The moment Ash's fingers clamped around Cole's wrist, the boy yanked himself free and stared at him like he'd just committed treason.
Cole's father, Luca, rose from his seat at the long dining table. "Cole, never do that again. Do you understand me?"
Cole's jaw twitched, but before Ash could process anything, Samantha's mother, Alex Forest, stood and stepped toward him.
Without hesitation, her hand came across his cheek in a sharp, ringing slap.
Ash froze. What the? Why would she slap me?
"Leave," Alex said firmly, her tone colder than winter air.
His cheek burned as he turned and walked out without another word.
By the time he reached the forest behind the estate, the sting had faded into a dull ache. He tore a strip from an old scrap in his pocket, transmutating it into a bandage and wrapping it around the mark as if to hide it from the world.
Bruh, why did she do that?
He made his way home.
Even in the house, he couldn't fathom why her mother would slap him like that. He literally saves her daughter. But, it was still predictable since he was Trash itself.
While dinner and pondering about what had happened, his mother sat across from him as they ate in silence, until she finally spoke.
"So," she began, her spoon clinking against the bowl, "what path do you want to follow do after this school?"
Ash already had an answer in his mind: Go to Willmelt Academy, study, then become the richest man in history. But that was a dream he wouldn't share here.
"I'm probably going to follow in Dad's footsteps," he said instead, forcing a smile. "Maybe become an archeologist."
The way her eyes darkened told him he'd struck the wrong chord. His father had died years ago during an expedition in Bellborne City, a tragedy tied to his work as an archeologist.
He didn't think about what that memory might mean to her. Too focused on his own thoughts, he missed the worry behind her gaze.
She reached out, gently resting her hand over his. "Ash… That's not what I mean. My question is—what are you going to do when you're an adult? Are you going to live in this house and stay with me? Or are you going to leave like your sister did?"
The question cracked something open inside him, a corner of his heart he'd never really examined.
Ash's gaze lingered on his mother's face, and for a fleeting moment, he felt a pinch of guilt.
She had raised him and his sister alone, scraped together enough to keep them afloat, and here he was throwing answers without a second thought.
But rather than dwell on it, he shut that door in his mind and spoke before the silence could stretch any longer.
"I'll probably leave. It's what children do, right?" he said with a shrug.
Her expression faltered, but he stood, carrying his empty plate to the sink. A moment later, he was gone to his room.
Left alone at the table, she stared at her half-finished meal. "You sound just like your sister and father," she murmured.
---
The next morning.
August 1, 1237 CE—the first day of the month.
Ash tightened his grip on his bag. Time was moving faster than he liked. Graduation was in February, and every day wasted was a step closer to being left behind.
He made his way to school, finding Samantha near the courtyard. She crossed her arms as soon as he approached.
"My mother told me not to speak with you again," she said. "She thinks you're… trouble."
Ash gave a small, knowing smile. "Then we'll just make sure she doesn't notice. We're still going through with the plan."
She hesitated, but eventually nodded.
Five important people. That was the goal. Make them mine, turn them into pieces on the board.
I can't back down now.
Since the past few weeks of sparring with Samantha, Ash hadn't won a single match.
Yes, he was still weak, slower than her, and his reflexes weren't enough to keep up. But he still kept going.
The Rise to the Top ability would sometimes open small windows of opportunity, but even when they appeared, he failed to take advantage.
That day, they had just finished another round, both sitting on the grass catching their breath, when three shadows stretched across the field.
Ash looked up. "…What the hell?"
Standing there were Robert, Lamine, and the mohawk guy Ash had beaten weeks ago.
Robert narrowed his eyes. "What are you two doing here?"
Ash frowned. "Training. What about you?"
They didn't answer.
He gestured vaguely toward them. "Fine, then who brought you here?"
Lamine smirked. "Does it matter?"
"It does when you're acting creepy about it," Ash shot back.
The mohawk guy cracked his neck, flames faintly flickering from his fingertips. "You'll find out soon enough."
Before Ash could press further, the three suddenly lunged forward.
"Tch—Samantha, up!"
She was already on her feet, blocking Robert's punch while Ash sidestepped Lamine's charge.
Robert and Lamine fought without magic, relying purely on brute force and speed, but they were faster than before. Ash's fists stung each time they blocked his strikes.
Then, the mohawk guy stepped forward, his hands igniting fully.
Ash barely ducked as a stream of flame roared past his head, scorching the grass behind him. "Oh, great. Because this day wasn't bad enough already."
Samantha parried another hit and muttered, "Focus, Ash!"
He gritted his teeth and charged back in.
Ash ducked under another swing, his hands instinctively reaching for the broken wooden bucket lying in the grass.
By the time Robert noticed, the bucket's warped wood had already reshaped into a jagged club, and Ash slammed it into his ribs, sending him stumbling back.
Samantha blinked at him. "Since when could you—?"
"Not the time," Ash cut in, stepping forward just in time to catch Lamine's kick with the club, splintering the wood in the process.
The fragments scattered across the ground, but they didn't stay there. They lifted circling around Ash like a cloud of shrapnel.
Lamine hesitated. "What the hell—"
Ash didn't let him finish.
The fragments shot forward, pelting Lamine in the chest and face until he staggered back.
A sudden flare of heat rushed from behind, and Ash turned just in time to see the mohawk guy hurling a wave of fire toward Samantha.
She dodged, but her foot caught on a dip in the ground, sending her crashing down.
Before the flames could reach her, Ash was already there, arm around her waist, pulling her away from the blast.
She felt the heat pass behind her and looked up at him, breath caught.
He didn't notice, but her cheeks burned all the same.
"Get up," he said, already stepping past her to intercept Robert.
Samantha recovered, knocking Robert off balance with a sharp kick, and Ash followed through with a strike from a newly-forged metal pipe, sending him sprawling.
Lamine tried to charge again, but another burst of spinning debris forced him back until a final hit to the side dropped him to the ground.
Both of them were out cold.
That left only the mohawk guy, fire curling from his hands as he glared at Ash. "Looks like it's just us now."
Ash cracked his knuckles. "Good."
Flames licked the edges of the grass as Ash circled the mohawk.
Then came the slow sound of clapping.
Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
Ash's eyes darted toward the source. Perched on a thick branch of a nearby tree, Cole Elbarins sat with one leg dangling.
His lazy smirk on his face was unmistakable.
"Boss," the mohawk muttered, taking a step back like the fight had just ended.
Cole hopped down from the branch, landing lightly on the dirt. "Not bad," he said.
"I half-expected you to run the second things got heated, Ash. Guess you're more interesting than I thought."
Samantha's fists clenched. "What are you doing here, Cole? This isn't your territory."
"Territory?" Cole chuckled. "Everything here is my territory, Samantha. You're just too stubborn to accept it."
His gaze slid over to her, almost lazily.
"Besides, you're my fiancée. Shouldn't I be checking on my future wife?"
"You're delusional," she snapped. "I'd rather—"
"Careful. You might hurt my feelings."
Ash stepped between them. "If you're here to pick a fight, then pick it with me."
Cole ignored him, pulling something from the holster at his side. The metallic glint caught the sunlight.
Samantha's eyes widened.
"Cole," she said, "you're not seriously—"
"I don't like when people talk back to me," he said simply, raising the pistol.
"Ash—!" she tried to warn, but in that fraction of a second, the gun had already been leveled at her.
Bang!
The shot rang out like thunder.