"Mr. Summers, I cannot let this behavior continue any longer. Starting today, you are officially expelled from Wood Rose Academy. Please grab your belongings, and exit from school property."
"... What?" He questioned, slightly stunned as if his ears were deceiving him.
The principal's office grew silent as those words escaped the lips of the man before him. Expelled—a word only given as the highest punishment for students who continuously break the rules. That, or they prove to be too much of a danger to the faculty, and their fellow peers. And it was directed towards him. A student who's constantly been in nothing but conflict since this school year started.
"You heard me Mr. Summers. Please grab your bag, and—"
"No, I heard you. I'm just surprised by how much of a DUMBASS YOU ARE!" His boomed throughout the room, alarming the security guards beside him as they moved forward to stand in between him and the man sitting behind his desk.
"Watch your mouth Mr. Summers. I may no longer be your principal, but I'm still an adult. You will respect my authority."
"Your authority is bullshit! Out of everyone that caused this shit, how am I the only one getting expelled?! I was defending myself!"
"After causing the last incident which sparked this one. Not to mention, you hospitalized five students from that fight. You're not a blameless victim." The older man found it hard to hold back his voice, his anger wanting to slip out as he argued with the teen before him.
"Blameless victim or not, those bastards aren't innocent either. They willingly chose to attack me in the school yard, and even brought weapons that could potentially kill me. Yet I'm the bad guy?!"
"Don't act like they were the only ones carrying a weapon. There's a wooden sword strapped to your back you used to beat them."
Rise only sent a glance towards his bamboo sword, recalling everything during the fight. From his own thoughts, he knew that without it, he wouldn't have won. Bare hands and feet against multiple people were a no go. Especially if some of them were willing to come at him with a bat and whatever else they were carrying.
"I'm apart of the Kendo Club. I'm not carrying this around because I want to, but of the oath I made when I joined. I was innocent in this mess."
"Yet five kids ended up being sent to the hospital, and three of them are currently being attended to by the nurse here. That's not someone who's innocent."
"You wanna talk about innocence? That what about the people they were bullying? What about Miles who told someone and received no help, or Zachary when he was getting picked on and stopped showing up to school? Even Ashley, who nearly took her own life after being cyber bullied, received no help from you or the school whatsoever! Addressing the matter doesn't fix the issue!"
"Mr. Summers that's enough!" He finally lost his temper, standing up as he towered over Rise who kept his heated gaze on him.
"No the hell it isn't! I was the only one actively doing anything to help my classmates, and your fuck ass was kickin' it in this damn office without care!"
"I will not be screamed and cursed at in my office by a problem child. You by yourself make up the total number of fights this school year has had. You skip class, pick fights with other students, and disrespect your teachers as if they aren't bending over backwards to help you."
"What is helping me gonna do if they can't even protect their students?! You understand how delusional you sound?!"
"The only person living in delusion is a former student in this school who can't wake up to the reality that he's throwing away his future. I will not entertain you further on this matter. My decision is final, and you will respect that."
"Why would I ever respect the words of a man who's willing to protect kids that've become the primary cause for students becoming depressed and attempting to take their lives? I'm out of here."
Without another word, Rise grabbed his backpack from the chair to his right. He slung one of the straps over his shoulder, turning quick on the heels of shoes to leave. The security guards that were originally standing between them began to move behind him on the off chance he decided to do anything else aside from leaving the school. With a twist of the doorknob, Rise pulled the door back before taking his first step out of the office.
Feet began clattering against the hallway floor while the teen made his way to the main entrance leading to the school gates. Security wasn't too far behind, but all it served to do was enrage him further. To think his school days would end like this. No one defending him, and no one who believed him as far as he knew. Despite knowing that he was a trouble maker at times, this wasn't something he asked for.
Now he was paying the price for scumbags who prey on those who couldn't protect themselves.
"Rise!" The scream of his name got his attention. The voice was all too familiar.
As he turned his head, he wasn't the only one who happened to cast his vision upon another teenager just like him. A blonde-haired girl with brown eyes stood at the center of his vision. She was clad in the school uniform of Wood Rose Academy, one of her arms covering the schools insignia as she expressed an anxious look.
"I don't know why you're out in the halls right now, but please return to your third period class. You shouldn't be out without a pass or note from a teacher or member of faculty." One of the guards spoke up.
"I know that, but I wanted to talk to Rise." She replied, nervousness overtaking her as she stood before them.
"Well I'm sorry to tell you, but that won't be happening. You need to need to head back to class."
"But... But I—"
"It's ok, Ashley." He finally replied, Ashley's full attention on him before giving the other teen a solemn look. "Whatever you had to say, don't worry about it. You should get back to class, and just text me when you can."
He turned away before she could answer, a thought already in mnd for what she wanted to say, but chose to tell her "I'm sorry for leaving you alone in this shit hole." The moment that he did, he began walking ahead, the the guards following behind them with another warning for Ashley to return to class. In the end, he didn't know what kind of face she was making, but he knew the sadness was there the moment he looked at her.
He defended her, protected her, and got back at all the people who did her wrong. Rise did it all at the cost of himself, and now he was expelled. Casted away for wanting to help those who were being pushed down and hurt by wolves in sheep's clothing; and as he exited the double doors of his former school with security in tow, Rise couldn't help but hate how fast the last remaining bits of his life were taking a nosedive off a cliff into jagged rocks.
That was all from what he would state had to be a few hours ago.
Now here he was sitting by his lonesome on a boulder in a forest he's never been in. It was unusually quiet as his eyes surveyed his surroundings. Trees for miles as far as the eye could see, no sign of life just yet, and a stream that was somehow less audible than his current thoughts. Something he never thought possible. Yet, at the center of his thoughts, there was just one thing he couldn't help but wonder.
Level {1} 0 - 500 XP
Name: ???
Classification: ???
Status: Alive, currently [redacted]
Main Mission(s): WIP
Side Mission(s): WIP
Why the hell was there a light-blue box floating inches off the ground in front of his face?