Chapter 7: Shadows of the Past
Theodore woke up, his body aching all over. He tried to sit up, groaning in pain, as the legends rushed to meet him. They had gathered around him with worried but familiar expressions.
"What happened?" he asked, his voice raspy from the sleep he'd been trapped in.
"You really are a monster," Balboas said, his usual wary tone more pronounced than ever.
"As expected of the guardian of heroes," Angelica chimed in, her bright smile never faltering, despite the tension in the air.
Theodore, still disoriented, tried to sit up straighter, but the throbbing pain coursed through him again, forcing him to pause. Bryan, who stood off to the side with a half-smirk on his face, scoffed.
"It must be fun obtaining power so easily, huh? Get up and get ready for school, you lazy ass."
Theodore blinked, still processing the words. "School?"
Bryan looked at him, incredulous. "Huh? Are you deaf, kid? You've been asleep for three whole days, doing who knows what in your cheat-ass dreams. Your dark mana kept pouring everywhere. It could have caused a catastrophe if not for the system putting up a defensive barrier around it!"
"Three days?" Theodore echoed, still confused.
"Yes, you've been in some sort of trance. You were out for so long. Now, if you can pull yourself together, maybe we can get some answers." Bryan sounded unusually serious, but his usual mocking tone was still present.
Theodore groaned, rubbing his head, trying to clear the haze from his thoughts. "So what is this system, anyway?" he asked, not sure if he should be curious or cautious.
Bryan shot him a mocking grin. "Oh, so you think you're strong enough to ask that now, huh? Fine. If you can activate your class, I'll tell you what the system really is."
Theodore blinked. "What, that simple?"
Bryan chuckled. "Activate your class, Guardian of Heroes, and let's see what happens."
Theodore, half-expecting some grand revelation, tried to activate his class with confidence. "Guardian of Heroes," he muttered.
The room fell into an awkward silence.
"Hahahahaha, you are such a kid," Bryan said between fits of laughter. "Pretty funny for someone who claimed to be over thirty in his old life."
Angelica couldn't suppress her giggles either. "The class won't work like that, you silly boy. You have to complete the requirements."
Theodore frowned, his hands on his hips. "What do you mean? Didn't it awaken already?"
"It has," Bryan said with a shrug. "But not all the concepts from your old world apply here. It's not going to be that easy, kid."
"Well, I'll figure that out later," Theodore muttered, a bit disappointed but still determined. "I need to focus on understanding this class first. It seems traitless… but the ability to apply concepts and techniques of powers from other worlds could be useful. I could even combine techniques from different powers to create my own."
As he continued to mutter to himself, he started dressing for school. "By the way, I haven't checked my stats since I got here." He glanced at his status window.
Stats:
• Strength: 76
• Mana: 600
• Agility: 78
• Stamina: 75
• Perception: 65
• Dark Mana: 2000
• Qi Energy: 350
• Qi Stage: Body Refining Realm
• Aura: 200
"Pretty high for a teenager," Theodore commented with a smirk.
"Yeah, in fact, it's way too high. This is just cheating," Bryan growled, clearly irked. "Where's the feeling of hard work, huh?"
Theodore shrugged, a little smug. "My dark mana's 2000 because of my dark royal bloodline. And it seems my muscles have gotten pretty pumped up too." He flexed his arms, feeling the difference.
"Damn it, you cheat system!" Bryan roared, more frustrated than ever.
Theodore chuckled and left the room, still shaking his head. He stepped out into the hallway of Avilone Academy, the place that had once been his source of torment but now seemed more like a strange place of opportunity. The whispers began immediately. His reputation had spread faster than he'd imagined.
"That's him, the banished son. The one who tried to sell his body to a demon. What a disgrace. Thank goodness I'm not related to him."
"What a fool. Trying to sell his soul to a demon. Creedison, the coreless fool. Let's stay away from him. He must have been expelled."
Theodore's ears perked up, but he didn't react. He simply walked on, trying to tune out the murmurings.
"Look at that grand welcome," Bryan snickered. "Must be nice to be hated by everyone."
Theodore narrowed his eyes at Bryan but said nothing. He was used to this by now. As they entered the academy, however, things quickly changed. The moment the main character and the two heroines entered, all eyes were drawn to them.
"Look, there he is. Oh my god, Ethan is so hot," one of the girls whispered.
"I wish I could be with him instead of these two girls," another girl sighed dreamily.
Ethan, the main character, greeted them with ease, exuding an aura of confidence. Theodore rolled his eyes, muttering under his breath, "Here comes the big shot. Acting like he's some kind of god, not knowing the world's going to be destroyed in the near future. Foolish bastard."
"Oh, I smell jealousy," Bryan teased, leaning closer to Theodore.
Theodore turned his head to look at Bryan, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure it's not your breath?"
Bryan blinked and fumed. "How dare you! I'm a fucking legend! I'm the one who cleaned up the mess you couldn't handle in your time, you bastard!"
Before Bryan could continue, Balboas interjected. "Aren't you two quite energetic as usual?"
"Shut up, Balboas," both Theodore and Bryan said in unison. Balboas gave a sad sigh.
Angelica, still smiling brightly, laughed at the exchange.
"Look at him talking to himself," one of the students said, whispering to their friend. "Has he finally gone mad? Is the ritual taking effect?"
"Let's stay away from him," someone else muttered.
As they passed by, a group of thugs—led by someone who seemed to be of a higher class than Theodore—approached. They smirked as they saw him. "Hmm, seems you've finally gone mad, Creedison," the thug leader sneered.
Theodore didn't flinch. He'd seen this before. These were the kids who used to bully him when he was at the bottom. He exhaled, ignoring them.
"This is so annoying," he muttered to himself. "Why don't we help you out?" one of the thugs called out, smirking maliciously.
Theodore raised an eyebrow, uninterested. "Sure, whatever."
The thugs, sensing his indifference, dragged him into a dark alley and proceeded to beat him mercilessly. Theodore made no effort to resist, his mind elsewhere, waiting for the right moment.
Angelica, from the distance, frowned. "Why aren't you doing anything?"
Theodore spoke to her telepathically. "Showing off my skills now would be a waste. The exam's next week. I'll wait until then. That'll be enough of a show."
Angelica sighed but understood. She knew Theodore wasn't one to act recklessly.
Back in the alley, the thugs kept hitting Theodore, but he simply endured. He wasn't even fazed by the blows. His body had been through worse. Yet, the sense of calm and control within him began to build, ready to unleash once the moment was right.
(TO BE CONTINUED….)