The corridors of Black Haven Academy were hushed, punctuated by snickers and murmurs. The rankings had been released, and as expected, the top students were basking in their glory while those at the bottom endured scorn or pity.
Kael was dead last. He walked down the hall with no expression, though his clenched fists betrayed his irritation. The mocking looks and whispered insults didn't bother him—not really. What bothered him was how much time he was wasting on this charade.
He had bigger problems to deal with—problems these spoiled brats couldn't begin to comprehend.
As he turned a corner, a voice called out.
"Kael!"
Dr. Levi approached, her white lab coat fluttering behind her. Her usual smug expression was in place, though her eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"What do you want?" Kael asked flatly, stopping to face her.
"Relax," she said, holding up a hand. "I'm just checking in. Last place, huh? Tough luck."
Kael's lips curled into a humorless smile.
"Doesn't bother me."
Levi raised an eyebrow. "Not at all? You seemed a little annoyed during the evaluations."
"Annoyed, yes. But not for the reasons you think." Kael crossed his arms. "I don't care about something this irrelevant. Let me be last place. I'm sure it wouldn't kill me."
Levi studied him for a moment. "You're hiding something," she said finally. "Your Light Core didn't register properly, and I don't think it's because of a defect. What are you not telling me?"
Kael's eyes narrowed. "We've been over this."
She rolled her eyes. "Fine, keep your secrets. But be careful. People will start to notice if you keep standing out for the wrong reasons. And if you're going to stay at the bottom, you'll have to work twice as hard just to avoid getting squashed."
Kael snorted. "Thanks for the advice, but I can take care of myself."
Levi smiled knowingly. "I don't doubt that. Just remember—this place isn't kind to oddities."
With that, she walked away, leaving Kael alone once more. He exhaled hard, shaking his head. She wasn't wrong. Black Haven was a breeding ground for competition and arrogance, and those who didn't fit the mold were often discarded.
But Kael wasn't here to fit in. He was here to take what he needed—and leave.
---
Later, while waiting for his dorm assignment in one of the academy's open corridors, Kael found himself cornered—literally, if not figuratively. A student with slicked-back hair and a smug expression blocked his path, flanked by a group of giggling lackeys.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here—Black Haven's new bottom dweller," the boy sneered, his voice dripping with mockery.
Kael barely looked at him. "Move."
The boy laughed and stepped closer. "What's the hurry, last place? You should be grateful I'm even talking to you. I'm 105, by the way—far above a nobody like you. Honestly, you should've stayed in the outskirts where you belong."
Kael stopped walking, his eyes narrowing slightly. The boy's words weren't original, but they still annoyed him. He should walk away—getting into a fight with some arrogant moron wasn't worth his time.
Then the boy shoved him.
Kael turned his head slowly, his gaze boring into the boy's face.
"Don't touch me."
The boy hesitated for a moment before his smirk returned as he noticed he had gathered a small group of onlooking students.
"What's wrong? Afraid to hit back?"
Kael shook his head and turned to leave.
"You're not worth the time."
"Coward!" the boy shouted, lunging at Kael with a sloppy punch.
Kael moved faster. He sidestepped the attack, tripped the boy, and in the same motion grabbed the back of his head.
With brutal force, he slammed the boy's head into the stone wall beside them. The sound echoed down the corridor, and the watching students fell silent.
Kael didn't let go immediately. He turned to face the onlookers, his expression hard and unyielding.
"Yes," he said, his voice calm but deadly. "I'm not like you elite pricks. You sit in your protected cities, breathing clean air and soaking up Etherion. A few of you wake up with abilities and think you are anything more than privileged scum, but you don't know pain."
"You've never felt your lungs burn with every breath or watched your body decay from the inside out as Blight poisons your blood. You've never had to breathe less just to survive a few months longer or seen children and elders beg for death because life is too much hurt."
The boy whimpered as Kael's grip tightened slightly, his head still pinned to the wall.
"You've had everything handed to you. Everything. But me?" Kael's eyes burned as he looked out at the crowd. "Everything I've ever gotten, I've taken with my own two bloody hands."
"And if I wanted your rank, your position, your life—I'd take that too."
He released the boy, who slumped to the ground, dazed and humiliated. Kael straightened and cast a final glance at the crowd before walking away.
As he disappeared into the distance, the crowd began to whisper, their voices filled with wonder and something else.
And as much as they did not want to admit the fact, it seemed as though there was more to the outskirts rat than they thought.
At the edge of the crowd, a girl with white hair and mismatched eyes watched Kael's retreating form. Her gaze was calculating, and a small smile played on her lips.
"Hmmm," she murmured, her interest piqued.