Zeke sat on the cold, cracked earth, fingers curled tightly around the leather cuff. The weight of it pressed into his palm, rough and unfamiliar. The world was silent, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves in the distance. His breath came in shallow bursts. He closed his eyes, willing his mind to clear, to stop spinning.
Not here. Not here... The thought echoed, repeating itself, louder and louder. Maybe she's not here. Maybe… maybe she got away.
His fingers flexed, feeling the cold bite of the cuff's surface. It had caught on the twisted bark of that old tree. That meant something. It had to mean something. She's alive. She has to be.
The words spilled out like a whisper, half-prayer, half-madness. "She's alive… she's alive…" He muttered, voice cracking, almost to himself. "The cuff caught on the tree… so maybe she escaped…"
His eyes snapped open. A sudden scream tore through the stillness, raw and ragged, off in the distance. Sharp and desperate. Somewhere close, somewhere far. It shattered the quiet like glass.
Zeke's grip on the cuff tightened until his knuckles went white. His breath hitched as images flashed behind his closed lids: Tala's fierce eyes, Rian's cautious stare, Kaito's steady smile. Faces — his new friends — flickering like ghosts in his mind's dark room.
No. No. They're alive. They have to be.
He pushed himself up, wobbling on unsteady legs, and began scanning the area. The bodies lay scattered like broken dolls, limbs twisted and shattered. Panic clawed at his chest, but he forced himself to focus.
There glinting faintly in the fading light, a sword lay, half-buried beneath a shattered shield. He snatched it up, cold metal biting into his palm. Next to it, a dagger with a jagged edge, still sharp. And nearby, a slender stick carved with delicate runes. A wand.
"For Tala," he muttered, clutching the stick like a lifeline.
"For Tala. I'll find her and give it to her. I have to." His voice cracked again, desperation bleeding through the words. "She's alive… she has to be."
Zeke strapped the weapons to his body quickly — sword across his back, dagger at his hip, wand tucked in his belt. He jumped up and down a few times, testing his balance, making sure the gear didn't slow him down.
The screaming still echoed, distant but growing louder. His heart hammered in his chest, every beat a thunderclap in the quiet forest. He could feel his mana simmering beneath his skin, restless and electric.
Emotions are linked to mana, Ethan's voice echoed in his mind, clear and steady.
He closed his eyes and let the memory flood in — the lesson. Feel it. Channel it. Use it.
Zeke's breath slowed. His fingers curled into fists. The air around him began to thicken, darkening subtly as a flicker of something fierce stirred inside — a shadow of killing intent.
Memories rushed forward like a tidal wave — the helplessness of his childhood, the nights spent wide-eyed and alone, the weight of being trapped in silence. His aura coiled tighter, condensing into something colder, sharp.
I'm fighting for survival.
A sudden bang echoed in his chest as the aura shifted, brighter now, all beings are filled with the innate desire to live, to struggle, to survive, Zeke channeled that raw primal feeling into his mana. It pulsed with new energy — raw, wild, unrestrained.
For family.
His mind filled with images of his younger siblings — Amy's sleepy eyes, Sam's quiet strength, Eli's laughter like sunlight breaking through gloom. A heavy warmth blossomed, weaving through the cold and wild energy he was emitting .
Branches snapped, bending away from his path as he surged forward, the grass flattening beneath his feet before he even touched it. The world around him responded to his will — bending, yielding.
And finally…
His eyes snapped open, blazing with renewed fire.
I'm fighting for myself.
The air shattered with a BOOM— the biggest explosion yet. Leaves and dust spiraled into the sky as shockwaves rippled through the forest.
High above, invisible to Zeke, a group of professors hovered silently, watching.
One teacher gasped, eyes wide. "Is he going through a breakthrough?"
The others murmured in awe and confusion. The man who had given the speech earlier narrowed his eyes, stepping closer.
"Hmm, what a strong will for his age" he murmured, voice low but sharp. "Keep tabs on that one."
Unaware of the attention he had drawn, Zeke felt his body flood with energy, every muscle pulsing with newfound strength. His senses sharpened — vision doubling, colors brightening until the world overwhelmed him.
He stumbled slightly, breath ragged but unyielding. A fierce smile tugged at his lips — the first hint of a fighting spirit breaking through the shadows.
This… he thought, eyes burning with determination. A breakthrough.
Zeke blinked hard, his vision sharpening as if a veil had been lifted. The world lit up in new hues, edges cleaner, movement clearer.
In the distance, no more than a mile away — he spotted them. Five students: four boys, one girl, circled up in a defensive formation. The air churned around them in wild arcs. A distorted figure lunged at them again and again.
Then, the girl raised her wand. A flash of light burst out like a ripple, and suddenly the creature was more visible — a transparent beast on its hind legs with a claw reaching out? A Hollow.
"They're about to lose," Zeke muttered, watching the boy holding the shield stumble backward, chest heaving with exhaustion.
"Faster."
With a sudden grunt, Zeke pushed off the earth. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he doubled his speed. Trees blurred past him. The air screamed in his ears. Wind slapped his cheeks raw. But the rush was electric. His heart pounded, eyes locked on the fight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Crap," I gasped, voice raw, shield trembling in my hands. "We can't go on like this. What the hell is the school thinking sending us here on the first day of school and without backup?!"
The Hollow was relentless, its limbs twisting unnaturally, swiping at us with claws that shimmered like obsidian. My arms felt like lead. I couldn't block another hit. My teammates were spent. Even Mira's last spell barely made it pause.
And then — BOOM — the air cracked like it had just been punched by a god.
I turned, confused — eyes wide — just in time to see a streak of movement. A boy, maybe our age, maybe younger. Sword across his back. Dagger at his hip. Expression unreadable.
He was fast. Too fast.
BANG!
He slammed into the Hollow shoulder-first, the impact sounding like thunder as the creature was launched backwards, crashing through two trees in a shower of bark and splinters before finally managing to stop itself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Zeke rolled his shoulder once, grinning as the Hollow snarled and regained its balance.
"You must be invisible," he said, voice brimming with energy. "'Cause you're ugly as hell."
Silence...
The 5 students.
The teachers.
Even the hollow stopped moving.
In the sky, The man who gave the speech let out a chuckle.
"He has quite the tongue." Turning his head to the woman beside him. If Zeke was here he would recognize her as Professor Lira.
The man continues. "This is the one you were talking about? Whats his name?"
Lira with an embarrassed look on her face, head facing the ground replied.
"Ezekial"