The two Valerian men came in closer, one in front of the other. Their gaze bounced between Shon, Professor Lilah, and the writhing Fraxians around the tents. Their expressions shifted from curiosity to disgust.

“Ha ha ha, what do we have here?” The broad-shouldered one came in closer.

A bony Fraxian woman on the pavement grabbed onto his ankles and let out a few choppy, raspy words. “Ethermine, please. Or ethermax?”

The broad-shouldered Valerian stomped on her wrist in disgust. There was a loud crack, but he kept on walking. Seeing that, the skinny Valerian behind him spitted on that Fraxian and let out a slur.

Finally, they stopped right in front of Shon and Professor Lilah.

The broad-shouldered man leaned in until his nose almost touched Shon. He sniffed a few times, then wrinkled his nose. “An academy Fragger. Not as stinky as the rest, but a Fragger nonetheless.”

Shon clenched his fist. He took every ounce of willpower to stay still, neither flinching back nor throwing a punch.

The skinny man followed suit. He eyed Professor Lilah up and down.

“And we have a Fragger lover here,” he snorted.

Seeing no reaction, the skinny Valerian kicked the tray of sandwiches out of the professor’s hand. Sandwiches scattered the pavement. The starving Fraxians immediately pounced upon the food, picking up pieces of bread and ham off the wet pavement and stuffing them in their mouth.

The skinny guy stomped on a sandwich, but the broad-shouldered man glared back, and he instantly stopped.

“Let them feed,” the broad-shouldered man laughed, entertained by the mess. “Dogs will be dogs.”

The skinny guy immediately laughed along. “Yes, what a bunch of pathetic dogs.”

Shon stepped forward, about to confront the man, but Professor Lilah pulled him back.

“What do you want here?” asked the professor, staring right into the eyes of the two Valerians.

The broad-shouldered man closed in with his towering figure. He bent forward until his nose was inches away from Professor Lilah’s face. “I’m putting these Fraggers back to their place. What do you say?”

Professor Lilah stood still, unflinching. “You have just committed felony battery. I suggest you leave before I take you to court.”

The Valerian man followed her eyes and saw what she was referring to. The woman he stepped on earlier was now writhing on the floor, grabbing onto her arm. Although there was no open wound, a few bones were protruding against the skin.

“You think anybody gives a damn?” he laughed. “Nobody cares about these animals.”

Shon wanted to refute him, but he could not. What the man stated was simply true. Nobody cared about the homeless on the Mill Row, especially not a Fraxian.

“You’ve made your point already,” said Professor Lilah, looking down at the crushed sandwiches. “Why don’t you leave us alone now?”

“Ha! Leave you alone? A Fragger lover like you is no better than these damn Fraggers.”

The professor stayed silent, but her gaze remained fixed on the broad-shouldered man.

Seeing the lack of reaction, the two Valerian men tried to step in closer. However, as they lifted their foot, Professor Lilah spoke again, this time in an intimidatingly calm and clear voice. “If you lay a finger on me, I will make sure you rot behind bars for the rest of your life.”

The broad-shouldered man hesitated. He looked around. “Bullshit. It’s the Mill Row. It’s our words against yours.”

“You are speaking to a Republic-Ordained Professor of a Stormrunner academy. Are you sure your meager words could carry any weight?”

“You expect us to believe that?” taunted the skinny Valerian, but he promptly stopped as the broad-shouldered Valerian raised his finger.

“And don’t you get any ideas on my student,” the professor continued with her calm threats. “He is a selected Stormrunner candidate. You mess with him, you are messing with President Valtora.”

This was the first time Shon saw Professor Lilah lie. However, he quietly played along.

“They’re lying, right?” The skinny man turned to his partner.

The broad-shouldered Valerian stared back and forth between the two, contemplating whether it was worth starting a fight. Ultimately, he decided not to.

“Fuck that bitch and her pet Fragger. It’s not worth it,” he seethed, holding his head high in front of his follower.

Fuming, the two Valerians started to retreat. However, another half-conscious Fraxian vagabond limped into their way. Through the gaps of his remaining teeth, a few incoherent words squeezed out.

This became the last straw for the broad-shouldered Valerian man.

“Damn you! You fucking Fraggers!” he shouted as he punched the beggar across the face. The homeless man collapsed immediately, but the attacks did not stop. The Valerian man stomped on his ribs again and again, cracking a few at a time.

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“You fucking insects.” Another kick to the head and blood spurted everywhere. “How dare you touch me?”

The skinny Valerian stood on the sidelines, terrified. He weighed his options and decided to stay quiet. He did not stop his partner, but neither did he join in.

On the other hand, Shon was done with this bullshit. He could not stand watching an innocent man getting beaten to a pulp. Although not formally trained in combat, he was confident he could knock out that Valerian man within a few punches.

Shon stepped forward, but Professor Lilah blocked him from walking any further.

“Don’t. This isn’t a fight you can win,” she said quietly, reverting to her normal voice.

“I’m sure I can kick their asses if I want to.”

“You win one fight, and what happens after? Once you devolve into violence, it becomes our word against theirs on who started the fight.”

Shon swallowed, a taste of dry bitterness in his mouth. Logically, he knew his testimony would not stand a chance in court. A Fraxian youth defending another homeless Fraxian from two Valerian men in the Mill Row? Nobody would believe him. This harsh realization sparked a seething, resentful fury with him.

“Am I supposed to just stand by and do nothing?”

“We call in law enforcement. I will serve as a witness. You can’t solve every problem with your fists, Shon. You use the instruments of law.”

With that said, Professor Lilah took out a small tube from her pocket. She pointed it at the sky and pulled the string. With a shrill whitle, a blue flare shot up into the sky, combusting a hundred feet above where they stood. The bright blue hue masked the entire Mill Row, sending all vagabonds back to their tents.

At the sight of the blue luminance, the two Valerians instantly stopped. They knew that all law enforcement within five miles had seen that flare. While the police could not care less about the homeless bashing each other’s heads in, they also knew that the homeless did not carry flares. The blue light meant someone outside got in trouble.

The broad-shouldered man threw his victim onto the ground and took a few steps away. Fortunately, the poor Fraxian was still breathing. The Valerian man grabbed his partner and started retreating into the darkness.

By the time the cops showed up, they would have long disappeared into the labyrinth of alleyways.

Before he even realized, Shon began striding toward them. He was sick of it — their condescension, their bloodlust, their cowardice. He could not let them get away with hurting another innocent Fraxian. Imitating those Valerian students at the exam, he raised his fists by his chin.

However, before he could go further, Professor Lilah physically inserted herself in front of Shon, not letting him take another stop.

“Stop right there, Shon!”

“No. I can’t let them get away.”

“The law enforcement saw the flare. They will be here shortly.”

“We both know that’s gonna take too long. These men will be gone.”

Professor Lilah refused to bulge. “You have no right to take the law into your own hands. None of us do. That’s not how I taught you.”

“Respectfully, professor, this is not the right time for lessons.”

“This is precisely the right time. Have you learned nothing from my classes? From the Academy? Fraxian auxiliaries are forbidden to make a citizen’s arrest. If you lay hands on them right now, you are just as guilty for assault and battery.”

“So what if it’s illegal? It’s the right thing to do!”

“It may be the right thing at this moment, but what about in the long term?”

“What do you mean?”

“You are a Stormrunner candidate, a student of the Academy. You are supposed to embody the best of all Fraxians.”

“Fuck that. It isn’t my duty to represent my race.”

“The moment you entered the Academy, it became your duty!” Professor Lilah raised her voice.

Shon was taken aback. He had never seen Professor Lilah yell in anger. Before he could respond, the professor continued. “Do you know how long I have fought alongside fellow activists — both Fraxian and Valerians — for Fraxians kids to have the right to higher education? We fought for three decades to open the first academy, and another two to expand the curriculum beyond Stormrunning, to teach arts, history, philosophy, and all those subjects vital for the formation of a person.

“We fought against the prejudices that Fraxians are some barbaric savages, to prove that with higher education, you will become not only dignified members of our society but also contributors and innovators. And now, Shon, look at yourself. Are you going to prove us wrong, all because you can’t hold back your temper?”

Shon’s eyes fell to the ground, defiance and shame warring within him. However, the professor was right. During all these years at the Academy, he was so fixated on becoming a Stormrunner that he lost sight of the broader issues at hand. Within those sheltered walls, he took his education for granted, even viewing it as a burden, when so many Fraxians out there would give everything for such a privilege.

“I know this isn’t fair, nor is it easy,” Professor Lilah continued. “But whether you like it or not, you are already in the limelight. You will be watched by Valerians and Fraxians alike. Your behavior will define what it means to be a Fraxian.”

Shon inhaled, then exhaled. His mind was racing to process these words. He fought to open his eyes against the rage and denial. Tides of resistance clashed against reason, sending splatters of scorn for society. However, despite all the reluctance, he began to see the inevitability of his responsibility, that his mere existence as an academy Fraxian had warranted the baggage placed upon him.

Slowly, Shon unclenched his fist. Beside him, the badly beaten Fraxian remained lying on the ground. From his swollen lips and shattered teeth, a weak whimper escaped. At least he was still alive.

The two Valerian men escaped into the alleyways. Shon kept his gaze on them till their silhouettes faded into the shadow. If eyes could kill, they would have been dead a thousand times.

Slowly, Shon closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the anger and helplessness wash over him. He chased no further.

He looked at the sky, taking in the eerie silence that ensued the chaos. All the whimpers and cries and cacophony of life had disappeared. After a long moment, he heard some noise at last.

The two Valerian men reemerged from the darkness. This time, all their cruel arrogance was stripped away.

As they drew closer, Shon located the reason for their unease. Three dark shadows stood beyond them. Seeing that the cops finally arrived, Shon let out a breath of relief.

However, something seemed off.

The two Valerian men continued to retreat closer. Shon could now see their bodies clearly trembling with fear.

The three dark shadows beyond them simply closed in. There was no siren, no barking orders, no arrest. Shon shivered, a sudden chill creeping up his spine.

As a sudden gust of wind blew away the clouds, Shon could finally see them clearly under the moonlight.

They were no cops. They wore no uniforms. Despite the chilly air, their arms were bare. What stood out the most were the gigantic dragon tattoos coiling around each of their arms.

At a closer look at these men, Shon understood why the air around him became unnaturally cold. All their eyes were glowing orange, the sign of Fraxians manipulating thermal energy in their surroundings.

The air cooled down even further, but the three of them showed neither fear nor fatigue. This drop in temperature was not some primitive Fraxian fight-or-flight response. This was an intentional projection of power.

And the only thing on their faces was grim bloodlust.