The morning sun cast long shadows across Kaelridge as Maureen's sleek black car glided down the neighborhood road. Inside, the radio played softly—old-school rock, just loud enough to fill the silence.
Ethan sat up front, one leg crossed over the other, watching the sky like it held secrets he'd forgotten to learn. Elijah sat behind him, arms folded, eyes half-closed but alert. Jonathan leaned against the window in the back seat, his backpack hugged against his chest, still processing the strange new weight of the world.
None of them spoke much.
But the silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was the kind that comes after a storm—when everything's been said, and only the road remains.
As the school came into view, Maureen pulled gently into the drop-off lane. Students were already milling around the entrance, huddled in little cliques. Music buzzed faintly from someone's portable speaker. The smell of cafeteria grease, cheap deodorant, and too much body spray drifted through the open windows.
Before the boys could unbuckle, Maureen cleared her throat.
"Your grandfather is coming to town," she said, her voice calm but weighty. Fritz. He'll be here on Friday. He plans to pick you up himself."
The air in the car changed instantly.
Ethan straightened. Elijah blinked, and for a second—even he smiled.
"Grandpa's really coming?" Ethan asked, eyes wide. "No offense, but I thought he'd keep hiding in the mountains for another decade."
Maureen raised an eyebrow, lips curving slightly. "He said he missed his grandsons. And that you've gotten too soft."
Elijah scoffed. "We'll see who's soft when we spar."
Jonathan watched the exchange with quiet amazement. They sounded… normal. Not like gods or monsters, but grandkids excited to see their grandfather. He smiled to himself, caught between worlds but feeling lucky to be there.
The three stepped out of the car, and Maureen drove off with a wave, her presence lingering like a whispered command.
Wyrmwood High greeted them with the usual symphony of adolescent chaos.
Lockers slammed. Laughter echoed off the tile floors. Someone was already running from a tardy slip. A pair of first-year students argued over earbuds. It was almost beautiful in its normality.
Ethan, Elijah, and Jonathan moved through the crowd like they belonged—if you didn't look too closely.
1st Period: Calculus – Mrs. Brown
Mrs. Brown had an ever-present cup of tea and a smile that said she genuinely cared. She didn't play favorites and made sure no student ever felt stupid for asking questions.
Ethan breezed through the material. Elijah took perfect notes. Jonathan… did his best. Mrs. Brown's steady voice made even derivatives feel manageable. The three sat in the front next to a girl named Sophie. She was a shy girl with long black hair, hazel eyes, pouty lips, and a softly shaped face. She was beautiful in every aspect of the word. She wore a long black and purple skirt with a black blouse. She was one of the top students, only rivaled by Ethan, Elijah and Saraphina. Sophie always sat near Ethan, and she blushed anytime their eyes met. Just like now, Ethan's eyes wondered over to Sophie, who was already looking at him. Their eyes met and they both blushed as they kept eye contact longer than what was intended. They both looked away. Ethan's eyes glazed over as he went into thought. I know she likes me, but I have to keep to myself. I can't risk her safety along with mine. Focus Ethan focus.... Ethan talked to her in class here and there and was respectful but kept a subtle guard up around her. Because he liked her a lot. But he's a dragon and getting too close to mortals is dangerous. Jonathan already knew and the more mortals who knew, the more danger he put on himself and his family. But this girl has started to slowly get through Ethan's defenses. And that..... that scared him. "I couldn't put anyone else in danger, Ethan thought to himself.
Mrs Brown's voice snapped Ethan out of his thoughts.
Okay class, so let's review briefly what we have learned so far.
The topic is Derivative of a Function
We should know that the derivative of a function represents the rate of change or the slope of the function at a given point. In simpler terms, it tells you how fast something is changing. Mrs Brown paused for a moment, looked around to see if everyone understood, then continued.
If you have a function, Mrs Brown begins to write on the chalkboard.
f(x) = x^n
The power rule tells us that the derivative is:
f'(x) = n \cdot x^{n-1}
Does that make sense? She saw Jonathan looking lost but didn't want to pick on him, so she looked to Ethan. Ethan, would you mind giving us an example?
Not at all, Mrs Brown, Ethan says, and walks to the front of the class, takes the chalk offered by Mrs Brown and begins.
To Find the derivative of
f(x) = 3x^4 - 5x^2 + 2
We apply the power rule to each term:
Derivative of 3x^4 is 12x^3
Derivative of -5x^2 is -10x
The derivative of constant 2 is 0
So the answer is:
f'(x) = 12x^3 - 10x
Ethan says, circling the answer, he nods to Mrs Brown and walks back to his seat.
Briefly looking to Sophie, unintentionally making eye contact again, blushing, he takes his seat and tries to pay attention to Mrs Brown.
any questions? Mrs Brown asks.
2nd Period: Physics – Mr. Drakon
Ethan, Elijah, Saraphina and Jonathan took this class together. Ethan and Jonathan always sat next to each other in the front of the class. Ethan helped Jonathan out greatly in this class, and Jonathan appreciated it. Elijah, on the other hand, sat next to Saraphina, a beauty he had made acquaintances with in martial arts class. Saraphina has long platinum blonde hair, almost white, her eyes red. Everyone assumed they were contacts because her pupils were vertical like a cat. Everyone called her the vampire girl, because she always wore black and had a gothic style. Elijah started sitting with her after the first day they spent together in martial arts class. He just plopped down and started to slowly help her with the class. She slowly became accustomed to him and started to enjoy his company. Stupid boys, she'd always say if Elijah made her blush.
Drakon was Maureen's brother-in-law, though few knew it. Tall, wiry, with silver in his hair and the kind of stare that seemed to measure more than mass or motion. He was a seventh-level cultivator hiding as a high school teacher. Ethan and Elijah were only 5th level cultivators.
"Physics," Drakon said, "is just the universe trying to explain itself." Respect it, and it'll show you everything."
He favored Ethan and Elijah, but rarely showed it—except with the faintest smile when they asked yet another lecture question that stumped the rest of the class.
The lesson?
Newton's Second Law
Drakon, pacing at the front of the class, began his lecture.
Force, Mass, and Acceleration
Newton's Second Law of Motion states:
The force acting on an object is equal to the mass of that object multiplied by its acceleration.
This is written as:
F = m \cdot a
Where:
F = force (in newtons, N)
M = mass (in kilograms, kg)
A = acceleration (in meters per second squared, m/s²)
Drakon points to Elijah and says "Can you give me an example?" Elijah nods and says
A 10 kg box is pushed with an acceleration of 2 \, \text{m/s}^2.
What is the net force acting on it?
Use the formula F = m \cdot a:
F = 10 \cdot 2 = 20 \, \text{N}
Answer: The net force is 20 newtons. Elijah says, confidence rolling off him in waves.
"Good job," Drakon says. Are there any questions? The class remained silent. Elijah walks back to his seat and winks at Saraphina. She widens her eyes and then scoffs lightly, her cheeks turning a faint shade of red. Mumbling something under her breath about stupid boys.
Saraphina was happy she had met Elijah, but would never admit it to him. Ever since they first started sparring and practicing together, she started having a warm fluttering feeling in her stomach when he was around and her face would heat up. She respected his talent in martial arts and appreciated that he never held back with her. He always pushed her to get better and pointed out what she could have done differently. Neither of them was willing to admit that they had a spark between them, but everyone knew it, and no one dared to point it out, due to the fear of being on the receiving end of a face full of fists. Only time will tell if these blossoming feelings will go anywhere. And both silently wanted to see where that road would go.
3rd Period: Martial Arts Elective
Elijah's favorite.
Coach Wyatt ran the class like a dojo with mats instead of desks. Punching bags hung from the ceiling and speed bags in the corner. Jonathan had joined for fun. Ethan treated it like meditation. Sophie joined because she heard Ethan did but ended up finding it a very interesting experience and enjoyed the feeling of being able to defend herself if needed. She felt like she could get closer to Ethan, but noticed that he mostly preferred to practice with Elijah and Jonathan. But when they did spar, he didn't hold back. At first, it hurt her feelings, but he realized that he was pushing her to be better. He'd always help her up and help her fix the holes in her defense and adjust her techniques with jabs and kicks. For Sophie, this was a dream.
But for Elijah… this was a warplay.
Especially when it came to Saraphina.
Saraphina was Tall. Deadly. Eyes like bloodwine. She moved like a dancer and struck like a serpent. Every day she and Elijah sparred, and every day, they left bruised and wordless. Their fists said everything they couldn't. It was like watching a pair of masters communicate with movement. Through action, their connection grew. The first time they met on the mat, it was a fierce battle of precision, hard strikes and a slowly growing respect between them as they matched and countered every single strike, until Elijah flipped her on her back and locked her in an armbar. She tapped right away, as the hyperextending of her arm became painful. Elijah let go and got to his feet. But instead of walking away like he normally would, he extended a helping hand to her. She accepted and when she got up they locked eyes. Their hands remained held as they momentarily got lost in their gazes. Elijah took his hand back and smirked. You did well, let's spar regularly, kept me on my toes. He walks away towards the locker room.
Today was no different. Elijah rushed in, a push kick to control and gauge distance, Saraphina jumped back and went for a roundhouse house kick, her kick flying forward like a bullet. Elijah just barely leaned out of range of her kick, his eyes wide as her foot wizzed past. Elijah took advantage and went for a quick jab and low kick. Saraphina took the jab but avoided the low kick. She plunges forward with a knee strike, landing a solid strike on Elijah's stomach. He huffs and staggers back, but recovers quickly and lands a quick spinning kick on Saraphina. She lands on the ground hard, but gets up. The fight in her eyes dimmed as she sees stars. Uhga good kick she says, that one got me good. Elijah smirks as he helps her steady on her feet. You got careless after you landed a shot on me. You let your guard down, and I got a kick off I shouldn't have been able to. Keep on your toes and don't celebrate till your opponent admits defeat or you know for a fact they are down. She nods and smiles. Yeah, I have to admit I thought I had you after I plugged my knee into your gut. Elijah scoffs," I'm not soft and have taken harder hits. The two locked eyes again and stay that way for a moment, Elijah's hands placed firmly on Saraphina's arms to steady her. Elijah smirks, then says "you'll get me next time." He turns and walks to the locker room, Saraphina staring at him as he goes.
Ethan watched from the sidelines, shaking his head. "Just kiss her already," he muttered. Jonathan laughed softly and leaned towards Ethan's ear, sure he'd do so after you kissed Sophie. Ethan's face went red, and he punched Jonathan on the shoulder. Shut up! He stutters out as he walks to the locker room. Jonathan laughed softly as he nursed his sore arm.
4th Period: Lunch
They ate outside, under the trees. No fanfare. No crowd.
Jonathan tried to eat a sandwich while avoiding Elijah's jabs about Moka. Ethan barely touched his food, lost in thoughts of Fritz. Elijah kept glancing toward the martial arts building, as if Saraphina might walk by.
It was quiet. Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
5th Period: AP Chemistry
Ethan's favorite class.
He and Elijah dominated every test. But the real challenge?
Sophie.
Sharp, beautiful, quiet—she could never meet Ethan's eyes without turning crimson. When they partnered, they earned A's and drew attention. Sparks flew between them in more ways than one.
Ethan pretended not to notice.
But he noticed everything.
6th Period: Study Hall
Mostly silence. Mostly scrolling. Mostly waiting for the day to end.
7th Period: Art – Mrs. Jones
Mrs. Jones wore paint-streaked scarves and mismatched earrings. She spoke like a poem, all drifting ideas and tangled emotion. She encouraged freedom. Chaos. Color.
The room is littered with art and paintings.
Jonathan sat next to Moka. They had gotten close after an art project. They had to sculpt a large Phoenix from clay. Together they made the best piece the art teacher had seen in a long while. Moka was a beautiful girl with long waist-level black hair, big green eyes, full smiling lips and a figure that was generous in its curves. She wore blue jeans and a baggy white shirt. Modist and casual is her style and Jonathan liked that about her. He was a laid-back dude and enjoyed the simplicity of everyday life. He looked over to her work. She drew people as she could see their truth. Jonathan was impressed at how accurately she drew people and how she never missed a detail. The emotion of the picture reflected well the characters of the people she drew. His eyes drifted towards her, and she caught him admiring his facial features. They both blushed, but she smiled. Is there something on my face? Jonathan gulps and musters up some courage. No, I just see someone beautiful. Silence. Moka sits straighter, very flattered and pleasantly surprised. Oh... thank you, Jonathan. She looks down a bit overwhelmed by the compliment and the directness. But she looks back to him and smiles sweetly, and leans a little closer. I often like to look at someone handsome too. She looks him in his eyes as they look at one another caught in their moment and enjoying the attention they received from each other. Jonathan gulps and asks, do you want to watch a movie sometime at the theater? Moka blinks and then smiles. Yeah! I do! What day? Jonathan was absolutely flabbergasted, stuttering out Saturday! Saturday would be great! I'll pick you up! Moka was amused and a little overwhelmed by herself. "Sounds great," she says, and places her hand on his. I look forward to it jon. He didn't say much, but Ethan had seen the way he looked at her, and saw this coming. He was surprised by his friend's boldness and confidence. He and Moka looked cute, stuttering out their plans for a first date.
And maybe… this would turn into more than just a simple date and a blooming relationship. Ethan was happy for his friend, about time something good went on for his friend.
By the time the final bell rang, the boys had gathered at the front entrance. Moka followed Jonathan to the door, a big smile on her face as she stood near Jonathan.
Just another day.
Just another breath.
Just another moment before everything changed.