The Academy's Terminally Ill Side Character
Chapter 114: Psychological Warfare[2]

Chapter 114: Psychological Warfare[2]

He didn’t laugh this time.

No smug grin. No witty jab.

Just silence.

Ethan stared at the ashes of his insects, chest rising and falling fast.

His eye twitched again—but this time, there was no mask to hide behind. Just rage. Raw and twitching.

"You... you little shit..."

His voice wasn’t theatrical anymore.

It was real.

Low. Unstable.

"You killed them... you actually killed them!"

He took a stumbling step forward.

The swagger was gone.

In its place was a kind of fractured fury, the kind you only see in people whose entire world just cracked down the middle.

Meanwhile, behind me, the students were staring like they’d just witnessed a god bleed.

Even Nolan whispered, "What... what the hell did he just do...?"

"He burned them," someone else said, voice shaky. "He killed those things. Rin—he actually hurt Ethan."

A wave of hope started to spread through them.

Small. Fragile.

But it was real.

Callie, still trembling, looked up at me with something like awe in her eyes. "You’re... you’re not bluffing anymore, are you?"

I didn’t answer.

Couldn’t.

My body felt like it was running on fumes and instinct alone.

But I stood tall.

Wobbled slightly, but didn’t fall.

Ethan saw it. That weakness.

He latched onto it instantly.

"You’re bluffing again. That trick—was a one-time burst. You’re done. You’re barely standing. You can’t even lift your arms anymore, can you?"

He spat the words like a lifeline.

"Say something, Rin. Come on. Keep talking, you smug little bastard."

But I didn’t say anything.

I just stared at him.

Let the silence eat at him.

And it worked.

His breathing grew faster. His fingers twitched at his side. Another swarm was forming—sluggishly this time, smaller than before, but still deadly.

Then—

"Hey!"

A voice cut through the tension.

A sharp one.

It came from behind me.

Nolan.

He’d gotten to his feet. His legs were shaking, and he was still bleeding from the head, but he stood.

"You’re not the only one who can bluff, Ethan."

Ethan turned sharply. "What?"

Nolan reached into his vest and held up a glowing stone—one of Rin’s backup repellents Rin had never given out.

Where the hell did he—

"I saw him drop this when he fell," Nolan lied without blinking. "He said there were two more hidden in the room, didn’t he? Maybe more."

He stared Ethan down, voice rising with confidence he probably didn’t even feel.

"You think Rin’s the only one who can hurt you? Try us. We’ll burn every last one of your bugs."

A couple of the other students rallied behind him.

"Yeah—back off!"

"He’s not the only one who’s pissed now."

"Come any closer, and I’ll set you on fire myself!"

Ethan’s face twisted.

His swarm froze mid-air.

He looked from me—to Nolan—to the others.

And for the first time...

He hesitated.

That tiny crack I wanted to leave in him?

It was growing.

"I’ll kill all of you," he hissed finally. "You think this is over? You think this matters? You’re just delaying the inevitable."

Then he backed up.

Just a step.

And another.

His insects didn’t surge again.

They circled protectively around him now.

Like he was the one under threat.

I smiled faintly, despite the blood in my mouth.

"Yeah?" I rasped. "Well... keep delaying then. Run out the clock for me."

Because I knew exactly how long I had left to stall.

Just two more minutes.

Then help would arrive.

And Ethan Caldwell would have nowhere left to run.

Ethan didn’t retreat far.

He stood just outside the repellent’s glow now, half-shrouded in the flickering shadow of his wounded swarm.

His fingers twitched restlessly.

His breath came sharp through clenched teeth.

And then—slowly—his expression began to shift again.

That grin crept back in, crooked and cracked this time.

But it was there.

"You know what I love most about people like you?" he said, his voice low and oily. "You think winning a single exchange means you’ve won the game."

He spread his arms out wide, as if addressing an audience.

"Let me tell you something, class: fear doesn’t vanish just because you think you’ve found a stronger wall to hide behind. No... it waits. It listens. And it always comes back."

His eyes slid to Callie, still shaking.

To Nolan, barely standing.

To the others—faces flushed, chests rising with adrenaline, but with sweat still clinging to their brows.

"You feel braver now, don’t you?" he whispered. "You think you’re safer. You think Rin saved you."

He leaned forward, smile widening.

"But tell me something: what’s going to happen when he collapses? Hmm?"

His words hit like cold water.

The students flinched.

"He’s burning out," Ethan said, tapping his temple. "You can all see it. That blood’s not fake. That shaking isn’t part of some act. You really think he’s got another trick in him?"

His eyes locked onto Nolan.

"You going to be the next hero, Nolan? Going to die screaming in his place?"

Nolan clenched his fists.

Didn’t answer.

Ethan’s gaze slid again.

To the others.

"You think backup’s coming? That anyone cares enough to get here in time? What if they’re late? What if they’re dead already?"

More silence.

More doubt.

I felt it like static in the air—panic creeping in again, softer this time. Like poison.

Ethan’s voice dropped to a whisper.

"I can wait. That’s all I do. That’s all I’ve ever done. Waited. In corners. In shadows. Watching everything fall apart—because that’s what it always does."

He grinned with something unhinged now.

"I don’t need to kill you to win. I just need to watch. Watch what you all become when hope runs out. It’s better than any movie. Better than any goddamn hero speech."

His tone sharpened.

"You’ll turn on each other. You’ll beg me. And in the end? You’ll see that I was right. About everything."

He turned to me then.

"I know what breaks people like you, Rin Evans."

I met his stare.

Didn’t blink.

Didn’t move.

Even though I was seconds from collapsing.

He smiled wide.

"You play the hero now—but sooner or later, you’ll leave one of them behind. You will. Not me. Not the bugs. You."

His eyes narrowed.

"Who dies when your body gives out, Rin?"

He let that question linger.

Let it sink.

And I felt the shift in the air.

Students staring at me now. Wondering. Doubting.

Just for a moment.

And that was all he needed.

The swarm behind him rustled louder again—quiet, waiting for his signal.

I breathed out.

Low. Controlled.

Then gave him a bloody smile.

"You really like your speeches, huh?"

He frowned.

I stepped forward, just barely.

And said, quieter this time:

"I may break, Ethan. That’s fine. Heroes break."

Then my eyes turned steely.

"But cowards like you? You never get back up."

"You will just die a pathetic death."

---

Author Note:-

Thank you for reading the Chapter. I hope you continue to do read more in future.

It’s my first novel so if there’s any kind of mistakes you find in the novel related to grammar please tell me and I’ll edit it as soon as possible.

B y e b

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