One km away from where the students had gathered in the forest behind Akron Academy, a shadow moved silently along the ground before stopping.
From it, a figure cloaked in pitch black rose slowly, stepping out of the darkness.
With one light leap, he landed on the thick branch of a hundred-year-old tree.
The air around him felt heavy and strange.
His face was hidden behind a white clown mask, a wide, painted smile stretched across it, both cheerful and eerie at the same time.
His gaze turned toward the distance, toward the open area where the students had gathered for their mid-term exam.
His eyes scanned through the crowd, searching.
After a few seconds, his sight fixed on one boy.
Even from afar, through the blur of trees, the figure could see him clearly.
"Hmm? He's changed," the man murmured softly.
His voice carried a cold amusement.
The figure was none other than Clown.
As he watched longer, his eyes shifted to the girl standing beside the boy.
