Jake And Erie moved quickly through the courtyard. Erie's body felt heavier with every step—the fight had drained him more than he expected.
"Hey, Jake, I need to walk for a little." Erie paused for a breath.
Jake was in two places simultaneously—one beside Erie, one ahead. Then, the image beside him faded. Erie's eyes lingered on the echoing figure that disappeared down the walkway.
"You have a strange ability, man. But thanks for slowing down; anyway, I want to find a spot to sit very fast so I can focus on something real quick." Erie found a tree, sat down, and focused on meditating. The energy around him shifted, but it didn't enter his body.
Jake remained silent, watching, his gaze flickering between Erie and their surroundings as if expecting an attack. He acted like a guard; people began walking around him as he stood. They were too scared to walk near him. "That guy looks creepy." a girl said as she walked to the other side of the walkway.
Jake didn't pay anyone else any mind; his concern was what was happening around Erie. He watched as he noticed energy waves gather around Erie, trying to enter his body. Still, something was wrong because the energy floated around him and did not enter him.
Erie's face reddened as he looked up, seeing Jake's head tilted slightly in quiet observation. "I know you don't talk much, but I'm fine," he muttered, forcing a smile, but his body betrayed him. His limbs felt sluggish, and his head clouded with exhaustion. Erie focused harder on the meditation pose, but he soon gave up.
Midday sun blazed overhead, but it did little to help; then, the System's message hit.
"WARNING: Sleep Deprivation."
"USER CANNOT ABSORB ANY MORE SUNLIGHT."
Erie's face scrunched as he saw the message, and Jake's eyes narrowed. He could see it—Erie was barely holding himself together. That last fight against an FF-rank had taken too much out of him. "I didn't know I used that much energy against the bald kid."
Without a word, Jake extended a hand., and Erie grabbed it—
"Energy Absorbed."
"Energy: +20%."
Jake jerked his hand back, fingers twitching as he stepped away. His expression was still blank, but his eyes locked onto Erie's hand.
"What's wrong?" Erie frowned.
Jake didn't answer. He rubbed his hand, tilting his head slightly. Watching.
Erie's stomach twisted. Did I… take in energy? Maybe he finally absorbed some sunlight? But something felt wrong. He still felt sluggish—like he had just eaten enough to function but not enough to recover.
"I feel like I just ate something… This System is weird."
Jake took another step back. Not far enough to leave—but enough to put distance between them. His expression remained blank, but Erie could feel the tension.
Still, Jake didn't leave. He stayed at Erie's side. Watching.
Shaking it off, Erie turned toward the cafeteria. "If the sun isn't helping, maybe food will."
Jake and Erie entered the cafeteria, scanning the packed room. Erie immediately noticed a long line near the back where the best food was served.
"This meal smells good," Erie said, his voice low but clear.
Grabbing a plate, Erie dug in without hesitation. He ate more than usual, but something still felt off.
"Energy: 44%."
"Still nothing!" Erie thought to himself. He attempted to meditate, which seemed to have a delayed effect, giving him a burst of energy. However, the more Erie ate, the more energy seemed to expend, leaving him hungrier. As he looked up, he prepared to stand in line for more food. Jake noticed this and pushed his plate in front of Erie. Without hesitation, Erie began to eat the entire plate while Jake watched.
While he ate, Jake's gaze shifted, locking onto someone across the cafeteria. A bot with a scare across his eye sat a few tables away, his stare unwavering. He hadn't looked away since Erie entered.
"There they are again," the scarred boy muttered. "That orange-haired kid eats a lot." His attention flicked to Jake. Green eyes. Eerie silence. "And that one… why is he hanging around him?"
A voice beside him interrupted his thoughts. "James, what do you want us to do?"
James didn't break eye contact. "Nothing for now. The school hasn't started yet. Let's scout them first. See what they are."
His gaze darkened. "That orange-haired boy… he's different."
Alex stood in the training facility, hurling rocks at the target. Each hit raised the counter, which was now at 82.
"Ugh, this is so frustrating!" he looked at his watch, which displayed the level as Rank: DD. I need to hone my ability! I cannot let this opportunity pass me by." He continued throwing rocks at the target in front of him. "And I cannot go to that hellhole of a village!"
He threw another rock and activated his ability; the rock sped up, and a slight disturbance floated around it as it hit the giant target. A loud clang echoed through the entire field.
"Again!" he looked at his score, which still displayed 82. "What if I made it denser before I threw it?" he said. He threw the rock, but it hit the ground before it left his hand.
Alex sat on the ground and stared into the facility's background, trying to catch his breath. Other students were also in the area, but he heard a conversation. He couldn't help but listen as much as possible because it sounded like some good drama.
A brown-haired, blue-eyed lady with black gear sat on a bench, watching Alex throw the rock. Eventually, Alex sat down. For the last hour, she had to wait for Alex to finish, and she was waiting patiently for him to finish, but it did not seem like Alex was stopping anytime soon. This was her usual spot, where she practiced her ability, but since this new group came in, someone else was in her place
She heard a commotion before she reached the area and saw two kids fighting in the middle of the court. She ignored the fight; skirmishes like this happened daily.
"Oh, there's someone new here today?" she said as she noticed a boy tossing rocks and hitting the target. She watched the score climb to 82. "He's pretty strong for a first-year but looks quite skinny." Just then, she saw him throw the rock again and noticed it speed up mid-air. "Is he part of the Zaux family?" Curious, she reached for her earpiece and called in a favor. "Hey, Bella, I need you to look someone up for me?"
"Hey, did you hear about the fight that happened earlier?" the other kid stopped and used his hands to talk. "Yeah, there was an orange hair, kid! His rank was Tripple F!" He defeated a boy with an ability, and his rank was Double F!"
Alex listened to the conversation and realized they were talking about Erie. Erie was the only person he knew with orange hair and would fight anyone who tried to bully him.
This was unsurprising to him; he always fought with Erie and faced threat after threat in his old village. He did not put it past Erie to defeat a higher-level bully. Still, he did expect the bullying to have already started.
"I guess the bullying started already, huh?" he smiled and stood back up. When you get an ability, Erie, you will be stronger than me." He began lifting a bag of rocks over his head repeatedly. "I can't let you catch up to me."
Then, he dropped down and started his workout—200 pushups, 200 sit-ups, and 500 squats. He breathed heavily as he tried to gulp down some water.
Alex noticed a woman watching him from a distance. He had seen her before, but she had never approached him—until now."
He wondered why she was there now as she started approaching him, dripping in sweat. Alex wiped his face off and stood tall, waiting for the lady to approach him.
She stood in front of him and opened her file. Alex couldn't help but stare at her midsection as she began to speak: "Alex Petra, correct?"
"that's me!" he smirked. "What can I do for you?"
"Allot." She paused. You've been in my spot for some time now, and I couldn't help but notice your ability."
She then grabbed a rock from Alex's bag and tossed it in the air a few times. She then threw the rock at the target. The rock whistled, disappeared, and shattered the target; pieces fell to the ground. Alex's jaw dropped as he stared at her.
"What..." he paused. "What's your name?"