The front runner from the duo lazily surveyed the class from left to right. It was at the end of their scan that they exhaled deeply and mumbled. "Finally."
He slothfully glanced at his phone and held it up far too close to his face. "Hmmm," he muttered, squinting at his device. He struggled with it for a moment before the boy behind him snatched the phone from his hand and lectured, "for god's sake, Lenny, if you aren't going to use the contacts I bought you, at least wear your glasses."
The follower was a pale shorter male with light, pulled-back hair and odd custom-fitted slacks shortened on just one leg. He had sharp dark eyebrows, a leather collar, and the vibe of an argumentative protective-older brother. He used the phone of the student named Lenny and sent a message on his behalf before tossing it back to him.
The lagging student missed the toss and bent over to grab their device while whispering, "Yea... my bad."
"Whatever, I alerted the others for you. Let's bag this guy before they arriv-" a low grunt sounded from the edge of the class before a wooden stool was launched at the adverted intruders. It appeared like a solid hit, but the taller male's arm snapped up and sliced the seat clean in half before it clashed with the wall behind them and fractured.
"There are easier ways to kill yourself," said Mr. Dover. He reached toward the sky, grabbed an invisible item, then pulled a full-sized car tire from nothing. There was an apparent weight to the wheel as his veins protruded and flexed to regulate its position. At the same time, the students of the class rose from their seats and began to clamor.
"Chill," commanded the collared boy. He lifted the back of his shirt and withdrew twin half-sized katanas. Much less inconspicuous than his partner, who dangled a ring dagger from their finger.
"They do this every time," he complained. "We're JUST here for Gavin; no one else needs to get involved."
It was Dragons turf. The one thing that was ingrained into their minds from the day they stepped on campus was the divide between factions. Most of the class rose, equipping their seats and activating their powers in retort to the unwanted guest.
Every tear, wrinkle, and blood stain on the two invaders' clothes portrayed a theory. Or, a doubt. Anyone not immersed in the extravagant ideal of their first school fight would consider how those two strangers made it up to the sixth floor of the enemy zone.
Risk aside, no one would get punked in their own class. The teacher began their offense, twisting his body and hauling the tire like a competitive disc thrower. The tire was blasted across the room when he released it, but the boy in the sweater gripped his ring dagger and effortlessly slashed it in two. Whether wood, rubber, or stone, the universities' manufactured blades were designed to slice most things; however, they had less lethality against specific characteristics like skin.
Though outnumbered, the duo was much better equipped and experienced. Once the first person began their charge, others followed. Friendly fire limited the amount of magic utilized, but those with weapon abilities led their raid. At the same time, Lenny's partner scraped his twin swords together, which ignited two distinct auras around them. The left blade radiated a luminous, white energy, while the right flickered with black waves.
Before anyone reached them, he held the white-lit sword up like lady liberty and exclaimed, "flash!" The moment the word was released, a blinding light blanketed the room, stunning anyone who'd so unluckily had their eyes open.
While the group of students was flashed, their other senses heightened. But, even though they could feel the dashing footsteps of the Lion students and hear the screams of others as they were cut by their blades, they couldn't see.
Amidst that blinded hell, bodies stumbled and collapsed, toppling into each other and bashing against the stools on the floor. This catastrophe endured for half a minute. Only thirty seconds. But, when the color returned to their world, the scene was rearranged.
Both of the Lion students were vacant from their location in front of the class door. Not just them, but the nearly twenty war-ready students were reduced to just six.
Vin, who was still asleep; four others who rubbed their eyes to regain bearing; and Figgy, who was pinned against the back wall. The rest of the population was butchered, littering the classroom floor like a fleshy carpet.
The instructor, Mr. Dover, stood in front of one of his students with a punctured and rapidly deflating tire.
Lenny was there with his dagger lodged into the tire; however, the boy didn't acknowledge the man. Even though he was faced with the teacher, he only stared at the student who was shivering slightly behind Mr. Dover.
The speed at which bodies had dropped, it was clear that the two invaders intended to eradicate the weaker targets first and save the only threats, the professor and Vin, for last. Yet, that plan was thwarted because the older man contained Lenny before he could reach his targets.
Even Figgy, the influencer with the tutorial channel, had sufficiently defended themself. Their arms had secured their skateboard in front of their abdomen where the second attacker's blade had strived. Furthermore, his button-up shirt was pulled over his head, which looked wacky, but he'd managed to survive his assassin.
There was a brief stalemate between the four locked individuals until Lenny abandoned the dagger lodged into the tire and awakened another. He jerked back, sidestepped, then lunged the new weapon toward the student Mr. Dover protected.
He didn't have a background in fighting. Still, the teacher was a hefty fellow, so it was plain sailing for him to yank the tire into the trajectory of the second dagger. It drilled into the rubbery defense, only to become encased inches from the original weapon. Lenny, for the first time, liberated the cowering student from his gaze and eyeballed the large man before him. "Huge," he mumbled.
They attempted to dislodge either knife but lacked the physical might to accomplish this. Instead, the slothful male normalized their breathing as if they weren't challenged at all. He forsook those blades, then tumbled toward the floor as if limp. Falling, he pulled a third hidden dagger and stabbed Mr. Dover's thigh on the way down. It happened too fast for the man to counter, and thanks to the brain implant, the blade didn't need to pierce his flesh to provoke an ensuing agony.
Figgy heard the man's groan and shook his head free from his clothing, only to glimpse the educator falling to one knee.
The skateboard Figgy used to shield himself propelled his assailant away, allowing him to circle behind them to join the surviving students. A joint assault would surely yield better results, only the subject of their incursion wasn't so daring.
Before being swarmed, they raised the black blade and exclaimed, "shroud!" Immediately after his command, an abysmal smog curtained the chamber and blacked it out. In the little time of zero visibility, the final few feathers were plucked from the faction. Figgy was once again guarding themself with their skateboard, eyes squeezed tightly but still, somehow blocking the enemy attack.
Meanwhile, the only other survivors were Vin, and Mr. Dover, who was spared but prone and immobile. Rather than waste time on a man somewhat capable of defending himself, Lenny had used the smoke screen to strike his real target.
He was unquestionably adept enough to rob the life of a narcoleptic. During the blackout, he had commenced his strike and expected nothing less than a corpse when the light returned.
Mission accomplished, he believed. His blade had definitely struck someone. Someone warm. Very warm. Lenny's hand had heated considerably after he stabbed Vin. An unnatural amount. He was curious about what kind of human furnace they were to be nearly burning him through mere contact.
It was only a half-minute, but Lenny was anxious to discover the outcome of his endeavor. There was no reason to sweat; he'd heard that Vin was a first-semester skate major, and the teacher was the only threat there. He, a battleground major, would never fail, yet when the light returned, he realized he had blundered.
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Their bottom lip dropped, and their iris dilated. Lenny discovered that what he stabbed wasn't Vin. Not at all; there was someone or something directly in front of him that caught the dagger. It was an unstable, jet-black flaming figure with a child's build. It was a bare shape with little features aside from its narrow, violent eyes and the crown that sat atop its long feathery hair. Every part of their condition was constructed of fire, more of a gas than solid like a human.
Lenny fluttered his eyes to ensure he wasn't seeing remnants of his partner's ability, but the crowned child was still there. He processed enough to figure out a summon had halted him, a run-of-the-mill power. He was confident no creature could overcome his years of training and regressed to his usual tiresome self.
He pulled the blade, but it didn't budge, not a millimeter. No matter how much Lenny pulled, the weapon was lodged into the hand of that thing. It was baffling. Impossible that a mere summon of that stature had the strength to overpower him.
Absolutely frustrating.
<>
Lenny wasn't muscular. Never had been; because of his delicate body, he was often mocked growing up. Out of his four brothers, he was the only son that didn't inherit their dad's steel bod. Even the youngest sibling, a daughter, managed to bulk out more. As a joke, she cut her hair and transformed into a tomboy to claim she was one of the sons. Consequently, if anyone asked, they would tell them Lenny was the sole daughter of the family, a cross-dressing girl.
He was embarrassed to exist near his family. He'd never won in arm wrestling, never gained weight no matter how much he ate, and never had a surplus of energy. 'Lenny, the sloth' is what they called him.
It was a nickname that lived until one unsetting day. His father was an athlete himself and often sparred with his favorite sons. On one occasion, he pulled his daughter and Lenny for a lesson. He gave them both swords, but Lenny couldn't bear the weight, so he gave him a lightweight knife about 7 inches long.
So light, so small, yet it was considered a weapon, dangerous to humans.
Something about that tool resonated within his hands, and he found himself mobile. As versatile as the knife he welded, it carried him in circles around his father, dodging every blow and eventually landing a hit on them. Lenny grew exhausted quickly but found confidence in the brief time he could battle.
Years passed, and he became proficient with a dagger. No one in his family could touch him, and he'd end most fights before they began. Eventually, he competed on a larger stage but failed in drawn-out events. That was until he met Hitch, a slower but durable swordsman with a unique ability to blind his opponents. What one lacked, the other compensated, and together they forged their spot in the new world of mixed martial arts.
<>
It was pure coincidence that Lenny and Hitch were enrolled in the career management course as Fray and Zach. They weren't besties or anything, their majors were different so they didn't cooperate outside of that class. Still, Zach was kind to them, even used his long-necked summon to help them attempt but inevitably fail to assassinate their teacher. That stood for something. The least the duo wanted to do, was zero their associates alleged murderers, Crow and Vin.
Initiate plan, "search every class until we find them."
Lenny never relied on his physical power to kill. As such, he carried additional weapons for when he inevitably lost some. He accepted that he was weaker than the flaming entity before him, then pulled a fourth knife to slay the individual that blocked his way. Its rugged blade propelled at it, but with a simple yank of the creature's arm, Lenny's feet were uprooted from the floor, and his body was sent soaring. He sailed across the class, crashed into the university's irregular walls, and smashed through to the next room, leaving a cloud of dust.
Hitch yelled his name in trepidation, then kicked Figgy away before dashing toward the black figure with raised weapons. "I'll murder all of you!" he roared with wide, hysterical eyes.
As someone who relied on the element of surprise, he knew better than to turn his back on the enemy. Yet, his anger blinded him. It was a mistake he paid for dearly because a skateboard was cracked over his head and slit his connection to consciousness.
Figgy blinked in quick succession, at a loss for words. Then he looked quirkily at his board in a manner that judged that he was just lost in the moment. "I- I got him?"
The boy threw his hands up in success and woo'd aloud. Students in the class next door could hear him through the hole in the wall, but it didn't wake Vin, who'd been slumped in his seat. Where he rested, inches from his deadened presence, was the entity that only he would be able to identify as Miyo.
A mystifying creature that continued to break the walls of reasoning to protect its user. Even mimicking their human form to rescue them in a critical moment.
The threat was dispelled, but their heated atmosphere didn't quell. Miyo stood at face height with the seated Vin, frowning with their eyes as they observed his idle face. Miyo seemed to relish that perspective, that fresh angle of their human companion. Nevertheless, they knew it was temporary, for reasons only they understood.
Miyo had not gained a voice with their form but hailed Onyx with intention alone. The demon emerged in its compact form a few yards behind them, bowing in respect to its authority.
Invisible utterances were cast by Miyo, who did not face but only angled their head toward the demon king. After receiving their communication, Onyx lowered their head further. "Yes, your highness, I heard your command to save the human."
Miyo pivoted toward DK, lifted their head in superiority, and unhurriedly approached them. Their fiery hair was so long and dispersed they stepped on it as they closed the distance.
"Disobedient?" Onyx responded, reiterating an unheard message. "With all due respect," he said with a beastly grit.
"I am obliged to serve you, NOT that lowly, clueless human," replied DK. Evidently, the horned creature was discontent with what Miyo had been communicating. Figgy and Mr. Dover, who had regained his tolerance to stand, watched while expecting there to be a scuffle between the two.
The phrase 'Lowly Human' had compelled Miyo's hands into a fist and excited the flames comprising its body. However, they soon disengaged and returned to Vin. They gazed lovingly at him for seconds as if ashamed. Then, Miyo removed the black, flaming crown from their own head and sat it on Vin's.
This act irked Onyx; it was no secret that the demon was disinclined to aid its summoner, but Vin wasn't just a summoner to Miyo. He didn't abuse their power to win or treat them like a tool; he cherished them as partners and family. He got mad when others insulted their original form and cried when they were separated. That 'Lowly Human' was the most important thing to them.
At the very least, Onyx could admit Vin wasn't the same as most humans. They called him and Elaine fools for treating summons with any affection. Even though the demon acted high and mighty, they knew that in the broader sense, SFX's whole existence was intended for entertainment, which infuriated it.
Though Miyo and DK shared the same mechanical components, the two entities had varying values and beliefs. Miyo gave up trying to reason with them and accepted that the demon would prove unreliable in protecting his human brother.
Following a wave of its hand, the dark butterfly and the head of the giant giraffe emerged from the floor. Both appeared in compliance with their role and silently swore their loyalty even if their size would sometime make aiding Vin difficult.
Too much time had passed since the initial commotion, and people from the class over began peering from the damaged wall. Before disappearing, Miyo pointed toward Figgy, the boy that attempted to protect Vin from the teacher. When faced, he jabbed his index finger into his chest and murmured, "Me?"
Miyo nodded, then pivoted toward Vin once more. They slid their palms against the left and right side of his cheek, then leaned in to kiss his forehead. Following the peck, Miyo and every other summon there disintegrated into formless flames, which eventually met and reshaped into a phoenix.
The teacher from one class over entered to the bird landing on Vin's lap and then observed the massacre. They underreacted and started with a "damn Hughie, not even one day as an educator."
Mr. Dover clicked their teeth, then pointed to where Hitch was knocked down. "If I see either of those brats' faces, I'll end 'em."
"Already gone," revealed the neighboring teacher. Mr. Dover looked down, and as stated, the Lion student had vanished.
"Same with the person you tossed into our class; when we tried to finish them off, they suddenly turned invisible. My guess is that they had allies nearby."
The large man attempted to remain calm but cursed and kicked a random stool that crashed into his desk. The lunchbox on top fell, hit the floor, and spilled the lasagna that was prepared for lunch.
It must have been well cooked because Vin finally opened his eyes, raised his head, and sniffed the air. His eyes were barely open, but he could see the litter of bodies across the floor. His stomach growled, which almost took priority over the questions he had, but he lazily asked, "what happened?"
Mr. Dover's right eye twitched with rage, and he muttered, "I'm already screwed; what's one more dead student."
The large man stormed toward Vin, raised his fist, but paused when met with Miyo's watched gaze. "Dammit," he cursed. "I should have stuck with driving..."