After having some fun on the dance floor, the group sat down at a table. Wren and Tessa were the first there—talking, eating, and drinking soda. They were all having fun, even Wren, who the group didn't often see smile. The music continued to blast until it suddenly stopped. Then Damien stepped up.
"Hello, students. I hope you all had a good time tonight, but there's one more announcement to make."
As Damien spoke, a man suddenly jumped down from above and landed in front of everyone. He snatched the microphone from Damien.
"Next time, ask. There's no need to snatch," Damien muttered, but the man ignored him.
"Hello everyone. I'm your principal. You may call me Sir Darius."
The hall erupted with shocked gasps and chatter.
"Is that really the principal?" one student asked.
"I don't know," another replied.
"I asked some second and third years, and none of them have ever seen him. This is the first time someone's actually met him," another student said.
Darius raised his voice, demanding silence.
"Yes, I haven't been here for a while. I've been doing… other things. But I'm here now to put us back on top. As you know, your first outing will be on the world of Aurex. I've been there before. Luckily, the max beast you'll encounter is only a Level 4, so your weapons and homeroom teachers should be able to handle it."
Some students looked relieved. Others seemed disappointed—they had hoped for something stronger.
"Now," Darius continued, "One way to deal with the beast is through stealth. If you're silent, you can sneak up and kill it before it even notices. Your goal is simple. As a class of first-years, you must bring back: five Level 1 gemstones, three Level 2 gemstones, two Level 3 gemstones, and one Level 4 gemstone."
After Darius finished, a student raised her hand. He nodded, granting permission.
"What happens if we kill more beasts after we've already met the requirement? Can we keep the gemstones for ourselves?" she asked.
"That's a tricky one," Darius replied. "I'd say it should go to the person who dealt the final blow."
The girl nodded and sat down.
Some students began to stand, preparing to leave, but Darius suddenly appeared in front of the exit, blocking it.
"Before anyone leaves, I must do my own assessment of the first years."
As he said this, glass barriers began forming around the dance floor. Everyone stood from their seats, surprised. Darius stepped onto the floor, the only entrance now left open.
"Now, all first-years, enter the dance floor and see what you've got," Darius said with a wide grin.
From the top deck:
"Did he really have to jump down and break the window?" a woman with jet-black hair muttered, rubbing her forehead. She was the dean for the second years.
"That's not what you should be worried about," Axle said, sweat rolling down his face as he stared below.
"You're right. What we should be worried about is whether or not he'll hold back," said Vice Principal Fallow, staring down at her daughter.
"Oh, I see—you're hesitant to come in. Maybe it's the armor?" Darius said as he removed his armor, revealing a crisp white uniform like the other deans and vice principal—but his bore a diamond emblem on the chest.
"Still hesitant? I see why. Damien!"
Damien clapped his hands, and instantly, every student in the room was teleported inside the glass barrier.
"What the—how did he teleport all of us?" Riven asked. "Sure, it's not a far distance, but still… there are over a thousand people here!"
"He doesn't have his armor. We should be good," one student yelled.
"Yeah, you're right. We can all just bum rush him," another agreed.
Around 300 students rushed at Darius—some charging their powers, others with physical abilities. As they closed in, Darius moved forward and threw a single punch. It hit one student—but the force knocked away several others.
"Guys, what do we do?" Joey asked.
No one had an answer as they watched the one-sided beatdown. Then, suddenly, Riven and all his bonded party members heard a ding.
[System: The opponent in front of you is taking it easy on you and your group. This is your chance to do damage.]
[Quest Received: Take 5% of the Broken King's Health]
Reward: ???
The notification lit a fire in them. While more students fell, Harkel rushed forward with Wren behind him. Both stopped, exchanged a nod, and prepared their combo.
Harkel launched a massive gust of wind, and when it reached the right distance, Wren shot out a bolt of lightning.
"Take this!" Harkel yelled. "Our Tempest Wind!"
Wren glanced at him, cringing. "You named the attack?"
"Well, yeah—it gives the move a little pizzazz," Harkel grinned.
Wren just shook her head, watching as Darius calmly held out his palm and absorbed the attack. Then, with a simple swipe, he deflected it into the glass wall.
"Good," he said, before charging toward Wren and Harkel, who stood side by side in battle stances.
But before he could reach them, a stream of fire interrupted his path.
"They're not the only ones you should worry about!" Nico yelled, hurling fireball after fireball.
"Impressive," Darius said as he walked through the flames. "Truthfully, you're probably the closest one to awakening."
Then, he ran straight through the fire, stuck out his arm, and clotheslined Nico. Her body slammed into the wall—she was out.
Wren and Harkel retreated to the group.
"It's a good thing I kept these," Jordan said, pulling out two containers of ink.
"So what now?" Harkel asked, watching Darius plow through students like a freight train.
"I say we try to hold him down," Riven suggested.
"Easier said than done," Tessa replied. "He's like a tank."
"Then we freeze him," Jordan said, glancing at Jude, who was still standing. "Jude, over here!"
He quickly explained the plan. Jude nodded.
Just then, Nico rejoined the group, shocking everyone. They thought she was out, but Joey had healed her in time.
Jordan, Harkel, Wren, and Nico began charging up their abilities. Riven and Jude tried to hold Darius down, but couldn't—until vines suddenly wrapped around his legs.
It was Luka.
The vines bought just enough time for Jude to coat Darius's legs in ice. He raised his arms to smash it, but Riven used gravity to try and restrain him. Then metal shot up from the ground, binding his arms.
"Good job, Leo," Riven called out as he saw Leo with his hands out.
"Joey, get behind me and use your time manipulation. Make it subtle we don't want anyone noticing you," Riven said through the telepathic link.
Joey followed the order.
"I can't move," Darius thought. "All these evolved abilities are slowing me—but… it feels like something else is stopping me. Something deeper."
Then came the blast. Every attack hit him dead-on. All of them poured everything they had into the strike.
Just as their stamina gave out, Riven heard another ding—and so did everyone in his bonded party.
[Quest Complete]
As the notification flashed, the students collapsed from exhaustion. Darius broke free of his restraints and charged the group. He punched each of them in the chest, making them cough up blood and drop.
And that night, over a thousand students with special abilities were defeated by one man.
And that same man was holding back heavily.
"Jeez, I put all my power into that, and he took it like it was a fresh breeze of air," Harkel said, looking annoyed.
"You also gotta keep in mind that it wasn't just you—Jordan, Wren, and Nico were all in that joint attack. He still took it like a champ," Leo said, looking amazed.
As the group kept walking, they all noticed another group following them. It was a group of five who also had just come out of the Nurses office.
They all stopped and turned to face the group. It was Nico and her team.
"Is there something wrong?" Riven asked.
"Yes, there is. Can we talk in private?" Nico responded.
"Talk in private? What do they want?" Harkel asked through the telepathic link, looking at Luka. He still held a bit of a grudge against Luka after the exam.
"If they want to talk, then we should talk," Joey replied through the link as well.
"It's late at night, meaning the stores in the city are closed—meaning the muters are either offline or dormant until the stores open again. So where would we take them?" Leo asked.
"We'll take them to Wren's training room. It's the most private space we have. If that's okay with you, Wren?" Riven said, turning to Wren, who nodded. Then he signaled to Nico and her group, telling them to follow.
As they walked outside, it was silent—but not in the main group's minds.
"So what do you think these guys even want?" Tessa asked.
Everyone shrugged, which didn't go unnoticed by Nico.
They made their way into Wren's training room. The two groups stood facing each other.
"So… what did you want?" Riven asked.
"Please," Nico said, "can you help us awaken?"