Dan woke up in his room in the morning.
The window curtains were letting in some light and warmth. He sat on his bed, staring at the floor for a minute without moving. Then he got up slowly, as if sleep had failed to erase the traces of the previous night.
As he got ready, he thought about a lot of things. He buttoned his shirt and washed his face with cold water.
"I finally gave in... And of all people, I got emotional in front of someone I've only met twice."
He smiled sadly as he adjusted the collar of his jacket.
"Well... there was a lot going on anyway. "Since I was born, how many times have I died?"
He closed his eyes for a moment.
"I don't want to count."
Dan was putting in buttons on his shirt when he had an idea.
"The lone wolf..."
"I didn't tell him about my talent for space... I'm not sure if I should."
A strange man who lives in the forest appears out of nowhere and offers to train him. Was it just because I caught his interest?
Dan sighed, finished buttoning his jacket, and thought sarcastically:
"Man... A stranger suddenly appears and asks to train me, and the academy director discovers my talent and offers training too?"
He stopped for a moment, then said in a joking but angry tone:
"I think I'm really in a novel."
He raised his eyebrows slightly, smiled sarcastically, and added in a low voice:
"But the heroes in novels don't always die."
He took a deep breath, then pushed himself toward the door.
___
walked into the class and looked around, until his eyes stopped at someone he knew.
A boy with light brown hair and gray eyes like fog covering a sad sky... just as Dan had seen him before... in a time that no longer existed.
He stopped for a moment, then went over and sat down next to him without saying anything.
The boy looked at him, clearly surprised, and said:
"Excuse me, do I know you?"
Dan smiled quietly and said:
"No, but I'd like to get to know you... You seem like a fun person.
My name is Dan Noctain. What's your name?"
The boy tilted his head slightly, a faint, mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Oh, am I a target for bullying or something?"
Dan's smile faltered for a moment.
He thought to himself, "I forgot how annoying he is."
He sighed and said casually,
"Don't bother if you're not interested."
The boy laughed lightly, then said,
"Hey, I was just kidding.
My name is Cain. Nice to meet you, Mr. Dan Noctain."
Dan smiled again and said in a lighter tone:
"No need for formalities... just Dan.
_____
After the lecture ended, Dan and cain left the hall, but three students quickly blocked their way.
The one standing in the middle was a young man with dark red hair and sharp eyes that seemed to shoot sparks. He took a step forward and looked angrily at Dan.
He said in a loud voice, as if talking to the whole audience:
"Isn't this the so-called hero?"
Dan let out a sigh, but didn't change his expression. He replied in a cold tone:
"Hey, I don't know you. Why all the fuss?"
Ziegler made a noise and clenched his fists.
"Shut up! You took advantage of my moment of distraction to defeat me. That's not a victory!"
Cain raised his eyebrows, looked at Dan, then at Ziegler, and said sarcastically:
"It seems you like to bring trouble upon yourself."
Dan replied, looking away:
"Believe me... trouble comes to me."
Ziegler suddenly jumped at Dan without any warning.
The attack was preceded by no words, no threats, not even a hint of anger... just a quick, reckless movement, as if the he had lost his mind.
His followers were surprised, but they quickly got into position and followed him.
Dan jumped back to avoid the hit, and quickly pulled out his sword.
"You're crazy!" he shouted, raising his sword to block the next hit. "You start a fight in the academy? In front of everyone?!"
But Ziegler didn't respond.
He was breathing heavily, his face was red, and his bloodshot eyes bulged out of their sockets. He moved like a wild animal, without thinking.
Dan and Cain looked at each other.
Cain blocked one of the followers' attacks, then muttered as he looked at Ziegler:
"He doesn't seem normal. Has he... has he really gone mad?"
With each hit, Dan noticed something odd.
"He's stronger than before?"
Ziegler's punches were faster and more powerful, but he fought like a wild animal, without any strategy or skill. He was filled with pure rage.
With every second, it seemed like the heat was rising from his body.
Suddenly, he burst into flames.
Red flames covered his limbs, and his eyes glowed like embers.
"Damn..." Dan said quietly, getting ready for the next attack.
But before Ziegler could take another step, everything went quiet. Then, a soft hissing sound filled the air. It was as if the air itself had split in two.
Then—
A hit.
It's fast. Sharp. Lightning.
A young man appeared between Dan and Ziegler, his body surrounded by dancing electric sparks, as if the storm had possessed him.
He hit Ziegler's neck with his fist, knocking him to the side.
Ziegler fell to the ground, knocked out.
His two followers looked shocked, but they didn't move.
Kane raised his sword calmly and said in a cold voice:
"Well... do you think you're going to win after all this?"
One of the henchmen looked at the other, and they both quickly dropped their weapons without saying anything.
Dan breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the new person.
"You saved us, rowan."
The young man, whose energy was starting to wear off, replied:
"What's going on here, Dan?"
Dan smiled as he looked at Ziegler lying on the ground.
"Believe me, I want to know that, too."
Shortly after, the sound of quick footsteps came before Professor Serena appeared. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the chaos around her.
One student was unconscious on the floor, two others were being restrained, and three students stood facing the scene as if they had just come out of a battle.
She asked, "What's going on here?" in a calm but firm voice as she walked confidently toward the center.
Rowan and Cain looked at each other, then at Dan, who sighed and took a step forward. Then he said:
"Professor Serena... This student is Ziegler. I fought him during training before and beat him. But today, he blocked my and Cain's path and suddenly attacked us without warning. Luckily, Rowan intervened in time.".
Serena nodded slightly, then raised her eyebrow and asked:
"Why would he attack you like that? Is there a disagreement between you?"
Dan shook his head and said: "I don't know. But he wasn't normal. His gaze, his movements... everything about him was strange. It was as if he wasn't thinking straight."
Then Dan turned to the two students who had been with Ziegler and said sternly:
"Why did you attack?"
One of them hesitated before answering in a confused, quiet voice:
"We didn't know he was going to attack. He just said he wanted to upset you with his words. He didn't tell us he was going to fight."
Cain said sarcastically:
"And as soon as you saw him attack, you decided to join in. You two are really loyal followers."
The student lowered his head, unable to respond.
There was a moment of silence, and then Professor Serena spoke in a firm voice:
"All students involved will be questioned, including Ziegler when he wakes up."
She then looked at the other three, Dan, Cain, and Roine, and added:
"We will need your statements as well."
Note:
Peace be upon you. I hope you liked the chapter. Please share your thoughts on it. Thank you 😊.