The clone rushed forward toward Cassian, giving him no time to rest. He delivered a right punch, but this time, Cassian managed to block the attack.
But then the clone kicked Cassian in the liver. The hit was so powerful it made Cassian drop to his knees. The clone grabbed him and slammed him into the ground.
While pinning him down, Cassian countered by kicking the clone away and stood up. But before he could recover, another attack was already incoming—Cassian got hit square in the nose.
The clone twisted his body and delivered a high kick, striking Cassian again.
Cassian was already huffing and panting. "He doesn't even give me a some tim—" Before he could finish his thought, the clone hit him once more.
The attack was followed by another punch. And the clone didn't stop—he delivered a kick to Cassian's chest, knocking him down.
"Fuc—" Before Cassian could finish swearing, he rolled away to dodge the next punch. He stood up and blocked another attack, but the force was too powerful and sent him flying.
"You call this training? This feels more like torture. I'm not learning anything," Cassian complained.
But the clone was already rushing at him again. He threw a feint punch, which Cassian instinctively blocked—also obscuring his vision. The clone quickly moved to the side and kicked the back of Cassian's head, knocking him unconscious.
[You have failed the Quest.]
As Cassian fell, the clone managed to catch him and carried him away.
---
Meanwhile, Cain was following someone from afar—he was watching Mia.
Cain observed everything Mia did. He also kept an eye on the people around her.
Even from a distance, he could hear everything—those cruel, painful words thrown her way.
"She didn't do anything wrong, but these people judge her as if they know everything," Cain muttered, hiding on one of the school rooftops.
"Look at them—judging others as if they're not a sinner. And when they face consequences for their actions, they act like victims."
"Humans are insects. They're the most evil creatures, yet they act as if they're saints. They blame devils for every sin, but they're the ones committing it."
---
Mia walked down the hallway, enduring the same treatment as always. People spoke behind her back, making sure she heard every word.
"Look at her. No one wants to be around her. That says everything," one student sneered.
The students laughed together as they passed her.
Even the teachers doing the same thing. They acted boldly because of the law—a law that prevented ability users from harming non-powered people. And the others took full advantage of that.
Seeing this unfold, Cain's eyes glowed. He clenched his fists so tightly that blood dripped from his palms.
Veins bulged along his jaw and forehead, but he didn't move. Despite being hot-headed, Cain wasn't someone who acted recklessly.
Time passed. Eventually, school hours ended.
---
Elsewhere, a group of students laughed together on the road, still gossiping about Mia.
"You know she's such a loser. We can do whatever we want. What's she gonna do?" one said with a grin.
"Even if she tells her brother, he can't do anything. If he threatens us, we'll just report him. Get his license revoked. Maybe even put him in prison," another laughed.
But suddenly, something changed. They all began to feel… strange.
"Hey, guys... Is it just me, or is it getting hotter?" one girl asked, starting to sweat.
"You're overreacting!" another replied.
"No, she's right. I feel it too. The air's heavy. I'm having a hard time breathing," one of the boys said, panting.
They all stopped walking. In front of them stood a man, cloaked in dark clothing that covered his entire body. His hood cast a shadow over most of his face—only his mouth was visible.
The man smiled.
All of the students froze in fear.
"Who the hell is that? He's scary," someone whispered.
Then, one by one, they dropped to their knees. Some began bleeding from their noses. Others felt their eyes burning, on the verge of bursting.
The closer the man came, the hotter and heavier the air became.
"Insects like you need to learn your place," Cain said, grabbing one student by the neck and choking him.
Cain's hand was so hot, steam rose from the student's skin.
"ARGHH!" the student screamed in pain.
A burn mark formed on his neck. The others watched in horror, frozen in place by fear. Their bodies refused to move. They couldn't even speak.
Their instincts screamed at them: Don't move.
"You all need to understand who you're dealing with," Cain growled. "Do something stupid again, and I'll burn every last one of you alive... and I'll make sure you stay alive—so I can play with you over and over again."
He dropped the student he was holding and turned his back to leave.
None of the students moved. Silence hung in the air as they tried to comprehend what had just happened.
After some time, one of them finally spoke.
"Who the hell was that guy? I swear, I'll make him pay! My father will—"
Before he could finish, all of them coughed up blood.
They collapsed again. The air was too heavy to even move a muscle.
Cain's presence returned, more terrifying than before. This time, they all felt it—death.
"You idiot!" one of the students yelled at the one who had just spoken. "Why would you say that?! Don't you realize what he could do to us?!"
Instead of being angry at Cain, they all turned their rage on the classmate who provoked him. Because of his words, they felt like they were about to die.
Meanwhile, Cain stood far away, on a rooftop, watching them with a smile.
Later, someone found the students and called an ambulance. They were taken to the hospital.
---
But even in the hospital, the students were no longer in their right minds.
Some scratched at their own heads, eyes wide with terror as if haunted by what they'd seen.
Others muttered to themselves, shaking and repeatedly slamming their heads into the walls.
"It's your fault! It's your fault! It's your fault!" one student screamed, pointing at his classmate.
In just a few minutes, all of them had developed trauma so deep—it broke their sanity.
The doctors and nurses, upon seeing the condition of the students, were at a loss for how to handle them. More and more students were being admitted to the hospital—each one with injuries from trying to harm themselves.
What's worse, even some teachers were affected. They had lost their sanity and were also self-harming.
The hospital quickly became overwhelmed, filled with patients who all showed the same symptoms: a sudden, complete mental breakdown.
Some patients even lashed out and injured the nurses.
It had become a serious issue, with an alarming number of identical cases appearing all at once.
Seeing all of this, Cain stood on a rooftop, watching the large number of people being admitted to the hospital, a wide, sinister smile spreading across his face.