Nick's alarm went off once again, beginning his morning routine. Even though most hate it, Nick was excited to go back to school today after his two day suspension. His school life has been very different from what he had expected, he wasn't sure how to feel about it. In some ways he liked it because it was exciting and unpredictable, but in other ways he felt like it was just too much too fast. Nick sighed and stood up, it was useless to think about what could have been or what might still be at this point.
Nick took his shower and then got dressed and made his way to the gym, he was surprised to find his dad already there. "Hey, son." His father was near the dumbbell rack doing curls.
"Hey..." Nick said, making his way over to the treadmill. This was a new experience for him, he was used to being alone in here as he would exercise in the morning and his mother would after she got home from work. Nick set the treadmill for twelve miles per hour and began to run.
"Not going to stretch first?" Steven asked, looking at his son with a questioning glance.
"Nah, I don't feel like I need to if I'm just running. I might do some stretching afterwards before the rest of my workout."
"You should always stretch before any kind of workout."
"I'm sure I will be fine. I haven't had any problems so far."
"Alright, but I am not above telling you that I told you so."
Nick worked out until 6:30 once again, his father had left thirty minutes prior. He seemed confused as to why Nick would work out every muscle group in the same day instead of spreading it across different days. He didn't seem to approve of Nick's exercise habits, but he didn't press him too much to change it. Once Nick got done he cooled down while eating breakfast before getting dressed and heading to school on his bike. His father seemed surprised that Nick was already riding his bike to school, he had offered to give him a ride at first but Nick decided against it.
Nick locked his bike and made his way inside, a lot of people seemed to stop and stare at him as he came in. It was a weird feeling for him to say the least, being the center of attention for something other than being disabled. He saw people exchanging words in hushed tones and laughing as Nick made his way up a small set up stairs on his way to the lockers. Once he turned the corner into the corridor where the lockers were Mark spotted him and ran over. "Dude! You are like a minor celebrity right now. It's crazy, people can't stop talking about how Dan got his ass handed to him by the new kid."
"Really? I thought this kind of stuff was only talked about for like a day." Nick was surprised that his fight had been such a popular conversation topic while he was gone.
"Yeah, maybe if it was just a normal fight, but you hospitalized him!" Mark was way more excited about this than Nick had expected. "Everyone is talking about the fight, even still. Even the seniors know your name. You are starting to get some serious clout around here."
"Yeah, sure. By the way, I noticed while I was suspended that I never got your number." Nick started to enter the combination to his locker.
"Ah, hand me your phone and I will put it in." Nick took out his phone and handed it to Mark as he opened his locker.
When Nick opened his locker he noticed something strange, an envelope. Someone must have pushed it through the vent on his locker door. "What's this?" Nick bent down and picked up the envelope, the flap seemed to be held close with a pink heart sticker. Mark looked over Nick's shoulder at the envelope.
"A love letter? Someone's been watching too much anime." Mark chuckled as he finished putting his number in Nick's phone.
Nick opened the envelope and looked over the note inside. The note talked about how he had been incredibly brave when he stood up to Dan and that whoever wrote the letter really wanted to meet him in the picnic area behind the school today. Nick knew about the area, it was where the juniors and seniors ate during the spring if the weather was nice. It was in a heavily wooded area and it was deserted this time of year, the perfect place for a private meeting.
"Huh, I guess whoever wrote this wants to meet after school at the picnic area. Should I go?" Nick asked, putting the note back in the envelope and putting it in his backpack before putting that away in the locker.
"I don't see why not, it would be rude if you didn't" Mark watched as Nick got his laptop and binder from his backpack and closed his locker. "Here's your phone."
"Thanks, and yeah you are right. It would be really rude if I just didn't show up. You gonna come with me?" Nick asked, taking his phone and putting it away.
"Hell no, that is all you. I hate being a third wheel." Mark grinned. "I'm rooting for you though, man. If you don't fuck it up you could be losing your V-card already." Mark patted the now blushing Nick's shoulder as he walked past him.
"M-my V-card? I'm only 15, it's a bit early for that..." Nick's face was bright red like a tomato at the thought of losing his virginity to one of the girls at school.
"Hey man, most men would kill to be in your shoes. Embrace it."
Nick groaned and shook his head, trying to push those thoughts out of his head. It was way too early to be thinking about that kind of stuff. Whoever it was, he was not even sure if that person liked him like that yet. The heart shaped sticker made him think that they did, but there could be another reason for that. Besides, he had never even been on a date or even kissed a girl before, those at least had to happen first.
The rest of the school day crawled by, Nick was extremely nervous thanks to Mark. Once Mark had noticed how nervous Nick was he was sure to tease him about it for the rest of the day. Nick couldn't wait to go to sleep tonight and just forget all of this for a while. He just hoped that the meeting with girl who wrote the letter went well. Although, he didn't know if it was even a girl who wrote it. Mark seemed convinced, however.
"I need to meet with a teacher, I'll wait outside when I'm done. You have to tell me how it goes, also who it is." Mark watched Nick pack up his laptop and binder and close his locker as he put his backpack on.
"Alright, I'll see you in however long it takes then." Mark and Nick said their temporary goodbyes and Nick made his way to the picnic area. Nick didn't know at the time, but the picnic area was actually pretty hard to find. It was deep in the woods behind the school and the trees were super dense. There wasn't even a clear path that he could find, so it took a solid five minutes of searching to find it.
Once he got there he looked around, he didn't immediately see anyone so he took his backpack off and put it on one of the tables before taking out his phone and listening to music. Nick closed his eyes and began to zone out, a few minutes passed before someone grabbed him and pulled him from his seat. His phone fell out of his hands and the force of the phone falling to the ground ripped the earbuds from his ears. "What the hell?" He felt two people grab one of his arms each and hold them in such a way where he was unable to move.
He looked to his sides to see two older men in school uniforms. "W-what are you doing?" Nick struggled to try to get out of their grip, though they were far too strong. Damn, what the hell is going on? Did these people write that letter?
"You know, it's one thing to lose a fight..." Nick looked towards the voice, his eyes became wide when he saw Dan in casual clothes coming out from the woods. "But I was humiliated, and I was suspended for two weeks when you only got two days... They said next time I get in a fight I'm getting expelled, no questions asked. You managed to ruin my reputation with a single punch."
Dan was followed by the other two who had been with him the two times they met. Dan walked up to Nick and punched him hard in the gut. Nick was not expecting that, if he was not being held up by the two holding his arms he would be on his knees in pain. The punched knocked the wind out him. "With one punch, you ruined a year's worth of work on my image as a man who is not to be taken lightly."
This is about his fucking image? Nick coughed and got back on his feet. "Look, you started it. I'm sure-" Nick wasn't able to finish sentence before a fist shot out and hit him in the nose. He could feel his nose crack under Dan's fist, the pain was intense. Nick wanted to scream out in pain, or call for help, but he just took the punch with a grunt.
Nick could feel blood running from his nose and down his face before dripping off of his chin. "Look, I-" Once again Nick was cut off, this time it was a right hook. Adrenaline was already surging through his body so luckily it did not hurt as bad as he expected. Nick felt a heat rise inside of him, a burning anger. Even in the face of this he didn't want to back down. He spoke without thinking, a huge grin on his face.
"You still hit like a bitch." Where the hell did that come from? Am I crazy? Dan's eyes went wide with fury, sending a fist directly into Nick's sternum. He could swear he heard and felt a couple bones crack, it hurt more than anything he had ever felt. Nick groaned, his knees becoming weak and giving out under him.
"I hit like a bitch, huh? Your body seems to tell a different story." Dan had a cocky smile on his face.
"Big man, beating up a guy while others hold him because you are too scared of getting your ass kicked a second time." What the hell? My mouth is moving on its own! Dan's face grew bright red.
"Oh, you are fucking dead." Dan placed a hand on top of Nick's head, pushing it downward as his knee shot up and hit Nick in the chin. Nick could feel a couple of teeth chip and his jaw crack, He would have screamed at the top of his lungs had his mouth not been forced shut. Nick went limp and the two men let go of his arms. "Let's see what they think of you now."
They all began to walk away, Nick couldn't understand what had gotten into him. A fire was burning in him that wouldn't allow him to just give in to this. "Where do you think you are going? We are just getting started here." Nick shakily stood up and spit blood and pieces of tooth out onto the concrete platform that the picnic tables were attached to.
"Do you have a death wish, kid?" Dan asked, as if he was some kind of adult, superior to Nick.
"I should be asking you that." Nick took off his jacket and threw it to the side. He had given in to this fire, this fighting spirit, that burned deep within him. He felt like a different person, it was a similar feeling that came over him during the first fight.
"Tch, go deal with him. I'm done with this." The two who had been holding his arms made their way towards him, the one on the right threw a fist first. Oh no you don't. Nick thought back to the hand to hand combat training he had, trying to think of a way to counter this punch... In the end he decided to try something different from his teachings.
Nick threw his own fist at the fist that was coming towards him, though it wasn't a normal punch. Nick wasn't sure how, but for a second he felt like he could harness this force deep inside of himself, his shock magic. Just like he had when he threw that punch the first time. When their fists collided Nick shot a shock wave from his fist into the other man's arm, he saw him cry out and grip his arm as he backed away. Nick couldn't help but grin in satisfaction, as if something that had been pent up inside him his entire life was let out in one blast.
He didn't feel the same way he did the first time, he assumed it was because he had a higher mana capacity. The second threw a fast punch that impacted Nick's face, but he was running on so much adrenaline that the punch barely phased him no matter how much it hurt. He returned with a punch of his own to the man's gut, another shock wave shooting out and making the man fall to his knees in agony. Nick looked to Dan who had a shocked and worried look on his face, though that look suddenly changed to a cocky grin. Nick was confused about his sudden confidence as he felt a punch hit his stomach.
Something wasn't right, he had hit the man really hard, but that punch was pathetic. As he looked down to where he had been hit his eyes grew wide as a chill shot through his spine. Blood was pooling where a knife has been shoved into his abdomen. A searing electric pain shot through his body, making him yell in agony as he collapsed. The man pulled the knife out as Nick fell. Nick looked up at the five, Dan and his four friends.
"Huh, I didn't expect this. But, now that this has happened I suppose it's best we get out of here and let nature take its course. You look to be losing a lot of blood, you should be dead soon enough." Dan turned and began to walk away, the others following behind him. The lack of remorse of any kind was chilling. He even looked happy to see Nick bleeding out on the ground, dying.
As they walked into the woods Nick's mind raced as the adrenaline began to fade, the pain was hard to describe, he couldn't move. He could feel himself losing a lot of blood, this was really bad unless he called for help. He looked and could see his phone a few feet away from him. He tried to reach for it, but he couldn't move his limbs. He felt helpless, as if he was paralyzed again. Damn it, I'm not going to die here!
Nick summoned all the strength he could, grabbing his phone. The screen was cracked, but luckily the screen still worked. He opened his contacts, he saw his dad, mom, and Mark listed. Shit, I can't call my parents, I need to call Mark. Nick clicked on Mark's name and it dialed his number, Nick pressed the speaker phone button because he was unable to bring the phone to his face.
The phone rang for a while before Mark picked up. "What's up, man? I'm in the middle of talking with a teacher. Surely this can wait."
"Dan... Stabbed me... Setup... Need help..." It was hard for Nick to talk thanks to the combination of a broken jaw and a fading consciousness. Mark's voice changed instantly to one of panic.
"Hold, on this isn't a fucking joke right? Because if it is, it is not fucking funny..."
"Not... Joke... Please... Help..."
"Shit, hold on, I'm coming." Mark hung up, Nick let go of his phone and used the rest of his strength to turn on his back. He looked up at the sky, a sense of peacefulness came over him. He had been angry, but he wasn't angry anymore. He was just cold, very cold. Nick's vision was tunneling and fading, Nick tried his hardest to hold onto his consciousness. He had seen on the internet that if you are stabbed or shot the last thing you want to do is close your eyes or go to sleep.
Nick was not sure how much time had passed, but two faces came into his vision. One was their history teacher and the other was Mark. Mark quickly removed he jacket and put it over the knife wound, pressing down on it in an attempt to slow the bleeding. "Shit, stay with me man, an ambulance is on the way..." The teacher looked as if he didn't know what to do. "Fuck man, stay awake... Stay awake!" He heard Mark shout.
Nick's eyes were closing, he couldn't fight it anymore. The world slowly slipped into black. For a second Nick was totally at peace, he believed he was dead, or at least dying. But he was fine with that. He had done all he could do, and even though it was short he thought that he had lived a good life...
Nick's eyes shot open, pain shooting through his body as adrenaline quickly rushed to his aid. He was in his bed in the other world, he looked down and could see a blood spot forming on his pajamas. "Oh, shit..." The gravity of the situation hit him like a train. Nick quickly pressed down on the wound and stood up. It was still dark outside, he was here considerably early. With a look at the clock in his room he could see it was 3:20.
Fuck, I hope there are some people awake. I don't know how long this adrenaline will last. It even amazed Nick how clear his thinking was considering how hazy it had been only moments ago. His self preservation instinct was back as well. His mental state was back to how it was before he got beaten by Dan not too long ago.
Nick got up and stumbled to his door, opening it up and walking into the corridor. It did not take long to spot a servant and it did not take long for that same servant to spot him. It looked to be an older butler, probably around sixty years old. The butler's eyes went wide when he saw the growing red spot on Nick's clothes. Nick collapsed again as the adrenaline left his system.
The butler quickly ran over to him, screaming for help. The butler ripped open the front of Nicks' button up pajama shirt. He placed his hands over the wound as a familiar feeling made its way through Nick's body, the butler knew healing magic. Another Butler quickly rounded the corner, the older one look to him and shouted. "Quick, get a doctor! Tell them to bring a suture kit and bandages!"
Nick laid on the ground, unable to speak or move as the butler tried desperately to stop the bleeding with his healing magic. After ten minutes Nick could see a worried Katrina round the corner with blinding speed, rushing over to him. The man moved his hands and she got to work. She quickly wiped the area free of blood and began to stitch the wound shut.
"How did this happen?" She asked the butler, her voice shaking.
"I don't know, he came out of his room like this..." The butler took a second to compose himself. "I applied pressure to the wound and tried to use healing magic to stop the bleeding, but I'm afraid I couldn't do much."
"Of course not, the wound is far too serious for magic alone." Katrina worked fast, stitching the wound shut quickly. "Alright, that should be fine for a few minutes, help me carry him to the medical ward."
The trip to the medical ward took forever in Nick's eyes, though in reality it too no more than fifteen minutes. They put him on a bed and Katrina got to work with her healing magic. An hour passed, Katrina sighing and moved her hands away from the wound. She was sweating and out of breath. She reached for the bedside table and grabbed some bandages.
"You are stable, but you aren't anywhere near healed. You still have a hole in your abdomen, but you won't bleed out." She set the bandages down and wet a piece of cloth with alcohol, cleaning around the wound. Nick grit his teeth and yelled as the alcohol got inside his wound. He clutched his bed sheet and arched his back.
"Oh, don't be a baby." Katrina said, pushing him back down once she got done wiping the area down. She then bandaged him. "So tell me, how did this happen?"
"In the other world I was stabbed. It was in retaliation because I won the fight." Nick said, he was sweating a lot and was cold but he could tell that he was going to be fine. Katrina began to wrap a bandage around him, he was a bit confused. "Why are you bandaging me? Couldn't someone else use healing magic to help me out?"
"It would be best for you to get some rest before we work on healing you up more. You have been through trauma. I think it is time you get back to that other world for now. When you get back we will heal you the rest of the way up." Katrina stood up and began to gather her medical supplies.
"I would tell you to get some sleep, but from the sound of it you don't really have the ability to do that anymore. So, try to fall asleep and go back to your world. I'm sure your family is worried." Nick nodded as Katrina closed the curtain around his bed. Nick closed his eyes, trying to get to sleep in order to get back to his world.
After twenty minutes Nick fell asleep, and then he woke up. But... it was different this time. He was still in the medical ward of the castle, light was now shining through the windows. "What the hell..." Nick sat up, pain shot through his body telling him to lay back down. He decided to not listen to his bodies advice.
He stood up and moved the curtain away from his bed, he walked to the entrance to the medical ward and looked at the clock there. Seven in the morning? What the hell? I actually slept? Nick didn't know what to think, this was so weird. He hasn't actually slept since he has started coming to this world.
Nick winced, looking down to see a small red dot expanding on his white bandage. Damn, did I reopen the wound?
"Oh dear..." Nick heard someone say from behind him, turning around to see a slightly concerned looking nurse. "You need to get back in bed. Oh no, your wound is open again..." The nurse grabbed Nick's arm and led him back to his bed.
"Lay down, I will go get Katrina." Nick laid down and waited, his mind was racing trying to find a reason why he could have possibly actually slept in this world, the possible conclusions he came to were not happy ones. The only reasons he could think of were either coma or death, both were bad but he hoped it was just a coma and one day he would go to sleep to wake up in a hospital on earth. He just hoped it would be someday soon...