The sky stretched overhead, tinged with the golden hues of late afternoon. An open training ground far from the academy's busier areas lay before them. The field was mostly empty, save for a few groups of students sparring in the distance, too far to intervene.
Kieran, Jack, and Nathan had no idea why they were here.
They followed Gerald, the senior student assigned to escort them. His presence alone was unsettling. The way he walked with casual confidence, as if he already knew the outcome of whatever was about to happen it put Kieran on edge.
He hated walking into situations blind.
Jack leaned in slightly. "Something's off."
"You think?" Kieran muttered.
Nathan remained silent, his gaze sharp as he took in their surroundings.
Their unease was justified the moment they spotted a lone figure standing at the center of the training ground.
A tall student, second-year from the looks of him, dressed in the academy's dark uniform. He stood with his hands in his pockets, posture relaxed. But there was something in the air around him an unnatural stillness, like the calm before a storm.
Gerald finally spoke.
"Damien, I brought them."
The name struck a chord. Kieran had heard rumors, but this was his first time seeing him in person.
Damien looked up at them, a lazy smirk forming on his lips. Dark crimson eyes, unnatural in color, flickered with amusement as he studied them.
"So," he drawled, flipping a coin between his fingers, "you're the ones who gave Bob and his friends trouble."
Kieran's expression hardened. "So this is about Bob?"
Damien chuckled. "Of course. Bob works for me. And when you hurt my people, that means you hurt me."
Jack tensed beside Kieran. Nathan's hands clenched into fists.
Damien took a step forward, still flipping his coin. "Damage was done. That means you owe me. Your weekly allowances should be enough to cover it."
Kieran narrowed his eyes. "That's ridiculous."
Jack exhaled. "Maybe we should just"
Kieran shot him a sharp look. "No."
Jack hesitated. "Kieran there isn't a need to offend anyone"
Kieran clenched his jaw, but after a long second, he sighed and pulled out his coins, tossing them onto the ground. Jack did the same.
Damien picked them up with a satisfied look then turned to Nathan.
"And yours?"
Nathan crossed his arms. "I don't have it."
Damien's smirk faltered. He let out a slow breath before shaking his head.
"Well, that's unfortunate. But don't worry, I'm a reasonable guy."
He met their eyes.
"You three can work for me. Gather coins, run errands easy stuff.
Then Kieran stepped forward. "Not happening."
The air seemed to shift. Damien's smirk slowly disappeared.
"You sure about that?" His tone was light, but something was different. The air around him wavered as if reality itself had flickered.
Jack tensed. Nathan's stance shifted.
Then Damien sighed, shaking his head.
"You really don't get how things work here, do you?"
And in the blink of an eye ,He was in front of Kieran.
Kieran barely reacted before a fist slammed into his gut.
[-8 HP]
Pain shot through his body. The system's notification flashed in his vision, but he had no time to focus on it.
He staggered back, gasping for air. But before he could recover
Damien flickered.
Not teleported. Not moved with speed.
It was like space itself distorted, and he was suddenly somewhere else.
Before Kieran could process it, Damien's fist crashed into his ribs.
[-3 HP]
Kieran barely managed to stay on his feet.
Jack moved to help, but Gerald blurred. In an instant, Jack's arms were yanked behind his head, locked in place by Gerald's iron grip.
"Damien, stop!" Jack shouted.
Nathan, seeing this, rushed forward.
Damien turned his head slightly and reality twisted around him. Nathan suddenly froze, his body locking in place.
"What the—?!"
Damien appeared in front of him in an instant and drove a fist into his stomach.
Nathan collapsed to his knees, coughing violently.
Kieran forced himself to move, but Damien was already back in front of him. How was he moving like that?
"Starting to get it now?" Damien murmured.
His crimson eyes burned with something inhuman. This wasn't normal speed. This wasn't teleportation.
It was like he was existing in two places at once.
Kieran's vision blurred for a second.
[-3 HP]
Damien sighed. "Let's finish this."
His hand flickered, and suddenly—
Kieran was airborne.
He barely registered the moment Damien struck him so fast that he was lifted off the ground. The world spun, and he crashed onto the dirt.
[-2 HP ]
His body screamed in pain. He coughed, tasting blood.
Damien crouched beside him. "You don't even have an ability, do you?"
Kieran didn't answer.
Damien chuckled. "Yeah. That's what I thought."
He reached forward, gripping Kieran's throat and lifting him slightly.
"You're a lesser being," he murmured. "And people like you don't get to act tough."
Kieran gasped as his vision dimmed.
[Critical Condition: Health at 9%]
Jack struggled against Gerald's grip. "Stop! You'll kill him!"
Damien's grip tightened.
Kieran's body felt cold. His fingers twitched.
[ALERT: HOST SURVIVAL AT RISK]
[ Critical damage has been taken ]
Something in Kieran's vision glitched. A faint hum filled his ears.
Damien suddenly paused, his grip loosening slightly as if he sensed something.
Kieran's blurry eyes flickered with something unseen.
And then
A low, distorted whisper echoed in his mind.
[System Awakening: Suppressed State Releasing…]
Damien frowned, as if sensing the change. His grip twitched.
Then he suddenly let go, dropping Kieran onto the dirt.
A moment passed before Damien exhaled, rolling his shoulders.
"Well, that was fun."
He turned to leave. "Gerald, let's go."
Gerald finally released Jack.
Nathan groaned, forcing himself up. Jack immediately rushed to Kieran's side.
Damien took one last look at Kieran.
"Don't make me repeat myself next time."
And with that he was gone.
Jack shook Kieran. "Hey, stay awake" Kieran barely heard him.
Because the last thing he saw before blacking out
Was his system interface glitching.