“What is it that you want, Detective Vans?”

A middle-aged woman with striking crimson hair and light make-up on her tired face was sitting opposite Samuel’s father.

She was accompanied by her husband, a pale-faced man with narrowed sharp eyes and an angular face.

Vans Valort stared at the couple with a deep frown. Even after stating his reason, the two were disinterested and showed no signs of worry.

“I must urge you to look after your son. He could have died.”

“Then he should avoid such shady places!” Snapped Olivia, her squeaky voice loud and attracting the attention of the other police officers.

She and Anthony were wearing lab coats and reeked of a foul scent usually found in laboratories.

“Even so, he might be traumatized after accidentally confronting the killer. His parents’ counsel would do him go-”

“Mister Valort, your job is to catch criminals, not give lectures about parenting. Now, if you don’t have anything else to say, we must return to our work.”

Anthony snorted and stood up, leaving seconds later with his equally angered wife.

Although he did not agree with their way of doing things, Vans could not force them to do anything, unfortunately.

However, their obvious lack of interest and worry clearly indicated that Zeke’s well-being was less important than their work.

‘This is…’

As he watched them leave the station, the detective sighed in exasperation.

He returned to his desk and pondered for a while grabbing his coat and hastily leaving.

…

Inside the small living room, Zeke was sitting cross-legged on the couch and doing the daily training of ‘Aether Control’. His earlier fight notwithstanding, he still had to complete his Daily Tasks and diligently adapt his body to the influx of Aether invading his body due to his insatiable control over the skill.

The silence dominating the lonely apartment was broken by light knocks that alerted its solitary resident.

Zeke looked at the door and creased his brows, unable to guess who it might be. Maxine rarely visited and his brother Edward was extremely busy.

Much to his surprise, after peeking through the small hole, he saw two people.

“H-hello?”

With a dumbfounded expression, he opened the door and looked at the two of them.

Unexpectedly, it was none other than Detective Vans Valort and his son Samuel.

“Hey!

Samuel was as cheerful as ever, waving a plastic bag in front of him. As for Vans, he wryly smiled and explained,

“Do you mind if we come in?”

“Not at all.”

Zeke let them in and, soon, they were all in the living room. Samuel was excitedly unboxing the food and distributing the drinks.

“It’s not part of my job, but I thought it would be better to keep an eye on you and Samuel after what happened. You’re a kid… I couldn’t just leave you alone.”

“...”

Zeke looked at the detective, confused and surprised. Eventually, he cleared his throat and stated,

“I assure you I’m fine… sir.”

“He’s pretty strong, dad. I wouldn’t choose anyone to be my rival!”

“Shut up and eat your chicken!”

Samuel got smacked as his father stuffed the crunchy food into his mouth. Zeke too, joined them but, for the most part, he maintained silence and merely watched.

Despite his scruffy appearance, Detective Vans Valort was a friendly person. He conversed with Zeke about trivial stuff and reassured him that the killer will soon be apprehended.

However, when asked about the specifics of the case, he refused to disclose anything. It seemed that not even Samuel, his son, was privy to such sensitive information. Then again, it was to be expected since Vans was a detective and wasn’t at liberty to talk about anything related to work.

“Anyway, I’ll keep guard outside. Is it fine if Samuel sleeps here tonight?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind.”

Since the two came all the way here with the intention of easing his worry and making him feel safe, Zeke saw no reason to reject their efforts.

He directed Samuel to his sister’s room and then went to bed. It was probably the first night since getting the System that he slept at the right time, and it kind of felt weird to him as he was used to training all night.

Time passed in the blink of an eye and by the time Zeke woke up, it was early morning.

‘It can’t be a coincidence. Either I can’t dream… or the System is interfering with something.’

Lost in thought, he stared at his reflection in the mirror, wondering if the dreamless nights we a bad omen, a sign of what was to come.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

He had yet to complete his Daily Tasks, but since he would finish early today, the urgent need to earn the last PE was slightly quelled.

After struggling to wake up Samuel, who turned out to be a heavy sleeper, the two went to school right after eating what remained of yesterday’s dinner.

Undeniably, Zeke felt that Samuel was a little more bearable after fighting alongside him yesterday. At this point in time, it would be ridiculous to try and push him away, especially since Zeke no longer minded his presence.

Admittedly, Samuel was very talkative and his total opposite in terms of character, but he was a good person.

“I still think I’m stronger than you, by the way. But! I’ll no longer challenge you. I’ll aim for the 48th spot. Wish me luck.”

Samuel grinned and dashed away the moment they entered the campus. He seemed to have forgotten about the fight against Jonathan and didn’t look traumatized or the least bit affected.

Zeke too wasn’t particularly anxious, but decided to avoid Kethra’s Arms for a while, or at least that specific backstreet. After all, in such a short amount of time, so many things happened there, including getting attacked by the same person and barely surviving.

...

“What are you looking at? Want another beating?!”

Julia hissed at the gloomy Rodrick, who was finally back. He was gloomily sitting in the back row and glaring at Zeke, his eyes burning with rage and hatred.

What was worse than his defeat to Zeke was the beating he was subjected to by his father. He was yelled at and severely brutally punished. However, before he was allowed to return to school, he was healed of all visible injuries so as to not alert the school. Still, Rodrick blamed everything on Zeke but all he could do was remain silent and seethe with anger.

“Don’t do anything stupid, Rodrick. You’ve lost and it’s time to move on.”

Azmer, who sat next to him, solemnly whispered those words, but Rodrick snorted in response.

“Move on? Now everyone is mocking me. That loser only got lucky!”

“Rodrick…”

Azmer tightly gripped his shoulder and leaned closer, giving him a cold stare.

“If you do not stand down, I will no longer talk to you.”

“...”

The burly student lowered his head and gritted his teeth, eerily silent as he kept sneaking glances at Zeke.

“Cheh! What a sore loser.”

Zeke pushed his notebook to the side, pressing it against Julia’s butt and making her fall on her feet. Recently, she made a habit of sitting on his desk and either complaining or talking about random stuff, which he would ignore.

“Careful where you push that!”

“Go sit at your desk, I need to study.”

“Hmpf! That’s what you always do. You’re no longer a Defect, so must socialize and make friends.”

“I don’t need your advice.”

…

“You knew who it was, right? I know you do!”

Amy, after having recovered for several days, returned to class and resumed her nasty behavior, brazenly targeting Amelia publicly.

Everyone was watching from their seats, some frowning in disapproval and others enjoying the sight of a Defect being bullied.

“You slut!”

Amy raised her hand and tried to slap Amelia but the latter held her hand and kicked her in the stomach.

“You’ve done it now!”

With a face red from embarrassment and rage, Amy stood up and was about to attack but someone intervened at the last moment.

“The teacher will be here anytime. Stop this.”

Samuel stood between the two girls and faced Amy, calming her down. Fortunately, she didn’t continue her ruckus and begrudgingly sat down. As for Amelia, she stood there, expressionless and with her hands behind her back.

“It’s best if you don’t do it.”

Samuel’s words were audible only for Amelia, whose face was unwavering and uncaring.

“You know what I’m talking about.”

Once he said his piece, he returned to his seat and minded his own business.

He was the only one who noticed the ‘object’ Amelia was hiding under his uniform. Perhaps if he had not intervened, things would have turned for the worst.

…

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“The usual, of course.”

Amelia wasn’t in the mood to eat, she kept fiddling with the plate, seemingly absent-minded.

“You should consider talking to the Dean. With him around, they wouldn’t dare try anything.”

Amelia, with downcast eyes, sighed.

“Do you really think so? Amy wants to find who attacked her.”

“Tell her the truth, then. I’m not afraid of her.”

Amy and her friend, Amelia’s bullies, weren’t as strong as Rodrick. Moreover, now that he was no longer a Defect, he was willing to step up and retaliate if the need arised.

Even though Zeke did not like to be involved in matters that did not concern him, it wasn’t the case for Amelia, whom he considered as his first friend in Erys.

“She’s crazy, Zeke. I’m afraid that she might target my family.”

“...”

“Zeke!”

Samuel abruptly appeared with a plate in hand and a smile on his face. He seemed slightly surprised to see Amelia, but he did not comment and shamelessly sat down.

“I didn’t know you two were friends.”

His arrival turned the atmosphere a bit awkward since he was Amelia’s classmate. Zeke glanced at the two of them then shrugged his shoulders.

“Anyway! I’m going to challenge the 48th later. Come and watch how I prevail!”

“I might be busy.”

Zeke already had plans with Amelia, as they had promised to hang out in the evening. Moreover, since she was in such a bad mood, he couldn’t leave her alone.

“What could you possibly be doin-ah!”

Samuel caught on relatively quickly as he looked at the quiet Amelia. He chuckled and nodded in understanding, “I get it. It’s a date… isn’t it?”

“Stop speculating and just eat.”

“I must be right! You two kind of suit each other. Zeke, don’t misunderstand me, it’s not because you are… ahem, were, a Defect. It’s just that… you have the same ‘gloominess’, for want of a better word.”

“Your unfiltered honestly is insufferable, Samuel.”

“That’s one of my perks, though! Why wouldn’t I say what I think?”

Zeke clicked his tongue and retorted, “Because it might be hurtful to the listener?”

“But I didn’t mean it that way!”

“It’s okay.” Chirped Amelia with a casual voice and a faint smile. “I do agree that Zeke and I are similar. He’s the only one who understands what I’m going through.”

Upon hearing this, Samuel frowned and after a momentary silence, he asked, “You’re talking about Amy? Or ‘let’s bully the Defects’ trend?”

“Does it matter? It’s not like you care.”-Amelia

“Each student has their own responsibilities. I do agree that it’s immoral and downright stupid to target the Defects, however, I also think Erys shouldn’t have accepted the Defects. I’m saying this for their sake. They are the victims and I believe a normal school would have been much better.”

“Diplomas from normal schools pale in comparison to Erys’. Even with average grades, my future would be infinitely better if I graduate from Erys.” riposted Amelia, her voice slightly emotional.

“Being a Defect shouldn’t be a problem. Most of the famed Scholars were average people in terms of individual prowess, but they were hard-working and intelligent. It’s not that Erys erred… it’s the dysfunctional System which prioritizes those with talent rather than those with potential.”

Even with the two ganging up on him, Samuel did not shy away from arguing back. His disagreement notwithstanding, he was polite and carried himself with dignity instead of enforcing his opinions, which was, for once, a welcome change.

“Logically, the System cannot accommodate itself for the sake of a handful of people. I acknowledge that Erys suffers a lot from subtle verbal abuse and belittlement, specifically targeted toward the Defects. Nevertheless, the issue lies within the oppressors, the remorseless and arrogant students that weren’t taught manners by their own parents. It’s not the System, but the students themselves.”

“You’re wrong. The students, with their wealthy backgrounds and influential families, are basically untouchable. The Dean, watchful as he has been, cannot deal with every bullying case. The strong will oppress the weak and people will spectate from the sidelines, feigning understanding and false sympathy.”-Zeke

“Fine! Let’s agree to disagree, then!”

Their discussion ended prematurely as Samuel chose to stop. He saw that both Zeke and Amelia were getting riled up and he did not wish for a dispute over something like that.

Samuel ate his food in silence for a bit while Zeke chatted for a bit then they all separated and returned to their classrooms.

In the evening, as promised, Amelia and Zeke met up but they did not head to Kethra’s Arms. Instead, she took him to her family’s restaurant, situated in her rural neighborhood, at the edge of the Sunken Metropolis.

The trip there took a fair bit of time, and when they arrived, the two were met with an unexpected sight.