Lancet cried out. The pain spread through his body in a flash, tightening his bones and muscles as shock spasms took over.
He was thrown off his feet and slammed his frail back into the wall, causing another burst of pain through him.
With a groan, he fell face first to the floor and rolled onto his back, coughing, blood spattering his chin and the floor. The pain was blinding, and unnatural.
Whatever demon it was that Theo had just binded its power, it was pretty powerful. The pain was so much that he was already regretting everything.
Theo stood over him, shaking his hand to dismiss the crimson smoke and spikes. He looked down at Lancet with pure disgust.
Kasto and Anita were wide-eyed. They wanted to help but feared what would happen to them if they did.
Luke just watched apathetically.
"You wanted to act tough?" Theo spat near Lancet's head. "Fine. Then let's do this properly."
He leaned down, his voice dropping to a whisper that still rang in Lancet's head because of the pain..
"Three days from now. After School. Meet me in the old abandoned Training Hall in the East Wing. It has a training pit that is still functional."
Lancet wheezed, trying to see through the haze that filled his visions.
"I challenge you to a Duel of Summons," Theo declared. "If you win... which is impossible... my crew and I will never touch you or your pathetic friends again. Kekeke."
He straightened up, rolling his shoulders.
"But when you lose... you belong to us. You will carry our bags. You will do our schoolwork. And you will be our punching bag every single day until you graduate or drop out."
Lancet coughed, tasting copper. Disgusted, Theo squatted, grabbing Lancet's hair and pulling his head up.
"If you don't show up," he said, his smile turning evil, "we'll come back here. And next time, we won't stop at bruises."
He let Lancet's head fall. Then he rose to his feet. "I'm going to teach you a proper lesson for thinking you can stand up to your seniors."
He signaled his lackeys. "Let's go. The smell in here is making me sick."
They marched out, laughing, leaving the door swinging on its hinges.
For a long moment, the only sound in the room was Lancet's ragged breathing.
Kasto and Anita waited until they were sure the Summoner-Cs were long gone from their door. Then, they hurried to their wounded teammate.
"Lancet!"
Kasto moved first, falling to his knees beside Lancet. Anita followed, looking terrified, clutching a packet of tissues.
"Here," she whispered, her voice trembling. She handed him a tissue, her eyes wide with worry. "Please... wipe the blood."
Kasto grabbed Lancet's arm, helping him sit up against the bed frame. "Easy, easy. Are you okay? That was unbelievable what you did. You... you didn't have to do that."
"I'm fine," Lancet groaned, pressing the tissue to his split lip. Every inch of his torso felt like it had been tenderized.
"You're crazy," Kasto said, shaking his head. "But... thanks. Nobody's ever stood up for me before."
Lancet gave the boy an eyebrow raise. What the hell was he talking about? He didn't do this for him. Or for any of them.
If either of them was getting bullied, it would be an inconvenience for him because they all shared the same room. It was best for Lancet to try to get rid of the bullies.
The whole thing was completely selfish!
"You shouldn't have done that," Luke said flatly.
Everyone turned to him. He was gazing down at them with no expression at all. He hadn't even cared to move during the fight.
Anita pouted. "He stood up for us, Luke."
"Pfft." Luke was unimpressed. "All he's done is paint a target on all of us. Now you're going to lose, and we're going to be their slaves for the next three years because you couldn't keep your mouth shut."
He turned over, pulling his blanket up. "We're Class Group-Ds and even worse, we stay in the Bronze Dorms. There's no point in being a hero."
They all stared at the boy as he retired to bed. Lancet too. He didn't have anything to say to him, though his mind was full of thoughts.
'This must be the character who at first believes in nothing and then, at a character defining moment, finally takes a stance.'
He smirked, even though it hurt his face. 'I see right through you, cool guy.'
"Hey," Kasto drew his attention. "Should we take you to the Academy Clinic?"
Lancet frowned. "I don't have any profits for that. I'm in a Bronze Dorm, remember?"
Kasto frowned, scratching the back of his head. "Oh yeah."
"Then let's help you rest."
They assisted him up the top bunk, and Lancet lay back, staring at the stained ceiling tiles. The pain in his ribs was a throbbing reminder of his reality.
'But Luke is right about one thing,' he thought, closing his eyes as the adrenaline faded, leaving only the ache. 'I'll definitely be losing that Summons Duel in my present state.'
He flexed his hand. Weak. Slow. Fragile.
'Not only is the body extremely weak, but I have very low Grace Retention.'
The image of Theo's stupid grin flashed in his mind. The sight of that demon entering into his nose and his body transforming with demonic mechanisms.
Theo had to be 2 Stars at least for him to have that much control over a demon.
Lancet felt himself getting angry. He badly wanted to teach that bastard a lesson. He and his goons as well.
But he had to be smart about it. He had to be prepared.
To beat them in a Summons Duel, he needed a summon. He needed Astensia. If not, as Summons Duel rules states, he will be forced to fight in the absence of a Summon.
He knew Astensia could defeat Theo's demons. But…
'I have three days to retain enough Grace so I can summon her.'
There was no time to waste.
Lancet needed to start absorbing ambient magical energy. But this process was more complicated than in other novels.
Ambient magical energy was a chaotic combination of two elements: Grace and Gloom. Grace was the element used by the Awakeners, while Gloom was used by demons and beasts.
When ambient energy was drawn in, a process known as separation began, during which the Gloom was discarded and only Grace remained.
The amount that survived this refinement was known as retained Grace, the usable energy that fueled an Awakener's abilities.
Lancet needed only a Grace amount of 100. But even then, he knew he had his work cut out for him.