"How long are they going to keep us in this room?" Carter complained nervously, wanting to be with his family as soon as possible.
"They already questioned all of us, what else are we waiting for?"
"That's right, we've been here for a long time. What else do we have to do?"
The students, along with Professor Lewton—who wasn't helping to keep things calm—began to grow desperate and shout for explanations.
And just when they thought they'd be stuck there longer, footsteps echoed from the back door before a man opened it.
"It's you…"
"What's going on? I didn't ask for any spiritual counseling, I just want to leave!"
"Sit down!" Jonathan glared coldly at the troublesome teenager, his gaze sharp and unforgiving.
"You don't order me around! Who the hell do you think you are?"
Wednesday, watching the whole scene, asked Jonathan seriously, "Are you sure you want to save them?"
"Let's make this quick…" Jonathan shook his head. As always, he didn't expect anything in return from the people he saved—he did it simply because he was a hunter.
Eliminate evil, and the rewards he earned in return were more than enough.
Jonathan walked slowly toward the group of students and Professor Valerie. His face was calm, but his eyes carried the weight of someone who had seen far too much.
He stopped in front of them, bowed his head slightly, and spoke in a deep, sincere voice:
"I deeply regret your losses… My sincerest condolences. May the souls of those who departed find rest in heaven."
After saying that, Jonathan closed his eyes, clasped his hands, and began murmuring a short prayer. It wasn't tied to any particular religion, but a universal plea for peace and redemption. The flames of disaster still burned in the distance, and his voice seemed to cover them with a veil of calm.
"May the light guide their souls out of chaos… and may death, for once, be merciful."
When he finished, he opened his eyes slowly. No one spoke for a few seconds until Alex broke the silence.
"What… what was that? What does all this mean? We survived by luck!"
Jonathan lifted his gaze, observing each of their faces, and said flatly, "No."
"It wasn't luck. It was destiny… or, more precisely, a mistake of destiny."
Everyone stared at him in confusion.
"What happened up there was an effect of what we call Final Destiny. You were not meant to live. Death marked you, and now… it will come for each of you."
Professor Valerie stepped forward, frowning. "And does that include you?"
Jonathan looked at her with a hint of respect. "No. I wasn't destined to die today. I'm here for another reason."
"Who are you really?" Carter asked, crossing his arms.
Jonathan took a step forward, resting his cane on the floor. "My name is Jonathan Belmont, hunter of The Order, exorcist priest of The Healing Church."
The air seemed to grow heavier.
"My duty isn't to save you from death… but to give you the chance to understand the game before it consumes you."
"Game?" the professor repeated in disbelief.
"The world you know," Jonathan explained calmly, "is not what it seems. What you call 'luck' or 'chance' are just masks of forces you don't understand. There are darker and crueler things than a simple plane crash."
The group began murmuring. Some trembled, others stared at him in fear, but no one dared interrupt.
"If you want to survive," Jonathan said calmly, "you must pay a coin."
"What… what does that mean?" Alex asked, stepping back after standing up.
"One life for another," Jonathan replied. "Kill someone who wasn't meant to die today, and death will leave you alone. That's the law. The only way to deceive it."
A chilling silence filled the room.
"That's insane!" the professor shouted. "You're asking us to kill someone innocent?"
"I'm not asking you to kill an innocent," Jonathan said. "I'm warning you."
"And if we don't?" Carter asked, his voice trembling with anger.
"Then death will find you. It doesn't matter where you run, or how much you pray. It will find a way to claim your lives. A trip, a fire, a fall… until all of you pay what's owed."
Some of the students began to cry, others shook their heads in denial. Wednesday, who had remained silent by the wall, observed everything without intervening.
"You still have time," Jonathan said finally. "If you leave now, maybe you'll understand what you have to do before it's too late—or not. But if you stay, I'll help you."
Some students grabbed their backpacks, trembling, and left the room. But most stayed.
Jonathan sighed. "Then listen carefully."
He walked slowly to one of the chairs and sat down.
"Twenty years ago, a group of young people avoided dying in a train accident in Norway. One of them dreamed of the tragedy minutes before it happened and managed to get them off just in time. Six survived. But a month later, one of them drowned in her bathtub… the water boiled for no reason. Then another was impaled by a beam that fell from a moving truck. In the end, they all died, one by one."
The group listened, holding their breath.
"Another case," Jonathan continued, "in 2003, a school bus in Japan. Fifteen students avoided death after a landslide on the highway. A week later, one was electrocuted in his shower. Another was crushed by an elevator. None survived longer than a year. They all tried to escape… and they all failed."
"And why are you telling us this?" Alex asked weakly.
"Because you're on the same list," replied Wednesday, joining the conversation this time. "And death doesn't forget."
"That's right…" Jonathan stood, his shadow stretching over them under the dim airport lights.
"This isn't a warning. It's a choice. Either you accept the price… or you accept the end. Follow me if you wish to be saved. Stay if you don't believe in the truth."
Silence once again dominated the room. No one spoke. No one moved. Only the sound of the wind slipping through the broken windows accompanied Jonathan Belmont as he slowly walked toward the exit, with Wednesday silently following behind him.