1 The Burned Lady

'Do I even need to use these socks?'

This question repeatedly ran around the head of a lady. It already took her half an hour before she decided to wear the pair of socks and continued by wearing a pair of black shoes that the school provided to her.

Even with her concealed skin, the school officials told her to wear a proper uniform.

'A day of curse isn't enough for that almost bald man.' She referred to the old official of Althea who pushed the idea of her wearing the uniform. 'Along with that headmaster—who doesn't even know how to shave—he didn't even try to stop them.

Should I just burn his facial hair next time that I'll see him?'

Her thoughts were interrupted from adding more plans to seek revenge when the bell of the school rang. She combs her hair backward and stood up from the floor right before her door.'

On a glimpse in her room, pitch darkness are visible to one's eye. There's no windows nor lights open that made her room completely concealed.

"Well, I am under the institute's rules. What can I do now?" She mumbled, accepting her silly fate. She took her bag as she walks out of the dormitory room that she was staying in.

There were a couple of female individuals outside that couldn't help but stare at her. After a few seconds, they'll stop and mind their own businesses again.

Seeing a bandaged individual is normal but to see a completely enfolded individual by a fabric is rather... rare. Unless they tried to swim in a sea of fire without any applied fire resistance in the person and lives afterwards.

She got into the institute which is well-known in every land in the world. All the students in Althea have abilities and also have a separate establishment for those who don't possess abilities.

Althea is also known for its equal and fair system that grants everyone to have the same rights and power upon judgement if one is uncompliant to the institute's rules.

Despite that, the educational institution has 2 groups they either call or sees as a 'Special'.

There are two types of Specials in Althea; the first 'Specials' are called to those students, staff, and people who are important in Althea, those who were granted with special honor by the headmaster himself.

While the second 'Specials' or 'Specialists' are those students with excellent prowess and under the Official Executioner, the person who manages the charges on those who went against Althea's regulation which they promised to follow.

This title is given to the one who verdicts and cut their loose thread of life.

The Official Executioner is also the person who leads those Specials to a battlefield if one will be arise. The last Official Executioner died four months ago which made its title unoccupied. As of now, the new Official Executioner of Althea is unknown to everyone yet her name and information were leaked from one mouth to another.

Scarlet.

Female; has a long fire-like scarlet hair; has a pair of crimson eyes; and a skilled hunter as well as a accomplished leader and commander.

She didn't appear in any occasions nor events but the description of her identity is quite unique yet no one has ever seen such woman in Althea nor in Athrenue. Because of that, the she was entitled with 'Unknown Scarlet' by some students who are curious of her existence.

After a few minutes, one woman arrived in a building, she noticed that there were no students around. She looked left and right but there was no near energy to be felt. It was odd, as the place she is in is an institute where a lot of students should be.

She also took a peek through the window of some classrooms just to see it empty.

'What kind of joke is this?' She was bothered by the quietness of her surroundings. What if this is an ambush planned by the headmaster and the school officials? Even if it is the motive, why do they bother making her use that stupid uniform for her death clothes?

She clicked her tongue, dismissing the thought in her head. 'What class was I assigned again?'

She was about to give up from walking around to find her assigned classroom when she suddenly felt an energy near her.

Someone took a step towards her after walking down the staircase to their floor level. "Wow, look at this confident girl right here." An amused voice of a man was heard behind. He examined the weird get-up of someone that he has never seen once.

His lips twitched with the weird bandaged covered figure ahead of him. Although he was amused, he saw it weird at the same time, making his face crumple lightly.

"Brave enough not to attend the morning assembly, I see."

Violet was lightened up when she remembered that there should be a morning assembly on that day.

'Oh. So there were no ambush or assassination plans for me? My bad.' She said to herself as she obviously got the wrong idea.

She looked at the guy who was in the same building as her, the only person with her at the moment. At the moment that she faced the guy, an amused expression was all that remained in his face.

"Who are you?" She calmly asked.

He tried to stop a chuckle. "How about you? Who are you? Did you got caught up inside a building on flames?" His playful smirk was drawn on his face as he mocks her.

He wore the same uniforms that the male students use in Althea. A navy blue coat and underneath it was a black polo while his pair of slacks was colored in black. Almost the same with the female student's uniform but they wore a black skirt instead.

"Even a normal person can get out without having all of their skin burned."

"Well, what you said is true." The guy shrugged. "But who knows? Maybe you bathed in flames or maybe..." He shrugged again and started thinking of another idea. "... You were asleep when the flames ate you?"

The lady spared him three seconds of silence. "Can you be lamer than that?"

"Well, that's harsh." He immediately replied.

The guy examined Violet from head to toe as Violet did the same. The difference is, the guy can't see how Violet scrutinize him.

'Black combed hair, blue eyes, neatly ironed clothes, thin silver necklace, a badge that is identical to mine, pinned on our collar, black watch on his left wrist, clean shoes and a laid back personality if you'll judge his face and expressions.' She set out everything that she examined. 'His energy is also stable like a normal person outside. He must have control over his magic.' She added and eventually reached a conclusion.

'Boring.'

She turned her back and was about to go ahead but then,

"You're quite a mystery." The guy said before Violet could even turn around and look at the guy, he suddenly appeared on her side.

She has her guard down that's why she swiftly stepped sidewards, farther from him.

"Hmm. Not impressive for an S-class." The guy held his chin as he commented on her reaction.

"You could've gone ten or fifteen steps away."

"And maybe fall into a dumb trap?" The lady in a weird get-up added that caught the guy off guard as he didn't expect her to discover his laid trap.

The guy smirked at her perceptivity. He clicked his tongue and a tiny fire from ten or fifteen steps away, where he thought the lady would go, faded.

A trap planted by no other than the guy near her.

"Impressive!" He said and clapped his hand three times with no energy at all. "You noticed the fire even with those bandages hiding your eyes. Quite a weirdo." He commented, even chuckling with his last statement.

'...Weird and dumb to think I wouldn't sense the energy of trap.' The lady shook her head in disappointment. She was about to step away but she remembered something that the guy said. She faced him who still has his smirk pinned on his face. "S-class?" She asked in curiosity.

The guy's eyebrow went up. A slight surprise surfaces in his expression. 'She's not aware?'

He nodded at Violet and held his badge on his collar which Violet also have. It was also pinned at her collar. "This is a badge that makes you known..," He started. "A badge of an s-class student. A special one."

'A special one?' Violet let an air out. 'That headmaster should get beheaded in no time. I told him that I-.'

How bad she wanted to speak bad of the headmaster again however, her thoughts were interrupted by the hand of the guy as it was extended to her, asking for her handshake all of a sudden.

"I am Neodelle Seilvaster, an S-class student which means... we're classmates."

Thoughtless, Violet extended her hand to the guy and was about to continue cussing the headmaster inside her head.

But a bright light suddenly lit up before her. That light climbed draw nearer, the heat tickling her skin under her bandages.

The moment when his skin made a contact with her covered hand, a trail of fire immediately crawled its way to her body, and in a matter of seconds... She was engulfed in flames

The real expression that Neodelle was holding back became apparent in his face. A face screaming for entertainment. A thirst for a fight and a thirst to hear a shout of a person in pain and agony.

But it didn't go as he has planned when Violet just stood there, still holding his hand and not even trying to get away.

Neodelle's smirk faded slowly while irritation made an appearance on his face that was faster than light. The sight made Violet scoffed in satisfaction when the guy's expectation was effortlessly thrown into a black hole, failing massively.

She did him a favor by letting go of his hand but the flames were still hugging her. She brushed her hair backward and like a wave, the fire faded away in an instant.

Despite her calm reaction, she was not the one who calmed the flames. Neodelle ceased the fire since it wasn't inflicting any pain nor burn. Continuing it on an unbothered person started to seem pathetic.

'Is it because of that stupid bandage?' He asked himself, confused and frustrated as to why she didn't seem to be affected by the fire.

"Pleasure to meet you, Neodelle Seilvaster." She reached for his collar and fixed it properly since it was rustled and after what happened.

Her eyes stayed at his hand. She didn't know if what could happen if her hand lasted long while in contact with his skin. To add, with a swift move, her palm can travel to his neck. She can strangle him anytime but she knows that an s-class student can get away from a mere strangle.

"I am Violet Rioden. Pleased to make your acquaintance." She said formally, dismissing how rudely she was welcomed.

And with that, she turned her back at him. She was about to walk away but Neodelle suddenly grabbed her hair, still wanting to get a fight, and pulled her towards him. His foot, already mid-air to kick her back. Violet swung her hand, snapping his grip off her hair and jumped above him to land before his back.

Neodelle was forced to let go but before he could make another move, she caught his wrist and twisted it to pin it on his back.

Violet crunched down, swung her legs to kick his feet to lose balance but the guy out full force to his arm and twisted it back before pulling away from her grasp when she was focused on his feet. He managed to saved himself by jumping despite in an uncomfortable position in the last second before her legs took his balance down.

Violet, still crunching down with one of her legs still straight on the floor from kicking, stood up and she was immediately welcomed by a fist which she was able to dodge. She caught his wrist but the fire started to crawl to her body again like what happened earlier.

This time, she felt the heat under the bandages with a crimson red fire. He got out of her grasp and kicked her on her stomach that she was unable to dodge. She took steps back from the impact of a mere kick.

'This level of fire in S-class? He must be an expert.' Violet thought but the truth that he landed a kick on her lit up her insterest so she stood straight. She left her fighting stance and created more openings for enemies to attack.

That made Neodelle smirk despite the little hint of danger creeping into his system. He knew that it was a trap but he relied on his instinct to see what she's up to in the last seconds before she starts to counter.

He ran and prepared his fist that suddenly was covered with his fire in crimson color.

But he suddenly dropped down and kissed the floor. The marbled floor of the hallway cracked; the sound of the ground cracking with a subtle noise of broken ceramic from the tiles.

Unable to compete with the impact of his face and Neodelle winced in pain as some red fluid starts to splatter.

"You bitch!" Clearly angered, he shouted the two words. Humiliated and infuriated at his situation.

"Neodelle?!"

Violet looked over her shoulder and saw a guy wearing the same uniform as Neodelle as well as the pin on his collar. 'Another s-class?' Violet asked herself. The guy who came into the scene with dark brown hair went to Neodelle on the ground.

"Why are you kissing the ground, dude?" The newcomer asked. "I didn't know you were into bloody marble floors." He added, still able to joke around at his friend's situation.

'The blood came from his face though.' Violet said in her mind. 'Well, whatever. I need to go find my classroom.' And with that, she went away from the bloody marble floor scene and walked through the hallway while humming.

She deactivated her power and turned left to leave.

"You call yourself a student under the Official Executer?" The new guy with dark brown hair asked Neodelle who finally got off the floor. His head was full of blood but it wasn't bothering him even though he was shaking.

Shaking in anger.

'How dare she do this to me?'

"That girl..." The new guy started and looked where Violet went. "Who is she? She did this to you?" He pointed out Neodelle's face that made him expressionless.

He hated the fact that he got his face bloody by a girl who he just fought suddenly and got pointed out by his friend.

'I was just irritated and tried to get my irritation out on her but this happened...' Neodelle said in his mind. 'Karma it is, but this just made me angry. Damn her.'

Neodelle snapped into reality when the new guy took blood from his face on his finger. He licked it that made Neodelle look at him disgustingly.

"What on earth are you doing, Theodore?!" He asked his friend with disgust.

Theodore made a disgusted face after tasting the blood of his friend. "Your blood really disgusts me." He said and spit on the floor.

He had his disgusted face as the other had the same look like him. "By the way who was that girl? Did you reject her and get yourself into this?"

Theodore's idea made Neodelle look at him like he just said that water and lava can live together in the same cup. "Are you nuts? I don't even know her."

He piqued Theodore's curiosity. "What? Then why are you like this?" Theodore's eyebrows furrowed.

Neodelle evaded his eyes as he know what will happen next. "I put her on fire and tried to punch her." He confessed.

There was silence after Neodelle said his answer. After a few more seconds, Theodore stood up wearing his emotionless and dark face.

He breathed first and then stomped at Neodelle repeatedly without even taking in mind that his friend is injured.

"You dumbass!" Theodore's voice echoed throughout the building.