"Hey, these rich kids may want to boss you around, but even if they're powerful, do not fuckin' submit to them. No need to feel threatened as even they are still chained by the law. The worst they could do is frame you for some heinous shit, but if that happens, gimme a call, got it?" Glover smirked, handing Silas another bottle of water as he had practically inhaled the previous one.
"So, play a tough guy?"
"Exactly… Don't let anybody step over or on top of you. Stand your ground, even if you're against a monster of a child."
"Yeah, sure. Now stop distracting me from my training," Silas replied before getting back to training his body, tempering it to its utmost max.
…
"What? You think I'm bluffing?"
The boy's anger was palpable, his frustration evident as he cursed under his breath. He had assumed that his ultimatum would be enough to secure the mysterious shard's return. However, Silas was not easily swayed, especially by a child who had already proven himself to be devious, messing around with children like the ones at his feet.
"Clearly this is important… wouldn't want to see it plummet into the vast city beneath," Silas remarked casually, still dangling the glass shard perilously over the chasm. "I just think there's an easy way to settle this. And you're smart enough to understand what I'm getting at, right?"
The boy hesitated, his fiery gaze fixed on the shard's reflection in the window. It was clear that he had a deep investment in this piece of glass, and he was unwilling to see it lost to the depths below.
At the same time, Silas's request for an Air Glyphstone lingered in the air, a testament to his desire for magic. This was clearly a piece of information that could be used delicately, yet the boy wasn't calm enough to understand this point. He could have easily brought down the demand, but the panic setting in was too much for him to keep his cool.
The room was steeped in tension as the two individuals engaged in a silent standoff, each waiting for the other to make their move. The fate of the glass shard and the secrets it held was hanging in the balance, and the decisions made in this moment would undoubtedly shape their future interactions.
"Fine…" Silas's grin widened. "Drop it asshole." His grin fell.
BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM
The sudden clatter of almost gunshot-like footsteps echoed through the corridor, growing louder and more frenzied with each passing second. It was as if a thunderstorm of haste was approaching, charging through the hallway with an urgency that set the room's occupants on edge.
"The fuck? Who is that?" Silas raised an eyebrow, a drop of sweat sliding down his hand while the fiery-red-haired boy stepped forward ever so slightly.
Silas and the fiery-haired boy exchanged wary glances as the source of the commotion drew closer. The dorm mom, the guardian of order and discipline in the academy's living quarters, was racing toward their room, driven by an unmistakable sense of alarm.
The footsteps grew closer, echoing off the walls, their rhythm quickening and the sound of her impending arrival was punctuated by the jingling of keys and the swish of her long, flowing steampunk-style dress. It was evident that she meant business, and whatever had attracted her attention was of utmost importance.
As the dorm mom's silhouette appeared in the doorway, her stern expression was a stark contrast to the chaos and confusion that had just unfolded. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the scene before her, her presence commanding immediate attention and silence… yet what she only witnessed a room full of young boys, unconscious or groaning on the ground in pain with their faces punched in.
Yet, just outside the window, outside the borders of the separate realm… in the cloudy sky of this capital city, two boys were wrestling their hearts out.
"YOU'RE ONE CRAZY BASTARD, I'LL GIVE YOU THAT!" Silas shouted, kicking the boy away before narrowing his body into a thin line, increasing his aerodynamic ability, and allowing him to plummet faster towards the towering buildings below.
The fiery-haired boy, determination burning in his golden and fiery eyes, chased after Silas with unwavering resolve. With a determined narrowing of his body and a burst of steampunk-enhanced firepower, he propelled himself through the open air, pursuing Silas as they both hurtled through the ever-changing cityscape.
As they soared amidst the towering buildings of the capital city, the very world around them seemed to shift and contort. The cityscape transformed its reality-bending and weaving like a steampunk-inspired dream. Buildings stretched, gears spun, and the ground rippled like the surface of an otherworldly sea.
It was a surreal and breathtaking spectacle, a manifestation of the city's fusion of magic and mechanization. The streetlights turned into swirling orbs of light, while the sidewalks became intricate lattices of gears and cogs. The city was alive with motion and innovation, responding to the presence of two extraordinary individuals.
As the fiery-haired boy closed in on Silas in the midair chase, their paths intersected, and they grappled with each other in a breathtaking aerial wrestling match. Their movements were fluid and dynamic, defying the constraints of gravity and physics.
The fiery-haired boy, his fiery eye ablaze with power, shot out intense blasts of fire from his outstretched palms. Each fiery blast shot forth with precision, sizzling through the air in an attempt to sear his opponent. Silas, however, possessed the advantage of his enhanced Steelon Eyes, which allowed him to anticipate each fire blast's trajectory and movement.
With the keen precision of his Steelon Eyes, Silas gracefully dodged each fiery projectile, his body twisting and turning in mid-air with the agility of a seasoned acrobat. His movements were both elegant and calculated, as he anticipated the path of each fiery blast and avoided them with effortless grace.
Closing in on the fiery-haired boy, Silas seized an opportunity to counterattack. With a swift, agile movement, he launched a series of expertly timed strikes. His punches and kicks were a clear display of his very own authentically-flesh strength and speed, as he aimed to incapacitate his fiery opponent and gain the upper hand in their electrifying aerial duel.
The churning city broke their falls and they landed as lightly as feathers on the city's bronze-paved paths. The futuristic bronze streets, engraved with intricate patterns and designs, absorbed the very last moments of their impact, making sure they had an A-grade landing.
Silas, an experienced and quick-thinking combatant, used this sudden shift to his advantage. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he sprang into action, his agile movements taking over. Darting through the bustling crowd that filled the bronze streets, he disappeared into the throng of city dwellers with remarkable swiftness.
However, the fiery-haired boy, not as experienced as Silas, wasn't aware of the soft landing. So, just as they were about to make contact with the ground, he closed his eyes in fear, preparing for a rough landing. This momentary lapse in focus allowed Silas to make his escape, slipping away from the scene like a wisp of steam vanishing into the bronze labyrinth of the city.