The morning sun barely crested the academy walls when Ryker left his dormitory, muscles aching from yesterday's brutal training session. He'd slept poorly dreaming of darkness and hunger haunting him until dawn.
"Ryker! Wait up!"
He turned to find Jax Arden jogging toward him, lanky frame moving awkwardly,Jax had been one of the few students who'd genuinely seemed happy about his return yesterday.
"Morning," Ryker said.
"Hey, so I was thinking" Jax stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening. "Uh, Ryker? You might want to avoid the main courtyard today."
"Why?"
"Zayne's there with his crew and they're not happy about yesterday."
Ryker sighed. "Of course they're not."
"Look, I know you accepted his challenge, but maybe we should take the back route to class? No point looking for trouble "
"Ryker Vale!"
The shout echoed across the courtyard.
Ryker and Jax exchanged glances.
"Well it's too late now," Jax muttered.
They rounded the corner to find Zayne standing at the courtyard's center, surrounded by a dozen students. But it wasn't Zayne that caught his attention,it was the boy on his knees in front of them. A freshman, maybe fourteen years old, with messy black hair and a split lip. His academy uniform was torn, and bruises were already forming on his face.
"Ryker!" The boy's eyes widened with hope and fear.
Jax grabbed Ryker's arm. "That's Marcus. He was one of the freshmen defending you yesterday. Said you were still the Sword master even without mana."
Zayne's grin widened as he spotted Ryker. "There he is! The dead man himself!" He grabbed Marcus by the hair, jerking his head back. "You know this little rat?"
Ryker's hands clenched into fists. "Let him go, Zayne."
"Let him go?" Zayne laughed. "Why would I do that? This piece of trash was spreading lies about you. Saying you'd come back stronger. That you'd put me in my place." He pulled harder, making Marcus cry out. "I'm just correcting some misconceptions."
The crowd of students watched, some looking uncomfortable, others grinning.
Ryker stepped forward. "This is between you and me. He's got nothing to do with it."
"Yeah, but he does." Zayne released Marcus's hair, only to drive his boot into the boy's ribs. Marcus crumpled with a gasp. "See, you embarrassed me yesterday, made me look weak in front of the whole academy. So I thought I'd return the favor."
He gestured to his companions four elite students, all radiating mana. "We've been collecting your little fan club all morning and he's just the first."
"There are more?" Jax whispered.
One of Zayne's companions, a stocky boy with earth affinity, stepped forward holding a girl by the arm. She couldn't be more than fifteen, tears streaming down her face.
"Found this one trying to hide in the library," the boy said. "Wearing one of those stupid 'Welcome Back Sword master badges."
Ryker's jaw tightened. The cold presence in his chest stirred, responding to his rising anger.
[System Notification: Host emotional state: elevated. Devourer Protocol standby mode active.]
"Zayne," Ryker said quietly. "Last chance. Let them go."
"Or what?" Zayne spread his arms. "You'll fight me? You can't even use mana anymore. And there are five of us." He knelt beside Marcus, grabbing the boy's jaw. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to kneel, right here, and apologize for wasting my time. Then you're going to announce to everyone that you're withdrawing from our duel."
"And if I don't?"
Zayne's mana flared, pressing down on Marcus. The freshman screamed as the oppressive energy crushed him against the ground. "Then your little friends spend the next month learning why you don't disrespect your betters."
The crowd murmured nervously. Some students looked away. Jax's hand trembled on Ryker's arm. "Ryker, we should get a professor"
"There's no time," Ryker said, he walked forward.
Zayne stood, grinning triumphantly. "Smart choice. Now kneel"
Ryker's punch caught him completely off-guard. No mana, just a straight right hook that struck Zayne's jaw. Zayne's head snapped to the side, he stumbled, eyes wide with shock.
The courtyard went silent.
"You..." Zayne touched his split lip, staring at the blood on his fingers. "You hit me?"
"I did," Ryker said calmly. "And I'll do it again if you don't let them go. Right now."
Zayne's face twisted with rage. "You're dead!"
His mana exploded outward, bright and violent. The ground cracked beneath his feet as he channeled power into his fists. "I'll kill you!"
He charged with mana-enhanced speed that blurred his form but Ryker didn't move until the last possible second. Then he shifted his weight, turned his hips, and let Zayne's momentum carry him past as the larger boy stumbled, off-balance, Ryker's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. What happened next was pure technique.
Ryker dropped his center of gravity, pivoted, and pulled, Zayne's own mana-enhanced speed worked against him as his feet left the ground.
The throw wasn't graceful,Ryker's body wasn't strong enough for that but it was effective.
Zayne hit the ground with enough force to crack the courtyard stones. The impact drove the air from his lungs in a whoosh. His mana flickered and died as he lay there, gasping like a fish.
Dead silence.
Every eye in the courtyard locked onto Ryker.
"That's called judo," Ryker said quietly. "When your opponent is stronger and faster, you don't fight force with force. You redirect it."
He turned to Zayne's four companions. They stood frozen, staring at their leader sprawled on the ground.
"Anyone else want to try?" Ryker asked.
None of them moved as Ryker walked to Marcus and helped the freshman to his feet. "Are you okay?"
Marcus nodded shakily. "Y-yes, sir."
"Go to the infirmary. Take the girl with you."
The stocky boy released her arm immediately, stepping back as the two freshmen hurried away, Ryker turned back to Zayne, who was slowly sitting up, murder in his eyes.
"You're dead," Zayne hissed. "When we meet in the arena"
"One month," Ryker interrupted. "Like you wanted,be ready."
He turned to leave.
"Wait!" someone shouted.
The crowd parted as Professor Yolanda rushed into the courtyard, out of breath. "What's going on here? I heard there was a fight" She stopped, taking in the scene. Zayne on the ground. The cracked stones. Ryker standing calmly in the center.
"Zayne attacked me," Ryker said simply. "I defended myself."
"Liar!" Zayne struggled to his feet. "He hit me first! Without provocation!"
"After you were torturing freshmen," Jax spoke up suddenly. All eyes turned to him. He swallowed nervously but continued. "Zayne and his friends were beating up students who supported Ryker. I saw the whole thing."
Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd.
Yolanda's expression hardened. "Is this true?"
Zayne's face reddened. "Those brats were spreading"
"Assaulting younger students is a direct violation of academy code," Yolanda cut him off. She pulled out a communication crystal. "I'm reporting this to the disciplinary committee."
"What? You can't"
"I can and I will." Yolanda's eyes were cold. "All of you Zayne, and your four companions report to the Headmaster's office immediately."
"But he punched me!" Zayne protested, pointing at Ryker. "He assaulted an elite student!"
"After you attacked freshmen and threatened him," Yolanda replied. "That's called self-defense. Now move before I add insubordination to your charges."
Zayne's hands clenched into fists. For a moment, it looked like he might attack again.
Then Aurora Lysander's voice cut through the tension. "Zayne."
Everyone turned to see her standing at the courtyard entrance, silver eyes cold. "You're embarrassing yourself now just go."
Something in her tone made Zayne deflate. He shot Ryker one last venomous glare before stalking off, his companions trailing after him.
The crowd began dispersing, buzzing with excitement.
Yolanda approached Ryker. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"That throw." She studied him carefully. "Where did you learn that?"
"Self-defense techniques that I learned," Ryker said. "They don't require mana."
"We need to talk. But not here." She squeezed his shoulder. "You did the right thing, protecting those students but you've made a powerful enemy today."
"I know."
After she left, Jax let out a long breath. "Holy shit, Ryker. That was incredible! Did you see his face when you threw him? And the way you just"
"Jax."
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For speaking up."
Jax's face reddened. "Of course, man. That's what friends do." He paused. "We are friends, right? Even though you have amnesia?"
Ryker smiled slightly. "Yeah. We're friends."
Aurora approached then, her elite companions hanging back. "That was an interesting display."
"Just defending myself," Ryker replied.
"Mmm." Her silver eyes studied him with unsettling intensity. "Techniques,Martial arts that don't require mana. You're full of surprises, Ryker Vale."
"Is there something you want?"
"Just a warning." Aurora's smile was cold. "Zayne has powerful friends. Family connections. What you did today? It won't end with a slap on the wrist for him. His father will make sure of that."
"I'll deal with it when it happens."
"Will you?" Aurora tilted her head. "You can't even use mana. Yet you threw an elite student like he weighed nothing. You solved advanced equations you shouldn't understand. You're not who you claim to be."
Ryker met her gaze steadily. "And what are you going to do about it?"
For a long moment, they stared at each other.
Then Aurora laughed. "Nothing. For now. You're too interesting to ruin." She turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and Ryker? Whatever you're hiding? It won't stay hidden for long. Not in this academy."
She walked away, leaving Ryker standing in the cracked courtyard.
Jax whistled low. "She's terrifying."
"Yeah," Ryker agreed.
His chest felt cold where the presence pulsed like a second heartbeat. It had wanted to come out during the fight. Wanted to consume Zayne's mana when he'd gotten close.
Ryker had barely held it back.
[System Notification: Threat neutralized. Devourer Protocol returning to standby mode.]
[Warning: Emotional triggers detected. Host losing control threshold: 23 days until recommended intervention.]
Twenty-three days.
Less than a month before whatever was inside him demanded to be fed.
"Come on," Ryker said to Jax. "We'll be late for class."
As they walked, Ryker couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.
High above, on a tower visible only to those who knew where to look, two cloaked figures observed the courtyard.
"Did you see that?" the first said.
"The throw? Basic martial technique. Nothing supernatural."
"Not the technique. His eyes." The first figure gestured. "Just before he moved. For a fraction of a second, they were black."
A long pause.
"We need to accelerate our timeline," the second figure said quietly. "Whatever's inside him is waking up faster than we thought."
"Do we report to the Conclave?"
"Not yet. But prepare the containment protocols. If he loses control..."
"Understood."
The two figures melted back into shadow.
Below, Ryker walked to class, unaware that his time was running out.