[External POV]
—SILVIC HIGH—
"Where's Zael?"
Dante had never been a patient guy. Dark green crew cut, apparently dyed. Greenish eyes. A jaw that went deeper anytime someone got on his nerves, which was pretty much every time.
He hadn't actually considered the rule of logic when he decided that responding with violence wasn't the best way to subdue Zael. After the King had threatened to hurt his brother, he'd matched straight here with fifty of his men, and about enough equipment to give an impression— that he was above Zael in the circle, that he called the shots first.
However, Silvic High apparently didn't understand that impression. They stood defensively in front of the school building, all being led by
Riven. A bunch of high and middle tiers being led by the fourth strongest student in the school— that was enough of an impression.
Something in Riven's eyes looked offended, probably because he'd tried so hard during the last few months to keep up a no-violence streak, and yet was about to break it because no one else in the order wanted to lead the party. King was somewhere up there, having a nap, Cael was a natural embodiment of peace, and Seraphine?
At this point, she was pretty much non-existent.
"You probably want to think this through again, Dante." Riven sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "For a gang leader, attacking a school full of teenagers is pretty much off the charts, isn't it?"
"I didn't come here for a fight." Dante hissed. It sounded like a hiss. "I want to have a word or two with your king. Bring him to me."
"'Bring him to me'" Riven mimicked, what followed was a short laugh. "What, did you read that line from a book or something?" Then he walked forward, closing in on Dante. "Don't underestimate Zael. That's a warning. He may look reserved from the outside, but there's a monster within him that you definitely don't want to meet."
"Monster?" Dante chuckled dryly. "Alright, I'm done talking here." Then he gestured towards his gang members. "Round them up, boys."
Noise filled the air immediately. The two parties clashed against each other, bats against punches, knives against abilities. But neither Riven nor Dante had moved an inch. They just stood there, scooping for a dramatic pause as they stared at each other in the eyes. Riven's eyes were still bored, the kind of expression that didn't register how much danger was going on around him.
"You still have a chance to redeem yourself, Dante." He said, the bored look in his eyes was slowly transitioning into something wilder. "Tell your men to back off, leave, and I might consider letting this go."
Dante laughed, probably overwhelmed by the fact that a high school was actively threatening him.
"I suppose you also have a monster in you too." He said, face neutral. "How about you introduce me?"
Dante's arms dropped, and he spun around them, liquid green substance that came down to his hands, forming an unstable ball shape. He raised his arm to his face, and the green ball was floating midair above his palms.
What the heck is that?
Riven had barely processed when Dante shot one at him. He dodged with a sidestep, his movements naturally fast and instinctive. The liquid splattered on the ground, melting in with a small line of chemical exhaust.
Dante threw the next one. Riven dodged again, and before each missed attempt, another ball had been formed. Then he tossed again, and again, and again. It was quite draining to maintain his own ability, since it mostly consumed his body's moisture. But thanks to resistance, he could still keep up.
He shot again at Riven, this time, a double shot. Still not enough, Riven threw himself up, legs folding between the two liquid orbs, then a quick regain as he balanced back on his feet.
"Is that it?" Riven asked, genuine curiosity in his voice. "Please tell me you didn't bring a plastic knife to a sword fight."
Dante didn't reply. His fists went up, and the acidic substance was evidently still curling around his arms. He adjusted the position of his legs, one leg forward, the other firmly planted behind him.
"Oh?" Riven managed a small smile. "Now that's cute."
Just when Dante was about to move, Riven stretched his hand out to him.
"Wait!" He said, then he pulled out a case of earbuds, inserting each piece in his ears. Then he pulled out his phone, found his favourite song on his music app— 'Burn Them All' by Drax— and pressed play. "Alright, let's dance."
They both moved.
***
[Author's POV]
—EAST HIGH—
My back found the tiles first, and then the pain registered next. Sharp shards of glass that had once been a window rained down on us, and I was bleeding from every possible part of my face.
Julian held me down with doubled strength, the kind of strength that explained just how he wasn't about to make the same mistake twice. Then he smashed a cold fist into my face. I felt it on my forehead, a sore pain where my skull was supposed to be.
Through a slight chance, I managed to slip my hands off his grip. Grabbed his collar and drove him sideways and onto the ground. He rolled away before I could make the next move, regaining his balance halfway.
His face was also bleeding, his breathing ragged. And I didn't mean the cower in his expression, although he tried to hide it.
"What in the world is your problem?" His question sounded more like a final resort. "Who was that guy to you anyway?"
Rowan.
He was no one. Or at least, that's what I'd tried to convince myself with after he'd apologised for being such a let-down weakling. After I'd always highlighted that he was never my friend.
And yet, behind all that conviction was the truth laid down behind reactions. The way I'd forgiven him even before he apologised. The way I'd matched straight to that abandoned warehouse alone just to save his ass. It wasn't because I was trying to be a hero. No, definitely not that. Turns out that Rowan had always been a friend.
Only that, it was too late to admit that now.
"You probably feel guilty for his death." Julian continued, his voice louder and angrier. "Is that why you're trying to take out the anger on me?"
I didn't respond.
I went straight at him, caught his right arm before he could block, yanked it down, and knocked a blow into his nose. The punch sent him free-falling to the ground, slipping and landing on glass shards. Then I planted my right foot in his guts. Again, again. More times than I could count.
I stopped when blood spurted out of his mouth, when his words came out in muffled groans. He turned over to the side, grabbed my feet— something that looked like a final attempt for defence.
"You may be above the law," I started, my eyes observing him grudgingly. "But that doesn't make you free. Doesn't really mean that there are consequences for your actions."
Julian must've been trying to say something, but I couldn't hear him. Not when he sounded like something that just came out of a dumb state.
And I had no time, nor patience to actually decode whatever he was trying to say. Anger swelled over me in totality, and I stopped holding back. Holding back from the reality that Rowan was dead, and that I was responsible for his death.
Then, with one last look at Julian,
WHACK!
***
[External POV]
"Are you being fucking serious right now?"
If anything, Riven wasn't the best at perception. The only thing that got him into fights was when he thought his opponent was quite strong— which was mostly the wrong answer. And every time, he'd put on a pair of headphones, blast the ears with an electric guitar just so he could feel the fight.
At least that's what he'd done before sparring against Dante. And honestly, he wasn't sure if he could actually call this a fight. Three minutes, maybe less. Dante was now on the ground, wearing the face of a weak soldier who'd run out of strategies.
Unexpectedly, his boys were holding out more than he did. They were still fighting, still brushing through Silvic High ability users and manoeuvring most of them with sheer strength.
Ability and strength. Dante had the two, but apparently, none had proved useful so far.
"Come on man." Riven groaned again, the kind of groan that came alongside regret. "Don't tell me I just broke my streak for a fight this short."
Dante didn't answer. His eyes locked vigilantly on Riven, never looking away even as he stood back up to his feet.
"Don't get your hopes high, boy." He said, stretching his arms forward. "I don't intend to lose to a high schooler."
Then a small green orb formed in his hands. It started from something that looked like a shiny speckle, then escalated slowly, seizing all the moisture it could seemingly find from the atmosphere.
And when it was at least a large beady size, Dante raised it to the air, then looked into Riven's eyes one last time. "Hasta la vista, baby!"
His fist clenched. And just immediately, the orb exploded, dissipating into a thousand larger orbs. The physics was complicated, and Dante wasn't leaving enough time to figure it out.
The orbs came down at Riven from every possible direction. He definitely couldn't dodge it, and his ability wasn't a defence mechanism either. He scratched through for his brain for options but found none. And just when the orbs almost hit the ground—
"Don't get your hopes high, boy." Dante again. "I don't intend to lose to a high schooler."
He was stretching his hands out again, another orb spinning into his grip. Riven looked away from him and towards the sky. There was nothing in the air. No floating poison orbs coming at him anymore.
They'd all suddenly disappeared.
"Don't get your hopes high, boy." Dante was repeating his line over and over again. "I don't intend to lose to a high schooler."
Riven's eyes widened as soon as realisation dawned on him. His eyes searched around, past the warring crowd, past the fact that Dante was stuck in a time loop, repeating his line over and over again.
Then she walked out of the hallway. Loosened silver hair, glowing crimson eyes. Aria Sinclair. She looked angry. Purely mad. The kind of expression no one wanted to see, especially not from her.
"That's enough playtime, boys."
.
.
.
Extra:
Name: Aria Sinclair || Ability: Time Manipulation || Rank: S (High Tier) || Fortitude: 9.2
Name: Riven Grey || Ability: ?? || Rank: A (High Tier) || Fortitude: 7.6
Name: Dante Reeves || Ability: Caustic || Rank: A (High Tier) || Fortitude: 7.3
Name: Ren Mora || Ability: Nullification || Rank: S (High Tier) || Fortitude: 9.2