The sun rays pierced through the worn-out window curtains, signalling the beginning of another monotonous day.
A boy, seventeen years of age, groaned in annoyance and reluctantly got off the bed. Apart from the usual lack of sleep and absence of enthusiasm, the teenager felt frustrated over the fact that he had to go to school and, as always, be subjected to unwarranted bullying.
Zeke absent-mindedly stared at the wall for a good minute or two before changing his clothes and going downstairs. His parents, as was their wont, were at work and his big sister was living in the school’s dormitory, thus he had to eat breakfast alone.
The unwillingness to head to school was almost overwhelming, nevertheless, Zeke purged any thoughts of skipping classes due to how ludicrously expensive it was to get admitted in the first place.
To begin with, only a selected few individuals were accepted into Erys, his school. All thanks to their ability to manipulate Aether. However, Zeke was one of a handful of special cases, as his parents somehow managed to get him into Erys.
Like many teenagers of his age, Zeke was a normal kid, average and lacking any talent in the highly-sought Aether manipulation. Circumstances notwithstanding, his parents were adamant and transferred him to Erys a year ago, and from that point onwards, his life progressively got worse.
Zeke was an intelligent person, but he was also pragmatic to a fault. Therefore, he knew, more than anyone, that he did not belong with the privileged kids, that he was best suited for a normal life.
It was not to say that he did not yearn for greatness, as many would in his age, but reality had struck him hard ever since getting admitted into Erys. Furthermore, the constant and escalating bullying was tiresome, moreso when he lacked the strength to retaliate.
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After swiftly eating a cold breakfast meal, Zeke left the house and headed to school.
The trip to and from Erys was the only period of peace for Zeke, as he got to enjoy the breath-taking sight of the Sunken Metropolis, the city he was born and raised in.
Silver and black spires, skyscrapers everywhere one looked, and uncountable inter-connected highways that would boggle the mind, such were the sights within this famed city. Despite being built in a gigantic crater, this metropolis held fast to its glory and not even the passing of time seemed to affect it.
The fast Aether-boosted subway train took fifteen minutes to deliver Zeke to his destination, a District by the name of Kethra’s Arms.
It was neighboring Erys and a bustling place, meant for entertaining the residents and the students. From there, Zeke walked the rest of the way, his steps getting heavier the closer he got to the vast campus.
He passed the gates, as did many other students, though he kept to himself and did not talk to anyone, even those in the same class as him… not that they ever initiated any conversation either.
Erys was a prestigious school, a special educational place for gifted people. It was built like any other school for rich kids, though this one had training facilities and a couple educational structures for appropriate purposes, like battles, for instance.
“Dumbass! Over here!”
‘Not a moment too soon’ Thought Zeke to himself as he halted his steps and robotically turned his head to the side, where two of his classmates were beckoning him.
At their head was Azmer, one of the people behind the constant bullying. He was a tall kid, fairly handsome and decently popular. However, from Zeke’s perspective, he was an obnoxious and arrogant person, someone trying to validate his own faults by preying on those weaker than him.
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The moment Zeke got close to Azmer and his friend Rodrick, he got slapped in the back of the head with so much force that he almost fell on the ground.
“What are you looking at?”
‘A stupid person.’ Replied Zeke in his heart as he stared back at Azmer with the usual a forced smile that displayed a hint of fear.
Bullying cases differed from one person to the other. Some bullies liked their victims to be fearful and obedient, others wanted the opposite. As it happened, Azmer was the former and the more scared Zeke was, the better he would feel.
“Did you bring the money?”
Zeke meekly nodded once and fished out 60 Alc from his pocket, which were immediately snatched by Azmer.
“I told you to bring 80, dipshit!”
Azmer kicked Zeke's knee and complained, but the gloating smile plastered on his face suggested that he wasn’t that angry.
Rodrick wrapped his arm around his neck as the three made their way to the usual spot.
‘Whatever, I’ll just bear through it.’
Those were his thoughts as was dragged to a quiet spot, a place Zeke dreaded and hated at the same time.
While Azmer was an arrogant fool, his friend Rodrick was a bit of a maniac, and an aggressive one, at that.
While no one was watching, Zeke would be either punched or kicked by Rodrick or ridiculed for his deficiency by the gloating Azmer. It was those brief but painful moments that made Zeke despise Erys and its students, but more than that, he despised himself and his weakness.
“You’re a good punching bag!”
Rodrick pushed him on the ground then proceeded to kick him in the stomach as Zeke protected his head and bore through the pain and belittlement.
Deep in his heart, he genuinely wanted to retaliate, to fight back and teach the two a lesson. However, he was weak and defenseless, plagued by self-doubt and misery.
Only when Rodrick had his fill did the kicking stop. His victim was lying on the ground in a fetal position, trembling ever-so-slightly.
“A Defect does not deserve to be here.” After recycling his words, Rodrick spat on Zeke and, feeling satisfied, left along with Azmer.
Only a short while later did Zeke get back on his feet, his face pale and hands clenched. He was never an emotional person, nor was he expressive, but the frustration was too overwhelming, especially at times like these.
He patted the dust and dirt off his uniform then hastily headed to the classroom.
…
Excluding the bullying, the rest of the day was as uneventful and uninteresting as ever. After the last lesson was done, Zeke was about to head home only to be dragged to a special spot regularly frequented by unruly students like Azmer and Rodrick.
The place was a non-used classroom on the third floor; It was uncommon for Zeke to get dragged here as this was like a ‘haven’ for the delinquent students.
“You’re finally here, Azmer!”
The moment Zeke was pushed inside by a disgruntled Azmer, a feminine voice came from the left, and when he looked, there she was: One of his classmates and, like Azmer, a particularly unsavory person.
Although she did not resort to violence, the girl was also one of the bullies. Moreover, she was a strong but lazy person, thus it fell to Zeke to do her homework amongst a couple other things.
“Here, I brought him.”
Annoyed, Azmer snorted and quickly left with Rodrick. Only Zeke stood there, eyed by no less than five students.
Julia Lopmore beckoned for him to come closer, which he did, albeit slowly.
Undeniably, Julia was a beautiful girl, which contributed greatly to her popularity. She was slim but not thin, had beige-colored hair, round hazy brown eyes, a short-bridged small nose, and heart-shaped rosy lips. She even wore a bit of make-up, which added more points to her natural beauty.
“We’ve got exams soon. I’ll have to rely on you, okay?”
“...”
Julia kept talking but his attention was wholly elsewhere. His solemn eyes were looking outside the window, at the darkening sky. Usually, in situations like these, he would comply to avoid unnecessary troubles, however, today was different as his focus was grabbed by a barely noticeable crimson light.
He wasn’t knowledgeable enough about astronomy to know the origin of the light, but it was mesmerizing and definitely more interesting than Julia’s rambling.
Time itself seemed to take a breath, the voices around him quietened and the air grew still. For the first couple of seconds, Zeke felt a wave of serenity and clarity wash over him, though it was quickly replaced by a suffocating and dizzying sensation.
It might have been his imagination, but he could have sworn that the crimson light was getting brighter and closer.