Zaria dropped Zen off at the infirmary and left, although not before the doctor whose name turned out to be Elaine could tease her a little.
Looking at Zen's sorry state, Elaine sighed.
"Muffin ,i told you not to get into any more fights. What happened to you? You look worse than the first time"
Zen simply pointed to the door that Zaria recently left from.
"She did,miss" Zen replied, ignoring the nickname.
"Really? That's too bad. I honestly thought you two looked kinda cute together, and enough of this miss and doctor business. I have a name, it's Elaine,use it "
For that, Zen had no comment.
"Alright cookie,take off your shirt, let's see what I've got to deal with"
Without hesitation Zen took off his uniform in front of the doctor, revealing his bare body to her
"Ohhh" Elaine said as her cheeks turned a bit rosy.
"I guess boys your age really do grow fast. You're looking like a man already "
Elaine stared for a few seconds before she suddenly realized what she was doing. Smiling self-depracatingly , she simply shook her head and decided to get on with the assessment.
She initially started with a general check-up, checking things like his heartbeat , blood pressure and some other stuff,and smiled, relieved that there didn't seem to be any external damage.
"Alright, now let's deal with the main problem here"
Elaine closed her eyes and placed her hand on Zen's head as a strange warm light invaded his body.
A strange sense of repulsion suddenly came upon Zen as he suddenly felt like throwing up.
[Invasive ability detected]
[Danger!]
Elaine seemed puzzled at what was happening but didn't think too much about it and increased the amount of pressure.
[Resisting..... failed!]
[Unable to.....]
Zen suddenly blacked out.
"Hmmm. That was strange..... though I guess everything else about you is, Azrael"
***********
Zen's eyes burst open as he found himself in the same fog dream he'd been having for the past few days.
Strangely he didn't seem annoyed or tired of this dream. His mind didn't even register that he was in a dream.
After an unknown amount of time, he woke up again.
"Oh, you're up, good"
Zen looked at where the voice was coming from and saw Elaine at a desk doing some paperwork.
She slowly stood up and sauntered towards him leisurely ,her hips swaying from side to side.
"Open up"
Zen already knew what this was about accepted both the lollipop and the head pats that came after.
Walking back to her desk, Elaine said.
"You're all patched up. You can leave if you want,or stay, I honestly wouldn't mind the company "
Zen looked at his gloves warily.
"Did you do something to me?"
Zen noticed a small blush creep on her face that contrasted her calm and collected sounding voice.
"Other than heal your wounds? Ha! It might've crossed my mind once, but I'm afraid I'm too old for someone like you"
Zen looked away from her and at his system screen before replying in the same dry manner
[HP: 110/110]
"Believe me, you're not" Zen said in all seriousness as he looked at her body, seeming a little bit in thought.
Elaine laughed lightly at what she thought took as a compliment.
"My my,i didn't take you for the flirting type, but I'll welcome it"
There was something about Zen's blank expression and dry delivery that just tickled her insides.
Zen got up from the bed and put his shirt back on in front of Elaine before he suddenly remembered something.
"Oh yeah. Did you use an X-ray on me?"
"No. Why do you ask"
Zen simply said it was nothing and started heading towards the door.
"Oh, and, drop by some time. I could use more of your company, so don't be a stranger.
Zen thought for a while and nodded
"I will..... Elaine."
Zen left the infirmary and headed straight for his dorm. Although it wasn't very late, classes had already ended by now,so Zen had no reason to go back.
Walking into his dorm, Zen found all three of his dorm mates inside.
The moment he stepped in, Zen could vaguely feel something wrong with the atmosphere in the room.
"Hey! Look who's back" Xavier said as he came down to greet him.
"Hey, how are you?"
"Optimal" Zen replied a bit absentmindedly as he noticed a few scratches on Xavier's face and body.
Zen looked at Neo and Maximilian and noticed they were both the same.
"What happened to you three?" Zen asked, feeling that if all three of his roommates were affected,then he might end up being involved.
Xavier quickly scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Don't worry too much about it. Just got in over our heads at the extra classes today"
Zen could tell he was lying "it was the second years wasn't it?"
The look in their eyes was the only confirmation Zen needed.
Zen didn't look surprised and walked past Xavier to his bed.
"That took longer than i expected"
Zen noticed their confused stares and continued.
"The main law in this school, just like in any other place is that men are not equal. Power rules,both here and in any other place. As long as you're strong enough, you can do anything"
"But that doesn't explain why some high level students keep maltreating the lower levels and doing as they please"
Zen looked at them and felt that this all should be obvious by now, but still answered.
"You yourself are a high level student,yet you don't go around causing havoc. There isn't any fancy reason or solution, it is just that you simply think differently. It's nothing special, just that this behavior has become the norm nowadays "
Neo was already accustomed to all of this but still looked crushed.
"Is there anything to do about it?"
"The only plausible solution other than simply fighting them is simply listening to them and to stop any and all interactions with each other "
Xavier seemed enraged
"What the fuck is even happening? It's not like we're breaking any rules or causing trouble "
Zen shook his head
"You still don't get it. The ill treatment of lower levels by higher levels is now the status quo. What we're doing is essentially breaking that status quo, disrupting a balance that had been created and upheld for generations. That in itself can be seen as a cardinal sin by the high levels who benefit from this, and the low levels who have come to fear and accept it "
Maximilian, the one who seemed the least affected by Zen's words suddenly spoke up.
"So what you mean is that now we're enemies to both sides " . Maximilian spoke more like he was making a statement than asking a question.
Zen didn't give any reply,he didn't have to.
Maximilian looked like he was about to say something when he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"You know i can see you, right?"
A few seconds passed before a small sigh sounded in the room.
A blonde girl with green and blue scales, and in casual clothing suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath as her reptilian scales started to disappear. She looked around with her piercing golden eyes, not at all nervous, and noticed something unsettling.
No one seemed at all surprised at her sudden appearance. The closest she could get to suprise was Neo who looked more fascinated than surprised. Maximilian and Zen on the other hand just looked indifferent.
"Who are you and why are you here?" Maximilian asked
The girl sighed and bowed her head to apologize. She was smart enough to know she was in the wrong and had no right to ask questions here
"I apologize for all this . My name's Diane and I'm..."
"She's here for me" Zen interrupted
"Or at least i think so. Otherwise you wouldn't have followed me all the way here" Zen spoke, as his cold soulless eyes met hers.
Diane suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of danger as she looked at Zen.
"He's supposed to be the weakest or second weakest in the room but he feels more deadly than the other two. Looks like i was right, he isn't normal "
"Wait a minute, you followed him all the way here? Kinda creepy" Xavier said casually.
Diane sighed and decided to just be honest
"I'm Jade and Zaria's roommate. Hope you don't mind me barging in but something about the whole incident with Zaria seemed wrong "
Zen kept quiet for her to finish. Maximilian and Xavier were already focusing on something else,it seemed only Neo was still a bit cautious as he looked at the Diane's watch.
"Okay, what i want to know is, how do you know Celia "
"Is that really important?" Zen asked
"She's our last roommate , and I hear this whole thing started with you attacking her "
"Couldn't you just ask her?"
"She doesn't exactly talk with us much, and she's a bit hard to pin down,as one would expect from someone with her ability "
For the first time since this conversation started, Zen got serious.
"What did you just say?"
Diane looked confused at the question.
"Did I stutter?"
Zen ignored her and asked
"What is Celia's ability"
Diane didn't think much of it and answered
"Teleportation, obviously. It's her family's staple."
"....i suppose it is " Zen simply answered.
Diane once again asked about their relationship and Zen replied as honestly as he could without exposing himself or the system . He briefly explained how she had attempted befriending and perhaps even seducing him before stabbing him in the back.
It was obviously a mix of truths and lies. The main point was true,it was just the details that were fabricated.
At the end of the it, Diane looked a bit conflicted.
She had no idea whether what he said was true or false. His facial expression and monotone voice had zero fluctuations during the whole thing, so she was still a bit confused.
"I see" she said as she got up
"Sorry for bothering you, I'll be leaving now"
Zen didn't reply
"Would you rather i keep this from Celia?"
"Do as you wish" was his swift reply
Seeing that she was about to leave Xavier walked up to her and extended his hand for a shake.
"It was..... strange meeting you. Let's make next time better..... Strange,for some reason I feel like I've seen you somewhere before"
"Same" Diane said as she accepted the handshake, although it was unknown what she was agreeing with him on.
Xavier suddenly noticed something that looked like a tattoo or birthmark on her collarbone.
At the same, Diane noticed a familiar looking ring on Xavier's finger.
At the same time
"Bethany?!!!"
"Dion?!!!"
Zen and the others were just watching at this point as the two stared at each other in shock, probably thinking: "who the hell are Bethany and Dion?"
"Dion? You're here? Why are you using another name?"
Diane,or maybe Bethany, asked.
Xavier looked excited to see her, they seemed to have some history together.
Xavier sighed and introduced her.
"Guys, Bethany is an old school friend from before i was homeschooled" Turning to her, he continued
"And Dion isn't my real name, it's Xavier..... Wait a minute,why are you using another name?"
Maximilian and Neo turned to look at her curiously. At this point , this whole thing was like watching a movie. Zen didn't really need to though. He already figured it out..... well rather than saying he figured it out,it was better to say the answer was literally right in front of him.
[Diane Leonel]
[Ability:Beast king]
Diane told Xavier her real name and slowly everything was starting to fall in place for both of them.
Both their families had put them in school for a few years with fake identities before pulling them out to be homeschooled and trained. Coincidentally,"Dion" and "Bethany" ended up in the same school, becoming friends.
Hearing the whole story,Neo could only think
"Seriously?, there's four of them now?"
Little did he know how similar his thoughts were to Zen's at this time.
The two talked for a few minutes before Diane said goodbye, promising to continue where they left off.
Zen watched cautiously as Diane left,and looking at her stats,he could only think
"She's just as dangerous as Zaria"
After she left, Xavier went back to his bed, and noticing his big grin and the skip in his step, Maximilian couldn't resist chiding him.
"Well someone looks happy to see his girlfriend again"
Xavier rolled his eyes and said
"We're not dating. Besides, we were maybe ten last time I saw her"
"Age is just a number"
"Yeah, and jail is just a place, what's your point." Xavier quickly retorted
Neo chuckled
"Max, leave him alone already "
Maximilian laughed a little before leaving him be.
Xavier snorted and was about to get up to his bed when he noticed something in Zen's hand.
He quickly released the ladder and walked closer.
"Hey guys, come check this out" Xavier called out to the other two
"Is that what i think it is?" Xavier asked Zen
Zen only nodded
"How'd you get it back?"
"She gave it back"
Maximilian and Neo had arrived and saw what all the fuss was about.
Xavier looked excited as he moved into the bed with Zen.
"Come on man, open it!" Xavier urged.
Zen shrugged his shoulders as he didn't see why not.
Zen fiddled with the lock on the box before simply placing his finger on it and unlocking it. Although it looked like it was only plain wood, it was clear it was something more modern.
Zen normally wouldn't have done this in front of people, but he actually didn't plan on ever using the box again because it wasn't needed. The reason he had the box in the first place was to keep the gear in. Stealing and robbing people of their possessions was very common where he came from, because according to the organization,if you couldn't protect something, you didn't deserve it, and although it wasn't exactly safe here,it was a luxury resort compared to where he grew up.