Realization

The boy's smile faded in an instance as he swung his fist out toward my stomach. I stepped back enough to let the punch miss before turning and walking over to the corner table. "The fuck do you think you're going, bastard!?" The whole cafeteria was now looking over at us and I could tell that most of them really wished that this clown would beat my ass.

I set my tray down and turned my head to say "Don't worry, I'm just setting my stuff down so I don't have to go back up there to the counter." The boy stepped forward with a snarl. "You'll be going somewhere alright, just not the counter..." In an instant I felt my eyes glow as I said "Stop." in a calm voice. The boy froze in place as a single drop of sweat began to roll down his face.

With my eyes glowing fiercely, I stepped forward and said "You're lucky I don't feel like lodging an arrow in your throat. Get out of here before I change my mind." The boy's friends shook him out of his daze and he only got even more pissed off. He charged at me with a yell and I was genuinely done playing around with this utter disgrace.

I dodged his punch and grabbed his wrist with my leading hand before putting my other hand under his armpit and stepping forward. I threw him on the ground as hard as I could before slamming my fist into his gut, causing him to curl up in pain. I looked toward the crowd with my glowing gaze and they quickly dispersed while talking about what they had just witnessed.

Several Professors began to run into the cafeteria and head over toward me when they saw the boy curled up on the floor. "What happened here!?" One old man yelled. The boy's friends quickly took this opportunity to try and turn things in their favor. "We were just trying to find a place to sit when this mongrel attacked us. Ben tried to fight back and shield us, but he was beaten down..."

The professors looked at me with scorn in their eyes when, suddenly, a short boy with a ridiculously large, pointed hat, that covered most of his features, stepped up and pulled a crystal ball from his robe. The ball lit up and began to replay the events that had happened, showing the professors that I hadn't attacked first.

They apologized to me and quickly took the boy and his friends away. I went to thank the boy for helping me out, not that I needed it, but he was already gone. I shrugged my shoulders and walked back to my table as Arisu, Orzo, Sylia, and Azrael made their way over, each with differing expressions. "The hell was that all about?" Orzo asked as he sat down next to me with the others soon following.

"It was nothing. Just some dumbass who thinks he's at the top of the world." I began to silently eat my food while Azrael attempted to start a conversation with Arisu, while Orzo and Sylia were staring at me. It was kind of freaking me out. "Why are you two staring at me?" They glanced at each other before saying "We know something is up..." at the same time. If I wasn't so creeped out, I'd make a comment.

'And here I thought that old man would actually keep his word. Sure would be handy in getting rid of these four...' I sighed and continued to eat my food as I began to run my fingers over the various scars along my arms. "Woah, I didn't notice that you had that many scars until just now..." Orzo stared at my arms with wide eyes, drawing the attention of the others.

"Yeah, same here. I even live with him and I didn't notice he had scars until right now, and I've seen him shirtless so I should have been able to see them..." Everyone paused at Arisu's comment before turning their questioning gazes to her. Her eyes widened, as she realized what she had just said, and she quickly waved her hands and said "N-N-No it's not like that! This idiot walked out of his room without a shirt and refused to put one on when I asked!"

Now it was my turn to bear the gazes of my peers. I laughed slightly and said "Heh, if you think that's bad, then you should see the vest I wear everywhere..." I finished my food and brought my tray back to the counter as the bell rang once again. I started to walk to my next class, however, there was a sign on the door.

"If you are in this class, move your ass to the training grounds in the back."

"What a nice way of saying "Go to the training grounds." Orzo shrugged his shoulders and we moved to the location of our next class. The training grounds were filled with all kinds of makeshift dummies, targets, obstacle courses, and much more. There was a single man standing in the middle of the training grounds, and he had medium length black hair, two short, pointed ears, golden eyes, and a pair of glasses framing his face.

The man impatiently tapped his foot on the ground as we entered. I was surprised to see that we were the last people to arrive, and that everyone was looking at us with that classic look Nobles give to those that they don't like. Well, I say us, but they were actually all looking at me. Of course they were. The Professor clapped his hands once and said "Alright, now that I have everyone present, I'll get started."

The man cleared his throat and continued. "My name is Elmar Grey, and I'm a Half-Elf. You can call me Elmar or Grey, neither matters, and today I'll be assessing your strengths and weaknesses through a series of tests." Almost everyone began to moan and complain about having tests on the first day of the week, but Elmar quickly silenced them.

"There will be a few tests involving teamwork, but most of them will be done alone. The first test will be a series of sparring matches so I can see how well each of you handle your weapons. The matches will be randomized and you will not be able to pick your opponent." I knew something like this was bound to happen, it always does.

I know for a fact that I'll get some ridiculously strong guy who's out for my blood, and then the Professor won't stop him as he's trying to kill me. "The first match will be Clyde Dragoncrest versus Take Wakizawa. Please come up to the front." I heard the various cheers and remarks from my peers, and I could only assume that my theory had come true.

I sighed and began to walk up to the front to face my fate head on, and that's when I saw him. Clyde was a massive guy with broad shoulders, perfectly chiseled abs that popped out of his shirt, short brown hair, and two cold brown eyes. I let out an even bigger sigh as the Professor raised his hand before swinging it down and yelling "Begin!"

Clyde dashed toward me and, in an instant, I found him too close for comfort. I drew my daggers and crossed them together as his heavy punch made its way toward my stomach. He hit my daggers and I skid across the ground with my arms numb. This man's presence was on a different level compared to the students, and he even had a thick, red aura coming off of his body.

Suddenly, Clyde's hands burst into flames as he leapt toward me. I dodged the first fist and blocked the second before taking a heavy knee to the gut. I coughed up a decent amount of stomach acid as I tried my best to stay out of his range, but it was no use. I was grazed by a punch and I was sent flying back to the ground. Clyde clicked his tongue and his deep voice filled me with rage.

"I bet your parents see you as an utter failure. They should've left you to die but, instead, they let you live and bring shame to their name." I could hear my heart beating against my ribcage as a hatred I never knew existed began to bubble up and fester inside of me. My eyes began to glow a sickly red as I clenched my daggers tightly and looked up at Clyde's blank face.

I dashed off the ground and thrust my dagger out toward his throat. Clyde's eyes widened as he crossed his arms in an attempt to block. I felt my dagger pierce his skin, but it only made a small cut. Clyde threw me off and clad his hands in fire once again before dashing toward me. I was in a complete trance. I knew I wasn't in control of my body, for my rage and anger had taken over. 'Control yourself dumbass! Do you want to expose your identity?' I heard a familiar voice ring out in my head, but it only made it worse.

'Piss off! I don't give a damn anymore! I'm tired of this shit, and I'll show everyone that I'm more than just a damn commoner!' I slashed out with my daggers and Clyde brushed them aside with his hands before kicking me away. I was reaching my breaking point and I could feel my consciousness fading, but I had to hold on. I had to prove that I was more than what they saw me as.

I primal yell tore through my throat and a strange power filled my body, causing a small crater to form under my feet. I let everything out in that yell, and my mind felt clearer than ever before. I took a deep breath and adopted a stance before saying "Sorry about that, I lost control of myself. I'm going to get serious now, so don't underestimate me, or you'll get hurt."

I activated my eyes and forced Clyde to freeze in place before appearing next to him in an instant. My daggers gleamed under the sunlight as Clyde's fists moved to block them, but I was too fast. I cut through his uniform and drew a clean gash along his side before jumping out of his reach. Clyde stood still with his eyes closed for a second before looking at me with respect in his eyes.

"I take back what I said earlier. You're strong, but you let your emotions get the better of you. Learn to control yourself, and you will become a warrior worthy of defeating." The next thing I remember was Clyde's fist slamming into my stomach before waking up on the ground. I blinked several times before sitting up and looking around.

I was moved to the back of the large group with Orzo, Arisu, Sylia, and Azrael watching over me. "Did I really just get my ass handed to me...?" I was half talking to myself, but Orzo took this as an opportunity to respond. "Yeah, you were practically his punching bag in that match..." I looked up at the smirking Dark Elf with a blank expression and said "It was a rhetorical question. Your opinion isn't needed."

Orzo let out a low chuckle as he helped me get back on my feet. I noticed that he had multiple bruises across his arms, but I decided not to ask. "How long was I out for?" I expected for them to say I had only been out for a few minutes, but oh man was I wrong. "About an hour. Most of the matches have already finished and it was decided that the rest of the tests will be spread out through the week." Sylia said with a small smile.

Clyde's words continued to echo within my mind as I clenched my fist and realized that I had a long way to go. I wasn't going to stop until I was strong enough to protect those I cared about, and those who can't protect themselves, and I wasn't going to stop until I had my revenge. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to see William Navus crawling on the ground and begging for mercy.