Smiley's Gambit

Smiley grit his teeth as the chaotic red energy cut into his foot, but he continued to suppress any sign of it. He grown used to pain, and even mocked it, thinking it paled in comparison to the workouts he’d put himself through on a daily basis.

Though nothing could compare to the parasite when it dug into his neck, which was placed there by Sylvia, the so-called parasite queen. It was his own little inbuilt kill-switch, keeping his life in their hands. As if being trapped here wasn’t enough.

Smiley leaned against the wall while watching the world crumble. Blazing fires swept through the forest, only stopped by rifts of void, pockets of frozen time and other areas where the temperature reached absolute zero. Other teachers ran out wearing temporal robes, finding the trail of markers leading to the teleport area, but none of them turned back to see Smiley by the wall. His presence was masked by the sense of danger spreading through the realm.