Morning light spilled across the city, warm and bright, but for Kayden it felt heavy. The air at school buzzed with whispers. Everywhere he went, eyes followed him — curious, cautious, a few even admiring.
He didn't care.
The moment he stepped through the gates, he could tell something had changed. Eren walked nervously beside him, clutching his backpack straps like a shield.
"Kayden," he muttered, voice trembling, "I heard the Vex Crew's been talking about you since yesterday. Ragna's furious."
Kayden's expression stayed calm. "Let him be."
Eren stopped in his tracks. "You don't get it! Ragna's gang isn't just about bullying. They've put people in the hospital before."
Kayden looked back at him, eyes quiet but sharp. "And no one ever stopped them, did they?"
Eren hesitated, lowering his gaze. "…No one could."
"Then maybe it's about time someone did."
Eren sighed but followed, knowing there was no changing Kayden's mind once he decided something.
---
Inside the classroom, Liora was already seated, flipping through her notebook. When she saw Kayden, she shut it with a snap.
"So it's true," she said, voice laced with disbelief. "You actually went against Ragna's group."
Kayden set his bag down, taking his seat beside her. "They were beating up Eren. I couldn't just walk away."
Liora leaned closer, her tone low and urgent. "You don't know what they're capable of. They've been suspended before — but somehow, they still came back. I think there's someone backing them up."
Kayden frowned slightly, eyes narrowing. "Someone backing them?"
She nodded. "Teachers look the other way, the principal acts like nothing happened. It's like they're untouchable."
Kayden leaned back, folding his arms. "Then maybe it's time someone reminded them they're not."
Liora groaned, burying her face in her hands. "You're impossible, Kayden. You're going to end up getting yourself expelled — or worse."
He smiled faintly. "If standing up for someone gets me expelled, then so be it."
---
The first few classes dragged on, but the tension in the air only grew. Whenever Kayden looked up, he caught other students glancing his way before quickly turning away. The walls seemed to hum with unease.
When the lunch bell finally rang, Eren stayed seated, eyes darting nervously toward the door.
"You should go," Kayden said. "Eat something."
Eren hesitated. "You're not coming?"
Kayden shook his head. "Not hungry."
The classroom slowly emptied until only Kayden remained. He stared out the window, lost in thought — until a shadow crossed the light.
He turned.
Five figures filled the doorway, blocking out the sun.
The Vex Crew.
At the center was Ragna, tall, broad-shouldered, his tie loose, blazer open, eyes carrying the kind of confidence that came from getting away with everything.
"So," Ragna said, stepping in with a smirk. "You're the one who thinks he can play hero."
Kayden didn't move. "I don't play hero. I just don't like cowards."
The air in the room thickened. The other students who had been lingering near the door quietly slipped away, not wanting to be part of whatever was about to happen.
Ragna's smirk faltered, just a bit. "You've got a big mouth for someone who doesn't know who he's dealing with."
"Then tell me," Kayden said evenly, "who am I dealing with?"
Ragna chuckled, a cold sound. "You'll find out soon enough."
He took a step closer, until he was only inches from Kayden's desk. "You should've minded your own business yesterday. We don't like people interfering."
Kayden stood, his chair scraping across the floor. His eyes locked onto Ragna's without flinching. "Then maybe stop giving people a reason to interfere."
A tense silence fell — so sharp you could almost hear it crackle.
One of the crew members clenched his fists. "Let's just shut him up right now."
But Ragna raised a hand. "No. Not here. I don't fight where there's an audience." He leaned closer, voice low. "Tomorrow. We'll settle this our way."
With that, he turned and walked out. The others followed, one of them bumping Kayden's shoulder hard as they passed.
When they were gone, the classroom felt colder.
---
Eren burst in moments later, pale-faced. "Kayden, are you crazy? You just stared him down like he was nothing!"
Kayden shrugged. "Because he is."
Eren gaped at him. "You don't understand. People have tried standing up to them before — they never come out the same."
Kayden packed his bag slowly. "I'll be fine."
"You won't," Eren said, almost pleading. "They'll come for you."
Kayden looked at him, calm but firm. "Let them."
---
That evening, as the sky turned gold and violet, Kayden walked home through quiet streets. The wind carried the faint hum of the city — cars, laughter, the world moving on. But his thoughts were elsewhere.
He reached home to find his adoptive mother waiting by the porch. "You're late again," she said gently.
"Sorry, Mom," he replied, managing a tired smile.
At dinner, his father talked about work, his mother about the neighbors. But Kayden barely heard them. His mind was back at school, at Ragna's glare, at the tension building.
When he went to his room, he unbuttoned his shirt halfway and glanced at the faint sigil marked on his chest.
It pulsed — softly, rhythmically, like it was alive.
"What are you?" he whispered, fingers brushing against it. The moment his skin touched the mark, a faint warmth spread beneath his fingertips, like fire under ice.
For an instant, he thought he heard a voice — low, distant.
> "The world will fall again…"
His heart skipped. He froze, eyes darting around the room. Nothing. Just silence.
He shook his head, dismissing it, but unease lingered.
---
Meanwhile, under the dim streetlights near the school gate, Ragna and his crew stood huddled together.
One of them spat on the ground. "You should've let me hit him."
Ragna lit a cigarette, his expression unreadable. "No rush. I want him to think he's safe first."
"So tomorrow?" another asked.
Ragna's eyes gleamed faintly in the dark. "Tomorrow," he said, flicking ash to the ground. "We'll make him regret ever stepping in."
---
Back in his room, Kayden sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his hand. The warmth from the sigil still hadn't faded completely. He clenched his fist, feeling his pulse racing beneath his skin.
Somewhere inside, something was stirring — a presence, a faint whisper of strength he couldn't yet name.
He lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The faint hum of the sigil echoed like a heartbeat.
Outside, thunder rolled in the distance.
Kayden closed his eyes — but the voice from earlier still echoed in his mind, soft and haunting.
> "The world will fall again… and this time, even you might not survive."
His eyes opened in the darkness.
For the first time, he felt it — the sense that something far bigger than school bullies was beginning to move.
---