I sat in my room for a few days without attending class. Even when either Lumina, Rollen, or Jax visited me, I didn't open the door or answered them.
I kept Jax's shape-shifting power for now. Same for the golden-haired girl, Lucina Nozack. Her nature power could come in handy.
On my lonesome, my mind wondered about the events of last week. We caught the person who tried to kill Jax. And during his questioning, the unthinkable happened.
Luck, fate, or pity took place that day. Our lives got spared, or maybe it was indifference. Insignificant ants to the eyes of those people.
One thing is clear. As we are now, we are nothing but dust particles in the world of superhumans. Mere children trying to prove themselves in the eyes of the adults.
My arrogance surfaced after getting ahold of a few powers, thinking myself as invincible, that the smoke could protect me from anything, that with the power to heal my injuries, I had nothing to be afraid of.
Dil Rogue's statue should still be there. I want to go back, but my legs don't seem to work nowadays. I freeze at the door and can't go out of my room.
My mortality became apparent in a split second. Even now, as I think about it, my knees tremble. In this absolute silence of my room, my bones crackled.
The world so casually I got involved in is not a playground. A single mistake could cost someone's life. I may want to be the heroes' bane, but getting myself or someone I care about killed isn't worth it.
I felt it. This kind of attitude will not work. The first time I walked through the Academy's doors I thought it'd be a breeze with the power I gained.
My win against the bully and his friends boosted my confidence and vanity. In the Arena, when a trained Hero couldn't land a hit on me, elevated my arrogance.
I almost got killed before and it didn't have the impact that it should.
That behavior and flimsiness reached an end last week, in the mountains by the Ruins of the old Civilization. It made me contemplate and question my actions.
It should've happened sooner when Dil Rogue beat the crap out of me, but my haughtiness got in the way.
By working together, we captured him and started interrogating him. As he was about to reveal who hired him, a loud bang interrupted us.
Next to us, landed someone. It took a while for the dust to settle. The sun above us cast shadows that shone through the cloud of dirt particles floating around him. It wasn't the bulky exterior of that Gorilla student, instead; it was a toned, muscled body. Brown hair and grey eyes.
Mine and Lucina's thoughts matched. A new enemy maybe that came to help him. But those thoughts soon collapsed when he got closer.
Dil Rogue trembled and sweated profusely. He shook his head and struggled to escape. Grounded and unable to get away, he started shouting. His hysterical voice is still audible in my head.
"P-Please… Sir! I-I'm sorry!"
The tone-built man looked at him. His dead eyes seemed to stare into his soul, and his icy voice penetrated our spines. "You talk too much!"
A simple touch on Dil Rogue's forehead was enough to petrify him.
In a state of panic, Lucina attacked with her whip, which he caught and petrified in an instant. The whip crumbled before it reached her.
He swiftly turned and looked at her, making her take a step back.
"Young miss, don't misunderstand me! I don't intend to fight you!"
He was about to look the other way when the words escaped his mouth with a long sigh. "Don't make me!"
The girl's slender body shook as she fell to the ground. She shivered the entire time this person stood before us. No matter how hard she hugged herself, the trembling continued.
My incontrollable rage surfaced. "Bastard!"
What I didn't take into consideration, though, was the fact that my feet wouldn't move. Fear overwhelmed me when he walked next to the statue. I tried looking at him but my eyes kept averting to Dil Rogue.
I tried capturing him with the same roots when he got closer but the moment they touched him; he petrified and snapped them.
He hovered over me. "Kid!"
Like a pulse sent out of his body, the surrounding domain of black smoke turned to stone in the blink of an eye. "Back off!"
The black smoke tried to envelop him but got petrified as well.
The petrification ended a few centimeters before my feet.
He leaned closer and whispered. "I worked with your dad before. I thought you were a powerless one. Don't force me to cause you trouble. Many people would want to learn your secrets!"
He sighed and returned to his standing position. "Tell your friends to stop lurking around!"
I remained silent and stared at him. He signaled with his head to urge me to do what he said. My voice refused to leave my throat. I had to take in a deep breath before I could speak.
"C-Come out guys!"
He waited until they gathered around. Jax and Rollen went by Lucina's side and helped her stand. Jax held the girl in his arms to support her.
Lumina walked towards me and stood in front of me between us.
He looked around and turned the other way. He started walking.
We felt a sense of relief. It was over. Lucina looked up for the first time. Until then, she kept staring at the ground.
My thoughts were still in disarray, but I had to ask. "What about Jax and Lucina?"
He stopped walking, which caused us to flinch. His head turned a little and the corner of his eye glistened. "Consider the issue resolved!"
He continued walking. His thunderous voice startled us. "Tell your dad we are even now!"