"Please stay!" Ellia begged.

Nick looked down at all the children in the daycare, noting their almost desperate expressions. Ashley stood quietly, a little outside of the group. Nick reached out and gently patted her head.

"You all know I have cl***es to get to," Nick said. "Like every other morning, and that I'll be back at lunch."

"What about the end of the day?" Jati asked.

"I start having meetings on Wednesdays," Nick said. "So I won't be here till late today." He stood up. "Now be on your best behaviour for Wyn, alright?"

"Okay!" The children said in unison.

"You don't always have to hang out here," Wyn said quietly as Nick got ready to go.

"I know," Nick said. "But I want to. Ash will be starting school soon, so I want to spend time with her while I can."

"Alright," Wyn said. "Good luck with the power exam today."

"Thanks," Nick said as he quickly ran out of the room. He made his way to the cl***room to find it mostly full already. He took his seat. The seat that he'd given to Ashley on the first day was ever vacant. The bell tolled, and a new teacher entered the room. He walked up to the board and wrote his name on it.

"I am Rajesh Shabdkosh," he declared. Two tusks curved up from his mouth, and he stood with his arms crossed. "I usually teach Specialized Physical Combat, but I have been tasked with overseeing your power exams."

His chocolate brown eyes studied each student in turn, then he grunted. "Okay, we go." The students buzzed with excitement as they followed him out of the room. Rajesh led them out of the building, and to the m***ive field out behind the academy.

"I will pair you off," Rajesh said once they'd reached the field.

"How do we keep it fair?" One student asked. "Like, I can't fight against Magnus."

"No worries," Rajesh said. "My eyes know." He took out a clipboard. "Haori Sunada and Frederick Bahn."

As the power exams for Nick's cl*** started, Sera was in her office, reading the letter of regret.

'January 13. Nick has his first power examination. I heard about the damage caused to the property and students in his cl***, and the concern that spread from it. Rumors abounded, and soon enough his reputation at the academy, much like in high school, was marred by the incessant whispers of the bored and envious. I had used this event to try to get him expelled. Luckily, I failed. I want you to go and watch with a few more committee members than are normally ***igned and prevent any harm from coming to the students in his cl***, as Mr. Shabdkosh will not be enough on his own.'

"Sera."

She hid the letter and looked up as a handsome young man entered her office.

Chio followed him in. "I'm sorry, ma'am. I tried to tell him you were busy, but-"

"It's fine," Sera said. "You can get back to it."

Chio nodded nervously and left the room. The young man watched her go, then turned back to Sera. "We only have two weeks until the show starts."

"I'm more than aware, Killian," she replied coldly.

"Oh come on," he said smoothly. "Don't be like that."

Sera narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms as she stood up. "What am I supposed to be like? You grabbed me!"

"It was for the performance," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Part of the show."

"Keep your hands to shoulders, arms, and hands," Sera said. "Or next time-"

"You'll what?" He challenged. "I'm performing with you as a favor to the Galen Matriarch. You're on my coattails, sweetheart."

Sera's lip twitched, and she held his gaze, until he tensed up. He released a breath, and stood relaxed again. "Alright, alright. Have it your way. But don't come crying to me when Ms. Galen gets pissed that you aren't playing your part."

"You're not the one I'd be crying to," Sera said. "Now if you're done?"

"We have rehearsals tonight," Killian said. "Don't be late."

"I know," Sera said. "I've got work to do now."

She locked the drawer with the letter and stood up. "Excuse me."

She walked past Killian and left the office.

Why does he have to keep coming here? She thought. I told him I wanted to keep my lives separate.

She growled, and a few nearby students jumped at the sound. She pulled out her phone and sent off a few texts, then continued out to the field. Once there, she stood at the edge and watched as Nick's cl*** went through their power exams. They had only just started, and so the weaker students were still going through their rounds. Orenon approached and stood beside her.

"So, where's the fire?"

"It hasn't started yet," she said. She glanced to the sides as a couple more disciplinary committee members showed up.

"Isn't this cl*** 1-D?" Orenon asked.

"That's right," Sera replied.

"Be prepared to step in," Orenon told the other committee members.

"No," Sera corrected.

"Ma'am?"

"We are here to protect the students on the sidelines," Sera explained. "I want you all to be ready to get them out of the area."

"But ma'am-"

She cast one glance at him, and he fell silent. She returned her gaze to the fights.

"Isn't that the student body president?"

The students sitting on the sidelines started to buzz as they looked back at Sera.

"What's she doing here?"

"Why are there so many of them?"

Nick was about to look back when Rajesh called his name.

"Bren, you're up against Evander."

Nick stood up and walked forward, as did Magnus. They faced one another.

"He's twice his size!" A guy muttered.

"I wouldn't want to be Nick," another replied.

"He's going to get crushed," one of the committee members uttered. "What's Mr. Sabdkosh thinking?"

"Rules: don't do any permanent damage." Rajesh said. "So no tearing off limbs, gouging eyes, etc cetera. If I say stop, you stop. This particular exam is purely to ***ess your physical abilities, so no spells. Exceptions to that rule are ones that enhance your physical abilities. At the end, you shake hands. Got it?"

"I do," Nick said.

Magnus grunted and nodded. Nick noticed a red glint in his eyes, and let out a slight breath as the four armed mountain of muscle took a fighting stance.

"Ready? Fight!"

Before Rajesh could even step back Magnus was on Nick. He slugged Nick in the chin, which snapped his head back. Nick fell, and Magnus pummeled him into the ground. Nick didn't raise his arms to block the strikes, he didn't try to move as his skin broke and blood splattered over the gr***.

"Fight me!" Magnus screamed at Nick as his strikes continued. "Fight back! Coward! Am I not good enough for you?"

"Stop!" Rajesh shouted. Magnus paused, then stood up and stepped back. Rajesh was about to walk over to Nick when he worked his way to his feet. He looked at Rajesh, blood covering his face. "Are we done?"

"You've got to at least try to fight back," Rajesh said.

Nick stared at Rajesh. "I've no intention to hurt anyone."

Sera furrowed her brow. One of the committee members leaned in to the other. "Wasn't he the biggest stressor?"

"Then I can't grade you," Rajesh said.

"Then I guess I fail," Nick said.

Through the conversation, Magnus grew more agitated. He walked up behind Rajesh, his eyes on Nick. "You will fight me. You've taken my brother."

"Brother?" Nick asked. "Who?"

All four of Magnus' fists clenched, and he pushed Rajesh to the side. He struck Nick again. "Don't pretend you don't know!"

Orenon looked to Sera. "Do we step in now?"

Sera watched for a moment longer, then heard Magnus say something that changed Nick's entire demeanor.

"Maybe taking someone away from you will jog your memory."

"Now, get them all back now!"

The committee leapt into action as Magnus went to strike Nick again. Nick caught his m***ive fist in his hand, and Magnus struck at him with his other fists, but Nick met his strikes with his own, Nick breaking each of Magnus' hands in turn until he only had the one Nick held onto. He bent it back until Magnus was forced to his knees, and the ground cracked beneath them. Magnus shouted incoherently, and suddenly the ground below them shattered. Fissures opened up, and almost reached the students as they scrambled to safety with the help of Sera and her committee members. Rajesh jumped back just in time, until all that was left was Nick and Magnus. Magnus headbutted Nick, but nothing happened, and he kicked his leg at the knee, dropping him further down.

"Do not threaten my family again," Nick growled at Magnus. "Is that understood?"

Magnus stopped struggling, then nodded.

"Good," he said. "Now, if I let go of you, can we talk about this?"

Magnus looked off to the side, and nodded again. Nick let go, and Magnus tried to stand up.

"Now, who is your brother?"

Magnus opened his mouth to speak, but the ground gave way beneath his feet. He fell back and tried to grab the edge, but all of his hands were broken. Nick grabbed his arm at the last moment and dragged him back up like he was a child's doll. He looked around, becoming acutely aware of the devastation around them.

"Oh dear..." He muttered. He looked at Magnus. "Can you fix this?"

"I've only learnt to break, not fuse."

Nick sighed. "Alright." He knelt and planted his hands on the ground. The sounds of the earth cracking and crumbling renewed, and suddenly the fissures started to close, and the ground became relatively flat again. A few moments after the ground was resealed, Nick stood up, and Rajesh ran towards them.

"What the hell were you thinking, Magnus?"

"I-"

"It was my fault," Nick said.

Magnus looked at Nick in surprise, and Rajesh narrowed his eyes. "Explain."

"When I forced him into the ground, it must have been over an underground cavern," Nick said. "I pushed too hard."

Rajesh's jaw twitched. "So it was all one big accident?"

"Yes, sir," Nick said.

Rajesh studied him for a moment, then sighed. "Alright, fine. Get Magnus to the medical office."

Nick nodded. "Of course, sir."

Nick ducked under Magnus' arm and helped him to the academy. A few students and teachers caught sight of the bloody mess they were as they p***ed by, and many took a moment to watch them walk past. Upon reaching the medical room, Nick helped Magnus sit down on a bed.

"Where's my brother?" Magnus asked.

Nick sat down across from him. "Again, who is your brother? I need a name, at least."

"Payter Montayne," Magnus said.

Nick blinked. "Payter? I saw him just last week."

Magnus looked up at him. "Where?"

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"My house," Nick said. "He and Eterna have been really going at it at the bureau."

"Work?" Magnus asked. He looked down at his hands. "Then... Why hasn't he told us anything?"

"I don't know," Nick said. "I usually only see Eterna once a month, but that's been the last four years."

"Four years?" Magnus asked. "What are they doing?"

Nick rubbed the back of his neck. "It's... Sort of my fault."

Magnus leaned forward, his eyes earnest. "Explain."

"I was born on earth," Nick said. "I was kidnapped by an organization, and they... Well, Eterna tracked me down, and it helped her start to dismantle the group. Her and Payter have been working at it the last four years. Apparently they're close to taking them down. Why did you think Eterna had taken him away?"

"He finished his extra service so that the rest of the family wouldn't have to," Magnus said. "Around that time, he disappeared. I thought..."

"Ah," Nick muttered.

Magnus bowed his head. "I'm terribly sorry for my behaviour."

"And mine," Nick said. "I went a little far too."

"As you defeated me," Magnus said. "And saved my life, I am indebted to you."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "I think we're fine, so long as you don't go attacking me again."

"No," Magnus insisted. "As a terraia, I am obligated to serve you."

Nick sighed and leaned back. "I don't want a servant."

"Nick-"

"Just..." Nick interrupted. "Take a bit and think about it, alright? Set aside pride, or obligations, or anything like that. Consider your future, and what you want from it. Till I'm convinced you have, I won't accept." Magnus fell silent, and Nick stood up. "I'll tell Payter hello for you the next time I see him."

"Wait," Magnus said. "Aren't you going to get healing?"

"This is nothing," Nick said. "I just need a shower and change of clothes."

He turned to the door, and someone opened it just as he reached it. A tall, slender albino man with wings stood on the other side of it. He met Nick's violet eyes with his own pink ones.

"Leaving before getting treatment?" He asked.

Nick nodded. "Magnus could use more attention than me."

The man almost touched Nick's shoulder, but he sidestepped him.

"I am Nick Bren," he said. "You don't want to try to heal me, Mr. Evander."

Eason Evander studied Nick for a moment. "Thank you for your consideration. How did you know who I was?"

"Payter told me to say hi if I bumped into you, so I looked up who you were."

"Ah, Payter!" Eason said as he stepped over to Magnus. "How's he doing?"

"I saw him last week," Nick said. "But he seemed good, if a bit sleep deprived."

"He's like a dog with a bone, that one," Eason remarked. He placed a hand on Magnus, and both men winced as Magnus' bones snapped back into place. Eason finally let go, and he walked over to the window. He opened it and spread his wings. They glowed, and soon enough he himself was healed. He turned back. "Did the two of you do this to one another?"

Nick nodded. "We were paired up for the base power exam."

"Hmm..." Eason muttered. "Well, you must be pretty strong to be able to break Magnus' bones."

"Just dense," Nick said.

"Dad," Magnus said as he bowed his head. "I am sorry for the shameful way I conducted myself."

"No harm no foul," Eason said. "But next time, try talking things out; it's usually less painful."

Nick cleared his throat. "Anyways, we should be getting back." Eason watched the pair leave, then made an incident report and left as well.

Meanwhile, Sera and the disciplinary committee had left the field and were in her office, now that the crisis had been averted.

"Why aren't we going after those two?" One demanded.

"Because nobody else got hurt," Sera said, almost absently, as she looked over a document.

"Ma'am-"

Sera flicked her eyes up to the speaker, who shrank back. "The only students to get hurt were Mr. Bren and Mr. Evander. The field was repaired enough that the groundskeepers won't have to put in too much extra effort, and misters Bren and Evander ended on good terms, despite the altercation."

Orenon took in a breath. "I think we are concerned, Ma'am, because today only seemed to prove his file was right."

"I would say the opposite is true," Sera said.

"Ma'am?"

Sera let out a breath. "I know you all don't have as good hearing as I do, so I'll let it go this time. During the fight, Bren did not fight back until Magnus said something to instigate him, correct?"

"Yeah," Orenon replied slowly.

"Then we know Bren can take a fair bit of punishment without snapping. What made him snap was the threat against his family."

"Evander said something like that?" One asked.

"He did," she replied. "Then Bren snapped, and Evander broke apart the field in a desperate attempt to take Bren with him. Bren was, however, still relatively in control because after Evander could no longer fight back, he tried to clear up the misunderstanding between them before Evander fell. Then Bren covered for Evander. Do his actions sound anything like the unstable gang banger delinquent his file claims him to be?"

Orenon grit his teeth. "If that is the case, then no, it doesn't."

Sera smiled slightly, then the lunch bell rang. "Well, you all have your ***igned stressors. Get back to it."

"Ma'am!"

They all left except Orenon. "Does this mean you aren't going to handle Bren anymore?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm still going to. One incident isn't enough to necessarily say, and he did react pretty quickly to the threat. It'd be better to have someone there able to hold him back if someone else makes such a foolish threat again."

"Understood," Orenon said. He turned and walked towards the door.

"You’re not the one who misjudged him, Orenon," Sera said. "Don't be so hard on yourself."

He stopped at the door and looked back. "I don't know what you're talking about." He left the room, and he grit his teeth. "The Royal family is protecting him."

Chio looked up at him. "Protecting who?"

"Nikolaos Bren," Orenon said. "Why else is Sera taking his side? She even thought I was upset because I'd misjudged him. I know exactly what kind of man he is, and I'm going to show everyone."

"Orenon?" Chio said. "You're thinking out loud again."

He stopped, then looked at her. He then snorted, and walked away.

"Oh dear..." She trailed off. Once he was out of sight, Sera exited her office.

"Ma'am?"

Sera looked down at Chio. "What is it?"

"I think Orenon is going to... Well, I don't know what he's going to try to do, but it has to do with that Bren boy. I'd watch out, if I were you."

Sera let out a breath. "Then I misread him again."

"He is hard to read," Chio agreed.

"Thanks for letting me know," Sera said as she walked away.

"Of course," Chio said. She looked down at her desk of paperwork, a morose air filling her lungs as Sera disappeared around the corner. "It's what I'm here for."

Sera made her way through the school to the daycare. As usual, the hallway was void of life, and she heard Nick singing already. She leaned against the wall and listened. Like every other time, all her worries and stress were caressed away like the ebb and flow of the ocean tides. After he finished singing, she waited there for a moment longer, her eyes closed as all she could hear were the breaths of the sleeping children. The door suddenly opened, and she opened her eyes just in time to see Nick in front of her. He pressed his forearm against her neck and pinned her against the wall. Her eyes wide, she grabbed his arm, but wasn't able to move it.

"Why are you watching the kids?"

She stared back into his eyes, unwavering. Inside, she prayed to whatever god would answer that he couldn't feel her heart pounding like the footfalls of a sprinting giant. A strange excitement stirred in her heart. "I'm not here to watch the children."

Her voice was hoarse, so he pulled back his arm a little.

"Then why?"

"I'm here because-" she paused, the absurdity of it all crashing down on her. I can't tell him about the letter, and I definitely can't just say his singing takes away my stress. Was I wrong? Is he actually just an unstable maniac?

"I'm sorry for bothering you," she finally said. "I won't come back around here anymore."

Nick stared into her eyes, and he finally took a step back. Without another shared word, she straightened her uniform and walked away. Nick watched her until she was out of sight, then returned to the daycare. Wyn looked up at him, and noticed he was bristling. He closed the door to the playroom and crossed his arms. "What's up, Nick?"

"Some woman has been creeping around the daycare every lunch since the first day," he said. "But she won't be coming back around anymore."

"Hmm..." Wyn scratched his chin. "You could take this to the student president. She and the disciplinary committee handle this kind of stuff, and she's got a soft spot for kids. I'm sure she'd happily look for this creep of yours."

If she wasn't just some poor girl trying to build up the courage to ask you out. Wyn thought.

"I'll go talk to her at the end of the day," Nick said. "Before my counselling session."

Wyn nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Poor girl...

The rest of the day seemed to go by so slowly that Nick couldn't focus on his work. The rest of the power exams were put on hold until the grounds staff could finish fixing the field, which would be next week. By the time the final bell had tolled, Nick was already packed up and leaving the room. He swiftly made his way to the student president's office. He entered through the first door to find the secretary's desk vacant.

I’m not going to wait any longer for this. He thought. He knocked on the set of double doors.

"Come in," a woman's voice came from within. He opened the doors and walked in. As he shifted his gaze through the large, meticulously clean room, his eyes fell on the woman he'd confronted earlier and he froze. She held papers in her hand as she stood next to her desk, her other hand fiddling with the ends of a silk scarf.

She put down the papers. "What can I do for you..." She trailed off as she set her sights on him.

"Uh..." Nick cleared his throat. "You're the student president?"

She remained still, her ears alert. Then they relaxed slightly. "I am. How can I help you?"

"I-you-" he stopped, then shook his head and turned towards the door, but her voice stopped him.

"If this is about earlier, I meant what I said. I'm already trying to find someone else to handle my patrol."

He looked back. "Patrol?"

She nodded. "Yeah. You know what stressors are, right?"

"People considered more dangerous than others that need extra attention, since they can snap at any time," Nick said.

"The disciplinary committee does patrols based on the schedules and habits of the stressors they've been ***igned," she said. "I'm handling your case. Or, I was."

"So you were just doing your job," Nick said, somewhat deflated. "I'm sorry for how I acted. I guess I jumped the gun."

She shrugged. "If my own children were in that daycare, I'd feel better knowing that was your reaction to suspicious characters."

Nick lightly snorted.

"If I had a child," Sera quickly added.

"Whenever you came around, why'd you stay outside the daycare?" Nick asked.

A crack formed in her stoic expression, and she cleared her throat. "Well, that's because..." She swallowed. "Keep it between you and I?"

Nick nodded.

"The first time, I was about to snap myself."

"With everything you do," Nick said. "It must be hard to find time to relieve your stress."

She nodded.

"And the kids help with that?"

Her lips parted, but she stopped herself and looked away. "Yeah. Seeing them playing or sleeping, it's just really calming."

"I didn't realize," Nick said. "Well, I feel like an *** now."

"No-"

"Why don't you just come in next time?"

She blinked, then looked at Nick. "What?"

"I mean, you've got to watch me for your patrol," Nick said. "Might as well actually be able to keep your eyes on me and get the stress relief at the same time. Plus, I'm sure the kids would appreciate shaking things up from just Wyn and I."

She stared at him for a while.

He makes no sense… She thought.

She suddenly smiled. "Alright, I'll take you up on that."

Nick turned towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."

"See you tomorrow," she replied. She sat down at her desk, and after a moment she took out the letter.

'Dear younger me. I imagine Nick has caught you eavesdropping outside the daycare by now. It took him about a week to act when I started. I didn't have the courage to tell him I was there because his voice was so soothing. Instead I declared it was the kids. I wish I'd told him the truth; if I had, maybe I would have been able to get through to him.'

"Now she tells me..." Sera lamented. "Wait, get through to him? What happens?"

'I want you to be honest with him about as much as you can, this letter excluded, of course. I know it'll be hard, but if you're vulnerable with him, it will open him up. He can't help himself. Oh, and since you probably just had your first fight, some advice: never, ever let it go unresolved. Take care of it before you go to sleep at night. He'll usually come to you, and I took that for granted. Be the one to go to him sometimes: he'll appreciate the effort.'

Sera leaned back. Is it weird she sounds like an older sister giving dating advice? She looked to the side. Hold on. She still hasn't said what Nick was to her. Did they become more than friends?

She looked at the next page, only to find it blank. She scratched her head, and looked at both sides of the page. Didn't she say there would be more information? She growled lightly. I guess it reveals itself over time...

With a sigh she folded up the letter and put it into the inner breast pocket of her vest. Taking one last look at the papers on the desk, she finally stood up and left the grounds.

In the time Sera had been reading the letter, Nick had reached the offices of the academy counselors. He looked into the main foyer, and found it empty.

"I'm not late yet..." Nick muttered as he took a seat in the dimly lit room.

Nick waited patiently, and was about to stand up when a tall man with short silver hair entered. He scratched his thickly bearded chin. He had ears and a tail much like Sera's.

He set his eyes on Nick. "Who are you waiting for?"

"Mrs. Lein," Nick said.

"Oh," he said as he snapped his fingers. "She went home already! She must've missed the notice."

"Oh, thank you," Nick said as he stood up. He started to walk away, but Sterling's voice caught him.

"You and I can talk, though."

Nick turned halfway to him. "I'm sorry, Mr...?"

"My name is Sterling," he replied.

"Sterling," Nick said. "But these are mandatory sessions, and they need to be with Mrs. Lein or they don't count."

"Well," Sterling said. "I'm her boss, so I can shift you into my docket and make it still count."

Nick was quiet for a while, then turned back to him. "Okay."

Sterling walked into the office marked Mrs. Lein, Nick close behind. Sterling sat down at her desk. He pulled out a key and opened up her filing cabinet.

"Right, your name?"

"Nikolaos Bren," Nick said.

Sterling paused for a moment and looked up at him. "Bren?"

Nick nodded.

Sterling looked back through the documents. "B, b, b, b... Should be near the front..."

Nick sat quietly, still as Sterling searched. "Ah ha!" He pulled out a file and laid it down on the desk without opening it up.

"You can call me Sterling," he said. "Do you prefer Nikolaos, or Nick?"

Nick was silent as he eyed his profile on the desk.

Sterling followed his gaze, smiled, and turned the folder to him. "Go ahead, give it a read."

Nick looked him in the eye for a moment, then hesitantly picked it up and flipped through it, reading quite quickly. He finally closed it and carefully put it back.

"You're a very kind and caring person, aren't you?"

Nick didn't respond.

"Always quick to leap to the defense of others: the main reason you weren't penalized that badly for frequently getting into fights. But you rarely defended yourself. Why is that?" After a moment, Sterling pulled out another file and started writing in it.

"What are you writing?" Nick asked after a while.

"Sorry, I can't tell you," Sterling said. He glanced up. "Doctor patient confidentiality and all that."

Nick's shoulders dropped slightly, and he fidgeted.

"Does it bother you?" Sterling asked.

"What?"

"That I'm working on another person's file?" Nick didn't answer, and Sterling went back to writing. "Well, if you don't want to talk, that's fine. I'm sure there's some homework, or something you can work on during this time. Might as well be productive, and considering your grades..." He peeked back in the file. "You could probably use the time."

Nick scoffed and pulled out his books. He started to work on some homework, Sterling covertly watching his every movement. Sterling's phone suddenly went off an hour later, and he stood up. "Well, that times us out for today. See you next week, and we'll be in my office next time."

Nick put away his homework and left. Sterling followed him into the foyer and watched him go.

"What do you think?"

He looked over his shoulder to see a bipedal manticore behind him. His scorpion tail shifted up to follow the gaze of the beings lion head. He wore a well tailored suit, and had a military air about him. An angry scar crossed over his left eye, leaving it milky white.

"I can see why you asked me to work with him, Leander," Sterling said. "He also looks just like-"

"I know," Leander said. "And that stays with us." Leander looked down at Sterling. "So, will you keep seeing him?"

Sterling smiled. "You couldn't stop me if you tried."

Leander offered him a single nod, then wordlessly walked away.