Victor found Kelvin in class and slid into the seat beside him. It was break time, and Kelvin was absorbed in a sketchbook.
"What's up, Kelvin?" Victor asked casually.
"Oh, nothing much. Just trying to survive this hellhole until I find a way out," Kelvin replied, a sardonic grin tugging at his lips.
"Look, I get it…" Victor said, trying to reassure him.
"Oh, you do? Wow. Of course you do—because you're the one who beheaded the Head Boy, only for him to pick up his head and go, 'They don't call me Head Boy for nothing.' Maybe you're the one carrying the weight of the whole school as the 'chosen one,'" Kelvin spat, making quotes in the air.
Victor laughed, and Kelvin shot him a glance that said seriously?
"They don't call me Head Boy for nothing. That's a good one," Victor murmured through laughter. Kelvin cracked a small grin himself.
"I can't get that scene out of my head. And if I can't, I can't summon the sword. Makes me useless."
Victor leaned in, tone firm. "Look, I don't know who told you you're special, but hear me out. The sword and your samurai moves don't make you special. Emilia once took on twice the number of Red Hoods—and they were monsters. But useless? You're the reason we even have a fighting chance. You found the book, faced monsters no one else could, and for the first time in this school's history, you beheaded a hybrid. You see the past, present, and future. You are not useless. Maybe without the sword your impact feels smaller, but that doesn't make you useless."
"I didn't fight alone. I had the sword. The last monster I faced almost killed us—I knew it would. And I had visions. The last time my visions came, my mom died. This time…" Kelvin trailed off.
"This time you're equipped," Victor cut in. "I don't believe anyone's chosen. But together, we can stop this madness. I may not summon a sword, but we have magic weapons and skill. Remember Dzetro? You fought him with all of us watching, and it worked. Maybe you're relying too much on the sword. Maybe… you're afraid of what comes after you summon it."
Kelvin looked away.
"Whatever it is—we'll figure it out together. So what do you say? Training?"
"You know… you suck at pep talks," Kelvin muttered, chuckling.
"That wasn't a pep talk. That was a 'get off your ass' talk," Victor replied, patting his back.
A sudden movement caught Victor's eye: gigantic vines slithering into the classroom. He blinked. Rubbed his eyes. Gone.
Flashback
Victor was in his room playing video games when he heard the garage door. His dad honked the horn in rhythm, signaling him to come out. Michael carried a glass of champagne.
"Wow, what are we celebrating?" Victor asked.
"Your dad got a new job with a nice paycheck," his mom said.
"Doing what?"
"There's a school that needs an agriculture teacher and an expert to check out a collection of rare plants."
"Where?"
"This high school—Haloville."
"Oh, dad… I wanted to go there next year after finals."
"Yeah, and you'll have a better chance now. I don't trust automatic school placement or your grades," Michael replied.
"Michael!" his mother protested.
"Oh come on, we all know it's true—he spends half his day gaming and the rest at self-defense class. How can I trust his grades?" Michael insisted.
"I guess you have a point," his mom relented.
Present Day
Sunday late morning. Church service was compulsory until 8 a.m., followed by breakfast. Kelvin sat in the dining hall, sketchbook open. A girl walked up and sat beside him.
"Hey handsome, what are you drawing?"
"I don't know yet," Kelvin said, disinterested.
"It's nice to meet you, I'm—"
"Yeah, wish I could say the same," Kelvin muttered, realizing too late who she was.
She was beautiful, a popular figure everyone noticed but no one approached. Kelvin scrambled to apologize.
"F**k, I'm sorry. Just… a lot going on. I'm Kelvin."
She smirked. "I get it. Nice to meet you. But now you have to earn my name. See you around, Kelvin."
Kelvin watched her walk away. On second thought… maybe she was entitled.
Suddenly, a vision hit him: a cloud, gates opening, a hole in his chest, blood on his hands. In the sky, three figures—Mr. Smiley and two unknown—hovered. Below, bodies and blood. A voice echoed:
"THE FOG IS COMING."
Kelvin came back to reality, sweating. Victor stood beside him.
"You okay?"
"What…?" Kelvin said, still processing.
"This place is full of ghosts—wouldn't be news," he said, regaining composure.
Victor suggested, "Let's go to the school park. There's a clearing in the bush where we can train."
"Will the team be there?" Kelvin asked.
"No," Victor replied.
As they walked, Victor teased, "Saw you talking to that girl everyone notices. Nice to see you living outside the monster war."
"Yeah… I screwed that up before it began," Kelvin said nervously.
Victor asked about Cynthia. Kelvin deflected.
They walked in silence for a moment.
"Look, if you can't summon the sword, you might feel useless," Victor said, tone sharp. "But that's not true. You've put yourself on the line more than anyone. You can't quit."
Kelvin, frustrated, tried to summon the sword. Nothing. He flung his necklace and lunged at Victor, fists flying.
Victor dodged, countered, and overpowered him with skill and precision.
"You call yourself…" Victor's words were cut off by a punch to his jaw.
"I thought you wanted to help me!" Kelvin snarled. "But you think you know me? You don't. You have no idea what I've endured—sleepless nights, haunted by Mr. Smiley… I didn't come here to save you. I came here to end this—all of this!"
He slammed his fist into a tree. It cracked. Again. The trunk toppled with a thunderous crash.
Victor stumbled back, stunned. Kelvin lunged, gripping Victor's throat.
"You… are… killing me," Victor gasped.
Tears streamed down Kelvin's face. He released him, picked up his necklace, and turned to leave.
"Don't… don't go," Victor called, struggling to catch his breath.
Kelvin hesitated.
Victor muttered, slumping to the bench, "I knew it."
Kelvin frowned.
"Wait… did you provoke me on purpose?"
Victor gave a half-smile. "Yes. You nearly killed me—I should've seen it coming."
Kelvin stared.
"First, I need you to help me. You knew my father was after me, yet you didn't tell me. Are you still playing the trust game?" Victor asked, confused, not angry.
Kelvin admitted, "I might've… wanted to use it. Draw him out, take you, find Mr. Smiley, and end it all."
Victor's jaw tightened. "Now we have to act. Without the sword, you can't face him alone."
"Well, now I have strength—thanks to you," Kelvin said, a satisfied smile breaking through.
Victor shook his head. "You've always had it. You body-slammed Dzetro—a beast four times your size. But you need the rest of us."
Kelvin nodded. "Okay. You're right."
"Good. Plan: use me as bait, follow, find Mr. Smiley, end it all."
"I don't know if he'll kill you immediately," Kelvin warned. "Maybe he'll want to talk first."
"Do you know when he'll come?"
"No," Kelvin said.
"Then let's get ready," Victor said, pacing.
Suddenly, a scream tore through the trees. Kelvin turned in time to see vines dragging Victor into the bush.
Heart pounding, Kelvin sprinted after him. The vines were fast. He lost sight of Victor in the woods.
"You're not done yet, Victor," Kelvin muttered to himself, resolute.