“Hey, Maya.”

Abigail hid behind Sarah as the words sent a shiver down her spine. Clo hadn’t said them in any fancy way, but she couldn’t help but remember the fight when she saw him. It chilled his words until she felt like it was the reaper himself saying them. Sarah’s presence helped her relax though. Abigail was confident that Sarah could defeat Clo regardless of what their ranks indicated. That didn’t stop Abigail from squeezing Sarah’s arm a little harder.

The others at the table were reacting better, although only slightly. After the jerk from earlier, Sarah felt ready to cut. Abigail could feel her arm twitch slightly when Clo took a spot across from her at the table. Neither of them was smiling. Sabrina was glaring at Maya with so much repressed anger that made Abigail want to take a picture. If looks could kill, she would plaster that image on a shield. Cain openly stared at Clo whose face was decidedly blank. Abigail had no idea what was going through his head.

The final person and the one to blame for this situation was sweating a lot and actually looked too nervous to talk for once. Maya looked at Clo but didn’t quite meet his eyes. She seemed to be struggling with a response. Clo didn’t press her for a response either, but when he reached for a slice of pizza, everyone jumped a little. The suddenness of everything broke the silence, and Maya spoke.

“You saw my message. And you’re here! Oh, and you sent a response. I, uh, didn’t see it. But yeah. Hi! I’m glad you could make it.”

Maya nearly shouted some of the words in her embarrassment. Her face was nearly as pink as her hair, and Abigail winced. Cain winced. Sabrina winced and covered her mouth to stop from laughing at her friend. At that moment, everyone realized just how bad her crush was. Abigail wanted to pat her on the back and compliment her for having the courage to invite him to something like this. She couldn’t imagine doing the same if she was interested in someone. That took some serious fortitude and courage. It didn’t make the response any less awkward though, and Abigail waited to see how Clo would respond.

She couldn’t blame Maya either. Clo was seriously attractive, well into the realms of a movie star. She could admit that, even if his very presence made her skin crawl. Clo smiled slightly, and Abigail noticed someone at another table fake swoon at the gesture. Maya nearly did it in real-time. Was he interested in her, or was he messing with her? Abigail couldn’t believe that someone like him could be genuinely interested in someone like Maya. If Abigail could call Maya anything, it would be friendly. She was instantly worried for her new friend and was determined to watch Clo like an eagle.

“Yeah, the teacher banned me from training until Thursday. I saw your invitation then, and decided to check this place out.”

Clo responded normally enough, but she wasn’t going to let her guard down that easily. Maya looked desperate for a response and turned to her and Sarah in desperation. Abigail suddenly grew alarmed and gave her a look of total confusion. She really tried to convey an ‘I have no idea what to say’ message to the other girl. Cain, of all people, provided salvation.

“You got banned from training? Why? And I’m Cain, by the way.”

Abigail nearly clapped at the normal response. Nearly, she settled for squeezing Sarah’s arm even harder.

“I know you, and everyone here. Apparently, you need to let your body adjust to attribute changes before training more. The teacher had to tell me and decided to force the matter too.”

His response was only a little creepy. Sarah knew literally everyone in the grade by rank and reputation, so this was only a little creepy to her. That being said, she did not dare to respond.

“Improving too fast. I wish I had that problem.”

Cain’s smooth reply got a nod from everyone. Even she nodded along but froze when she recognized what she was doing. This was too normal. It was just wrong. Sabrina seemed caught on something and spoke very genially.

“So, your training area is empty? Could you let someone else use it? I mean, I’ve never even seen the private ones.”

“Maybe? I don’t know how it works exactly, but I can ask the teacher tomorrow.”

Again, his response was normal. So controlled that it felt weirdly intentional. It reminded her too much of how Sarah talked to strangers. Clo’s gaze shifted as the next movie began playing. It was a zombie movie, one that she had actually seen. It wasn’t really all that scary, it just had a few annoying jump scares. She knew when they were though and could, and would, close her eyes in advance.

“That would be great, thanks.”

Sabrina replied normally, but Maya was a little jumpier.

“Yeah, thanks!”

The girl’s reaction felt out of place from her previous behavior. Did they have a history or something? She doubted it, but Maya was acting weird, even for a crush. Cain, on the other hand, was surprisingly normal. Well, he wasn’t any different than he had been thus far, which was admittedly a little strange in her opinion.

“D-do you like the movie?”

Maya asked the question carefully. She was obviously trying to calm herself down and failing spectacularly. Clo shrugged, and it was an intimidating shrug. His somewhat friendly tone didn’t match his image. The image she had created for him.

“I don’t know. Never actually seen a movie before.”

Maya nodded quickly, and started explaining what the movie was about. Abigail paused, froze at his response. Did he just say he had never seen a movie before? Any movie? She couldn’t even imagine that. Her schools had shown enough movies in class that she couldn’t possibly avoid them. Maya clearly hadn’t noticed. She talked as if he just meant this movie in particular. Abigail didn’t think he was the type to make that kind of mistake. Her gaze drifted past him to the other tables that were only faintly illuminated by the light of the screen. She realized how many eyes were on her table. Everyone was watching them, or rather, everyone was watching Clo. She was too, and the whole situation made her skin crawl.

Everyone, Maya especially was treating the whole thing like it was normal. She was at the fight but didn’t seem to care or remember. It felt like she was the only one who actually remembered. It had been so close. Clo almost killed a person, and yet here they all were, acting as if it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t let it end like that. She forced herself to speak and jumped into the conversation before Maya could ask him more.

“Y-you almost killed that other guy. How could you do that?”

His gaze spun from Maya toward her, and she gripped Sarah’s arm tighter to calm herself. Even still she felt one foot slide back instinctively. It was just a question, and he was just a person. She shouldn’t be so scared of him. Not with Sarah here at least. She hadn’t been all that loud with her question, but it silenced a part of the room. Everyone who had heard went silent. The others at the table were just as paralyzed. Cain stared at her with a look of genuine surprise which felt a little hurtful to see. It somehow reminded her of the kind of look someone would give to a small child who managed to complete a chore successfully. Maya didn’t try to salvage the situation and simply waited for an answer like the others.

“It was a duel and the simplest way to win.”

He shrugged and acted as though that was all.

“You won when you cut off his legs. That wasn’t that.”

Abigail snapped back quickly, more than a little surprised to find the courage for even that. She didn’t like Clo, not just for his callousness, but because it felt like he was playing a game here. Her mental stats might not be the best, but she had been around self-important people to recognize one.

“I don’t know what answer you want, but that’s just how I fight.” His gaze lifted and drifted over the room so that everyone that was listening saw his eyes. “I will fight to kill.”

His face was calm, yet his words felt hot. They made her even angrier. This was just a crazy person pretending. Someone who committed evil acts like they were the most normal thing in the world. She let her thoughts out and noticed Sarah move ever so slightly in front of her.

“It’s wrong. You can’t just kill people.”

“Are you able to buy easy trials?”

He interrupted her, and she was about to snap back but froze. The question caught in her throat, and she hesitated. She knew that her trial would be considered one of the easiest. While the puzzle had been dangerous, she hadn’t even needed to complete the whole thing. Her face felt hot, and the many stares directed at her practically poked her. Shame filled her immediately, and she fought back tears. It wasn’t sadness but just embarrassment that called the tears. She would not cry here, not now. Sarah noticed and spoke to save her.

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

“Everyone’s trial is their own. It is exactly what they deserve to receive. If yours was easy or hard, it was exactly what you deserved.”

Sarah’s voice was cold. Her presence felt sharp, and Sabrina took a small step away from her. Abigail squeezed Sarah’s arm in thanks and looked toward Clo to see how he would respond. Abigail was part of a great family and needed to act like one. She couldn’t leave everything to Sarah. Especially since she chose to confront him. She set her to resolve, only to see Clo nod.

“Yeah, that makes sense. I was just curious because I know that big families can pass down their gifts. It implies that they can affect the trials somehow and don’t know how. If not money, then is there a power threshold? “

Abigail realized that he was talking around the original point. If the conversation kept going this way, then he could still pretend to be a person. She interrupted him.

“Our backgrounds don’t matter. Just because you don’t have money, doesn’t mean you get to kill people.”

She must have finally said the right thing because his cold façade broke momentarily. It was brief, but she saw the genuine look of disgust flash across his face. He had looked at her like she was trash, and she had to wonder if anyone else had seen. Then realized they probably had. This whole confrontation would definitely be recorded and public. She grinned. She had finally gotten under his skin.

“Only someone like you could…No never mind, that isn’t the point. I don’t really understand why you are interrogating me, and I don’t need to answer, but it’s simple enough. I killed people in my trial. Enough so that I can do it again.”

Abigail had a response to that. This was an extremely common debate and that specific point had been brought up more than once with her family. She honestly didn’t know why she felt the need to expose Clo, but the thought of letting him just act normal gave her goosebumps. She opened her mouth, but another’s voice carried over to them.

“Found You!”

Some random dude walked up to him. He was big and not a member of her class. Orange hair and a scruffy beard probably meant he was among the oldest in their year. He was taller than Sarah and Clo by a head, and he stared down at Clo with obvious hatred. He stood directly behind Clo who didn’t so much as react to the guy’s presence. Abigail saw the completely unfazed look on Clo’s face with awe. She wanted to be able to pull that off. How would her parents react if she managed that the next time, they yelled at her? It might be funny in that situation, but not in this one.

“Finally crawl out of ye’r the wastes you rat bastard. Yeah, I did some digging. Ye’r from the wastes and need to be stomped like the roach ye are.”

The large man’s voice was louder than expected, and it carried to nearly every table. Instantly people began to focus on the scene. Abigail tried to squeeze even further behind Sarah than she already was. The others at the table turned toward the man and winced at the furious expression on his face. His brows dipped like a cartoon character as a vein was outlined on his forehead. His expression alone would’ve caused a commotion, but his words were even more effective. Abigail realized she was missing something and whispered into Sarah’s ear.

“What’s with everyone?”

Sarah responded even more quietly. This was a bigger reaction than her argument earlier.

“The wastes are the trash worlds. I doubt many people here even know that people live there.”

Abigail’s own eyes widened and blushed at the pointed look Sarah gave her. She had heard of the worlds, but she was one of those who didn’t think people lived there. Weren’t they made from literal garbage? Wait, people could survive there? She almost couldn’t believe it. She wondered how Clo would respond. He rubbed his chin with a confused look on his face. Abigail’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets at his response.

“Who are you?”

Clo said the words so flatly, that she wondered if he was actually related to Sarah. Not many people could pull off a response like that in front of that expression. Acting that aloof was a skill in itself. Clo avoided the subject all together, and his response made it seem like it was something that didn’t matter. The orange-haired man didn’t like that response and grabbed Clo’s collar and lifted him from the ground.

“I’m the brother of the man ye tried to kell.”

The moment flashed into her mind clearly. By the way, everyone turned to Clo, they remembered the moment too. Abigail found it more than a little horrifying that she had been able to talk to him. Even if just for a moment, she hadn’t thought it would be possible. How had he done that? A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of it.

“Again, who?”

Clo’s response made her mouth fall open. She stared like that as more than a handful of people mimicked her expression. The ginger guy's face twisted, and she thought he would throw a punch. Instead, he went with something arguably more extreme. His whole chest vibrated with each word, and Abigail thought she could feel heat radiating from his body.

“I’m goin to kill you. I challenge ye to a duel.”

“No, you are too weak.”

Abigail saw it as Clo’s eyes passed over the man to his friends. The look of complete dismal even offended her, and she wasn’t even the target. Did he even see the other guy as a person? She actually doubted it. He spoke again after looking at the other two. His words broke the silence in the room.

“Actually, I’ll fight all three of you at once.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Clo P.O.V

Clo stared at the large man as a thought struck him. The teacher had said that unfair fights were a good way to acquire recognition or gifts. He wasn’t entirely sure if that was true, but that had been one of the reasons he had been training against groups of simulated opponents. This seemed like a good opportunity to test that theory against real people. Plus, it would show him if his training was actually effective. Clo smiled, knowing that it would infuriate all three people.

In truth, Clo recognized Sean as soon as he approached. Clo had done his research and knew that this encounter would happen. Honestly, he was surprised that it had taken this long. Sean was weaker than his brother and was in truth a worthless opponent. A fight against someone at his level was pointless and annoying. A fight against him and two of his lackeys sounded more interesting. He didn’t know who they were or what abilities they had, but he saw a great sword on one and a bow on the other. The archer might be annoying, but he had a plan for him. Clo made his challenge and swatted Sean’s arms away. Clo’s jacket was getting ruined. It was something he wouldn’t have cared about a year ago.

“Well, what do you guys say?”

He eyed the one with the great sword. The man rivaled Sean for bulk, who was a bull of a man himself, though he had black hair. The archer on the other hand was short and stocky almost like a fantasy dwarf though a taller one. He was about as big as Abigail. The two boys matched Sean’s furious expression.

Clo gave them a cocky grin. It was half genuine. He didn’t really know if he could win against three people, but he knew he wouldn’t die either. Any other result didn’t matter much to him. The teacher had forced him to rest. Whether he did that in a hospital or at home didn’t matter to him. Plus, he was sure he had a chance to win. It might not be easy, but he was far stronger than any of them individually. Also, this fight would do more to end the argument with Abigail than anything he could say. Sometimes a person just needed to see what the real world was like to understand. Sean grinned like a crazy person.

“Ye’r dead. C’mon Jack, get the healer.”

As requested, a healer walked into the room. The woman wore the same robes as the last referee that Clo had met. She had long vaguely blue hair and looked at the entire class with a bored expression. Sean and the other two approached her. They began getting rid of tables and setting up an arena to fight in. He watched them until Maya drew his attention.

“Here? A-are you sure Clo?”

Maya yelped in shock and stuttered through her question. He was genuinely surprised by her more than anyone else. She did not look meek, nor had the email given him that impression. Despite that, she was awkward and jumpy. She floundered through normal responses at the best of times, and he seriously wondered how she, of all people, managed the courage to send him a message. He knew what his reputation was, and that action impressed him. Plus, she didn’t seem to care about what he had done or his origins. The table wasn’t entirely like that. Abigail was the opposite. She was quiet and obviously terrified of him. The fact that she managed to question him was still a surprise. Clo nodded at her in his response.

“It’s fine.”

“Good luck then!”

That response threw him for a loop. He had expected his past to come out at some point. This was a little earlier than he expected, and the reaction was better than he thought. Maya, for one, didn’t seem to care at all. A few other faces in the crowd indicated that some people had already known. He mostly ignored the others and focused on Maya. She had wished him luck. He couldn’t remember the last time that happened. He couldn’t help it, and he smiled at her. It was the first genuine smile of the night.

“Thanks.”

He said the word with a little laugh. A part of him said that she was either crazy or manipulating him, and he didn’t care. Either way, it was familiar. Multiple people flashed through his mind at her attitude. A soldier who had laughed as she slaughtered hundreds. An emperor who gave the same smile to angels and demons. He couldn’t help but wonder if he was being played, and the thought amused him like no other. She was another person he wanted now. She joined the list with Cain, Sarah, and the teacher.

“Done with yer whore. I’m ere for a fight.”

Clo rolled his eyes at the jab, but Sabrina’s face grew dark. Her gaze turned steely too and her hand twitched. She didn’t attack Sean but caught Clo looking at her.

“Kill them.”

She said the words with all the hate of a friend scorned. His smile grew a little wider. This night was turning out far better than he had hoped. Honestly, his first week had led him to expect weak-willed cowards. It turned out that there were plenty of students who were more than ruthless enough for him. During the argument, he caught several tables sharing the same discussion. It must be a more common argument than he thought. It did make him wonder why Abigail singled him out. Was it because he had no one backing him? If it was, he was giving her too little credit. In this situation, Sabrina probably didn’t mean it like that. He would put it to the test soon enough.

He walked over to the little clearing that had formed around the three men. He noticed Arthur pleading with the healer to no avail. She had no intention of stopping the fight. In fact, as soon as Clo stepped into the makeshift arena, she nodded at him and clapped her hands together. The arena wasn’t anything special. Just an empty area with a circle painted on the ground indicating the boundaries. The healer looked over all the participants before speaking.

“Looks like everyone is ready. You may begin.”