The Principal stood still, looking in my direction as he held that teacher to the ground. The twisted hand almost revealed a bone.
A pool of blood flooded the platform before it sipped through the cracks that formed from the impact.
It took a while before a crater-like hole appeared, devouring the blood.
My voice, muffled by the screams of the other students, barely reached his ears. "I'm fine!"
That teacher's attacks injured and killed. A hero's guide went that far for whatever twisted reasoning because he wanted to harm me.
Time and time again, their actions steel my resolve.
Even before coming to this place. We suffered from their hands. It doomed people without strength in this wretched world to be eaten by the so-called heroes.
I received a power that day and I'll do my best to protect those in need. Heroes watch out. 'I'm coming for you!'
The Principal interrupted my internal rumbling when he placed his hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure you are ok? You've been clenching your fists for a while now!"
"I…"
I didn't have time to finish my sentence when a sharp pain forces a groan out of my mouth. The flesh on my hand tore like paper and blood gushed out.
It trembled for a while before the bones shattered. The groan turned to a scream before I passed out from the pain.
That's the last thing I remember before coming to my senses. Outside, darkness enveloped the land.
I had my bed in the familiar room with the many beds and white sheets.
Unlike my previous visit to this place, students took over most of them, as their injuries needed an expert to take care of them.
They entirely wrapped some of them in bandages, whereas I only had a cast on my arm.
After I saw my hand, the letter made sense. One rule stated that if I ever got a hold of physical power, I should first train my body before using it.
The strain from a single punch caused this much damage.
It's not like I didn't take it seriously, but at that moment I just wanted to be left alone. Enraged and without thinking, I injured myself to this extent. My emotions got the better of me.
I should be more careful in the future.
Oh, it just hit me. 'If that part of the letter is true, then does that mean I can give this power to someone else?'
Rollen comes to mind, but his scrawny body will only endanger his life. 'He helped me though, so I'll be returning the favor!'
During my stay at the infirmary, Madam Reena visited daily for a couple of hours and informed me of the situation at the academy.
Apparently, the Principal is in trouble with the families that supported that insane teacher.
The most interesting piece of information is their agreement towards kicking me out of the Academy for causing trouble.
During one of her visits, she warned me to not engage or cause them trouble.
Rollen visited a few times to check up on me. We discussed the issue with the power, but he declined.
His response really took me by surprise. I would expect him to take the opportunity.
The three-day time limit is over and because I didn't decide, the power got discarded by default.
Lamina stayed the longest. She even brought me homework she took the time to prepare from the classmates, and meals served at the Academy's restaurant.
The new classmates paid me a visit and got to know each other a little better.
Still, with a cast on my arm, I returned to my room a few days later.
On my second day living in my room, early in the morning, a few knocks on my door woke me up.
On the other side, I could hear a stern voice. "Rikeron, I know you are inside. I want to talk!"
"Who is it?"
The male voice stuttered. A soft tone, as if I embarrassed him, took over. "R-Right… We've never talked before, have we?"
He coughed twice and returned to his earlier prideful tone.
"I'm Jax, from your class!"
Jax? I don't know him. Let's see what he looks like.
I opened the door and a young man with a hoodie covering his face stood before me. His eyes emitted a light green that emerged out of the shadow of his cowl.
With hands wrapped in a black cloth, blending with the rest of his attire, he stared at me for a few seconds and then looked around him. "Hide me"
He pushed me aside and rushed in, closing the door behind him.
Rude! "Uhm… Excuse you?"
In a swift motion, he shut off the blinds of the windows and sat on the floor. He put his knees together and hugged them with his covered in black cloth hands.
He shook back and forth as if he was sitting in a swing at the playground.
A while in this position, he stopped and looked at me. "I screwed up!"
I figured that much, but I'm still trying to figure out who you are. "Take it from the beginning!"
He nodded in agreement.
Before uttering those first words that I'm sure would bring me trouble, I interrupted him with my hand in a halt position. "But… Before that… Who are you?"
Thinking I was joking, he tried to laugh it off, but after seeing that I was asking him with sincerity, he gulped down that laughter. "My name is Jax and I'm in the same class as you!"
It still doesn't ring a bell. I haven't had time to get to know them yet. I shook my head to signal that I still didn't know or remember him.
As if he had an epiphany, he got up and approached me. "I helped Rollen in the Arena that day!"
My joy spilled and escaped my mouth, which distorted a weird smile. I could feel my face muscles clenching. "Oh, that was you?"