Five days from today after the clashes between the second years and the first years, a small crowd's attention fell on one thin boy with spectacles, It was none other than Peter.
In a secluded corner of the military school, Peter was backed against a wall by Earl, the first-year class representative. Earl had him by the collar.
"So, Peter," Earl hissed. "Why did you go behind our backs and call Sergeant Faye?
Now, because of your little stunt, we're the ones paying for it."
He shoved Peter, then kicked him in the gut. Peter cried out but couldn't break free. He had fallen right into the lion's den become their prey, and they were not going to stop until they were satisfied.
"This time we have one more task for you. Nod if you agree." Earl's cold demand left no room for mercy.
Peter didn't hesitate at first. "No," he said. He'd promised himself he would never betray Quin or Vorden ever again.
But soon a vein in Earl's temple throbbed as anger swelled. A lowly first-year dared defy him, and Earl a level-four student had to answer someone higher up, he didn't like it a bit. He needed to take the fury out on someone.
Earl grabbed Peter's fingers and snapped them one by one. Each time he broke a bone he asked if Peter would help them. Each time Peter shook his head.
When all five fingers were ruined, Earl called, "Hey, Jerry, over here."
A lanky first-year stepped forward and knelt. "Do your thing, Jerry."
Jerry placed his hand over Peter's. Warmth hummed through the skin; the broken bones reknit and slid back into place. Peter gasped as his fingers reformed and the pain eased.
Earl smiled like a man tasting victory. He grabbed Peter's fingers again and repeated the cycle — break, ask, heal, repeat.
An hour passed in that rhythm of cruelty and reprieve. Peter's mind frayed. Eventually he craved the relief so much that, without realizing it, he nodded. He agreed to their terms.
"Good," Earl said, satisfied. "If you'd said yes sooner none of this would have been necessary. Now listen wimp, you do it properly this time, and you don't dare tell anyone. Especially not your blond friend. Did you see how brutally he was tied up infront of the second years so do you think you can do something about it, if even a level-five got tossed like that do you think a mere level one stand a chance? keep your mouth shut and you better do this right wimp."
----
Back in the present, it was nearly curfew, a whole day had gone by. Quinn lay in bed, head pounding. He held his skull and blinked at the maze of scrap metal, wires, and machinery around him. He sat bolt upright.
"What the hell?" he muttered. Logan was at the desk, calm as ever, typing on his chair infront of the big screen.
"Logan," Quin called. "What happened?How long have I been out? Where's the book?"
Logan turned slowly, his expression unreadable. "About seven hours and forty-five minutes since you went into that… coma. I woke up a few minutes after the experiment went live. i though you were dead but fortunately you were breathing, so it was fine to manage.
And the about the book, he frowned giving a complicated look and then answered." it vanished".
"I didn't even get to see it."
Quin stared. "What do you mean, the book vanished? Logan, that book was everything to me. Please don't joke around."
Logan sighed, then typed few buttons and soon a projector clicked on and threw an image against the wall: footage of the experiment — two figures knocked aside, and the whole room lighting up with a crimson hue and the book flashing and disappearing into thin air.
Quin watched with numb disbelief. "You didn't make this up, did you?" he asked, hesitating.
"Why would I lie?" Logan replied. "but I'm truly sorry about your book.
Well i do have somethings to ask you "
"Do you notice anything different?" Logan asked.
"Different how?" Quin got up and went to the sink. He wrenched the tap and tried to shape the water with the same instinct he had practiced countless times in the game — to bend, coax, command. The water obeyed. It flowed like he willed it.
"My ability's still there… for now," he said.
Logan frowned, then spoke, didnt you say that the book was an ability book, so since you already have an ability maybe that why the book didn't work.
Soon guilt scarred Quinns face, had his desire for power brought this upon himself?
Logan grabbed a few wires and connecting pins. "Maybe we can trace something that happened to your body," he said, moving to hook one end to Quin's hand.
But before he could finish, both of them froze.
Because just as their Logans hand came in contact with Quinns a strange thing happened.
A screen flashed in Quin's mind, stark and ironclad:
[Ability detected][Alterations to the system are trying to be made][Alterations have been blocked]
What the hell! both of them spoke with equal shock.