After the school day came to an end without any more major incidents, I decided to tour the city a little bit. Didn’t really get the chance to do this before escaping.

This place was very big and some parts seemed way better maintained then others, in some ways it resembles a real city. I guess it is a real city…

I arrived at a secluded looking area with a small grove of vibrant grass and a wooden bench hidden behind the trees.

There were houses that seemed out of place for the academy city, this area is probably for rich families or something.Either way, it was quiet. I listened to the birds singing on top of the big oak tree next to the bench. There was a raven that stood at the very top of a tall Cupressus tree looking down at the happy orchestra on the oak underneath.

The sun reflected off its shiny feathers, making it seem almost white.

I sat down and listened to the harmonic chirping as my mind started to wander back to Jesse's walk in the corridor of regret from ‘Masked & Laid Bare’. Something about this scenario just clicked with me in ways I don’t understand.

I never was one to dive deep into analyzing an author’s intentions. If I enjoy the characters and the plot, the book is good.

This was the first time a scene from a book resonated with me during a real life situation. I can probably blame Jake for that. Ever since meeting him, I’m constantly reminded of quotes from books.

Ridiculous…

There’s nothing for me to relate with Jesse on. Jesse was consumed by regret, rightfully so. You only regret an action if you think you were wrong in taking it.

Why would I regret doing something I think is the correct choice…?

“Gahh! What are YOU doing here?!” A familiar girly voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I opened my eyes to see a blonde girl with bright, pink eyes pointing her finger at me, my throat was exposed, I should be more cautious.

“Sorry? Do I know you?” I asked.

The girl clenched her fists and looked down while gritting her teeth, she’s obviously angry, what now…?

The happy orchestra was interrupted by the crude, yet somewhat distant call of the crow.

Her scowl turned into a pretentious smile before she stuck up her nose and pointed down at me again. “Of course you wouldn’t remember people, it’s easier to kill that way, you murdere-” She paused when I let out my murderous aura. The flapping of fleeing birds was loud enough to make me look at the now mostly empty Oak tree above me.

I coldly straightened a glare into the annoying girl’s eyes as her face turned pale, she started slowly walking backwards.

“W-w-well j-just make sure you remember my name next time! It’s Chloe! Chloe Lyxia!” The girl named Chloe turned on her heels and ran away.

Tch, this fucking shit for brains. My decent mood was ruined.

Even the once pleasant orchestra was nothing more than an annoyance now.

Everywhere they all say it, killer, trash, scum. All of them pointing their fingers at me so they don’t have to touch their own shit.

There’s no way I would be a murderer, a murderer doesn’t have a good reason for his actions! I only killed people who deserved it.“Who decides if somebody deserves to die?” Dawn’s voice suddenly rang in my head.

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Then what about who decides if somebody was killed unjustly? I can’t figure anything out anymore.

Jesse’s story, Dawn’s questions, the fact that I can’t even eat tomatoes anymore, what am I supposed to do with all of that?! This fucking world sucks, everything sucks, I didn’t choose to become an assassin because I wanted to, I didn’t choose any of that and everyone keeps blaming me! Shouldn’t they look at themselves first!?But then again, who am I even arguing with…?I sat at the bench quietly and listened to the bird’s irritating singing above me.

As I started walking back to my dorm, the crow from earlier followed me and annoyingly kept calling louder and louder.

“What a day…” I mumbled to myself.

“Got it rough, aye, dog?”

I turned around to see a blonde noble student and 4 others standing behind him.

“...”

“Ha! Cat’s got his ton-”

“PAHAHAHAHA! That was a good one!” I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “Rough-Dog hahahahahaha! and then you added a cat to the mix. You guys are hilarious!”

The blonde guy’s arrogant expression soured real quick. His brows furrowed for a short second and he launched forward with some speed.

I tried to avoid the fist coming at my face but my body went against my desires. Instead of stepping backwards, I stepped forward and my face met with the full force of my opponent’s fist.

Of course I managed to protect myself in time, people of this level would never be able to harm… me? I tried to put a finger to the throbbing sensation on my face and found out that I can’t lift my hand, rather, the other hand went backwards instead. My nose was definitely bleeding.

Something was wrong, my body won’t listen to me, my Sy concentrated in the back of my head instead of where I wanted, my body decided to step forward instead of backwards, is this a Seal?

The eyes of one of the students in the group glowed. I glared into his eyes and the short Seal user took a step back.

“Having trouble finding your north star there, trash?” The Villfer boy smirked down at me before motioning to his friends to come and hold me.

North star? I had an inkling as to what this Seal’s power is, I’ll have to test it but my balance is still shaky from the first punch.

What now? Do I just take it? I guess that would get those guys off my back right? I can’t really fight back or run away…

The ceaseless calling of the crow got louder.

I decided to at least finish my testing so I could protect myself somewhat.

I tried to move the pointer finger of my right hand and the left hand moved instead. The 2 students in the back saw me move and stopped. They started walking backwards before their leader Piss Hair yelled at them “What are you retards afraid of?! This piece of trash can’t do anything to you, he’s under a slavery Seal, remember?”

The 2 students walked up slowly and hesitantly grabbed my arms, they pulled me up and helped me or should I say forced me to my feet.

I tried to lift my left knee and the right one rose instead. I think I got it.

While I conducted my experiments, the guys pulled me into a secluded alley and threw me against the wall. By now I was quite sure that this Seal is making my body react opposite of what I want it to do.

“Time for you to learn your place in this world, doormat.” piss hair push kicked me in the stomach and only a tiny bit of Sy was there to protect me. I coughed and spit from the impact. This guy might just be trying to kill me… This guy really loves his performances.

I guess I should’ve known that understanding this power and countering it are 2 different things.

“T-Thompson, take it easy, we can’t kill him… He’s the prince’s property, remember?” The Seal user said from behind his leader’s back.

“Shut up Luiz! This freak killed my brother! I don’t know why father forgave you and let you go that day but you still owe me a night of torture and I’m going to claim it!”

I lifted my head to look into the blonde’s eyes as a smile formed on my face.

His face was under a veil of darkness as the sun got blocked by the figure of a crow standing on the roof behind me.

The same crow that has long since gone quiet as it just looked at the commotion underneath.

Thompson’s eyes narrowed and his face contorted in anger as he looked into my eyes. When I saw his fist approaching my face again.

I closed my eyes and listened to the guy yelling profanities as I got hit by one punch after another. With my Sy barely protecting me due to the enemy’s Seal, I resigned myself to the pain.

The sound of a bird flapping its wings and the crude panting of an angry student delivering his retribution were the last things I heard before my consciousness drifted away.

It was strangely peaceful.