"Why do you fight?"
Because I have to.
"Why do you have to?"
Because I have to be the best.
"Why do you have to be the best?"
Because I never want that thing to repeat itself.
...
"Why did you let them go?..."
* * *
The sound of bells rang in my ears. It was time for break. I heard the scrapings of chairs and shuffle of bags as my classmates headed out. I still stayed there in darkness. I could feel the sickly warm heat of the sun radiate in my body, sweat leaching off my cheeks. Foot tapped lightly, sending sound vibrations around the room. Each second passed by excruciatingly. The last person left. Now I was by myself. Sat in silence...
The clicking of shoes on marble chilled me to the bone, as did the dry chuckles. I knew what was about to happen even if I didn't lift my head.
"Look who's all by himself again!" Obnoxious laughing filled my ears. "Hey!? Are you listening!? I'm talking here!"
I continued to ignore him for the love of my life.
"Why don't you say something, punk? We're just gonna beat you up if you don't."
"I'm sorry."
"Huh? What was that!? You better speak up!" Connie Marks towered over me, with his ego twice his height. His foul, dark, small eyes leered at me with malice. He grabbed the gruff of my shirt throwing me across the room, knocking over the tables and chairs.
Great. I'm fucked.
Connie was pretty intimidating by himself but when he was surrounded by his 'friends' he looks terrifying. His power is almost worst. The power of destruction and reconstruction: The basic traits of alchemy. Yet he uses the power to discourage and pick on the weak, such as myself, who possesses no power at all. I was nothing but useless to the world. It didn't need me. I didn't need it. There was nothing left of me; I was a plastic bag floating in the summer breeze.
A cold liquid ran down my nose. I spat then stood up into a hand to hand combat position, with my arms raised to face level. Connie smirked and lunged me. I avoided the attack and threw a dirty move to gain the upper hand. His face flushed with anger and embarrassment, afraid to be beaten by a weakling.
I have to admit Connie could definitely kill me but his arrogance and his pride will be his downfall.
Connie threw another punch. This one hit the wall, which burst into sawdust in the blink of an eye. The students outside gathered to witness my ultimate defeat as Connie kept throwing punch after punch without any shape.
I used an ancient Jujutsu technique that was passed down in my family for generations. It was an art form used to flow with the natural Qi in the air and the Qi in ones body. We would adapt our bodies to cold climates and boiling hot temperatures to harden our muscles, which could act as shields. Although that wouldn't stop someone like Connie with the ability to destroy.
I took a deep breath, concentrating, imagining the flow of Qi. Everyone watched in awe as I almost danced to dodge Connie's attacks. This was bad. His frustration was reaching new heights. At this rate he'll destroy the school. I better get out of here.
"Where do you think you're going!?"
Behind me, Connie was running sporadically, pushing all his anger into power. Shit. There was no avoiding fighting.
I stopped in the courtyard where more students were gathered, eating or enjoying their break. Connie was sprinting at me full speed, a dangerous glint in his eye. Everyone paused around us. Their curiosity egged Connie on.
I sighed, then took a deep breath in and raced towards him. His fist barely scraped my cheek, cutting it, while his leg followed afterwards. I dodged and returned the kick hitting him square in the face. Connie's eyes were in a fury; his brow furrowed. I swerved past him, controlling my movements perfectly and smacked his stomach into my knee. All air was immediately forced out of his lungs. But that wasn't enough. In fact, it just sparked more anger.
This might have been easy if he was just a normal human like me, but because of his superpowers Connie was more than that.
I dodged another punch, then brought my fist to his face but Connie caught my hand. Fear flooded my face. I was trembling.
"Heh. You're dead!" Connie grinned maliciously, as punched me with all the force of a truck going 60mph. I was flung into the wall of the school and my world became fuzzy...
I remember a crowd laughing and that I was being pushed around, barely conscious. A cold liquid trickled from a wound in my head. I was thankful that I only had a graze after being thrown like that. That would've surely killed any normal human but thanks to my Jujutsu art I was able to survive. Before I hit the wall, I slowed the Qi around me, that in turn, softened the impact.
I suddenly sat up in bed, panting and sweating profusely, heat throbbing in my head. My breathing sporadic, I took in my surroundings; a table sat beside me with what looked like medicine lying upon it; the bed was positioned next to a window with a view of a bush. There was more beds on my left and a desk at the foot of my bed. The wall opposite me was full of equipment for first aid. A dull light peeked through the window, making two rectangles of sunlight on the ground.
I was all alone. Then how did I get here? Never mind that, I need to get home. I pulled my exhausted body onto its feet and headed for the door. After today I really need a sleep, my head was throbbing and my throat stung with every breath. I was in a pitiful state.
As I limped the halls, I sensed something strange in the Qi. Something about the place felt off. That's when I realized that I hadn't seen a single person since leaving the lower infirmary and it was perpetually quiet. A shiver felt its cold fingers down my spine. The air was tense and every breath I felt even more strangled. Sending a gulp of saliva down my throat, I wandered the halls on my toes.
A horrible stench enveloped my nose, making my eyes water in bitterness. Black smoke fumed from the ground around my feet. Suddenly a hand reached out and grabbed my shoulder dragging me into the darkness...