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>X<

If you ever attended Decorous Academy, there was a good chance that you've heard the school's deans reinforcing with every—single—bit of their soul that Decorous Academy was a safe, disciplined, and secure learning environment for all young knights in need of enrichment.

Under no circumstance should you believe that lie.

For one, if you so happened to find yourself attending Decorous Academy which by all means was a good thing, you would successfully be in for quite a physically painful experience. Especially if you aren't strong enough.

Strong enough for what, now?

Strong enough to defend yourself against those who wish to forcefully imprint their will on other students, of course!

Sometimes, Reia would see kids stripped of their possessions or simply inflicted with some sort of petrification spell that could leave their body paralyzed for several hours and if someone were to try and move that petrified person, said petrified person would shatter into a thousand very fine itsy bitsy pieces. A horrifying sight though at least when the time was up, the spell would assemble that victim right back together like a jigsaw puzzle.

And typically no consequences would fall upon the aggressors, whether this was meant as a way to toughen the student body or negligence on the facility's part was solely up for interpretation.

And well, that's literally what had happened to this red-haired kid right in front of Reia, just as she was thinking that it would be a good day, while she was on her way to alchemy...

She was walking down the halls of the swordplay department, when the laughing and cringe caught her attention.

This red-haired boy was surrounded by three other male knights, all present clad in matching black uniforms. Though the redhead dude was what one would call: clubless—and Reia knew this because he was missing a bandana or really anything obvious article that'd signify club allegiance, while all the other boys had black diamond symbols printed on top of a sky blue bandanna that they had neatly wrapped around their biceps.

It represented a club that referred to themselves as Deck 52.

And see, as the redhead cowered at the foot of a locker, they petrified him right then and there in a blast of snow-like powder that came out of one of the bully's hands without the single utterance of a spell all there was a blue instantaneous glow...then the kids from Deck 52 walked off all the while goofily wiggling their bodies.

"Hey, why don't you dance with us Peter, c'mon do a little dance."

"It's just a petrification spell Peter, don't be down..."

"Yeah, dude."

But of course, the victim couldn't so much as move his thumbs let alone dance a fool.

Reia should've helped right? Reia should have given aid to her fellow peer—what if she had been in the same position?

But for the sake of shit, Reia walked right past them, maintaining a blank expression and pretending that she didn't see a single thing awkwardly moving a chocolate strand of hair from her vision and she kept going. It was a tactic that had served her well through her years at Decorous; as someone clubless, Reia would only fight when her or one of her friends were in danger.

'It wasn't her problem' was what Reia usually would tell others publically, but in private, and only particularly known to her friends Purah and Maila, Reia longed to do something about the hierarchy of Decorous Academy.

And just walking away felt like Reia was slamming a mini hammer on her every moral bone in her body and yet she still walked right past him.

No help...

No words...

Not even a glance...or one that he would notice,

It would only make it harder.

Was this really what a Knight was supposed to do? Didn't knights help and save people. Like that one knight who'd saved her in the past?

And this simple question was enough to make her shiver.

Was it all out of fear? Or self-preservation? Perhaps both?

See, in all of her three years at Decorous, seventeen-year-old Reia Welsh had seen her fair share of the clubless being abused.

And of course, we all know how amazingly awesome bullying is. Yet Reia still did nothing.

That she'd walked right past a boy in clear need of help—just like every other day at the school.

Trying to forget and improve her own mood, Reia Welsh rushed her way to class, much after the custodians had begun mopping and she knew this because the smell of citrus cleaner invaded her nose and made her eyes burn.

The hallways were lit by a stacked assortment of green flames which hovered mid-air, above all the students, teachers, and sentinel-guards alike, the fire slowly sliding as if on a conveyor belt.

–When right there, as she rounded the corner to the staircase that led to the third floor, the landing right before the staircase, some kid was basically eating dust.

Yeah...another attack.

Not that it was his fault or anything.

But then she realized it wasn't just a kid, it was someone she knew! This boy—Blanket was his name, a serpent specialist in the same year that Reia was in, he had this unusually weird curly steel-white hair that she swore he just dyed and lied to everyone about. Well, anyway, he found himself wrapped from chest to ankle in a long golden chain like a ball of yarn. It emanated a yellow glow, it seemed to be squeezing him and yeah, she didn't like to look at him turn purple either.

Her chest felt like it weighed about thirty bricks.

It looked like someone had taken bleach and thrown it into Blanket's eyes, they were so red—whether, from anger, distress, or...tears, she wasn't sure. What she was sure of was that Blanket didn't deserve this—

Neither did the kid from earlier...

Nobody deserves to be bullied.

With venom, Blankets' eyes went to his attacker, this towering boy who nonchalantly whistled some unfamiliar tune and yanked the glowing chain in his hand like it were a dog's leash.

Either nobody paid attention or they pretended not to—which was typical of most. And unfortunately, Reia fell in with that crowd of those who'd much rather mind their own business.

No one wanted to get involved.

No students.

No instructors.

Not even the sentinels who were hired to guard the student body—yes it was all just a terrific job on the part of the facility. They blatantly ignored a student in his time of need.

And she hated whatever force was holding her back from jumping in and freeing Blanket.

Reia should've taken this manner very personally, personally because as a very young child, a powerful knight had protected her from danger in her own home. The very same night her parents disappeared, he'd protected her without question and with his full will, when not a single soul would.

Funny, and after all that, she couldn't even remember what their faces looked like—yeah no, not even her own parents, no memory of either of the three adults' features.

But the point was, that this knight from her past protected Reia and followed the code to a T. He protected her because he was a beast, with a thirst for battle that outweighed that of all twelve of his opponents that invaded her family home that night, when her parents, who were just disembodied voices at this point, had all but vanished from the face of the Earth.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Again, knights were supposed to protect, never bully or abuse.

See, people tended to skip that part of the code, well at Decorous Academy at least, and she was ashamed to admit it, but Reia just stood there tapping her thigh...nothing like the knight that saved her...

...observing...

She was always just observing.

Always pathetic.

It made her skin crawl, she was useless. Like every single other day—she was useless to help anyone and it made her skin crawl.

If you could defend yourself, but someone else couldn't, weren't you supposed to help them?

How could she acknowledge this, acknowledge all this suffering and mistreatment, and still look the other way, simply because she could defend herself better?

What an amazing moral compass she had, she had to have been just a stupid short brown-haired girl.

She inched closer but they paid no mind to her.

The whistling bully had some height on him, on his head was this brown spiked weirdly dangling hair and a training scar on the bridge of his nose. On his arm was a black bandanna–a bright purple 2-D smiling purple monkey against a solid black theme that proved itself as a representation of the Purple monkeys', the top club around Decorous.

Stupid name?

Yeah, she agreed.

Yet, they were the top dogs at Decorous Academy. Only the most popular, powerful, and skilled knights joined the Purple monkeys.

That's why they were feared—and despite Reia herself being rather skillful, she could never align herself with a group of students who saw themselves superior to their other peers, so much so they'd resorted to destructive naivety, harmful to those who can not defend themselves

"Bro, that can't be it." the scarred boy, said, tugging at the magical chain and suddenly ceasing his whistling "How'd you get into Decorous with that pathetic attempt at fighting? Dude...fight back, already!"

Horrible.

"I didn't want to fight—" The chained victim—Blanket, said, he was just some quiet A-student who she shared her battle tactics class with.

Why did he have to be attacked?

Note, she'd never seen him use a magical ability, though she suspected he was good enough to attend the school; though definitely, not someone you'd really pick up if you need help in a fight or game of Castle, especially since she couldn't spot his serpent summon.

"You're not even trying." Now, the whistling boy almost sounded bored.

It was sick.

"Screw—you! I have class!"

"Oh yeah? What class?"

"What...? Portal and vortex configuration!"

"Psst, bro that's not an important subject—not enough for me to let you go anyway. I mean, are you gonna try to get out? Think about your freaking honor, you can make good shit but how're such a weak pathetic bum?! Go on and try something already!" The chain was pulled and twisted, causing Blanket to groan uncomfortably as he was dragged, and the scarred boy's foot pressed onto the chain crushing Blanket's chest. "Or you can lay there like a grub...just like a dirty grub, yeah, that's a choice too."

Her heart jumped in her chest four times, watching as Blanket bit his bottom lip in desperation.

Again, she hated bullying.

So, why wasn't she moving in to help him?

Why wasn't she doing anything?

She was a knight.

Just like him!

No longer that helpless three year old

Reia's right fist balled, and yet still, she didn't move.

She knew it would make her late, but her brain was swimming through flashbacks.

"So, let's talk, Blanket. When did we say to bring the stuff? Wind my memory."

"I—I had detention..." Blanket answered, but the teen holding the chain didn't like that and with a yank, he increased the pressure on Blanket's chest, with a happy tug, and Blanket let out an agonizing cry. "I had de-ten-tion, didn't you hear me, Brick?!"

Brick... A name she refused to forget.

He was a Purple Monkey for sure, but there had been something else about the kid, something she was missing...

She continued to watch.

"That's bull, you don't get detention. I just think you're a flop, you know we don't like flops."

"I'm not a flop!" Blanket coughed.

"What. Was. The. Time? Bro, I can do this past the bell, Dame Foster doesn't care how late I go—I've got like an 80 in her class. So, let's hear it! The time!?"

CONSTRICT!

"Okay! Okay! Four, it was four o'clock!", Blanket was wheezing and fighting with all his strength to relieve his lungs.

"Right right, bro! Four was the agreed time that you said you'd bring the shit! And let me tell you something, yesterday four o'clock came—the time you agreed to, and guess what?"

Why were they speaking in code? Why wasn't she moving in to get herself involved, as she'd always wanted to?

With that, Blanket didn't say anything, instead just staring in silence.

"You didn't show up!" Brick pulled the chain and with a sudden light that shot from his hand, the chain constricted like a snake at his command, the air in Blanket's lungs were expelled "But you kept the money, didn't you? And hey, maybe it's our fault for just giving you the money before we got our product? Definitely our fault, right? You know how we usually throw down, judgment on the spot! So, I'm going to give you another chance, bro. Give me the money, right now and I won't break your ribs—just— your arms, because I promised my brother I'd break one of your bones."

His arms? No, something told her he needed those.

Blanket wheezed and Brick, completely realizing he'd get nowhere with an unconscious knight, loosened the grip.

With that the silver-haired knight—Blanket, took in a giant inhale.

Two instructors walked down the stairs and didn't even pass the two a glance.

It made her blood boil.

The nameless knight wouldn't have allowed that?

A six-year-old Reia had actually accepted her mortality when her family home had been invaded while her parents had disappeared sometime earlier. It wasn't until her attackers began to fall in the middle of her living room did she realize that he had saved her.

Where her parents had gone—still remained a mystery. The nameless knight didn't have a helmet on, but for the love of her when she thought of him all she saw was a cast shadow over his face. Again...when she thought of her parents it was like that too. She didn't remember much about them, except that her father had been around rarely and whenever he was—despite being happy, it always looked like he was in a rush.

She remembered being comforted when they both were around, however.

And suddenly, the fear didn't matter.

She didn't care that the Purple monkeys were the ruling elite, or that they were willing to do things like summoned a baby wendigo and released it on some poor girl who'd stolen a plate of lobster from their clubroom fridge.

"So, you heard what I said?"

"—I don't have the money!"

And when Blanket said that, Brick glared down at Blanket with steel-wrath, he snapped and the chains began moving, constricting, crunching—Blanket looked like he was about to pop when her brain stopped the overthinking and she moved along with her fist—

CLOCK! Reia's first slammed into his left cheek, socking him square in the jaw.

"Guwwaak!"

...Reia didn't really know how to describe the sound that came out of his mouth, though she threw possibly one of the best haymakers of her career.

A punch she bet could be heard all the way on the opposite end of the school.

Reia didn't even understand it. But, as if it had a mind of its own, her body had just moved...and well...

The chain ceased moving and squeezing and Brick almost stumbled over, massaging his own mouth as Reia stepped forward; a burning surge of pride helped her glare at the boy, immediately getting her message across that she meant business and that she wouldn't be an easy opponent.

It was only then that she processed what she had done...and that there was no turning back. She frowned putting on her best business face. All she knew was simple—the nameless knight shielded, comforted her, and displayed the best interpretation of the code she'd ever seen in action to date!

That's who she admired! That's who she wanted to mirror!

That's the knight she wanted to be like!

She was just ashamed it took so long for her to act.

He wouldn't have hesitated.

He would have cut down every enemy in a spray of blood who committed an immoral wrong.

She'd never forget his words.

Those words were—

The chain was no longer in Brick's hand. His eyes went to her, looking at her as if he didn't believe that she'd just socked him.

Finally, she was noticed.

Time stopped.

All who had been minding their business now stared at them.

The spotlight fell on them.

Resume.

She spoke before she even knew what she was saying "I'll keep hitting you if you try him again. Right now, he's off-limits.", her voice was steel and she attempted to put every muscle in her face into a scowl.

Oh man, Reia's voice sounded so much cooler in her head.

She probably just made a fool of herself in front of the entire school.

No sound for a moment....

"Reia?" Slowly, Blanket was able to weasel his way out of the magical chain, which twitched weirdly...almost like it were alive.

She looked at him, giving him a reassuring smile, but his response was much less than she expected, Blanket grimaced—like she'd committed an atrocity herself.

"Reia, who the hell is Reia? Did this Reia just lay her hands on me? Do you know who I am?" Brick was on his feet and staring down at her from a good distance, she could see the bulge and throbbing of veins in his forehead hands.

She pointed to herself "Did that look like something a knight should do to their comrade?"

Brick was not hearing anything she said, shaking profusely as steam exited his body "He has a late debt to pay, and us Purple monkeys will not take such disrespect. You need to mind your damn business."

"What's so important that you're nearly squeezing the juice out of your friend?"

"I appreciate the help—but you have no idea what trouble you just brought upon yourself." Blanket said this at the side, almost struggling to whisper.

That's what you say to someone who saved you? Oh, Reia didn't know.

And...

The bell rang and like that in his queue, Blanket immediately took off running.

No thanks.

No goodbye.

Nope.

Not even an explanation, he was just gone like the wind.

It left Brick and Reia glaring at one another as the atmosphere increased in heat by about 15 degrees. She could feel it, the heat coming off his face, as the end of his chain whipped through the air and landed in his hand.

All students around them cleared the area or made sure to avoid it altogether.

Refusing to look away from Brick, his eyes seemed to fill with more rage by the second.

She waited, prepared for an attack, and already measured her own countermeasures.

And for a moment, regret washed over her.

What had she done?

Maybe Blanket had been warning her?

Reia was typically a quiet and underground girl...

Would this change that?

Would this be a problem later?

Would this cause her to somehow fail? The worst fate.

Reia gripped her fists, ready to summon light at any moment, but at that moment Brick just stared.

Like he was some sort of entranced angry puppy.

Then, laughing.

And it wasn't a weird or sadistic laugh, either. It was a perfectly mundane teenager's laugh. And that—that normalcy in what could even be considered quite a cute laugh, was what made her bones chill.

It wasn't okay.

The atmosphere jumped, the glowing chain ran at her like it were its own entity and before Reia knew it, a beam of yellow photons manifested in her hand, before it molded itself into a double-edged sword. And with her primary weapon now in her hand she slashed at the chain blocking the attack, causing a loud pitch, like someone had shot a laser into a cavern filled to the brim with glass, and Reia bet the whole entire school heard it.

She breathed in a deep inhale, lowering her heart rate.

Reia refused to lose...because that day she took up that nameless knight's torch, assuming the duty as someone who protected those who were unable to protect themselves.

And if she could change the way the school was run, then maybe she would finally be worthy of being a glorified knight.

TBC...

*>X<*