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DATE:4th of June, the 70th year after the Coronation
LOCATION: Concord Metropolis
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When I woke up Alice was staring at me. Seems like she had been awake for a while. Did she not want to ruin my sleep? I would have preferred if she just left.
My body was sore and I was feeling cold. Noticing how I was shaking, Alice offered to wrap me in the blanked in which she had slept. I didn't really understand her gesture. I didn't want to get in bed with her so I said I was too tired to raise from my seat. As a response, she wrapped the blanket around me while seated.
".... Thank you Will. I-probably have to clean my room." She was blushing heavily. With that she left and I was left only with my thoughts to keep me company. I messed up yesterday didn't I?
...She... was right. Why did I bother to save Alice? I didn't love her. I didn't like her one bit. Yet my body moved by itself, and I justified to myself that it was for that suicide note that I moved. Nonsense.
Or... Was the reason ...She... spared my life exactly that I save this girl? Was she pitying me? Me?
I felt insulted at the thought of that.
Well, I suppose it could have been worse.
With my tired hand I felt an object clutched within it. Forcing it through the thick blanket I found a box of supplement. Ah! The caffeine. Being Sunday I wasn't concerned about having a state that could teach. So why not? I think it was still morning.
I got my other hand free and while enfolded, opened the box. It was secured really well with tape so it took me a while. In it were about ten cubical, opaque vials. Should I get some water? Ehh, what could happen. I opened one of them and drank it like a shot. It had a horrible taste, but it was different to the professor's.
Unlike the metallic, evidently untested substance he provided me, Mathew's supplement had something of a taste. I think it was similar to cola. It was very concentrated, almost to the point I felt like puking. But that could have also been from how much caffeine there was. This infusion was thick, almost with the consistency of sludge. It was clear I was supposed to dissolve it in water, no doubt a great quantity of it.
I was left there in the office chair dreading my choice of action. Such a powerful substance with a tired body and an empty stomach made it a real challenge to stay awake. I didn't know you could lose your conscience from caffeine. I first thought it could be the overdose acting up and possibly killing me, but it was too soon for my body to try to digest it.
A few minutes later and the actual pain kicked in. My body started convulsing all the while I felt numb. It was a strange combination. My heart's beating gradually started increasing in intensity, to the point I could feel my chest exploding. My head was drowned searing pain.
A seizure and a heart attack at the same time?
It was hard to breathe, and at some point I stopped being able to.
I was losing conscience and fast. I was scared, an emotion I didn't feel since I pulled the trigger on UltraMan. Was I going to die like this?
My heart was beating like a motor driven into overdrive. I could feel each and every one of those beats. They were vibrating my whole being, it felt like the whole room was with them.
I focused on them, with no other choice and tried to time my movements with those of my internal clock.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
It was hard to imagine them as anything but the pulsating warning of a dying body, yet I persisted.
One tick at the time I tried to race from my seat. By the hundredth one I succeeded, and let go of the blanket covering me. It wasn't falling down. Was I in Bullet Time? This felt nothing like the calm silence I get with cocaine.
I was surrounded by the sound of my pulsating heart and I could feel the walls vibrating with it. I am sure I didn't imagine it. I could only move my body on these ticks, But when I do, the environment shakes around it as if it was violated by a movement that was not supposed to be done. At a speed that wasn't supposed to happen. It was as if the reality around me cried in pain when my heart moved.
I got to the door and tried to open it, yet when I twisted the knob it came off. Better said the mechanism surrounding the wood managed to destroy the wood through friction. And I could see it happening, the shards of hardwood around it exploding in all directions. I tried to pull the knob and only it came out. I was left with a hole in the door where it used to be located. What kind of power is this? This phenomenon, I couldn't simply explain with adrenaline. This isn't something anyone can do if drugged enough. Did I actually have superpowers? It was a scary thought, because it didn't feel like it. What kind of esper needs to almost kill himself with stimulants to activate his abilities?
In any case this was no bullet time. It was much more violent. Unnatural. It was actual super speed, yet I couldn't run like Blazer does. I could feel my legs snapping off just from walking. Just from a step. I put my hand in the hole I created while trying to not get Wood chips in it and pulled what remained of the wooden block. The hinges left of the door also snapped. This certainly was annoying to have to repair later. I'll probably be told to do it myself.
At first I didn't understand why my speed made it snap, but the more you think about it, the more sense it has.
When Blazer moves he is at a constant speed, more or less. He is aware of the strength of objects and only manipulates them at the speed he knows won't break them.
But I can only move while my heart beats. Otherwise, no blood seems to flow to my body.
If I were to time it, I would say that I can only move about 2 seconds once every 5 seconds while in this slowed time. The shock on objects I manipulate must be much higher. This also means I shouldn't touch organic matter for people as I may hurt them.
I am not sure how slow I perceive reality as the blanket I let go of is still in the air but I could also do this with the bullet time. What was clear is that the effect was happening longer. I would have lost my breath many times since this caffeine Rush started.
I was strangely concentrated even while suffering from all this pain. Was it adrenaline that made me lucid?
I stepped out on the corridor with no direction and went to the lounge.
The Math teacher was slouched like a pig on one of the armchairs, watching TV. That hound really annoys me.
I was curious if momentum I created while in this time was preserved so I picked up a pen from a desk nearby and flicked it towards her. Would it Pierce her like a missile? Or would it stop as if I didn't touch it when time resumed normally?
I exited the building and saw that gal Sylvia with a boy on a bench near the dorms. I didn't see them together before so he must be a crush. They were talking while shaded by a big oak tree. She made me quite a lot of trouble these past 2 weeks. How about I ruin her day?
I went to the gardener, who was also the foreign language teacher. He was taking care of the many flowers filling the premises of the academy. I picked up his bucket of water from the bottom so that friction wouldn't break the handle and returned to Sylvia. Right above her I turned the bucket upside down and then raised it so only the water remained, before I returned the now empty bucket to the gardener.
Would this water keep the momentum from moving it to the other side of the school grounds? Or would me reversing this movement balance it out? So many questions that I raised at the expense of others. I guess we can only find out.
How exactly do I stop this?
I can't breathe as I don't think I have any oxygen in my body right now. How is my heart even beating?
What if this is the opposite of cocaine? And I had to breathe in to cancel it? It didn't hurt to try.
Oxygen wouldn't enter my body as I was currently moving too fast for it to be absorbed by my lungs.
I forced myself to take air inside while on a tick, and as expected, I couldn't feel it. Even if it was inside my body. So what else could I do but wait. I stayed like that for about ten minutes. I returned to my room to see how far the blanket fell and it didn't move. Was this my maximum speed?
I returned to an emptier part of the garden and waited some more. Then it hit me. The ground beneath me was shaking. The dorm in the distance was vibrating as if hit by an earthquake.
I was careful to not lose my breath and enter again in that trance. The caffeine was still in my Sistem.
Well? Let's see what happened!
Walking back to the dorm I see many students evacuating. Did they think an actual earthquake occured? Sylvia was drenched in water, but judging the fact she isn't a bloody messI managed to cancel the momentum. She seemed to avoid my gaze. I must have glared unintentionally. Miranda ran by me inside the dorms. She said we should check upon the students so I followed her, but instead of going to the lower floors I went to the teacher lounge.
There the hound was screaming about the pencil stabbing her. The lazy bum was still in the armchair despite everything that happened.
She said I should help her stand, but I wasn't confident in my current strength, muscle trauma and all that, so I left her alone, screaming in the distance. Alice got out of her room, now changed into a red skirt and tight, red and white sweater. Was she going for a barber look? Or Christmas?
She was relieved upon seeing me standing on my feet. She said an earthquake suddenly started and shaked the whole building. Looking around there was some damage from this shaking. Should I tell her who did this? Naah. She was surprised to see my door broken, and I didn't know how to explain that. Guess it was the fault of the "Earthquake".
Alice still wanted to talk to me, But I remembered about the key I got from the library, so I got in my room and gave it to her. She was very surprised to see it and said we should investigate its origins together, but I told her to start without me as I was tired.
Leaving her, I got over the now unconnected door and changed in my running clothes, a sport t-shirt and shorts. It was a good time to relax a little, so I left the Academy and did a job.
It was hard to not lose my breath while under the effect of this caffeine. I was much more energetic than normal. I had to burn all this surplus. About an hour or two into my job I decided to take a tea break.
There wasn't any good shop in the suburbs but I found a cafe that did the well enough. It was a little far from the academy about 30 minutes away if you were to walk.
It was a typical hipster Cafe a laid-back, eclectic vibe. The interior design blends rustic and industrial elements, with exposed brick walls, vintage furniture, reclaimed wood tables, and Edison bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The seating is a mix of cozy armchairs, communal tables, and mismatched chairs, encouraging both solo patrons and social gatherings.
The atmosphere is relaxed, with soft indie music playing in the background.
The menu features artisanal coffee brewed using various methods—like pour-over, Chemex, or cold brew—all served in handmade ceramics. But I am not concerned about that. I don't drink coffee or take caffeine for that matter. I rarely drink black tea.
In any case, alongside the coffee, unique teas, vegan pastries, avocado toast, and craft sandwiches are offered. I mostly here for the tea but even that is overpriced. The food even more so.
Art from local artists adorns the walls, and there is a small corner selling handmade goods or vintage records. College kids fill the seats. The pretty rich kind at that.
I'm not really a fan of the atmosphere, despite how its technically appears. I find it very fake, as if this privileged people would care about the goals they seem to support.
I got in line to order something to go, before being called out by somebody.
Glancing to the left, it was a blonde Jock, in good shape. He was dressed in designer clothes. I think I recognize the outfit from the San Antonio collection. Anyway, he called me to his table. There were three other college students there.
"Yoooo, I remember you.
Weren't you out and about in that polka shirt this morning?" Who? Did he see me when I was faded?
"Huh? Possibly..."
" Yeah, I remember. I asked what party did you leave from. It looked like you had a really good time." I'm not sure you can call that a good time but all right.
" Come sit, I want to talk."
There was an empty chair at his groups table. I thought about leaving but my tea wasn't ready yet so I begrudgingly accepted his offer.
" What is it that he want to talk about?"
" You're my senior right? I think you look quite fine educated." I find it funny considering I am almost twice his age, but then again he wouldn't be able to tell that.
"You see my sister broke up with her man and she wants to piss him off. She saw you yesterday and wanted to ask if you would go on a date with her to take a few pictures." What is this about?
" Isn't your sister here? Why would she ask that through you?"
" She's more of a night bird if you get what I mean. Anyway, I'll pay you for it. How about it?" Some money wouldn't be bad. It will me a month and a half until I get payed.
"How much are you offering?"
"How about 1000 Zols? I think that's fair " 1000? I know he is Rich but what the hell is his paying me for? Do I have to prostitute myself?
" Want it's fine I guess, but I want the money now. The situation is strange as is."
" Sure, no problem about that." He opened his wallet and casually gave me 1,000 Zol bill. What are his parents working as?
" You can meet her tonight at 11 pm at the Cordon Center. Is that fine?"
"Yeah, sure." The Cordon center is these suburbs "city center". I call it a suburb but the Zenik Academy is located in a former city called Cordon that was absorbed by the sprawling metropolis. Nowadays it is a gated community.
The Jock patted my back, pleased and continued to chit chat with his friends. They all looked rich.
I heard my name being called and left with my tea without saying my good-byes. Such a strange request. I hear running behind me but I pay no mind, yet not even 30 seconds later, a someone pulls on my arm. It was a brunette college girl, probably around 22?
" I heard what Jack asked you to do." Jack the jock? What a chiche.
" You shouldn't go on that date with his sister." Now who is she to tell me what to do? Even if I wasn't looking forward to that, it is pompous to give your opinion like that.
" And why is that?"
" His sister... Is not normal." He looked around and dragged me in an alleyway near the block with the the coffee shop. It was very clean. Even the places no one sees are cleaned in this neighborhood.
"Look, I didn't want anyone to hear. That woman is not his sister. It is a villain." A what? Here?
" She is a vampire... That brainwashed Jack into serving her. She has people go to her to in get them into her lair and drain their blood."
"No, this can't be. We are in Cordon. It would be foolish for a villain to operate here." It really would be foolish. Even without the Academy there are other heroes patient here.
" It is exactly because we are in Cordon. No one would expect her to act so obvious." Damn, she is right.
" Then what am I supposed to do?"
" If she called you it means she already marked you when you first met... You need to run away, before the mark activates and you will be drawn to mee-t h_-
He-r m_- -_en" Her words were muffled. What was she talking about? Who even was this girl? I am looking in front of me and I see a distant figure. Was she talking to me? Why did I stop here? I was supposed to return to the Academy.
I left and continued my jog with the tea in hand.
I couldn't bother wasting any more time.
I had a date tonight!