The guard loomed over me, her scaled face twisted into a smirk of smug satisfaction. She towered, her green, leathery skin glistening under the harsh sun. Her armor clinked faintly as she leaned closer, the rank smell of her breath washing over me."If you don't move, I won't hurt you," she hissed, her voice dripping with condescension.I nodded, keeping my head down. My submission was a performance, carefully orchestrated. I felt her smirk widen. Dinos enjoyed their power over non-dinos—it was their entertainment, their fuel. To them, I was nothing but a small, unworthy insect squirming beneath her boot.She turned, her confidence complete, to address the three dinosaur girls standing behind her. They were arguing loudly, their voices tinged with fear and frustration."Are you serious?" one spat, her orange scales flaring as her tail flicked angrily. She held a tattered leather bag clutched in her claws. "You can't just take this—this is all I have!"Another one, a smaller dino with soft blue scales, clung to her own bag like a lifeline. "This isn't fair! We didn't even do anything wrong!" she pleaded, her voice cracking.The guard sneered at them, crossing her bulky arms. "Rules are rules. You're not in your territory. Hand it over, or I'll drag you off to the cells myself." Her voice was icy, devoid of any empathy.I stepped forward silently, drawing the dagger from beneath my coat. She didn't hear the soft scrape of the blade leaving its sheath. She didn't see the glint of metal as it caught the light. She had trusted me. She was so secure in her dominance, so overconfident in her control over me, that she never even considered the possibility of rebellion.The blade in my hand pulsed faintly, as though alive. It thrummed with a dark magic, feeding on her misplaced confidence, her unshakable belief in her superiority. Betrayal—there was no sweeter fuel for its power.As I closed the distance between us, I felt the magic surge through the blade, electrifying my arm. Her arrogance, her blind trust in my compliance, was like a feast for the weapon. The Betrayer's Blade thrived on these moments—on the sheer audacity of turning the tables.I plunged the blade into her back.Her body stiffened as the blade's magic erupted, sending dark tendrils of energy coursing through her veins. She let out a strangled gasp, her head snapping back in shock. The air filled with the acrid scent of burning flesh as the blade's enchantments began to take hold. Her confidence melted into pure, raw fear, and I savored every second of it.She collapsed to her knees, clawing at the ground. Her cries of agony filled the air as I began casting spell after spell. The spells weren't meant to heal—they were weapons in their own right.I cast Anti-Bleed on her heart, and the organ spasmed violently as its blood flow was locked in place. Her face turned a sickly shade of blue as the life drained from her eyes. I followed with Heal Wound on her stomach, forcing her internal organs to bind together, their natural functions grinding to a halt. Her claws scraped uselessly at the dirt, her body convulsing.I used Healing Water next, directing it to her lungs. The spell forced water into her airways, filling them until she was choking and sputtering, her desperate gasps turning into wet gurgles. I didn't stop.Her back arched unnaturally as I cast Heal Bones on her spine, fusing her vertebrae together in a way that left her paralyzed, writhing in place. Her screams were cut short as I used Mend Bones on her ribcage, forcing the ribs to contract inward, crushing her lungs further.Finally, I cast Mending Hand, pouring an overwhelming amount of mana into the low-level spell. The glyph I formed in my mind crackled with unstable energy, and the spell erupted in a burst of blinding light. The guard's body detonated, chunks of scorched flesh and shattered bone scattering across the ground. What remained of her was barely recognizable—a steaming heap of viscera and ash.The other guards froze in shock, their jaws hanging open as they processed the carnage. One of them, a broad-shouldered triceratops, took a step back, his thick tail dragging through the dirt. His eyes darted from the smoldering remains of his comrade to the bloodstained blade in my hand."You... What the hell are you?!" he roared, raising his club-like weapon.Before he could act, my fellow travelers sprang into action. One of them, a wiry raptor with black-and-green scales, lunged forward, claws gleaming. She tore into the triceratops, her talons raking across his chest and leaving deep, bloody gashes. He roared in pain, swinging his weapon wildly, but she ducked and darted away with incredible speed.Another traveler, a bulky therapod, bellowed as she charged into the fray. she swung her massive tail, the end slamming into a guard and sending her flying. She hit the ground hard, her armor dented and cracked, blood seeping from the corners of her mouth.The remaining guards snapped out of their stupor, their training kicking in. They raised their weapons, forming a defensive line. Energy bolts and arrows flew through the air, the chaos escalating with every passing second. One of the guards, a lithe pterosaur, soared into the sky, raining down bolts of lightning magic onto the battlefield. A traveler was struck, his body convulsing as he collapsed, smoke rising from his charred flesh.I deflected an incoming energy bolt with my blade, the magical energy dispersing in a harmless gust of wind. But the force of the deflection knocked my hood loose, and it fell behind my head, revealing my face.Time seemed to freeze.All eyes turned to me—both guards and travelers alike. My pale olive skin and brown hair stood in stark contrast to the vibrant scales and feathers of the dinos around me. The shock was palpable. For many of them, this was their first time seeing a human in person. Whispers rippled through the crowd, disbelief etched into their faces."A human..." one of the guards muttered, her voice tinged with equal parts fear and disgust.The moment was shattered by a spell exploding nearby, sending up a thick cloud of smoke. One of the travelers, another large therapod i didn't know the name of, had cast the spell, using the chaos to cover our escape. "Run!" she shouted, grabbing a bag of supplies as she sprinted toward the bus.The other travelers followed suit, grabbing whatever they could carry. Some snatched up their own belongings, while others grabbed bags that clearly didn't belong to them. It was a mad scramble, driven by desperation and adrenaline.The bus roared to life, its engine sputtering as it barreled forward. It smashed through the barrier with a deafening crash, wood and metal flying in all directions.Behind us, the guards were regrouping, reinforcements arriving in the form of heavily armored soldiers. Their weapons glowed with ominous energy, and their presence was enough to make even the bravest of us falter. But we didn't stop.We left behind a trail of blood, smoke, and shattered remains. The guards' cries of anger and frustration faded into the distance as the bus sped away, the wheels kicking up dirt and debris.As the bus drove through the lush meadows and plains of the rural countryside, Anon's thoughts wandered. The landscape outside shifted from tranquil pastures to small, quaint border towns, their charming facades contrasting sharply with the industrial sprawl that lay ahead. He could already see the transition from the calm of the countryside to the bustling, crowded streets of the city.Anon let the world drift past him. His eyelids felt heavy, and he was tempted to let them fall, to drown out the noise and escape into whatever sleep would come. But his mind wouldn't let him rest.The thought of Dino High loomed over him, a constant weight in the back of his mind. He'd read about it extensively when it had been nothing more than a bizarre, distant idea—both terrifying and fascinating in equal measure. Now, it was his destination, a reality he couldn't escape. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, pulling his hood lower over his face, though he knew it was too late for that to help.The chatter on the bus grew louder as more of the students stirred awake. Their voices were groggy, conversations disjointed but gradually picking up energy. Most of them looked as exhausted as he felt. After all, it had been a long journey, made even longer by the chaos of their earlier ordeal. Anon could still feel the adrenaline from the fight thrumming faintly in his veins, the tension refusing to leave him completely.Snapping out of his stupor, he realized the group of girls he'd approached earlier were still talking—not just among themselves, but about him. He didn't know why he even bothered listening, but his ears perked up involuntarily.The conversation seemed to revolve around three topics: what belongings they'd managed to recover, his weapon, and, inevitably, his species."They really took my alchemy kit," one of them muttered, her claws gripping the edge of her bag tightly. "Do they think I'm just going to buy another one? Do they even know how hard it is to get proper materials on the mainland?""Well, I still have my staff," another said. "But they made me throw out my mana stones. Said they were contraband. Contraband! Do they even know how to check for runic seals?"Anon tuned out the specifics. They weren't what caught his attention. No, it was the glances they kept stealing at him, the way their voices dipped whenever they mentioned him. His mask had been ripped off during the fight. His hood had fallen back. They had all seen his face—really seen it—and there was no undoing that.Their eyes followed me, their glances shifting, their expressions flickering between curiosity, apprehension, and disdain. I traced their emotions, reading them like an open book. None of them seemed particularly thrilled to be in the presence of a non-dino. Some were plainly curious, their eyes lingering on my exposed face. Others were visibly uncomfortable, their noses wrinkling or their tails twitching nervously. And some... well, their disgust was written all over their faces.Compi was the first to speak. Her golden eyes sparkled as she leaned closer, her feathers puffed slightly in what I could only assume was excitement. "Wow, uhhh... you're, uh, really smooth," she stammered, her tone soft with wonder. Without hesitation, she reached out, her clawed hand brushing against my cheek.I didn't flinch or pull back, letting her hand linger. Her leathery skin, ridged with tiny scales like a bird's, was a stark contrast to mine. She ran her fingers lightly across my face."Whoa... so soft," she whispered, almost to herself. Her voice carried an innocent awe. "It's like a pillow. Made of the softest fabrics. I didn't know skin could feel like this."Coley, lounging in her seat with a book lazily held in one claw, snorted. "Hey, careful, Compi. He might bite you," she said with a sly grin, her sharp teeth glinting in the dim light.I turned to glare at her, my expression flat but pointed, silently conveying, Really? Did you seriously just say that?Her confidence evaporated. She let out a tiny squeak, her smirk crumbling as she ducked behind her book. "Eeep! Don't eat me!" she squealed, her voice muffled.Dilo, reclining near the window with her arms crossed, laughed low and sharp. Her vibrant frills twitched as she smirked at me. "Heh. Hey, is it true humans still eat dinos? Or is that just some ancient bullshit they tell hatchlings to keep them from wandering off?"I turned to her, my patience wearing thin. "I've never heard something so comically evil," I said evenly. "I'll have you know, where I come from, dinos still eat humans."The air in the bus shifted. Conversations stilled, and all eyes were suddenly on me.I continued, my tone steady but pointed. "Humans aren't even close to high enough in the pecking order to eat dinos, nor would we want to. There's plenty of food—fish, berries, grains. And frankly, why would anyone want to eat another sentient being? Someone with friends, family, feelings?" I let my gaze sweep across them, settling back on Dilo. "What are you, some kind of monster?"Her smirk faltered, her frills twitching nervously. "I... I didn't mean—"Before she could finish, Abeli, sitting next to her, let out a loud, nervous laugh. "Hah! Yeah, right... hahaha!" she blurted, her orange scales practically glowing from the heat of her embarrassment. "Glad we never ate anyone here! Ahaha!" Her laugh was too loud, too forced.Troodon, sitting on her other side, groaned and elbowed her in the ribs. "Not. Helping," she growled, her amber eyes narrowing.Abeli winced, her shoulders hunching. "R-Right. Sorry."The awkward tension hung in the air, and I let out a quiet sigh, ready to let it drop. But then Dilo piped up again, her sharp eyes squinting as she leaned forward slightly, studying me. "Hey, wait a second," she said, tilting her head. "Why does your skin look like snow?"Everyone turned to look at me again, as if noticing it for the first time."Oh yeah!" Coley chimed in, lowering her book just enough to peek over it. "I was meaning to ask that. Why are you, like... snow-colored? Aren't most humans the color of dirt? Or mud?"Troodon's head whipped around to glare at her. "Isn't that, like... kinda racist?" she muttered.Abeli waved a claw dismissively. "No, I don't think so. Aren't humans all the same species, anyway? Like, they just look different depending on where they're from, right?"Compi nodded enthusiastically, her feathers bouncing with the motion. "Yeah, like how my relatives up north have more green patterns, but my cousins in the Gulf are mostly beige. So, is it the same for humans? Regional skin patterns?"Dilo, tapping her claws against the armrest, looked at me thoughtfully. "So, I guess you're a homo sapien, right? That's what they call humans, isn't it?"I shook my head. "Actually, I'm not a homo sapien."The silence that followed was deafening. Every pair of eyes locked onto me, their expressions shifting from confusion to shock."Wait, what?" Compi blurted, her voice high-pitched. "But... humans are homo sapiens! If you're not one, then what are you?"I met their stares calmly.