Morning sunlight had barely brushed the rooftops when a sharp voice pierced the quiet of my street.
"Hey, Shateen. Do you ever wonder why rats are enemies to cats?"
"Huh?" I stammered, freezing mid-step.
Before me stood Ryan and his gang—five of them, all wearing the same smug faces and expensive uniforms that practically screamed privilege.
I had no idea how they even found my house. I didn't invite them. I didn't speak to them. I didn't even breathe in their direction at school. Yet somehow, they showed up this morning just as I was about to leave for school.
The largest of the boys stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "Are you stupid? You have the nerves to talk back at us?!"
Before I could answer, the slap hit me sharp, stinging, echoing across the quiet road. I stumbled but didn't fall.
Ryan stepped forward with the swagger of someone who had never worked for anything in his life.
"Listen to me," he said, adjusting the golden badge on his uniform. "I am Delk Ryan. The most influential boy in this school. It's a privilege we're both speaking."
I swallowed. "Yah… I guess so."
"A privilege for you," he continued, eyes narrowing. "Though you seem to be a pest in my way. A low-life simp like you is unworthy of the presence of my Mira-Chan."
That name made me blink. So that was what this was about.
"Is that… sorry about that," I muttered. "If that's what you mean, when you ditched her you should have expected her to move on."
I instantly knew I messed up.
The look on his face was nuclear.
Before I could take the words back, Ryan's fist slammed into my cheek. The impact blasted me across the road. Gravel bit into my skin as I rolled, coughing out dust.
"How dare you mock me?" Ryan snarled, storming toward me. "You think I'm a stupid simp like you?!"
His boy added, "Say another word and I'll rip your face off."
I raised my hands weakly. "Look—"
"Shut it!" Ryan spat. "Now listen and listen good. I am a Delk. My family is one of the strongest magical bloodlines on this continent. With the snap of my fingers, I could erase you from this world."
I wiped blood from my lip as I stood up slowly.
Yah… sorry. I forgot to inform you what kind of school we go to.
This world isn't normal. Magic is as common as vehicles on the road though not everyone possesses it. Some people are born without magic entirely. Those are called Dwarfs. And those who can summon magic…"
I tapped my chest lightly.
Are Summoners.
He waved his hand and light gathered instantly in his palm a small orb crackling with white energy. Sparks hissed around his fingers like angry fireflies.
"Why don't you tell yourself how jealous you are?" I said, keeping my tone calm. "She'll forgive you if you go again at her."
Ryan's smile was slow and cold. "Why don't you tell that to your dying b*tch of a mother?"
I froze.
Then he shot the energy ball at me.
The orb shrieked as it streaked through the air, bright enough to cast shadows across the whole road. I felt the air crackle as the attack neared my chest.
Anger surged through my spine—hot, heavy, and ancient. Energy sizzled inside me, begging to be released, but I forced it down. I had suppressed this power for years, pretending to be what everyone thought I was:
A weak, talentless Dwarf.
But I wasn't.
I wasn't even close.
The energy ball exploded against my body, engulfing me in a burst of white flame. A loud boom ripped through the street. Dust and smoke swallowed everything around me. In the middle of it all, I stood still.
Alive.
Unshaken.
Only a faint scorch mark darkened my uniform.
I slowly stepped out from the smoke.
Ryan's eyes widened. "W-What?! That should've killed you!"
I sighed.
I've been in this school for only four years. Ever since I came here, everyone believed I was a Dwarf with a tiny bit of magical energy. But the truth? I am a full-fledged Summoner.
Ryan flinched. His gang members instinctively stepped back.
My mom was a Dwarf and my dad was an invincible Summoner who slayed thousands of beasts. Judging by that… I think I inherited his strength.
I cracked my neck once.
"And now…"
My body vanished.
Only dust remained where I stood.
In one heartbeat, I moved with a burst of speed so intense the wind screamed behind me. To them, I was a blur—no, less than a blur. Not even a flicker.
Ryan didn't react in time.
My foot slammed into his back.
He flew forward like a ragdoll, crashing into the pavement and rolling until he hit a parked car, denting the door.
His boys yelled, "RYAN!"
I reappeared behind them.
Before they could turn, I grabbed the collars of two gang members, lifted them effortlessly, and flung them across the street. They landed near a zebra crossing, far from the fight.
One boy swung a metal rod at my head.
I caught it with two fingers.
He froze.
"I don't want to hurt you all," I said softly. "Just step back."
I flicked the rod.
The boy flew backward like he'd been hit by a truck.
Another boy tried using magic—shooting a small fireball at my chest. I sidestepped, grabbed his arm, and twisted it behind him. He screamed.
"Go home," I murmured.
Then I let him go.
A spark of pressure filled the air suddenly—Ryan again. His aura spiked wildly. Light magic flared around him like wildfire. His hair lifted, his eyes glowed, and his hands trembled with raw energy.
"You…" Ryan hissed, struggling to stand. "You think you can humiliate me?! I'll burn you alive!"
His hands ignited.
This time the flames were ten times larger.
A firestorm swirled around him, heat radiating down the street. Windows rattled. The air shimmered. Even his own gang stumbled away from him.
"Shateen!" one of them shouted. "Run! He's going to—"
"BOOOOOM!"
Ryan's explosion ripped the ground apart. The fireball engulfed me completely, swallowing my vision in gold, orange, and blinding white.
The shockwave shattered the nearest window.
Dust and smoke towered like a mushroom cloud.
For a moment, he thought he'd won.
Then the smoke cleared.
I stood there.
My forehead bleeding, yes.
But alive.
And smiling.
"What the heck… was that…?" Ryan gasped, dropping to his knees.
"You really need to work on your aim," I said, wiping blood from my face.
His legs gave out. He collapsed fully.
"Ryan! Come on, let's go!" one of his gang members yelled. "He's already been taught a lesson!"
Ryan tried to stand again, burning with shame and hatred. His fists tightened, trembling with rage.
"Fine," he rasped. "But hey, Shareen …" He pointed one shaky finger at me. "I let you go this once 'cause I'm in a good mood. Next time… I'll kill you."
He staggered away with his remaining boys.
I chuckled lightly. "Kill me? Duh. Not possible in a million timelines."
I dusted myself off. My uniform was dirty, my body sore, but I needed to get to school. I still needed to collect my money from Mira.
I boarded a bus just this once to avoid being late. I didn't want the school's late-comer punishment. I really hated those.