Bully

(Varis Hakonen)

Nisel Garhan, a girl with pink hair, and smooth snow-groomed skin, sat beside Varis. "Professor watching you. What are you doing, smiling like a cat."

"Like a cat?" Varis smirked, and a few of his friends that overheard it chuckled. "Have you another simile for me than a cat?

"But you love cats," Nisel whispered as she kept an eye on a professor. "And sometimes act like one."

"Like what?"

"Hmm, licking your tumb after eating, running around, putting anything in your mouth, sniffing..." Nisel loses a word when Varis sniff her hair.

"Like this?" He plays with Nisel's wavy hair and sniffs it again while closing one eye and smiling.

"Stop it." Nisel pulled her hair in panic, pushing her voice down.

"You smell like honey and milk." After a smile a while, Varis turn his face at the sky. "Try Elderflower next time."

"What?" Nise tilted his head in confusion.

"Nothing." Elderflower. He became addicted to that smell—the smell of white hair girl. He wished he didn't dream last night and hoped to meet her again—an elf girl.

"Young Hakonen!" Professor yelled from beside his desk. "Do you want to grow a wing and flap outside?"

"N-no, sir."

"Then why do you look at the sky?"

"Stand, idiot," Bareon whispered.

Everyone chuckled as they saw Varis lose his reverie and stand like a robot.

Professor frowned. "Why you stand, little bird?"

"Huh?" He had no idea, and slowly Varis returned to his seat. He seemed like a fool now.

*Brrrrttt*

"Shit!" Varis pulled a whoopie cushion and turned at Bareon while everyone was laughing.

Black corp hair boy laughed hard with his mouth open and slammed his desk. It must be him! Stupid Bareon Darcy. He forgot he was supposed to be bullied by others in middle school. Now this? Slowly Varis sat as he jepy glanced at Bareon.

"Who ordered you to sit back? Stand!"

More giggling came from everyone in his class. Well, it was his fault for ignoring the professor.

Professor asked Varis to bring a whoopie cushion to him and ordered Varis to stand in front of his chair.

"Looks like being born as a highborn doesn't guarantee you become smart," Bareon said. "Am I right, Hakonen?"

Varis clutched, holding himself, not punching his stupid face. If only Varis had an element, he was sure no one dared make fun of him.

"Quiet," the Young Professor ordered. "Young Hakonen, could you tell me which humans must rely on in life? A technology or Element?"

Varis took a while to digest and construct his answer. He didn't want to be seen as a fool and tried to find a way to pay back Bareon's mockery in a fair sloop.

"What's wrong, Hakonen?" Bareon asked to be punched. The dumb continued, "Your brain fails to give you an answer?"

"Do I have another choice, sire?"

"Well, by my guest." Professor sat on the edge of his table.

Varis answered. "We should count on our own, Sire."

"Or depending on our family name," Bareon can't shut his mouth off.

Professor gave Bareon gruff glances. "May I ask why?"

"If we fail to shape and control ourselves as strong individuals, we never can control the elements of technology."

"Great answer." Professor nodded. "May you give me examples about it?"

"Rally on technology, but failing to control it wisely would lead to another AI rebellion, like a thousand years ago. Rallying too much on elements doesn't give us any advantage if we fail to control ourselves. Like someone who has an element somehow transforms from being bullied to being a bully. He thinks himself better than others with pathetic elements, but in reality, he is not. He became arrogant and without self-control. He became a burden to society. For example, Bareon."

Bareon realised that Varis was targeting him. "What do you mean, Punk!?"

Everyone giggled, and the Professor said, "Enough, now sit."

"Do I need to give you an example, Bareon?"

"Enough," Professor said.

He knew it was a dangerous, taunted element user, but Varis had the pride to uphold it. Besides, Bareon started it first. He continued anyway. "Okay, It looks like your tiny brain has failed to digest my clear answer."

Bareon flushed red and grilled his teeth as Varis waited for everyone to calm their laughter before continuing.

"I'll tell you more then," Varis said. "With or without elements, you are never on the school's top twenty-best student score list. Element worsened you for being dumb to be trash because you failed to shape yourself as a human being. Society would be better without you."

Bareon hammered his desk. "You're death, Hakonen!"

"Enough!" the professor said. "Let's continue our class."

Varis screw up. He knew Bareon would come for him, but he had no fear as he always relied on himself and trusted himself he could handle anything alone.

During break time at the canteen, Varis sat with his friend. Many applaud him as a brave and intelligent student, but few were worried about what would happen next.

"He would come for you, Varis." The boy beside Varis started the conversation. "Why can't you shut it down back then? Just buckle up and let it go."

"I can't," Varis answered. "He made fun of me. It is natural for me to take revenge on him. I am ready for anything he throws at me." He continued eating his Mirwalk Noodle and drank his Cast Milk.

He knew Bareon from sixth grade. He was a good boy back then. Everything changed after he got an element and began being a pal with Weasley, son of Duke Yarmouth. "He a good man," Varis continue. "Bareon. He just got a bad friend."

"So, how do you face him?"

"Like a man."

"Yeah, but you have no element, Varis." the girl said with a worried look from the front. "How do you fight his electro?"

"I have this." Varis' finger taped on his brow. "I trust my power. Why should I fear him? He should fear me instead."

Bareon came with four of his cronies, and using electro elements, the dumb hit many people on his way. "Hakonen! You dead, bitch!"

"Run, Varis, run. They after you."

"Let them be."

"I warn you already." The boy beside Varis pulled himself out, carrying his plate of food.

"I'll call the teacher," said the girl, running toward the entrance.

Everyone leaves Varis alone at the centre of the school canteen.

It's funny. Five years ago, Varis helped him from a bully, and now he came as a bully. What a strange fate.

"I guess that element does affect personality, huh?" Varis commented.

"How dare you make fun of me, Bastard!"

"I am not." Varis peeked from his shoulder as he licked his thumb. "I'm uttering a fact, not making fun of yours." He raised his head, facing them menacingly.

Bareon pulled Varis's choke. "You're just jealous because you have no element."

"And you are jealous because you are not me."

There was a black hole in Bareon's eyes, the same black hole from many years ago. It hurt Varis more when now, they see each other like this. He never wanted to fight him, no.

Inside, Varis still thought of him as Bareon, his buddy.

"Fight! fight!" Weasly, a pickle boy with long red hair clapped and smiled, enjoying the situation. Everyone started clapping and asked them to fight.

'ck, if only I have an element...'

Varis always carved for elements, but God was a cheapskate!