Looking through the class, I see a well-mannered man with long messy hair.

His brown eyes were filled with .

Sporting a white coat with blood stains that had been washed many times, but refused to vanish.

"Are you ready for it?"

I knew this day would come.

Everything needs to end, so I nod through the fluid.

He takes a last look at me, before turning his back.

This is going to be way harder on him if he saw my expression.

They say first-time murderers look away before pushing the trigger.

Many vials disorganized in many desks around.

Pieces of paper full of words and numbers decorated the walls.

Connected directly to me, there is a technological desk.

With screens with numbers and graphs. One of them being showcasing my heartbeats.

Accelerated, just like the anxiety in me.

Before I know it, he pulls a lever in the center of it all.

My body shivers and convulses as something crawls inside of me.

As if a parasite tried to take control over everything.

That was the last time I saw my father.

I knew the risk for his life was high.

I should have made him smile more.

----------------------------------------

I wake my eyes up to the morning breeze.

No alarm clock to wake me up.

And no need to stay awake through the night.

My bedroom is quiet and silent.

Birds can be heard chirping beyond my window.

Today is tuesday.

My family didn't bother to ask how I got home yesterday.

I can't bring myself to say that my cellphone is broken.

Before, I used to spend so much time browsing through the internet.

Even without it, I couldn't feel happier.

Ever since discovering magic, I feel more alive.

Not only can I sense the lifeforms around me, I can also feel the wind going through the mansion.

I walk to the bathroom.

A little girl with long brown hair.

Not too pale, but not too tanned either.

It is been a while since I last sunbathed.

I brush my hair, trying to get rid of the bang covering my right eye.

As if it has life, the bang don't come undone no matter how many times I brush it away.

It is charming, I guess.

A hot shower, as I don't need to think about getting late again.

I brought a clock from the living room last night.

I'm still quite early, fortunately.

My parents are nowhere to be seen.

Higake had already prepared breakfast.

"Welcome princess."

He was already waiting for me.

I sit as I prepare to eat my breakfast.

I cut the chicken leg as I prepare to eat it.

I'm so hungry.

So much happened yesterday.

"Higake, when you studied at Magicae with father.

How was he like?"

"He was the very image of a nerd.

Always paying full attention to class and adding everything to his own research."

"Was he a mage too?"

"Already discovering magic on the first day, I see.

He didn't have any potential for magic, but quickly learned how to use science to control it.

No mage could defeat him in battle, as he knew all about the theories behind each magic."

"I see... He was a great person after all."

"Yes."

We continue to talk as he reminisce about his old days.

----------------------------------------

The car stops right next to Magicae as I get climb down from it.

Hikage again goes away.

I guess I'm returning by train again.

As I walk, a familiar girl is by the entrance.

Where have I seen her again-

A girl with short navy blue hair...

Oh, the one from that day.

"It is you!" - She turns around with a smile on her face.

"Thanks for coming to rescue me yesterday."

Bandages all around her body. As I prepare to speak, the persona forms over me again.

"I couldn't just watch as a classmate was in danger."

I never really thought myself as the helps those in need type of person. Even so, this all feels natural and right.

Saving people, that is. Almost like I was born for this.

"I didn't get to introduce myself. I am Ypryn Paradise."

She offers her hand.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Shikimi Elewp."

We continue to talk as we head towards class.

"What- You didn't use magic ever before?" - She asks with .

"That was the first time, I swear on it."

"No way! You were so cool controlling the wind.

All my wind magic can do is gust or cut."

Ypryn is also a air type mage, so I try to explain how I could manipulate the wind in such a way.

We enter the class as many others are already on it.

I pass by the black-haired boy from yesterday, he sits right in front of me.

Arstria is already in her seat.

"Can I sit here?"

Ypryn asks if she can use the desk right behind me.

Different from all other desks in the class, it is empty.

"I presume you can't." - The air gets stale as a girl approaches Ypryn.

"This is Stanrocc's seat. Sitting on it would be great disrespect."

"I see..." - Ypryn quickly loses her resolve and returns to her desk.

The girl then returns to her seat.

What is that about?

Who is this Stanrocc?

Arstria moves her desk next to mine.

She is supposed to tutor me after all.

"Stanrocc... He is the strongest from the class.

Even with him suspended, his lackeys continue to rule in his place."

As if reading my mind, she explains what just happened in a low voice.

Even Arstria, the most popular girl from the class fears this Stanrocc?

"So, did you get home well yesterday?"

"I did. Magic and everything, so much to process haha-"

"That is to be expected. From what you've done yesterday, you were amazing."

"Y-Yeah!"

Arstria seems to be way closer with me today.

My heart is not ready for this.

She talked about how her parents got angry for her getting home late.

And then I told her that mine didn't care not one bit.

"Must be nice, having so much freedom.

My parents say that I need to have everything follow my routine.

Which sucks."

We continue talking as a teacher enters.

The smell of smoke fills the classroom even before he enters.

A man in his fourties, with a few white hairs on his unkept face.

Wearing a black suit, but his tie was not tied properly.

Definitely goes against all of fashion's rules.

His suit isn't even ironed, bumps could be seen all over it.

"Hi kids, today we're going to the sports court."

He says as his used cigarette is thrown at the floor.

Magicae really stood low after the last teacher.

After climbing down all the ramps and going underground, a hallway can be found near the forest.

"Okay, follow me."

The hallway divided into two.

Uhhh.

The teacher went to the hallway to the right.

I decide to follow his lead.

"I wonder which game we will be playing today."

Arstria is already behind me.

Wait a second, where are everyone else?

Less than ten students are following the teacher.

Arstria, Ypryn, Saphria, the girl from before and a few more.

"The other students are following the teacher to the other side.

Well, a fake teacher."

Arstria takes her job as tutor seriously, as she explains every single thing to me when I most need it.

Some classes the students are divided into magic user and non-magic user.

The technology from Magicae allow for the creation of realistic holograms.

The real teacher is with us.

While a hologram is taking all other students to the left side for a different class altogether.

We enter a sports court.

"Okay kids, now, Arstria and Cereja will choose their team members."

The teacher, who looks more like a homeless man, sits on the floor in the middle of the court.

Arstria steps forward.

"Shikimi Elewp."

"Hey, who said you could go first, queen?"

If Arstria is the most popular girl in class, the ones who follow her are mostly non-magic users.

So, right now, everyone can bare their fangs at her.

"You might better stay quiet if you don't want to be burned, sprout."

Cereja, the girl who told Ypryn she could not sit, is the leader from the other team.

She definitely dislikes Arstria.

"Fine, I wouldn't choose the new girl anyway.

Stanrocc did find her pretty, I will love to know his reaction when discovering he became the queen's pet."

I get up and walk to both of them.

"Cereja right? Why don't we compete in whatever we're playing rather than in words?

I don't have all day."

I can be quite toxic when I want to.

Cereja walks away.

"You're quite smart, pet.

I like the idea of destroying you both in battle.

I choose Eleazar."

A skinny and short blonde boy walks to us.

He seems tired for some reason.

"Saphria."

Obviously the next in line is Arstria's main follower.

I actually didn't know Saphria was a mage, now that I think about it.

"Then... Ypryn Paradise."

"Eep!"

Ypryn walks to Cereja, without knowing why she was chosen.

Cereja wraps her arm around Ypryn's neck.

"Why the strange expression? She should know her place."

Cereja is totally hateable isn't she.

"Diam Seer."

A girl I didn't quite notice before is chosen.

She looks atleast two years older than everyone else.

Except for Cereja, which totally looks like a old hag.

"Okay, then...

Buron, Gaius and Hannibal."

Three other boys are the next to be selected-

Wait, did Cereja just choose three in a single turn?

As I prepare to speak, Arstria stops me.

"Cereja and the other three are all Stanrocc's lackeys, so they won't come to my team even if I choose them."

So she never wanted to follow the rules after all.

"Then, Ypryn, come to our team."

"I'm sorry, I can't."

Ypryn quickly refuses.

Why-

"Okay, the teams are formed.

Three against Five?

The winner is going to be obvious."

From his hand, a massive stone appears.

As big as a elephant.

The teacher is a strong mage then.

"Let's begin."

The stone starts to tremble, as it shrinks.

Wait no, pressure. He is putting pressure all over it.

The massive stone is pressured to the point it is a ball.

"You will be playing dodgeball.

Begin."

He throws the dodgeball directly at Cereja.

Is the teacher on her side too?

She catches it.

"I can finally clear that smirk from your face queen."

"Just try, King's slave."

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Cereja throws the ball to the boy known as Buron.

He is bigger than everyone else.

Well... Fatter would be a better word.

The chubby boy then throws the ball.

"Your error was to bark in her presence."

The ball is stopped.

What is that.

It happened so fast I couldn't process it.

A blonde girl from our team runs towards the ball.

From her hand, a spear made out of steel appears.

As if fishing with a spear, she pierces it on the floor.

The floor quakes. That ball came with a lot of force, I could feel it.

To stop it so quickly. Saphria is powerful.

"Cereja lost a perfect opportunity to stay quiet."

Arstria spoke as if it was obvious.

I remember it know, when the building collapsed, I was surrounded by a cage made out of steel poles.

That is her power? Saphria was the one to rescue me, I didn't notice her life signature entering through the building.

She is absurdly fast, and can summon steel spears and cages.

She always got into fights if anyone hurt or even insulted Arstria.

I had totally forgotten. Of course, while she was strong for her age, she couldn't protect Arstria against older people and strong boys.

But if you add magic into the equation.

Her resolve to protect Arstria is beyond strength.

The ball is completely destroyed.

"Hey kid, we're playing dodgeball.

You're out, destroyed the ball."

"I was already going to be suspended anyway.

It don't matter."

She talks back against the homeless teacher, who just shrugs.

"I give you one minute before sending you to suspension."

"That is enough."

Another spear appear on her hand, as she throws it.

"Buron, protect me." - Cereja orders the chubby boy as she hides behind him.

H-Huh- Wasn't this supposed to be a dodgeball game-

Why... The boy named Buron falls to the floor as a spear goes through his head.

Brain matter dips from the tip of the spear.

"That is enough Saphria.

My turn."

Arstria smiles as two swords appear on each of her hands.

She plunges them backwards, as fire is summoned.

That is why Arstria didn't go to the battle at the building.

She has the power of fire, which would be useless against the salamander.

Like a rocket, she flies towards them.

The skinny boy named Eleazar is her target.

She slashes where he was. But he is able to dodge.

"Congrats on surviving one hit from me.

Now on to the other three."

Gaius and Hannibal stop on their tracks.

They seem to want to surrender.

"If you're going to surrender, do it before I attack."

The air is heavy.

Arstria changed, her expression is totally different than the one I knew.

The two of them looks over to Cereja.

They are more scared of Cereja than of Arstria.

Why-

Gaius's arm turned into a tentacle as he tries to hit Arstria with it.

"Infernal fire, I permit to burn."

A torrent of fire appear from her rapier, the air is filled with smoke.

As the fire passes through it. Where is Gaius-

His life signature vanished, there are not even ashes left.

Arstria keeps smiling, as if she just ate a exquisite food.

"Elewp, you take care of the last one.

They insulted you too."

I can't move.

I can't kill someone.

I can't... I don't want to.

I should be there to protect them from Arstria, but I don't want to go against her either.

Hm?

Someone is running towards me.

Hannibal is his name-

His blood comes out from many scars in his body.

Creating blades out of blood.

Uh, I should dodge.

I jump backwards.

The blood changes shape, increasing in size.

I fall.

Did I lose something-

"Arhgh."

My Leg had been cut.

*Wind*

Before he can attack me again, he is pushed backwards.

I don't want to kill someone.

He wants to kill me.

I should incapacite him.

*Wind*

I could get all the oxygen from the inside of a entire building.

Then I will get the oxygen out of his lungs and block his breathing until he passes out.

As the magic inside me decreases by one, nothing happens.

He prepares to attack again.

*Wind*

I push him back again.

The wind... I can feel it all around me, but in the area around him I can't.

Why-

Magic resistance, that should be it.

I can't do magic inside or too near his body, that is what my instinct is telling me.

Currently at 6 magic charges.

Mana, that is the word I should be using.

6 Mana.

He dashes again.

If I can't incapacite him by oxygen deprivation...

I should make him unable to move.

*Wind Cut*

Wind pressure can easily cut through steel.

You won't be able to reach me if I cut through your leg.

Payback.

He falls on his face as his leg is cut.

The blood pours out of it.

Shit, he has blood magic.

Blood legs appear in their place.

*Wind*

He cuts through the wind gust.

Is that even possible-

4 mana left.

He slashes my throat.

But I'm able to dodge before it can happen.

Jumping backwards.

Using the strength from my legs-

Hm?

"You can also regrow your legs?"

He jokingly says.

When did this happen.

He prepares to slash again.

Awaken

Awaken

Awaken

Wind can't help me now.

There is something I came to realize in the past few hours.

The way that I could feel life.

Is the same way I can feel the wind.

Then-

Maybe the entire time I was able to control life magic.

But I just thought of it as empathy.

Then!

I can't control the life inside of him.

But I can control inside of me.

Something that can hurt...

I remember the claw from yesterday.

As he prepare a x-cut on my torso.

I defend using my arms.

Hair grows through them.

The thick fur resists against his attack.

How my leg grew up?

I could explain it now.

The life I took is the life I gain.

Life steal.

The same moment I cut his legs off, my own legs were regrown.

The fire-fighters near me, I remember they rotting as my arms were regrown.

Then, I need to dash.

My legs became like those of a beast.

As I slash his chest.

"Huh-"

He starts to have trouble staying still.

When he notices, the area near his legs are quickly getting rotten.

I didn't use any of my mana by changing the shape of my body.

The law of energy... I used energy from somewhere-

The answer is the boy in front of me.

As his body rots away.

Almost as if he had aged completely.

His body falls to the floor.

Lifeless.

I just... Killed someone.

It was self-defense, there is no problem...

But it is wrong to kill right?

"You killed the salamander yesterday."

That was a monster, it didn't have human conscience.

"Killing is killing."

STOP!

My own voice tries to convince that I'm a murderer.

No... That was self-defense.

Cereja is scared for her life as all eyes go to her.

"Stop! If you hurt me, I'm taking her life!"

Ypryn is in danger-

The place Cereja touched before...

Vines have grown through Ypryn's neck.

"Eleazar, let's get out of here."

"Fine."

The blonde boy appear right next to her, as he lifts Cereja up.

Speed. He is fast.

That is why he could dodge Arstria so easily.

They both escape through the entrance.

"Clap, Clap, Clap."

He throws a used cigar and steps on it.

"Saphria, you're suspended for killing."

I look at him as I await my sentence.

"Elewp, you acted in self-defense, no suspension for you."

Then what about Arstria-

"I have connections, remember?"

She is already near me to answer my question before I even ask.

Ypryn continued with the vines on her neck, but nothing more happened.

Arstria analyzed it.

"I'm going to die?"

"No, no. Of course not.

But I can't burn it off. It is set to apply a deadly venom whenever she wishes so."

"Haha..."

"This is bad. I was hoping on getting rid of all four commanders today."

She turns to me to explain.

"There is a monster in our class named Stanrocc.

He is like the jock or the bully if you want to think about him that way.

A complete psychopath. And absurdly strong too.

Those four boys: Eleazar, Buron, Gaius and Hannibal.

They are the four commanders. Unlike the name implies, they actually only are strong near Stanrocc.

Which is why I took the opportunity of Stanrocc getting suspended to get rid of them."

"But why... They are human like us-"

"Didn't you see the way they threw the ball earlier? It was set on destroying your skull completely.

Saphria saved you before you even knew your life was in danger.

Also, Stanrocc ordered them to stay out of my business.

Cereja was the one who wroke our pact of non-agression."

"You said the four commanders... Cereja is not of them?"

"You could say she is Stanrocc's girl.

She knows he wants me, so she tried to get rid of me today.

Beware, she will appear again."

"Ugh...... ARGH-"

A girl screams nearby.

Poison is injected through Ypryn's neck.

As she tries to do something about it.

The life I saved yesterday.

I watch ending in front of me today.

Saving someone is as worthless as the value of life.

Arstria seems unfazed.

Magicae... The students inside of it.

Do fighting magic monsters even matter in the end?

"Cereja isn't at Magicae anymore.

If she returns she is getting suspended for killing."

Says the teacher before cancelling the class.

Killing only gets a suspension.

Now everything makes sense.

This school is fucked up.

I look to the camera capturing all of what happened in here today.

His enjoyment... The director don't care about the lives of those in here.

It is all for the enjoyment of a single person.

Watching everything.

----------------------------------------

Classes end as the dodgeball game is cancelled.

We were sent home.

"Hey."

Arstria walks to me.

"Still angry at us for killing people?"

"Kinda? Maybe it was all self-defense."

Indeed, if Cereja planned to get us killed.

We just defended ourselves.

"So... The teacher told me just now that technically we won the dodgeball.

Then we got a hint of the next rift that is going to show up.

Let's go direct there."

She grabs me by the hand as we walk through the empty street.

Many thoughts keep appearing in my mind.

This Arstria... She is different from the one I know.

Even so, I can't help but see the beauty in her.

Killing and not showing a hint of guilt.

As if it is her nature.

Even if she is different.

She still shines.

Saphria was sent to suspension before.

The rules are simple.

Killing someone sends you to suspension.

It is a prison in Magicae that you need to stay until the start of the new week.

So until monday, it is just me and Arstria.

Another girl that was in the dodgeball in our team, Diam Seer, is also accompanying us.

Arstria told that Cereja can be plotting our death, so walking together is definitely the best idea.

Diam is also affected by the dodgeball game, so we leave her at Arstria's house.

She says it is the safest place around.

Arstria tells me to follow her to the rift entrance.

It is inside a nursery.

"See, that is a rift!"

A feather as white as the sky is gently touching the floor.

I touch it out of curiosity.

I feel something on the other side.

As I enter it.

Arstria follows me.

"Wow, this is amazing."

It truly is amazing.

A sky pillar would be the perfect way to describe it.

A mountain that is absurdly high, but not too thick.

We are on a mountain range.

But effectively, we can only interact with the place right next to us.

We're not in a different dimension, but a rift between dimensions.

I'm unable to see the end of it.

As clouds block the view completely.

"The monster is up there.

We need to climb it."

Wait, is she joking-

I definitely can't do anything to get there.

The wind around is strange.

Maybe if I make myself really light and then use a wind gust to get up there.

*Wind*

3 Mana Left

The wind do not follow my order.

I was right. The wind here is different from the one back at the normal world.

"See? That is why I didn't get rid of that salamander.

I'm unable to damage fire as my element is fire.

The air here already has a ruler. You can't control it."

"I see..."

Her red uniform hide the visage of a cruel, yet, cute girl.

She wants to teach me everything that I need to know.

"So. You can manipulate life, right?

Why don't you turn your arms into wings?"

"I will try."

*Life*

2 mana left.

I try to emulate wings like those of a harpy.

"Hm?!"

For some reason, my arms became like those of a canine again.

"I guess you're really thinking of yourself as my loyal puppy."

She laughs. I guess it is not that bad being one.

I guess I can't grow wings.

My instinct is telling me so.

My arms return to being a human's. Without any hair.

"Then leave it to me."

She takes off her two rapiers.

*Fire*

Like a rocket, she starts levitating using the fire coming out of her rapiers as propulsion.

"Hold onto me."

W-What-

She tells me to hold onto her.

As in a hug.

Gulp

I jump as I put my arms around her.

*Wind*

I decrease my weight.

But I guess there was no need, the fire turns into a torrent as we take flight.

"Woohoo!"

It is incredible, we are flying at over 100 km/h

Well, I don't know the speed exactly, but it is still incredible.

How she knows how to control her fire on the exact amount to be able to fly?

"Why don't we do a spin?"

"Wait no-"

She keeps doing all kinds of acrobatics in the air.

As we fly above and upwards.

"There it is."

The monster, as if enraged by her presence on the sky decided to show itself.

A massive eagle, as big as a helicopter.

Wait no.

Its body is different from a eagle.

Rather than only having two claws, it has four.

Its torso is long, like that of a feline.

White feathers covered it.

The fusion of the king of the land and the king of the sky.

Appeared in many heraldry from the medieval age.

The legendary creature from greek mythos.

The Gryphon.

"Roarrrrrr."

The monster flew towards us.

"You better hold tight."

It tries to cut through the air with its claws.

Arstria is able to evade easily.

"RAAAAARRR!"

The gryphon flap its wings, summoning the wind.

As a tornado start to form around the sky pillar.

"I'm sorry."

She drops me, oh-

"Infernal Fire.

Devour the sky."

Almost as if the fire on her turned into wings. She flew through gusts of air pressure, approaching the gryphon more and more.

"Ultimate Magic:"

Each of her two fire rockets start to espew more and more fire.

As the entire mountain gets hotter.

Two tornadoes form at the tip of her hands.

"ARS!"

The two tornadoes, each spinning in a different direction, unify as she points the rapiers forward.

The immense energy start to rip the sound barrier.

She prepares to point the upcoming attack towards the Gryphon. But it keeps moving around.

She won't be able to hit it.

She then smiles.

As she points towards the top of the mountain.

The gryphon notices.

"NOVA!"

The monster dashes towards Arstria, to stop her attack before it happens.

But it is too late.

The monster, so majestic, is shrouded in fire.

I can feel the wind magic inside of it decreasing rapidly.

"AAAAAAAAAAR!"

Before it dies, a massive gust of wind is released, defeating Arstria's attack.

The monster that was a gryphon had sacrificed everything to fight against it.

Its body without any mana then falls.

Falls-

I'm also falling.

Oh no.

I'm out of mana, won't I die if I use a gust to held me-

"Catch!"

She catchs me with both arms as wings of fire appear behind her.

She can also do that?

"My magic is beautiful right?"

"Totally."

Even if she is different from the Arstria I knew.

I can't help but fall in love again.

We fly quite a bit more, as she shows she can do many more acrobatics with her fiery wings.

"The rift didn't disappear, now that I think about it."

"Oh, that is right. We need to get this done."

Her wings flapped with such intensity that we quickly reached the top of the mountain.

There-

"Oh-"

A nest of many baby gryphons waited for their mother.

"We can't- They won't hurt anyone."

"You're still quite new to this magic thing right?

First, we won't be able to leave if we don't exterminate all of the monsters.

Also, a single one of them is as big as a wolf, if they are sent to real life, they will spawn at that nursery.

The toddlers will be hunt relentlessly."

"They didn't choose to go there."

"No, they didn't.

The ones connecting dimensions aren't the monster themselves.

They are known as angels, they plan to destroy Magicae once and for all.

And for that, they leave their feathers that can open rifts through the word to ensue chaos."

"I see..."

Still, it is so cruel.

The mother died protecting them from the attack.

Arstria knew she could not hit it through the sky.

She threatened the babies.

It is all for the good of the people, isn't it?

Innocent humans will die if we let.

"I will be quick."

I turned back, as they were burned to death.