixed it up.

Bases:

1. Greatworld continent doesn't have a month cycle of January-March.

2. Phoenix continent suffers from forest rains but not on August-December.

3. Xenun continent doesn't suffer from frostbite neither on April-August.

4. Zenzen continent suffers from typhoons and landslides but not on March-April.

5. The continent which suffers from frostbite had a month cycle of August-December.

6. The continent which suffers from drought season had a month cycle of January-March. '

The puzzle was long to read but as they pondered upon it and slowly analyzed the bases, they easily concluded their answers. By using cancellation and addition of information, they all already arrived towards their own answers.

2 hours went by and the double doors opened. The silver haired youth with a carefree manner glanced at Art, signalling for the butler to begin his mission. Art obliged and went out as Chun neared her students, examining their answers.

"Good. It's correct. I have the final case activity here to solve," the 15th case or puzzle was a simulated room made and design by Chun as she activated the runes encrypted around the class hall.

"This is entitled Himself or Themself," the voice of the young man sounded as the seven students were sent out to another simulation case.

The students landed on a labyrinth. It has many ways to went in but only one can be the exit. The walls that were standing tall were all plain gray colored, no intricate of designs or anything, just barrages of walls.

"Is this some kind of maze?" Li Li asked while examining with amazement the structures of the labyrinth.

"Isn't supposed to be another lock room case or escape room?" Kai Sun said.

The sloth young man was on the ground, finally awaken from the change of environment.

"Where are we, guys?" He rubbed his eyes to removed the sleepiness away.

"Obviously we're at a labyrinth, team leader," Han sarcastically stated at Lerrent, emphasizing the 'team leader'.

Lerrent ignored his taunt and just nodded for responds.

A paper in mid-air appeared, it floated and moving with rhythm, catching the attention of the students. Lith neared it and caught the paper with her hands.

"It says psychometry is for identifying personal traits, psychology is for the human mind, physianthropy is a philosophy of human life, then what is psychopathy?" She read the paper.

Terra answered, "Basically, psychopathy is a personality disorder indicated by a pattern of lying, exploitation, heedlessness, arrogance, sexual promiscuity, low self-control, and lack of empathy and remorse. Violent and criminal offenses may be indicative of this disorder. All over, it's short for being violenty crazy."

"Then what does it means?" Kai Sun asked.

Han suddenly shushed them as he heard something from the other side of the wall.

"...sjjdjjd  jsgskdvrh sksgfjdh djdjdhdb xjdjnx..."

It's a series of gibberish sentences of a person like he was talking to himself.

"I'm scared," Li Li whispered as she hugged her mechanical doll and hidden herself behind the doctor. Lith comforted Li Li as she communicated with Han through eye contact.

The gibberish talking stopped as the person from the other side walked away.

"Is this a psychotic game?" Terra asked with a horrified voice as she has a slight bit of conclusion to what case is this.

"Maybe," Kai Sun shrugged.

"I'll be scouting first the area, once I say clear then we can go ahead," Han said and disappeared from his spot. Using his stealth technique he easily went to the next pathway.

There were five pathways which pointed to an unknown destination so Han decided to suggest to that kind of proposition.

A mechanical voice suddenly interrupted the quiet atmosphere.

" 5 seconds before clearing the starting area. 5, 4, 3---"

"Are we not going yet? I don't feel good about this announcement," Li Li stated, shakingly hugging her doll.

Han appeared immediately, "Hurry up, guys!" He motioned to the left pathway. The other followed in an instant, running for their lives.

In a gist of seconds, after Lerrent, the last person to went in the next box. The previous box they were from which was the starting box, was sealed off by a big metal door. A laughing voice was heard from there as it pounded the sealed pathway.

"Hehehe. I'll find you! Ha ha ha And I'll kill you," a familiar voice laughed crazily as he pounded the metal door.

Bam!

The last pound was heard as the culprit of it went away.

Li Li silently cried, embracing her doll.

"What does he mean by killing us?" Kai Sun asked with a scared voice. He almost pissed himself there.

Han with a darkened eyes and a serious face stated, "It means we are going to die."

"Maybe, dying is a nice thing than staying here. We will be sent out back to the class hall---" before Terra could finish her sentence, a white paper appeared infront of her face.

"It's from our handler."

"If you think of dying without solving this case then you'll be instantly sent out to the vice headmaster's office as his assistant for a month - Chun."

While reading this, the seven of them has a more horrified look on their faces. Quin was a scary handler for them, he don't tolerate tardiness and procastination. Most of all, he did not like that the seven of them has low stamina when it comes to physical activities. When Quin was still their handler, every week, there was a routinary jogging aroung the institute for ten laps. The school was multiple football fields its size so how can they persist for ten laps. Even Lerrent and Rye who had always no opinion at every subject, had horrified faces.

Han warily said, "Let's just finish this. No one will die here."

"Oh and the next pathway leads to a box that's something that I can't describe but just prepare yourselves," Han warned with a serious look.

There was only one pathway leading to the next box, as they neared the pathway, they smelled a rotten stench. Kai Sun wrinkled his brows.

"Just prepare yourself," Han warned again.

The next box made them grossed out. It was full of bloody chopped off hands. And the other hands were tied by the side like displaying meat. Pile of hands were in the middle as a stench smell came from there.

"Don't tell me, we're gonna see another parts of chopped organs," Terra stated, almost vomitting from the sight.

"Well, you're not gonna see another part of my toys 'cause I'm gonna kill you!" A familiar voice sounded. It appeared from another pathway. It was a handsome young man aroung 15 years old, smiling at them. He was carrying a big butcher knife.

"One, two, three...six, so many people! Another additional collection!" The crazy young man cheered himself as he was about to the dashed off to the first victim, Rye.

The six of them back away far from the crazy young man, as Rye dodged. His right ear was about to be chopped off when Han suddenly appeared at the back of the crazy youth. Hitting his vital points, making the crazy person fell asleep.

"You almost got there," Terra stated as she helped Rye to stand.

"What do we do with that person?" Li Li asked.

"Do you have a rope?" Han replied.

"Yes. I have my new version of rubber-steeled rope."

Li Li with the help of Kai Sun tied the crazy young man. Even his feet was not left off.

"Let's first wake him up to ask questions," Lerrent stated as he uncaringly seated himself on the ground facing the crazy person with a distance of one meter.

After picking the bloody butcher knife, Kai Sun kicked the crazy youth to wake him up, even the impact of his kick was a pain to him.

Kai Sun cursed regretting his so-called cool actions.

"Idiot," Terra muttered.

The person who was kicked, awaken and with a scared face registered his blurry surrounding as it went clearer. He crazily grinned.

Noting his reactions, Lerrent opened his mouth, "What's your name?"

The crazy youth turned his attention to Lerrent, eyeing the other from top to bottom with a hungry look. He responded with a grin, "I am Alex and you are?"

"Lerrent. We will not harm you, just answer my questions and we will let you off," the sloth young man negotiated.

The six agreed, having a tacit understanding from one another.

"Really? Ha ha ha. The others won't let you off though," Alex stated as he grinned at Lerrent.

"Then we'll take you as our hostage then," Han said by the side.

Hearing this, the crazy youth cowardly looked around, then replied, "They'll kill me, I'm not a good hostage!"

"Then answer my question, where is the exit?" Lerrent asked.

"It's i-in the m-middle of the labyrinth," the crazy person said with a frightened voice, looking at some direction.

Lerrent noted down his reaction and carefully asked, "Why are you so scared?"

"The personality who is guarding the pathway towards the exit is very scary! You must not go there if you only seek painless death! I'll suggest myself when it comes to painless death. I'll kill you all with no pain at all, I promised," he offered. Not liking a bit, what was about to happened.

"We do not wish to die," Li Li said as she hugged her doll.

"What do you mean by personality? Do you mean you have multiple personalities?" Terra pointed out.

The crazy young man went stiff and he turned his attention to Terra, once again eyeing her from top to bottom. With raised brow, he answered, "You got my attention. Hahah. Are you Marie? My personal psychologist. Well I killed her, too. Hahahahahahaha"

Suddenly Alex disappeared. His black hair turned white, whiter than Chun's and his eyes turned red, he appeared at top of the wall. He bowed at them with a smirk and jumped off the ledge, disappearing from the other side of the wall.

"He easily escaped my rope," Li Li dumbfoundedly said with her teary eyes.

"Lerrent, how do we solve this? Do you have any hint?" Lith asked with a troubled look as she comforted the former.

"Hmm. He's only one guy versus seven of us," Han stated.

"That person who chased us and that person who we captured were the same?" Kai Sun concluded.

"Yes."

"He had multiple personalities. One was the gibberish guy, one was Alex, a crazy murderer who liked to chopped off hands and the other one was more crazier than the former, as Alex stated," Terra explained.

"So we're going to find the rational one, the original Alex. In order to solve the case," Lerrent said.

The others disagreed but unexpectedly Han agreed with Lerrent.

"Yes, we cannot proceed to the exit because we would meet worse than a painless death," they were still not convinced, "more worse than Master Quin," Han added that made them stiff.

"Okay! I'll go with Lerrent's plan," they all decided and marched off to the next box.