"Is he going to be alright"
H-Huh… who…?
"His body had third degree burns all over, but his clothes weren't damaged. B-Besides, he cracked open the door that only our principal could open… Not even Sir Argen can pull that off…"
Who… the hell are you? I am dead… right? Was heaven always this noisy…?
"Eh, wasn't he almost full healed when we got there though! H-How, his skin should have been singed to a crisp…"
What… singed… ah right, that fire…?
Wait… fire…
My eyes suddenly opened as I jolted out of a bed, only to find myself in yet another pasty white room. In front of me were two people who wore long green robes, they stared at me with wide eyes, hands raised in the air. One could surely notice their unsteady breathing from the way their masks rose and sunk...
I let out a sigh.
"I am not dead, am I?"
I shot them a look and like magic, they nodded. They took their caps off, revealing their pristine white headbands.
"G-Good morning sir… You were taken here after the events of earlier…"
I raised a brow at one of the aides who jumped out of fear, gritting his teeth as a bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.
I shook my head and let out a soft chuckle.
"Calm down, just tell me more about what happened. I… I won't hurt anyone, I promise…"
When he heard that, the man shuddered, clenching his hand in a fist before swinging it into my face. The punch sent me flying back to bed, leaving me not only with pain but with a lot of questions…
"You… You almost obliterated the training area! How the hell are you so casual about that act?!"
E-Eh?!
Just what exactly had happened?!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My damp, wet hand was pressed against my open mouth. My eyes were on the verge of popping out, and breathing, like hell was I able to breathe properly. After the two white banded guys delivered me the news, I was left speechless. How can a powerless moron like me almost blow up the entire stadium?
"That… Are you really serious?"
The guy in front of me rolled his eyes, waving his hand dismissively.
"I thought I would see a mushroom cloud at some point. Be thankful that our principal was able to contain it… but for real. You melted the glass ceiling and completely singed the center of the forest without even a speck of ash to tell the tale. If that spread, most of the people in the stadium would be dead."
A feeling akin to a lump formed on my throat and as much as I'd like to vomit it out, I knew I couldn't.
"I… Where are they now?"
The other guy who was in there shrugged his shoulders.
"They said they would continue to train, but surely, they left the training area. The last time their group was seen would be from earlier this noon, when Xion entered his office alongside them… Other than that, it's fair game. No one has emerged from the room ever since they entered."
"I-Is that so…"
My throat was parched dry as sand. It made for a great choking hazard but thankfully I wasn't eating otherwise I would have already retched from all the emotions stemming from within me… I clasped my temples with my hands and sat in a fetal position on top of a bed. Endangering everyone, almost killing the law enforcers of this society… I never asked for this! Why can't I just be a simple man in control of his or her powers, dammit!
In my rage, my hands then flared up with a bright orange flame, immediately burning the gauze that was wrapped around it to a crisp. Shaking my hands violently, I attempted to put the flames out but that's when everything clicked… rage, pressure, unease… I inhaled a gulp of air as I tried to thwart the sounds of the screaming medical people around me out of my head.
Why did my flames activate on these key moments?
Biting my lip, I steadied my breathing and sure enough, the flames grew smaller and smaller until they were nothing but an ember. The flames have receded, or so I would like to believe… I am not even sure how to control them but at least suppressing them was a step in the right direction…
The frantic screeching from the duo who were with me ceased as well, leaving them with wide eyes as they looked at me, all fine after that mini inferno.
"Sorry, for worrying you guys… but did you tell me the truth as to where Xion and the others went?"
The pair nodded but one spoke up in a worried tone, his voice shaky as he delivered his query.
"Y-You don't plan to kill more don't you…. You already hurt a lot of people, or at least tried to…"
I let out a grunt before stomping my foot against the marbled tiles of this "infirmary."
"No, why would I? I was training how to control this power… the only reason those mishaps happened were because of an increased output when I did accidentally tap into them."
The friend of the asker smiled from ear to ear. He then broke out into a guffaw as he clutched his stomach in laughter.
"Ahahaha! And to think that you were the first one who weren't aware of your own strength… since you sound interesting… I'll be following you journey from the shadows."
He cocked his head to the side, still wearing that same adorable smile. Seeing his reaction made me scratch cheek in nervousness.
"Is that so… well, I would have to take my leave now. See ya around if I do get injured okay?"
I returned his sentiments with a bow before turning face from the pair. I walked over to the infirmary door and with a simple twist of a knob; the outside world was finally revealed to me again…
Now to tale my training much more seriously to protect Shan…
The smooth marbled halls of Xion's lair stretched out in front of me as countless students gathered by the sides, carrying items, some hanging out… However when they noticed me, there was a thick tension in the air, almost like it were charged by lightning. Their stares made me feel as if the air that entered my lungs were made out of a thick jelly like substance but as much as I would like to get asphyxiated by the pressure, those miracles don't happen.
I carried on; walking sedentarily as my eyes panned to the left, switching to the right once I've drank enough hostile looks and glares from the other end of the hallway. It all comes down to how I can control my power… and perhaps Xion might have deemed me unworthy of joining the Operation. While it's a good thing, right now, I kind of want to make myself known as an ally to them… and simply doing tasks here won't cut it. Not after what I have done at least.
After what seemed like forever, the sound of my soles tapping against the marbled floor came to a screeching halt. I looked up to the massive wooden door that was in front of me, before glancing downward to their knobs, only to find two red banded students standing guard close to it. They stared me down with narrowed eyes but despite the hostility, I decided it might be the best to approach them first. Asking questions before acting irrationally should be a key to changing up my blunders…
I cleared my throat before walking over to the duo who still kept the same stare.
"Stop."
One of them mouthed, and so I stopped in front of them, ready to listen.
"Students are not allowed past this point, even you. This is serving as the training grounds of those involved in the institution's current operation."
Taking a pause, I mulled over a few moments before asking them a request…
"Would you mind checking if I am included and would be allowed inside?"
I gave them a coy smile, cocking my head to the side to feign innocence. However, one of the guards pretended to spit on the floor when I did the act, he did however go inside, leaving only one guard who stared at me. After a few moments of silence, a single tooth shown from under his cracking frown and after a minute, he sighed and started speaking.
"Listen… I know you are not the type to do as people tell you would plan to do…"
I raised a brow and with wide eyes, remembered his question.
"Huh? What I plan to do?"
The guard's nose crinkled along with his forehead.
"You… Do you have any idea what the other students think of you?"
I responded by shaking my head whilst shrugging my shoulders. What was he talking about? What rumors could possibly stem from such "minor" incidents? Seeing my reaction, the guard let out a sigh as he brought his palm to his head, massaging his temples in the process.
"Perhaps I should bring you up to speed then… some think that you are Wyzen's prized child or that you just came here to kill off the other Epico… Some of the more radical students were already signing petitions against you on your second day."
The man paused for a bit, his face dripping with sweat and his brows knitted closely together.
"I was one of the few who wanted you gone… but now that I see that you were clearly clueless and dense and that you do not do things by force… unless necessary. I can be certain that the accident with my fellow red bands were nothing but an accident. But to be sure…"
The man leaned forward, his face just inches away from mine.
"You… You cannot control your powers can you?"
Instead of rudely replying and possibly making him smell my breath, I just nodded. With a grunt, the guy backed off nodding as well but this time, a smile was painted on his face.
"Ah, I guessed as much! Haha!"
My jaw twitched a bit when I heard that. Why was he so happy? Did he think that I was not supposed to be here?
"E-Excuse me… but why are you laughing?"
The guard slammed his clenched fist into his chest with a hearty smile.
"Ah, you see I was one uncontrollable kid, with unhinged powers. I normally hurt a lot of people before, but when I was sent here, I got the chance to reform and to grow."
A-Ah… I see. That's good… Good for you at least.
"I-Is that so… well thanks for believing in me."
Without another word, the man patted me on my shoulder before giving me a smile.
"Relax, you can do it. I believe in you man…"
I was about to reply when the wooden door creaked open as his friend exited with the same frown. He still glowered at me with the same eyes as before, and with a huff, he began pushing the door open. I just stood there, waiting for the door to open before I started walking in, however, the other guard quickly held my shoulders, gripping it firmly before I could enter.
"Listen… I don't know what you did to Xion or what you fed him, but I swear I will kick you out myself if you screw around one more time!"
Instead of answering, I just nodded and gave him a wry smile before brushing his hand off my shoulders. I soon walked inside only to be greeted by the entire class who seemed to be in the middle of torture? Well that was what it looked like…
Geon was on the ground, his mouth open and his irises white…
His lackeys lay in a heap beside him, possessing the same appearances as their ring leader.
Cora and Adria were winded, tottering to the side before falling to the soft grass below….
In the midst of everything was Xion, who looked at me with a smile….
What was going on? What sort of training was this?!