Chapter 8: The Epic Begins

The faint rustle of leaves can be heard as a breeze blew past me, blowing away the smoke that billowed from my tea, along with its aroma… Currently, Cora stared daggers at me and her friend Silian had her face as white as a sheet. Me? I was currently in front of a Xion who had his eyes closed and his mouth bent into a frown. He just sat there ominously, not even saying a word.

The thick air lasted for a few minutes, with none of us talking. So I raised my hand and with shaky lips, I decided to voice out my thoughts.

"…So, are you mad or am I expelled?"

The old Principal let out a long sigh, then yet another pause before speaking. His forehead was slightly creased and his voice was a bit shaky.

"Fire… Pyre, when we trained today, you told me that you cannot control your own power? How was it that you weaponized yourself without even the slightest of clues on how to control your powers?"

I paused for a bit, sweat beading down my forehead as I nervously gulped down some air. My hands were cold, my soles were damp, and everything seemed bleak. I personally had no answer… and I fear that I may be a disappointme-

A spark of flame manifested in my hand, and then all of a sudden it burnt into a bright flame that rested on top of my palm.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH! It's happening again!"

Silian instinctively backed off as my eyes widened in shock. The flames lapped against my skin, causing me to flinch in pain, however I still swung it around in order to at least put out the fire. However, it only seemed to make it worse since now, the fire burnt a bright blue color, similar to a stove flame. But in what could have been my darkest hour, Xion held my wrist. He looked at me with a soft expression before mouthing a single word…

'Breathe'

I took a couple of breaths as my heartbeat slowed down and as if it were magic, the flames slowly subsided into nothing but a faint ember. It… It was gone? I breathed a sigh of relief before looking closely at my hand to see if there were any burns or such, but like usual, nothing of importance happened.

After that small incident, the Principal let go of my hand and nodded to himself, seemingly understanding what had just happened. Cora just let out a huff, gazing at the principal before she spoke up.

"What is the verdict for him…? After almost causing harm to two discipline committee members, threatening the student body president, and causing massive unrest to the school… He definitely should be punished, no?"

The lady folded her arms and with a huff, she looked at the Principal who chuckled and held his hand in the air.

"No, this was purely coincidental. Do you think that he'd panic like that had you told him that phones were not contraband in our small facility? Not to mention that he definitely has the right to be angry at Silian. I asked him to protect her and that was foolish of me. He is still inexperienced unlike you two, and so I was stunned to hear that you never even decided to help him…"

He returned a smile to Cora, tilting his head to the side as his expression grew wider. The woman clicked her tongue, and with droopy eyes, she stood from her seat before walking over to me with an outstretched hand.

"S-Sorry… for doubting you, and being angry at you… I just didn't like it when you hurt my subordinates and even attempted hit Silian with your flames."

She looked at me with a slight blush on her face, her eyes shifting to the side as a drop of sweat rolled down her face. In response, I took her hand and gripped it back, shaking it ever so slightly with a sunny smile on my face.

How can I stay mad at someone who merely looked after her friends, it's not like Shan had been close to any of them, I mean she only attended school today! Formally at least…

"It's fine Cora. You did what you could for me and I took it for granted. Sorry for having hurt them…"

She simply shook her head before releasing me from her grip. We soon parted ways as she returned back to where she was seated. Her friend though? She bit her lip and looked at me with glassy eyes and her glasses fogged up. Her body shivered ever so slightly as she reached for me as if she were about to strangle me.

Mom, come pick me up. I'm scared…

I slowly sunk into my cushioned seat as the lady reached for mw with her arms spread wide, like a T-posing zombie asserting their dominance against a cowardly nerd like me. However, all my fears were unfounded because she swiftly wrapped her arms around me in a hug.

H-Huh?

"Sorry… if I had known that you had no direct control over your powers then…"

I wrapped my arms around her too and gave her a slight pat on the back.

"It's fine… I am really sorry for having had an outburst like that as well… that was very unprofessional of me…"

I felt my lips curve into a wry smile as Silian released me from the hug. She looked at me with the same glassy eyes, almost welling up with tears. Despite her reservations… this student head is very reactive to her peers. I am glad that I met her…

After a short awkward pause between the four of us, Xion cleared his throat before giving out a statement.

"Since most of you have finished apologizing for your mistakes, I do hope you all get along better. After all, we have a mission we have to do regarding that ship."

Ah… this again. I shouldn't even be here. I raised my hand in the air to catch their attention and once I was acknowledged by the old man himself. I stood up and spoke my mind.

"Sorry Sir, but I think it's time for me to take my leave. You might talk about confidential stuff regarding this operation and I'm not really a part of it… so I'd rather just pack up and leave for now."

He blinked his jade-colored eyes twice, his lips tightened as he paused in order to process what I just said. His actions were soon followed by a hearty chuckle which caught the attention of the people inside his room. Me? I just cocked my head to the side in confusion.

"Oh Pyre… I think I have just the right punishment for what you did earlier."

The principal's lips curved into a smile, clapping his hands before continuing his earlier declaration.

"You… You are now officially part of this boating operation. So, sit down and join us."

But as soon as Xion said this, the two friends immediately stood at attention.

"Wait! Why is he involved in all this! I thought he was inexperienced?!"

"T-That's right Sir! Shouldn't he be trained first by someone on how to use his powers?"

But the principal merely raised a brow accompanying it with a slight closed-lip smile.

"And I am training him on how to use it… Now, are there any objections left?"

He looked at the two ladies with an outstretched smile as the pair simply grimaced, took a step back, and sat down on their respective seats. I wanted to have a say in all this, but that smile was terrifying and intimidating for a lot of reasons, hence the reason I decided to lay it off for now.

"Good… then I believe that I will need to debrief you on the proceedings in relation to that operation…"

He tapped his foot on the earthy floor of his room and with a soft rumble, a crevice opened on the floor. A television soon jutted out of the hole, hanging by a pole and a wire that stretched into the holes' depths. With another tap of his feet, the television turned on, displaying what appeared to be the massive cruise ship on the news from earlier.

"This is the S.S. Titania. People dub it as the 'Unsinkable Ship'. However, we have received information that Wyzen's crew have boarded in with the staff and the sailors, masking their presence alongside them. If I had to guess that man's goal, it would probably be 'To sink the ship in order to make it look like an attack by another Nation' thus we would have to take some measures to stop him."

The old man tapped his foot again as the television screen focused on a silhouette of a man with a question mark. His attention then shifted to Silian who tried her best to muster up a smile

"Hence the reason I instructed Silian to manage and muster up ten students who can be fit for the defense, including Pyre. Do send me the list later. Is that clear?"

"Y-Yes sir, I will not disappoint you!"

The lady stammered, bowing her head only to bite her tongue. I puffed my cheeks, successfully keeping all the laughter inside me. I did not want to break the mood after all. Cora on the other hand, was a bright beet red. Her lips were narrowed but her eyes were sharp. Almost as if she wanted to let out a fit of laughter. Xion? The guy just smiled before carrying on with his presentation.

"Very well Silian, I admire your dedication… But we shall carry on. The ship boasts a massive expanse of about 270 meters in length and about 90 meters in in width. The cruise ship upon its first actual cruise, would house numerous world leaders that we may need to protect, in secrecy of course."

Xion held up three fingers in front of him, allowing us see it clearly.

"One, we cannot reveal ourselves to the public. Doing so will cause civil unrest for both the people and ourselves as Epico. We might end up disrupting the status quo if we were to do that."

He retracted one finger, leaving behind two more items to discuss.

"Two, none of you shall kill an Epico you face. Do your best to subdue them and we will bring them to our home, help them rehabilitate and send them back to Wyzen if they still wish to follow his ways."

And with one last retraction, he lowered his fist.

"Lastly, while we may protect those important people in the ship… Always stay safe. I do not want to lose anyone from my family. That is for sure. Always keep the safety of you and your allies in mind and watch out for any issues you may need to cover them for."

The three of us nodded in understanding, receiving a small smile from the Principal who rested his head on the backrest before closing his eyes. He let out a long sigh before shifting his gaze to me.

"Pyre, the rest of you who would be joining this operation, starting tomorrow, you will attend training classes apart from my own training. This operation will be in a matter of two weeks and we need you to have at least decent control of your skills during that time. Understood?"

"Yes, I will give it my all!"

I placed my hand over my heart, my chin held up high from being acknowledged by the principal a second time. However, he threw in an extra gift for me.

"As for Shan's case, do not worry about her… I will personally look into it so do not get yourself involved with her group. Are we clear?"

"Affirmative, but would this mean I am switching rooms… I find Shan to be quite the comfortable companion to be with."

Upon hearing my remark, Cora's head swiftly swiveled to where I was, her lips slightly puckered like a lemon. I paid it no heed though.

As a response to my question, Xion shook his head before waving his hand dismissively.

"No, that much is fine… Anyway, head to your room now and rest, because trust me, it will be an awfully long day tomorrow."

Heeding his words, I gave the principal a nod before walking off to my room.

Tomorrow would be intense…