Chapter 1: Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

I’m a firm believer in 3 things that are needed for success in life. Power? Check. Intelligence? Check. Money?

I sighed. The low rumble of the bus permeated the tension in the air. I glanced at my watch for the umpteenth time, exhaling again as I leaned against the window. Almost 2 hours had ticked by. But this was to be expected, given our destination was an island far from home. Looking out the window yielded nothing, for we were currently trundling through a tunnel.

How were my fellow passengers doing? I gazed around. Some of them were busy with their phones. Some were sleeping. All of them were wearing the same school uniform.

I took out my phone and reread the instructions emailed to me by my new school. Waning Crescent Institute, located in District 4 of Nebula Island – a place where I would be spending my next 3 years. I couldn’t help but feel cautiously excited.

The bus finally emerged into the sunlight. “Report at Foyer A, Block 22, at 12:00 PM.” The instructions were clear and concise. These thoughts were momentarily put on hold though, as I observed the scenery displayed before me.

The bus was making its way down a hill, which was tall enough to offer a respectable view of Nebula Island. It was of decent size - my earlier research had revealed it to be almost 200 square kilometers. What I found interesting, however, was that about half of that land area was for students. Specifically the 4 major school districts, each one claiming its own quadrant. The city center, located in the heart of the island, was modest in size yet boasted an extravagant skyline, making up the remaining half.

I noted the petite girl with long black hair sitting beside me. She had just whipped out her phone, instantly snapping pictures that I assumed were to be posted on social media. I ignored her and peered out the window, looking for District 4. It wasn’t that hard to miss. District 4 was much less ostentatious than the other districts.

The girl, seemingly satisfied with her photos, stashed her phone aside. She glanced at me. “Not taking any?”

I shrugged. “Plenty of pictures of it online already.”

She frowned and steered her gaze back towards the island. “Okay…”

It seemed my witty attempt at humour might have fallen short. Despite being an introvert, I had always believed in making connections, even if we didn’t get close enough to label ourselves as ‘friends’. Networking is important, and having a sizable network would have many benefits in life. Now that the ice had been broken, I figured it would be in my best interest to get to know someone first.

“By the way, where are you reporting?” I offered.

“Um, I think it was Foyer B at Block 15”.

I felt a pang of disappointment. “Oh, I guess we belong to different classes then,” I continued. “Speaking of which, what Division did you enrol in?”

All the schools on the island had Divisions. There were Arts, Engineering, Research, and Health Sciences to name a few. The most prestigious one, and the one that I had enrolled for, was Combat. About half of the island was dedicated to it.

“I applied for the Research Division. You?” she asked.

“Combat.”

“Interesting, so you have an Ability?”

I nodded. Most students on the island had an Ability of some sort. I didn’t mean to brag, but my Ability was absurdly powerful. Still, it would take a while to explain so I usually refrain from talking about it.

“What’s your ability?” Unfortunately, she seemed very curious.

“Well, to make it short, I can kind of control energy.” I tried to hide my smirk. Putting it like that was massively underselling myself. I could get our bus, which was still about 20 minutes from our destination, there in about 2 minutes. Unfortunately, that was not very practical as I could not guarantee the safety of everyone on board. Also, I disliked standing out, only using my Ability for self-defense.

“So like, you can shoot energy beams and stuff like that? That’s so cool! Can you summon an energy ball right now?”

I shook my head, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention. “It’s complicated.”

I grumbled silently. District 4 was known for its inferior facilities, education, and the students… let’s just say they weren’t the cream of the crop. Its undesirable reputation was understandable though. Only students who performed badly in the General Enrolment Examination or were too broke to afford living in the other three Districts, ended up in District 4. I must emphasise that I belong to the latter group. It’s not something worth bragging over, but I figured I must make it clear that I was relegated not by skill, but by lack of funds due to certain circumstances.

We ended up chatting for a bit as the bus weaved its way into and around the compound. District 4 happened to be the closest to the bridge connecting the island to the mainland. Shortly after, we came to a halt.

As we began to file out, I observed my surroundings. It wasn’t very impressive, being a patchwork of both modern and dated facilities. Cracks and faded paint caked the outer walls of buildings, with the grass desperate for some maintenance. The heavy vegetation continued around the compound, making it look more like a summer camp than a school.

Still, the compound was massive. Well, it had to be if it were to host facilities for 15,000 students. I spotted what looked like a shopping mall in the distance.

As I continued scanning the area, a bored-looking staff member started handing out brochures to the students. “Welcome to Waning Crescent Institute,” he droned. “Please take one and locate your assigned foyers. Oh, and no using your Abilities before completing the orientation process.”

The last point was fair. There were probably some rules regarding Ability usage. It would have been chaotic if everyone here started activating their Abilities. Order was especially important on the first day, and it would trouble the school administration if people started flying or causing explosions all over the place.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you some other time. My block is kind of far away, so I’d better head off now,” the girl remarked.

“Hold on,” I said. Not wanting to let our interaction go to waste, I decided to get her contact. “It’s better for us if we at least know someone else. Would you like to exchange numbers?”

“Sure! Though asking a girl for her number before we even begin our Orientation is pretty bold of you,” she grinned.

I tilted my head, amused. “You may be right about that.”

We handed each other our phones and keyed in our contacts. Upon return, I glanced at my phone. Colleen, it said.

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She did the same. “Okay, er- Cadel right? Maybe we can catch up tonight or something. Till then I’ll see you later!” She waved as she set off.

I continued on my way. Having someone I know in the research Division was useful to gain more insight about the school, but I was relieved that I had at least someone in my back pocket to clarify any first-day doubts with.

I made my way to Block 22 and stepped inside Foyer A. There were a couple of students already gathered. Some of them were making small talk with each other, quickly building connections to get a head start over the rest in the social hierarchy.

The room in which we were to be gathered was large but dimly lit. A proportionally large clock ticked ominously in the corner. Eventually, it hit noon.

“Alright listen up!” A man in a suit appeared on the stage, scanning the crowd. “I’m glad to see most of you are here. It seems there are a couple of latecomers but we won’t be waiting for them.”

He continued with the formalities, welcoming us and giving a brief introduction to the school.

“We may be a humble school, but we have all the facilities you need here. We have dorms, recreation centers, medical centers, labs, and even our own mall,” he went on.

District 4 was home to two main schools, Waning Crescent Institute and Horizon High, which together serve some 30,000 students. Often referred to as the "dumpster" schools by the other districts for their reputations, District 4 was more like a large student city with these two massive schools. Besides the schools, there were residential areas and business facilities for adults working in the district.

After what seemed like ages, the man finally concluded his speech, handing out dorm assignments. “That’s all for now. We’ll be continuing the orientation process tomorrow. Try not to cause too much trouble.”

With that, the students began filtering out. I checked my assignment and made a mental note of my dormitory block. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be too far from here.

The dormitory itself looked decent. Mine was located within a cluster of 10-story tall buildings huddled in one corner of the school. There was a noticeable gap between the male and female dormitories here. I located my assigned room, stationed on the 8th floor, and stepped in. It looked habitable, thankfully. After unpacking my items, I lay on the bed. We had the entire day free for today, with the school giving us an opportunity to explore the compound. However, there was one particular spot that piqued my interest. “Might as well..” I figured.

I made my way to the edge of the school and stepped out of the compound. Just a bit further on, I reached a river. I was now right on the border of the District itself. Gazing across the river, I could see pristine, polished buildings. Those belonged to the premium students on the island, District 1. The four District quadrants circled around the island in a clockwise manner, so Districts 1 and 4 were positioned right beside each other. I couldn’t help but feel this was intentionally planned to highlight the contrast between the students here.

My gaze intensified. I should be there. I possessed the qualities to be a District 1 student. If only it wasn’t so damn expensive…

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. A girl, with white hair clad in a matching white and gold uniform, was surfing on a board made of pure flames just above the water's surface. Her hair danced in the wind as she skillfully manoeuvred the board around. It definitely looked impressive.

She must have noticed me observing her, for she came zooming across the water, coming to a stop a few meters in the air above me.

“So what do you think? Impressive right? Not like someone from District 4 can relate,” she sneered. Her arrogant flaunting perfectly complimented her extravagant aesthetic.

“Interactions between students of different Districts are strictly forbidden. Also, assuming you’re a freshman, you’re not allowed to use Abilities yet,” I calmly stated.

“- in the school compound. Does this look like the school compound to you? Speaking of which, sure I’m a freshman, but are you even a student? You look more like a janitor with that uniform!” she exclaimed. “Tell you what, if you apologise for your insolence, maaaaybe I’ll avoid burning yours to cinders,” she teased.

“What for? I didn’t do anything wrong.” I innocently remarked.

“Whatever, just fight me,” she retorted. “You got me amped up.”

It seemed like she was just looking for an excuse to fight, so I politely declined the challenge. “It’s too much of a hassle,” I explained. “Besides, I would hate to embarrass an attractive girl such as yourself on my first day here. It wouldn’t sit right with me.”

Her mouth fell open. “Do you know who I am? I’m Scarlette Falcon, proud member of the Falcon family! I could burn you to dust right now!” she shouted, her face red. The flame surfboard she was hovering on sparked brighter in response. She raised her hand, its glow intensifying.

Not willing to take any chances, I waved my hand casually. The fire completely disappeared from under her. Surprised, she fell into the river, sputtering as she resurfaced. I immediately sensed something wrong.

She started thrashing around. “Help!” she yelled. “I can’t... swim!” I stared, finding it weird that someone of her status was unable to swim. So much for her proud demeanour. With another wave of my hand, I made her float out of the water, dumping her in a heap beside me. She immediately ignited herself, drying off her clothes. I observed that she was able to do so without burning the fabric itself.

“What just happened? Where did my fire go just now?” she seemed more confused than upset.

“I took it away,” I explained as if stating the obvious.

“Huh? You can cancel Abilities?” she stammered.

“Something like that,” I replied.

What she said wasn’t wrong. More specifically, I was able to absorb and convert energy. As long as there was an energy source available, I would be able to absorb and manipulate it. For example, I could absorb the kinetic energy of an incoming car, stop it instantly, and convert that energy into light and heat energy to create fireworks. I could also simply reflect the same amount of kinetic energy back at the car and send it flying.

That being said, I was unable to produce energy of my own, so I always needed an external source. Fortunately, energy was pretty much present everywhere. You could also say that the stronger my opponent is, the stronger my Ability gets as well.

What I did just now was absorb the heat energy from her flame surfboard and dissipated it into the atmosphere. To make her float out of the river, I converted that energy into a powerful upward force. By pushing against the pull of gravity, I created a counterbalance strong enough to lift her slowly out of the water, making it seem like gravity had momentarily released its grip.

After a brief silence, Scarlette squinted at me. “How many stars do you have? There’s no way someone of your caliber should be in District 4. For that matter, I’m a 5-star” she declared, her confidence quickly returning.

We were all assigned ranks at the General Enrollment Examination, an assessment we had to take prior to applying for any of the schools at Nebula Island. The standard academic exams were one component, with the typical Mathematics, Science, and Languages exams that everyone was familiar with. The other grading component, the practical assessment, was the fun one. It graded us on how well we could perform in Combat. Everyone with Abilities had to take it, even if they didn’t intend to enrol in a Combat Division.

I recalled my experience. The academic exams were easy enough, I was sure I would average out an “A” grade for all the components. The practical assessment was hosted in an airtight chamber, though it looked more like an arena. Participants were tasked to demonstrate their Abilities in front of a panel of judges. We would all get assigned a set number of stars, ranging from 0 to 5 based on how effective they would be in a combat scenario:

5-Stars – The elite students, exceptional offensive capabilities

4-Stars – Great, sizable contribution in combat

3-Stars – Decent, would help in combat

2-Stars – Subpar, not much help in combat

1-Star – Barely any use, but still has an Ability

0-Stars – Has no Ability at all (Exempted from the practical assessment and cannot join the Combat Division)

I had targeted and attained a solid 4 Stars, as I figured it was more than enough to enter District 1. I did not want to exert myself more than needed, nor did I want anyone to have high expectations of me. I also heard it was actually possible to attain 6 Stars, but potential candidates had to undergo a secondary assessment or something.

Scarlette had declared herself a 5-Star, and I could definitely see why. Her command over fire was masterful. There were plenty of fire ability users, so she must have stood out from the rest to achieve her 5-Star status. I was sure that if we were to fight for real, it would be much closer than what just transpired at the riverbank. Just to be sure, I glanced at her collar and counted the stars. Sure enough, 5 gold stars shone brilliantly.

I looked down at my own collar. It wasn’t actually in the rules for us to display our Star count, and I didn’t think much of it so I had refrained from displaying mine. Scarlette gazed at me expectantly, still waiting for me to answer her question.

“I’m 1-Star,” I said nonchalantly.

“Lies,” she immediately shot back. “You’re a 3-Star at minimum, aren’t you?”

I shrugged. I did not want to get into an argument involving Star count, so I decided to end the conversation here. “Well, it was nice meeting you. Guess I’ll see you around or something.”

“Wait! You think that half-assed response would satisfy me?” Her eyes were burning with curiosity, but she could sense I wasn’t interested. She grasped my arm. “At least tell me your name. We barely met, but I can’t help but feel like you’re hiding something.” She paused. “Maybe one day we can actually duel.”

I nodded. “Maybe. I’m Ren, Cadel Ren. Nice to meet you.” I assumed Scarlette didn’t need any help getting back across the river. With that, I turned away and trudged back to my school.