There was an incessant tapping of a long, aged finger atop a metal desk. Accompanying that was the clicking of a clock that was hanging on the wall beside the interrogation table. The only other sound that seemed to be in Fera’s ears was the rapid beating of her heart as it tried to escape her chest. She was in a full state of panic now, and her mind was racing uncontrollably from thoughts, questions, excuses, and a rapid-fire mixture of different emotions. With each second that ticked down on the clock, Fera felt her heart growing faster, and her breathing was growing unstable, like she was having a panic attack. Her golden eyes darted from one place to the other but always returned to the twiddling fingers in her lap, below the table. Across from her was Cross Key, the aged agent from the Crown Nation that had previously talked with her when the last incident happened. His gray eyes were just as cold now as they had been then, and his face didn’t give her any hint of what he was feeling. Though, it wasn’t like she could look in it anyway without turning away shortly after.
“No alibi again?” asked Cross, glaring at her. “You were supposed to be with somebody at all times.”
“I was with Yarin, and then I went straight home.”
“The time of death puts Mr. Callus’ murder in the time you were alone. I’ve already talked to Mr. Olira and Ms. Caswell, so I have both the time you parted from him and the time you returned home.” explained Cross. “Again, like the last victim, you have no alibi, no security footage to back up your claims of innocence, and they died from an extreme electrical charge.”
“B-but… you said you believed me last time.” Fera protested, growing frantic and desperate for him to believe her again.
“That was then, this is now,” said the agent. More clicks came from the clock and his finger continued its annoying tapping for several more seconds. Eventually, he stopped, clasped his hands atop the desk, and leaned forward a bit. “One time may be a coincidence,” said Cross. “But two… two starts becoming a pattern. Now, the question is; do I arrest you now or let you walk until another student is killed?”
“It wasn’t me. Please, Agent Key, you have to believe me.” she begged, feeling her eyes burning as she tried to fight back her tears.
He gave her a distant stare and then sighed. “I really don’t know what to do with you, Ms. Hirigaya. I–”
His words were cut short as the door to the room opened. Ferain looked over her shoulder with teary eyes and Cross gave the newcomer a stern glare, seeming annoyed that somebody would dare to interrupt his questioning. To Fera’s surprise, it was Headmaster Guji Hakamura, his usually swept back hair falling around his head in a mess. He seemed worried, but that look instantly reverted to its usual calm expression as he straightened the black blazer he was wearing.
“Guji.” growled Cross, though it might have just been his natural gruffness that made it sound like a growl.
“Cross, it’s good to see you again. I can see that you’re not done torturing my student yet.”
“Questioning.” corrected Cross.
“Interrogating.” retorted Guji. “There’s no need to sugarcoat it.”
“Just a student?” Cross questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Guji gave him a grim scowl in return but if there was any other meaning in what Cross said, it went over Fera’s head. Though, in her current state, she doubted she would even be able to properly understand much of anything. Her mind was too panicked, and her thoughts were spread too thin at the moment.
“Yes.” Guji replied. “And, one that I can prove to be innocent.”
“Do you have some kind of evidence to support your claim?” asked Cross.
Guji smiled and walked over to Ferain before kneeling down in front of her seat. He smiled at her and looked kindly into her eyes, surprisingly causing her to calm down slightly.
“I didn’t do it, sir.” she said, almost pleadingly.
“I know.” he replied, grinning. “Can you do me a favor? Focus on the moments after you split up from Mr. Olira. You need to think clearly about everything that happened from the time you left him to the time you got home. Remember everything, and remember it as vividly as possible. Can you do that?”
“Y-yeah?” she answered, curiously. “W-will it help?”
“Yes, I believe so. Look into my eyes and focus intently on those memories.”
Guji’s expression turned serious as Ferain did her best to recall the night’s events. It was harder than she thought to sort through her recollections, but she seemed to be doing it well enough since Guji’s face shifted to one of satisfaction.
“Thank you.” he said, softly. “She didn’t do it.” Guji then said, looking at Cross.
“Your powers are not enough for me to go on. I can’t completely clear her just because of some mind reading.”
“My powers allow me to accurately see everything in the person’s mind, as long as they’re thinking about it. Whatever she experienced, so too did I. There wasn’t a single point after leaving Mr. Olira’s side that she encountered Mr. Callus.”
“You expect me to just take your word on that, Hakamura?” asked the old agent.
“You don’t think it’s her anyway, do you? Cut the act and let her go. You would do better to put your time and energy into tracking down the real killer.” Guji said, angrily.
“And you would do better to not tell me how to do my job.” Cross then sighed again before removing a black box from his pocket. He pulled out a thin black cigarette, the same ones as before, and stuck it in his mouth. After lighting it, he leaned back in his chair and blew a ring of smoke into the space above him. “But, truth be told, you’re right. I said this before, Ms. Hirigaya, and I’ll say it again. I believe you’re being set up.”
“T-then why–”
“Why bring you in again?” he finished for Ferain, cutting her off. “To satisfy the killer. If their goal really is to set you up, they’ll think I’m falling for their games. It will make them comfortable, make them think they’re winning and getting their way. When people get comfortable and cocky, they make mistakes and slip up. Plus, you are a suspect, despite my beliefs. No matter what I think, there is a very real possibility it is you, and I need to follow that lead. Having said that, and you better listen well, Hakamura because it will be your responsibility, this will be your last chance. Keep to your restrictions, always be around somebody, no matter the time or place. If one more body shows up and you don’t have an alibi, I’m arresting you. You won’t be found guilty right away, but it will keep you from getting into any further trouble.”
“That won’t be necessary, Cross.” said Guji.
“It is if I say it is.” the agent retorted. “You would do best to remember that. I don’t care what she is to you, but if you value her at all, you should keep an eye on her. Next time I’m sitting here across from you, Ms. Hirigaya, it will be your last taste of freedom for a while. There’s two bodies, tensions are rising, and people are getting desperate for answers. When all fingers point to you at the end of the day, what choice do I really have but to assume there’s too much for it to be wrong? I’ve learned in my time that it’s rarely the most obvious and simple answer, but that's not to say that it never is. Sometimes, when a man is shot, it really is just the person with the gun that did it. Goodnight to both of you, and heed my warning or I’ll be forced to start taking this lead seriously.” said Cross, before rising to his feet and leaving them alone in the room.
The door slammed behind him and she heard Guji audibly gasp as relief washed over his body.
“I’m sorry.” Ferain said, softly. “It was only for a few minutes, I…”
“It’s fine.” Guji interjected. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.” he stated, rising to his feet and helping her from her chair.
When they entered the hallway outside, Fera heard a furious voice that caught her attention. She looked to the right and saw Cross and Mana standing at the end of the corridor. Mana seemed angry, and it looked like she was scolding him for something.
“I can’t believe you did it again!” Mana shouted. “Were you even going to tell me?” Mana yelled, shoving Cross back.
Fera felt a power in the air, something that felt like static, and the lights all around them began to flicker as black and white static snapped around Cross’ body.
“We need to have a talk, Mana.” he said, coldly.
Fera saw her friend shrink at those words. All of her fury seemed to vanish and she looked almost like a cowering child in front of an imposing threat that they had no chance of standing up to. Guji put a hand on her back and pushed her lightly towards the lobby, pretty much telling her to ignore the scene she was so focused on.
“Let them be, Ferain.”
“But… What is going on with her?” asked Fera.
“Nothing you need to be concerned about right now. Come on, we need to get you home.” Guji said, glumly.
Fera looked up at him, having so many questions she wanted to ask, but she didn’t know if now was the best time for it. What Cross meant by the whole ‘student’ thing, Guji’s powers, what was going to happen to her after this, there was just too much. Instead, she decided it was best to remain silent during this trip. Apparently, the headmaster thought this was for the best too, seeing as he didn’t speak at all either. It wasn’t until they were standing outside Fera's dorm that she stopped him as he was about to leave. He didn’t even offer a farewell, and she couldn’t resist asking him the most important question she had. She had to do it before he left again. She couldn't even look him in the eyes, but she had to get out her question.
“Why?” she asked. “Why help me again? Why defend me?” she elaborated, noticing the curious expression he flashed back at her.
“Did you know your parents came here, Ms. Hirigaya?”
“N-no. They never mentioned it.”
“Well, they did. It was at the same time I was here, we started in the same year. We became good friends throughout our four years at this school. I even visited a few times after you were born, but that was before I became headmaster. Then, I was just a teacher here. After taking up my current position, I found myself too busy to come and visit as frequently as I would have liked. If I had, maybe I could’ve… Hm, do you remember what I said about hindsight, Ms. Hirigaya? There’s no point in looking back on something we can’t change, no matter how much we regret it, so instead I’ll decide to look towards the future. Your mother asked me to look out for you if anything ever happened to her. In that task, I failed abysmally for all of these years, but after seeing you apply for the school, I found a way to finally keep my promise. I know you’re innocent, Ferain, so I’ll keep standing by your side. I won’t let you take the blame for another person’s actions and decisions, not again. Also, your father really pissed me off, so I’ll make sure you prove him wrong about your gifts. You’re really special, Ferain Hirigaya, and I want everyone to know it. To be perfectly clear, I believe you have the ability to be the strongest lightning user the world has ever seen. You’re capable of extraordinary things, you just have to reach out for them. I… I’m not your father, I’m no replacement for your mother, and I’m most certainly not a good guardian in any sense, but from this point on I’ll do my best to see you reach your full potential.”
He then turned and put a hand on her head, as if he was going to ruffle her hair. His eyes had a new gleam to them, a caring one, almost a fatherly one. For a moment, he looked more like a dad than even her own father ever did. She felt comforted by this, but the moment didn’t last longer than a second before he returned to his usual self.
“Stay out of trouble, Ms. Hirigaya. Besides classes, your partner is to be at your side, always. I’ve known Agent Key for some time and I know when he’s serious about something. I think we should take his warning just as seriously. This time, no separating, got it?”
“Yes, sir.” Ferain said, looking up into his dark golden eyes.
“Excellent. Work hard, stay safe, and have a good day.” said Guji, before turning and leaving the scene.
Fera was left with questions still, maybe even more than she had before, but at least she found out some new things about her parents and her headmaster. Plus, it seemed as if she finally had another friend in this place, and he was a good one to have. As Fera spun on her heels and stepped towards the door, still distracted by her conversation with Guji, she failed to notice the person leaving through the same door. They bumped into each other and she was knocked off balance. A hand grabbed her arm to catch her and she felt an odd, invasive shiver run up her flesh and crawl along her body. For a second, it almost felt like a snake that traveled through her before slithering back towards the hand that was keeping her from falling.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Sorry.” she muttered, straightening and pulling her arm free.
She looked up and saw a boy her age that was stuffing his hands back into his pant pockets. He had ragged black hair and dark colored eyes that seemed unfocused. He was thin, and had a lazy slouch to his posture.
“No big deal.” he replied, sounding sleepy. “Ah, you’re the prodigy, huh?” he asked, still sounding uncaring and bored. “Hmm, interesting. Yarin will have fun with you.” he said, before walking past her and leaving her with those words.
Fera flashed him a curious look before shaking it off and walking into the lobby of her dormitory. Later that night, Fera was standing across from Anita at the gym they always trained at. She was wearing some black pants and a gray shirt with short sleeves. Her long brown hair was tied back into a tail to keep it from getting in the way too much, and the silver necklace she always wore was resting in the bag she left by the bench. Anita always advised against wearing it during their training lessons. As it turned out, jewelry getting flung around could cause injuries if one wasn’t mindful. Anita was in similar clothing, and her silver hair was also tied into a long, straight tail, though hers started higher atop her head than Fera’s. Sweat ran down her face and body, leaving a few drops to splash against the light colored floor of hardwood, which was polished enough to reflect the long lights that were nestled in the ceiling panels. Fera found herself panting as Anita laughed, putting a hand on her hip and smiling as widely as she always did.
“You did pretty good this time around, Ferain.” her partner stated, sounding proud of her student’s rapid progress. “You’re not the greatest, but you’re getting pretty capable. Maybe now, we can avoid more accidents and stop getting you knocked off your feet.”
“It doesn’t happen that often.” Fera protested, but she knew her friend was joking so the small flash of annoyance swiftly faded away. “Thank you, Anita. I don’t know where I would be without your help.”
“Hmmm, I can think of a few places.” the silver haired princess said while examining the blue nails on her right hand. She had a smug expression and then giggled.
“Your head is getting too big.” Fera stated, laughing as Anita grinned.
“Alright, enough joking around.” said Anita, brushing some of the bangs that clung to her face from sweat out of her eyes. “I thought Yarin was supposed to be here by now. If he’s not going to show up, we’ll take a small rest and do one more set, how’s that sound?”
“Fine by me.” Fera answered, sighing as she let her body relax for the first time that day.
Between the interrogation, the tense walk back home, and the emotional distress she had been in when getting back to Anita, the day seemed like it would never end. It was nice to know that it was finally coming to a close. Their weekend was going to start the next day as well, so she would have a couple of days to rest and put this mess behind her. Though, she doubted whether any of this would ever really be behind her. Two deaths, both people she had a quarrel with, and both killed by similar powers to her own. Things were adding up in weird ways that didn’t sit well with her. Plus, there was Mana, who was acting stranger and more distant than usual, and even seemed to be involved in all of this somehow. Mana always avoided it whenever Ferain did manage to talk to her, but it didn’t take a genius to read between such clear lines. Something was up with her, and none of it sat well in Fera’s heart or mind. There was also the likelihood that she was being set up as well, but ‘how’ and ‘why’ were things beyond her current reach. She had a frightening thought that sometime soon, if this wasn’t handled quick enough, she might land in some real trouble, even more trouble than the incident with her family all those years ago.
That was an accident, something caused by traumatic events and an inexperienced wielder, but these were cold-blooded murders. Fellow students who were living their normal lives before having it suddenly ripped away from them for seemingly no good reason. She didn’t like the first victim, though that was just from a first impression, and she heavily disliked Copper since he was one of the primary sources of her hard times since coming here, but she never wished death, or even harm, on either of them. She also feared that there might come a time where she needed to get more involved herself. Could she really leave everything to Agent Cross? Could she trust that she could remain safe by hiding around other people? And even if she did, what good would that do if more lives were lost? If she was being targeted for some reason, shouldn't it be her responsibility to help stop this before more people were killed just to get at her? Then there was the obvious question of why she was being set up. That didn’t make any sense either, so it only contributed to the growing list of unanswered questions she had, and things she had to be confused about.
“Fera?” came Anita’s subtle tone, the one she used when she was consoling or acting particularly motherly. “You in there?” she asked.
“Y-yeah.” Fera hastily answered, shaking her head and trying to force a brief smile. “Just lost in thought, that’s all. Nothing is happening how I expected things to go, and now… Well, now things are starting to get really complicated. This is a school, Anita, how could people be killed at a school? We come here to learn and we expect to be safe in these places. We’re all just kids still. How could somebody go around and kill other kids like this? Why does all of this have to happen?”
“I don’t know.” Anita said, softly. “We'll find out at some point. They’ll catch whoever’s doing this and we’ll hopefully have our answers. They’re bound to get caught, but I do hope it’s sooner rather than later. We won’t know how much this has affected everyone until we go back to school on Monday, but I’m sure it’s starting to take its toll on everybody. But,” Anita said, trying to sound more cheerful, or as cheerful as she could in these circumstances. “For now, we have each other, and we have our lives to live. Who knows, maybe if we keep training and getting stronger, maybe it will be us that takes down this monster.”
“I would like that,” said Fera.
“I think I would too. So, let’s get back to training. I guess Yarin isn’t coming tonight so we can–”
“I’m here.” came a cold voice, and when Fera looked towards the direction of it, she saw the lvl-1 student with black hair and blood-hued eyes. He was wearing a pair of dark pants and a long sleeved shirt that was as dark as the messy bangs that hung around his eyes. “Ferain Hirigaya, your lessons will be with me for the rest of the night. We’ll be following the schedule we decided on consistently from this point onward, as long as you’re okay with it.” he said.
“Y-yeah, that’s fine.” Ferain replied, nervously.
“Just don’t go too crazy.” warned Anita, who always seemed a little protective of Fera around other students.
“I, more so than you, know the limits of what she can do. She won’t get too badly injured.”
“Yeah, and you better be careful yourself, hag.” came a young sounding voice that entered behind Yarin. She looked like a ten year old girl, maybe even younger, and was wearing a small skirt, some white tights, and a red hoodie that was zipped up to hide what she was wearing underneath it. Her messy black hair reached close to her ankles in a wild frenzy of spikes and raised strands, and it was tied in three places by red ribbons. The bottom ribbon had two tiny bells that hung on the ends of the excess and chimed as she walked proudly to stand next to the much taller boy she had followed in. Her face was smug and confident, and she had the same crimson eyes that Yarin had, almost like they were siblings.
“Who let the kid run free?” asked Anita, grinning wickedly.
“How dare you?” the girl pouted, stomping her foot childishly. “I am not a ‘kid’, I’m as old as you, maybe even older.” she added, crossing her arms over her very flat chest.
“Hmmm, not very believable, are you?” Anita mocked, but Fera quickly nudged her in the ribs to quiet her. “Ow.” Anita gasped, rubbing the spot, but Fera was too preoccupied with the newcomers to pay her partner any mind.
“So, what are you going to teach me?” she asked, enthusiastically.
“Control and how to fight properly with your powers. Headmaster Guji doesn’t want any more incidents like your fight in the cafeteria. In order to accomplish that, you’ll need to master what you’re capable of and learn how to channel, manage, and expel it in ways that you want, not what it wants. From what I’ve seen, you’re great at keeping it in, that is a difficult thing but you manage that well enough. It’s when you expel it that causes the most issues. You let out too much all at once, like it just explodes out of you without you having any say in it. That will be your first set of lessons until I believe you can expel your power without killing somebody.”
“How do we do that?” inquired Ferain.
“You’re going to fight me.” Yarin said. “Your powers won’t hurt me nearly as bad as they will others, so I can take a lot more of your force. If you let out too much, I’ll tell you and we’ll work on it. Experience is the best way to learn, so we’ll go from there. Caswell, you’re not needed so you can go rest with Lilipa on the bench.”
“Wonderful.” Anita said, rolling her eyes.
“I don’t want to sit with her.” the small girl protested.
“Lili.” Yarin snarled, looking over at his tiny companion.
“Fine.” she grumbled, before stomping over to the bench and hopping up onto it. She then fell into a cross-legged sitting position with her arms still over her chest, while pouting and puffing out her cheeks.
Anita followed her and they both sat and watched as Fera took a stance to attack her new mentor. She ran at him and leapt up into the air, sending a sloppy kick his way, which he easily avoided. More so, after she hit the ground, she felt a powerful burst of power against her back that sent her rolling forward. Smoke rose from the singed area of her shirt and her entire body ran blue and white from her coursing abilities.
“You weren’t using your powers, and your attack was too obvious. Keep yourself balanced, keep your enemies confused, and you don’t need to put much physical force into your hits when you can literally attack with the power of a lightning strike. What I just did was a simple flick of my finger. Not a flashy kick, not some kind of powerful swing. And I didn’t even burn through your shirt either. You need that level of control and output. Try again.” Yarin explained and then ordered.
Ferain gritted her teeth, stood, and readied herself to attack again. This time, her eyes glowed bright and her fists became engulfed in rushing blue static. Yarin grinned at this as his own eyes glowed crimson while black and red lightning snapped around him. Ferain rushed at him again, but this time, she watched his movements more closely, as little as they were. She sent a flurry of fast kicks towards him, and while they were clumsy, they seemed to take him by surprise. Yarin stumbled back a few steps while dodging her oncoming attacks. As a lightning-imbued heel grazed by his face, he ducked and spun, sending a powerful kick around and towards her face. His calf caught her and sent her to the ground as a burst of black and blue lightning exploded from the impact. She landed flat on her back and Yarin gave her a disappointed sneer.
“Again,” he said, coldly.
Ferain hit the ground angrily with a fist and caused a burst of light to flash while burning the floor in the process. She rose unsteadily, took a few paces back, and glared wickedly through her hanging brown fringe. Fera was breathing heavily, and the faint buzzing of her rising powers coursed through her body. She felt powerful, but she was struggling to keep it contained. She felt her control beginning to waver, but then she saw the gleam in Yarin’s eyes that seemed to be mocking her. Fera took a steady breath, lowered her body, and then charged again. She jumped up with a burst of power leaving the sole of her foot helping to propel her into the air. She spun at an angle and brought her foot down towards his head, a ferocious expression of hunger and frustration and determination plain on her face. Yarin seemed to be amused by this as he held up his hand, apparently preparing to take the hit rather than dodge it. As her kick came down, there was a flash of black and blue light and she was sent flying away again, only stopping after landing and sliding several feet away.
“Fera!” Anita’s concerned cry rang out.
“You go, Yarin! Kick her ass!” cheered Lilipa.
“You shut it.” Anita spat, looking menacingly towards the small girl besides her. Lilipa replied with the childish act of sticking out her tongue, to which Anita grew even more riled up from.
“Enough.” Fera growled, rising to all fours while glaring at the ground.
“Enough what?” asked Yarin, in his chilling voice.
Fera looked up at him and she felt like she did at the cafeteria. She felt like a different person, like a warrior that was ready to unleash everything they had stored up in order to win their battle.
“Enough of this.” Fera snapped, rising shakily as she felt her power bursting out of her and snapping all around her.
“Then by all means, see if you can land a hit.” beckoned Yarin, seeming to grow more relaxed, despite the state Fera was in.
Even the lights were starting to flicker around them, and a few of the bulbs even burst in their sockets. The air grew heavy and there was a static in it that seemed to buzz with power. Fera ran again and as she sent a punch his way, her power seemed to backfire. It exploded and she was sent flying several feet away again, crashing against the floor and knocking the air from her lungs. She felt her right fist burning as it smoked and even looked like it might have been burned a little. Fera tried to rise up again but this time, she fell straight back down onto her back. Her entire body hurt, and some of it, she suspected, was because of the injuries from her recent fight with Copper that still hadn’t healed. All of her powers flickered away and the room returned to normal.
“Why?” she gasped, panting and shutting her eyes from exhaustion and pain.
“Overcharge.” Yarin said, as if it was obvious. He stood above her, sticking a hand in his pocket while the other remained at his side. “Any wielder can suffer it, even one that has mastered their abilities. If you push your powers too far, there can be consequences. In fact, I’ve been told you’ve suffered this before, during the team game a couple of months ago. In this case, though, it’s a little different. This time, you lost too much control, let too much out, and it blew up in your face.”
“Literally.” said Lilipa, rushing to Yarin’s side.
“Are you okay?” Anita questioned, stepping beside Ferain and holding out her hand to help her to her feet.
Fera accepted the offer while trying to get herself up. “Fine.” she muttered, before looking at Yarin again. “You wanted that to happen, didn’t you?”
“I did, I’ll admit it.” Yarin answered, coolly. “I need to know your limits, what pushes you past them, and what happens when you do go overboard. This will set a baseline and we’ll be able to go from there. You can go home for tonight, but tomorrow, I won’t be holding back. Be prepared, we have a lot of work to do. Come on, Lili, let’s get home.”
“Yep, yep.” the girl said, cheerfully. As she left with Yarin, she looked back at Ferain and waved enthusiastically. “Bye, bye.”
“Some odd people, huh?” noted Anita. “Like I said, the school’s full of them. Can’t catch a break around here.” she added.
“Still,” said Fera, looking at her reddened hand. “If this helps, I’ll put up with a little strangeness. I need to get stronger, and I need to get better.”
“As much as I don’t like either of them, I suppose there isn’t a better teacher out there for you besides him. Hm, tomorrow’s problems, right? For now, I say we get some dinner, my treat.” offered Anita.
“As long as it’s not microwavable rice or instant ramen again,” said Fera.
“If I’m buying, it should be my decision. They had a curry flavored one that I wanted to try tonight and I even got some soda that I wanted to try too. I wasn’t allowed to have soda back home so I’m pretty excited.” Anita said, with gleaming eyes as she danced and held out her hand towards her bag.
A faint whirlwind appeared around it and brought it to her as Ferain walked over to grab her own. Fera couldn’t help but feel gleeful as she watched her easily satisfied partner hurrying towards the door and beckoning for her to hurry up. The smile didn’t last long as Ferain remembered everything else that was going on, but she then decided to be more optimistic, despite it all. In the present, at this very moment, maybe it was okay for her to be happy for what she had. Like Anita said, everything else was tomorrow’s problems.