Bam! Thud!
Beep! Beep!
The alarm on my watch buzzed, jolting me back to reality. I glanced down at the time, 'It's time for classes.' I grabbed a towel, wiped the sweat from my face, and left the training field.
Entering my room, I went to the bathroom and took a shower.
"Sigh. Why do I feel so uneasy?" I muttered. Changing my clothes into a uniform, I walked to school.
It's been five and a half weeks since the festival ended, and nothing had happened that time. After dropping Seisha in front of the girls dormitory that day, I went straight to my dormitory.
I couldn't enjoy the festivities, not after that emotional breakdown and the exhaustion that followed.
But at that time the government sent an urgent message saying there would be a possibility of a crack appearing, and we were all told to stay alert.
The city went into lockdown, rankers patrolling everywhere, but nothing unusual occurred. The mana readings stayed normal. Eventually, they sent a follow-up message saying it was just a device malfunction, apologized, and life returned to its regular rhythm.
As usual, I entered the classroom and sat in my seat, waiting for others to arrive. In these days I became closer to Taren and his friends; unlike others who judged me based on the rumors, they accepted me for who I really was.
Even though they were just kids and our mindsets were different, I genuinely enjoyed their company. For someone like me—waking up in a strange world with a crippled body—loneliness had been my constant companion. But now it was beginning to fade.
"Yo man, you arrived early as usual, huh." Taren greeted me with a smile as he entered. Approaching, he took a seat beside me.
We chatted, waiting for others to arrive. And it didn't take that long, as they arrived with a minute's time gap.
"Are you a deaf Taren?" Marrie asked, her tone annoyed.
"What do you mean?" Confused raised an eyebrow, confused.
"I have been calling from behind, and you didn't even hear me?" She shot back. "And why were you grinning like an idiot looking at your watch? Who were you chatting with so happily that you didn't hear me calling.?" She asked, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.
"Is that a girl?"
"Huh" Taren was surprised for a moment but quickly composed himself. "You're mistaken; I was just chatting with a friend."
"Then why did you get so surprised?" Daniel asked, crossing his arms.
"Haha… that…"
"This guy definitely got a girl's number!" Jackson suddenly stood up, grabbing Taren's collar. "You traitor! We swore we'd keep our virginity till death... Why, Taren? Why?"
"Ahh, shit. Get away from me. You talking as if I cheated on you, ugly bastard," Taren shook off Jackson's hand. "And when did I ever promise something like that?"
"This bastard, calling me ugly and acting like he doesn't know."
Spit!
Jackson spat into his hand, grabbing it, he spinned his hand in front of the private part three times. "I curse you to get your dick to fall out fucker, die as a virgin." He threw the cursed spit on Taren.
"Eww, this dip shit is still a child." Cursing him, I got away.
"You bastard." Taren rushed to Jakson to beat him to pulp, but he got interrupted by Ms. Elisa.
"No violence here; go to your seats now." She commanded, her usual cheerful personality replaced by a stern expression.
"You got lucky; just wait." Taren threatened.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." But Jackson dismissed it.
"Alright, let's start with attendance," Ms. Elisa continued, her eyes scanning the room.
°°°
"Rank 2452 Marie Doe"
"Yes"
"Rank 2451 Taren Reisig"
"Yes"
"Good to see everyone's becoming more diligent. No absentees today," she commented with a hint of satisfaction. "Let's begin the class."
"Excuse me, Elisa," a woman's voice cut through the room. I looked over to see a striking woman with red hair entering.
'Huh!?'
"Oh, Juvy! You're free this period?" Ms. Elisa asked, her demeanor instantly brightening.
"No, I'm free this time."
"Yeah, no classes right now," the woman replied with a smile.
"So, what brings you here? Did you miss me?" Ms. Elisa teased.
"Not you. I'm here for one of your students," she replied, her smile widening. She scanned the room, her red eyes gleaming, and when they locked onto mine, her grin broadened.
'Why is she here? Wait, is she an instructor here?'
"There you are, Cadet Jadel."
"Why are you looking for him?" Ms. Elisa asked in curiosity.
"Well, he is my disciple," she replied without any hesitation.
Elisa "Ehh"
"" huh"" The students' baffled voices echoed.
"Huh, since when?"
Juvy turned her gaze back to me. "What are you waiting for, brat? Come with me."
I pointed at myself with shaking fingers, "Me to where?"
"Training, of course."
"But… madam, do I know you?" I feigned ignorance, as if I didn't know her.
"Don't play dumb with me, brat."
Snap!
With a snap of her finger, I floated in the air. "I'm taking him with me," she said, walking out the classroom.
"Ms. Elisa, she is not my master. Please help me."
She showed me a sweet smile. "Don't be like that. I know she is strict when it comes to training, but she will heal all your broken bones instantly."
'Broken bones? NOO!' I floated out of the classroom as she walked.
°°°
"Cadet Jadel Wayner, rank: 2500. Occupation: Assassin. Disability: Damaged mana veins." She muttered as if reading my information. "You have quite the nerve to pick a fight with me, kid. If I used five percent of my strength, you would be dead by now."
"You would also be dead by now." I retorted, trying to mask my fear.
"You still believe in the Wayner family? They are just power-hungry people. And you think they will care about you? A disowned cripple."
"Hell, if I cared about them, they could just die. But I'm sure my mother won't sit still."
"Where was your mother when they disowned you?" She scoffed.
"Inside the house"
"…Fucking Brat"
She took me to a private training ground and threw me there.
Thud!
"Ow, why are you so petty?"
"Petty, me? Didn't you hear? As of now, I'm your master, and you're my disciple."
"I don't want nobody like you as a master. In fact, I don't want any masters for me." I looked straight into her eyes and said, "I can grow strong by myself."
"You, a disabled guy like you, can grow stronger."
"Yes." I said it without any hesitation. For my growth, I don't need anyone's support; I have the means to grow stronger.
Her eyes narrowed. "You don't want to become my disciple?"
"No"
A flicker of surprise crossed her face, quickly replacing it with amusement. "That's surprising; every parent asked me to become their kids' master, including wealthy families. So I'm quite surprised to hear your rejection."
"…Who are you?" She observed my face for a moment.
"Seriously?"
"Yes"
"Now I get why you rejected me." With a sigh she looked at me. "Listen carefully, brat. I'm Juvylenor Aira. The holder of the title 'The Warwitch' a magic weapon master, with the dual occupation of mage and weapon master. an SS ranker. An irregular." She looked into my eyes; multiple stars formed on her iris and moved like shooting stars.
"Don't think I'm boasting; I'm just stating the truth. After saying that, she looked into my eyes. "You got interesting eyes, Brat; what's the specialty of it?"
"I can see attacks and attack efficiently."
'Huh!? Is she controlling my body?' I thought as my body automatically answered her.
"Tell me, honestly, do you want to become my disciple now?"
"No," my mouth moved again, answering her question truthfully.
Her smile crumbled a little. "Why?"
"I have my ways to get strong." My heart thumped from anxiety, and I felt cold sweat drip on my back as my mouth moved on its own.
"If that is so, then what are those ways?" With this question, my mind froze. I tried my best to not answer, but my mouth started to move.
Thump! Thump!
"I–"
"Shut up"
Thump!
Suddenly my mouth stopped from answering as if another party took control.
"Huh, why have you stopped? Tell me."
"I–"
"You can't"
'What's happening? Why is my mouth suddenly stopping?
"Y-you, how are you doing that?" She asked, as her face was full of surprise and disbelief. "As of now, nobody has escaped my mind control, so how are you doing it?"
"… Why should I answer?"
'even though I don't know the reason.'
"Ha, hahaha, I decided you are my disciple now."
"Why should I?"
"If you become my disciple, I will evolve your eyes like mine."
'Evolve eyes,' my interest piqued.
"What are your eyes specialties?"
"As you saw, I can control people and clairvoyance."
"clairvoyance?"
"Yes, I can see three seconds into the future; with all of this combined, I am the strongest SS rank hunter."
"But why me? I'm a disabled person with A- potential I'm not worth your time."
"You said you have a means to grow, right? I will count on that," she said, showing me a smile.
***
***
***
"whhaaaa" A small kid cried out loud and wriggled in his bed. He barely looked 3 years old. Covering his head with his hands, he cried out loud. Tears and snot were coming from his face, but what needed to be concerned was that blood was also dripping from them. While the kid was crying, a large amount of mana was spiraling around the kid and slowly being absorbed into his eyes.
A red woman rushed to the room and took the kid into her embrace. "Don't worry, don't worry; Mama is here for you." Assuring the kid, she took a potion and fed it to her baby. After drinking the potion, the kid stopped crying and fell asleep.
"Another dream, huh?" She looked at her kid with a complicated emotion as tears started to fill them.
"I'm the worst mother who can't do anything to help her son," she murmured as she walked to her room. Placed the kid on her bed, She gently touched his head. As she touched the head, her eyes shimmered with countless stars in them. Closing her eyes, she looked into his memories.
"Same dream of demon invasion... But why is it different?" She watched the ongoing battle between humans and demons. Fear started to grip her slowly as she watched the ongoing battle and witnessed the countless deaths of humans. A myriad of demons emerged from the cracks and joined the ongoing battle, resulting in massive casualties. As she watched it, the scene suddenly changed and showed a white haired figure with blue eyes staring intensely at a vicious demon in front of him.
"A mere human stands in my way," the demon scoffed, looking at him in disdain. "A lowly creature like you," grabbing the white-haired figure's head, the demon lifted him. He could only look at the demon with hatred since he couldn't do anything to it as he had no hands or legs. And from the looks of it, it looked like the legs and hands were forcefully pulled out of his body.
"But you're stronger for a mere human, I will give you that. Never ever I expected a human would vanquish my personally trained minions, all of them born with a noble's blood... And 569 of them." The demon's gaze was cold and mocking as he looked into the defiant blue eyes.
"And you are also a lucky one," the demon said. "In fact, every other human who died in this battle and who is going to die is lucky, since they are spared from witnessing our king's arrival, but before that moment comes, the earth will be ours to welcome the king."
Holding his head, the demon lifted the figure. "I don't like your eyes." With a swift motion, the demon pierced his eyes, grabbing from inside, the demon ripped out the facial skeleton.
"JADELL–"
Smash!
Head blasted, splattering the remains of head everywhere. "Foolish girl." The demon laughed at her dead body amusedly, a fountain of blood pooling out of her neck. "Kehehe, such an idiot for believing our words." Other demons also laughed out loud. "She
cut both her legs and hands, even plucked one of her eyes as we said we would let him live, gahahaha."
"That's why humans are fun to play with."
She watched the cruel scenes with wide eyes, but her eyes only paused at one body. 'That kid… Jadel?'