The fight was brutal. Multiple students lay scattered across the courtyard, wincing in pain. At the heart of the chaos, Alex threw punch after punch, desperately defending himself against two silver-ribbon opponents—one of them being Kyle.
Erie glanced at Lilly. Her eyes were locked on the clash unfolding before them, not with worry or fear but with a strange, quiet curiosity. It wasn't about who won for her—it was the violence itself that held her attention.
Erie stuck close to her. He wasn't sure if she'd tell anyone what had happened in the library, and until he could figure out how to deal with it, it was better to stay in her good graces. So far, she'd kept quiet—but for how long?
Right now, though, that didn't matter. Alex was in trouble.
They'd been through a lot together back in the Western Orphanage Village. Even if they'd drifted apart lately, Erie still saw Alex as his best friend. And no matter how outmatched he felt, what kind of person would he be if he stood back and let his friend get crushed?
Based on the speed of the fight—and the raw force of the abilities being used—Erie knew he didn't stand a chance. But he had to try.
"Wow, Kyle's ability is serious," Erie muttered, activating his upgraded system scan.
"Analyzing…"
"Kyle Markenburger."
"Health Points: 66/100."
"Ability: Combustion."
The word stuck in Erie's mind. Combustion? He'd never seen or heard of it before. Watching closely, he noticed tiny eruptions crackling from Kyle's fists after every punch. And when Kyle put some distance between himself and Alex, he'd thrust his palm forward—sending controlled explosions erupting just inches from Alex's face, forcing him back.
Alex would barely recover in time, quickly throwing another beast core before him for defense. Pebbles and makeshift counters scattered the battlefield, but they were always one step behind.
Whenever Alex gained ground, the second fighter—a boy with earth abilities—raised a wall to shield Kyle, buying them time to regroup. Then, the cycle repeated: suppress, pressure, explode.
The voices of the crowd swelled around Erie.
"This fight's insane. That tall kid's done for." "Yeah, he knocked out that guy with the curly black hair earlier, but this pair's too clean. They've got chemistry."
"That's it for the orphans. They never stood a chance against the city boys."
The courtyard was a warzone. Craters pocked the stone ground. Trees were splintered. Benches lay broken. Students were slumped over—some caught in the crossfire, others taken out by direct blows. Blood, sweat, and smoke clung to the air like a second skin.
Erie clenched his fists.
"I need to jump in now!" he shouted to himself.
Alex was struggling. He was losing. And Erie couldn't just watch this anymore. They may have drifted, but Alex was always there when Erie needed him most. Now, it was Erie's turn.
Before the fight escalated, Alex had been called out for not jumping in to help his fellow orphan. And now, he was conflicted. Zara had been the first friend he made when he joined the academy. Despite the odd smell and his quiet, awkward nature, Zara helped him unpack, gave him clothes, offered him money, and walked him to the store to buy essentials. He looked out for him when no one else did.
But ever since the kids from his village arrived, everything had changed. The academy wasn't just divided by ribbon colors—it was being torn apart by status. City kids versus orphans. And Alex? He was caught between both worlds.
He didn't have long to think.
A bright spark flared before him, followed by a sharp crackle. Before Alex could react, an explosion erupted at his feet, launching him backward.
"Don't even think about joining that fight, Alex! Remember who helped you when you got here!" someone shouted from the sidelines.
Another blast detonated just above him, the heat whipping past his face. As it happened, Alex tried once more to activate his ability. He felt the molecules around him shift for the third time—the particles bending slightly, almost within reach. But just as he reached out, another explosion threw off his focus.
Surprisingly, he wasn't hurt. He stood from the ground, brushing the dirt off his uniform. As he looked up at the chaos, his eyes locked onto someone across the courtyard.
It was Erie.
He stood tall, a boy slumped over his back and a strange girl beside him.
Alex narrowed his eyes.
"That's the girl I saw in his group on testing day," he thought.
Alex looked at the students around him. He then noticed a few familiar faces—people he grew up with in the village. Memories of their shared classroom, laughter, and hardships flooded his mind.
A decision had been building inside him—and now, it was ready to break free.
"If you take another step, orphan, I won't hold back!"
Alex had enough. He never backed down from a fight and wasn't about to start now.
Reaching into the pouch strapped to his waist, Alex pulled out a core pebble. As he activated his ability, he felt it again—the molecules shifting around him, bending with him.
"I don't know what this is… but I'm going with it."
He hurled the pebble, and his ability surged the moment it left his hand. The air around the rock thickened unnaturally as if space itself warped.
The pebble slammed into Kyle's chest—and instantly, the air around him solidified like concrete.
Kyle gasped. He staggered. Then dropped, clawing at the air.
"What just happened?!" someone in the crowd screamed.
Alex stood there, breathing hard, his palm still smoking.
"That's… not how that move used to work."
Alex then noticed a knife fly by his face. He knew what it meant.
"Zara!" he said frantically. He backflipped away from the knife and reached for his pebble, readying himself for Zara to appear.
The moment Zara appeared, Alex hesitated. The words stuck with him: "No hard feelings, mate. But it's obvious you've chosen your side."
Alex took a step back and threw another pebble without saying a word. It moved too fast. Before Zara could react, it struck him in the chest. The air grew thick around him, and he fell to the ground, gasping for air.
"What is this?!" Zara collapsed, holding his chest as if suffocating.
Alex didn't know what was happening. He felt the energy inside him stir. His ability didn't work the way it used to. After the teacher's advice—not to force it, but to let it flow—it seemed to shift the molecules around the target or rob them of air.
"If I live through this, I need to practice this… figure out exactly what this is."
Zara tapped out of the fight. Moments later, Alex felt a fist slam into his face, knocking him down. Another explosion pushed him further across the ground. Alex crossed his arms to protect his face.
"Ahhhh!" he screamed in pain. He jumped up quickly, blood trickling down his cheek. More than one person was coming after him now.
The attention of the courtyard shifted. The crowd focused on him, Kyle, and a bulky student who seemed to control nature and the earth itself.
Alex spotted Erie darting to another location, and he grinned. If he could hold out long enough… he knew Erie would jump in.
Before he knew it, Alex was locked in close combat again, throwing punch after punch, dodging each blow. He tried his best to preserve his energy—he knew this fight was far from over. Any hit from either opponent could be critical.
He picked up another pebble and launched it. The structure crumbled as though gravity pulled it down as it struck the earth wall.
Another spark lit up in front of him. He jumped back just in time. The bulky kid stepped in for another strike—
—but a flash of yellow light cut through the chaos.
A fist collided with the boy's jaw, sending him stumbling back.
Alex blinked. A figure stepped before him, shoulders squared, aura crackling gold.
"You seem to be having too much fun without me, Alex."