Orientation? More like a knee to the face

Sam and Volta

Hiro and Kris

Heath and Jay

Nathan and Victoria

Dan and Laura

Those were the pairs. Dan was really surprised. He's with the timid girl that can cut multiple bullets in one stroke of a blade. He's intrugued. Dan walks to Laura. As he approach, Laura fell back a few steps. Her face gushed red, her every heartbeat like an explosion, she was even shaking.

"So we're a pair, huh?"

"..."

Dan puts his hand on Laura's shoulder, looked at her dead in her eyes and grinned. "Looking forward to it." He slowly slides his hand off her shoulder and holstered his hand in his pocket. He turns around and leaves her.

She was frozen, flustered out of her mind. Not once has a person came up to her and spoke to her like that. The class left while she was in shock still.

"Laura-chan, what's wrong?" Kai ask

She shook her head and walks away. Kai started holding in his laughter. Laura turns around, her face still red, she raised her hand and flipped her middle finger at Kai. And Kai bursts out laughing.

Dan was in his room. Lying on his bed gazing upon the ceiling. He was bored out of his mind. He wanted another fight like before. He found it exhilarating.

A projection of Jon layed next to Dan on the bed.

"What do you want to do?"

"I dunno." He paused, "it'd be weird to just ask people to fight."

"You'd be surprised. But I guess you're right."

"Laura Crescent.." Dan uttered

"You like her?" Jon said with piquing interest

"Can't say. If I did, it wouldn't be like that." Dan replied

"Heh. We'll find out tomorrow, won't we?" Jon said, he was excited to see where it would go

"What exactly is tomorrow?" Dan ask cluelessly

"Missions?"

"Well, yeah. But, what does that mean?" Dan clarifies

"Just kill beasts." Jon simplified

"Beasts?" Dan almost chuckled when he heard it. Weird enough, Dan was never interested in being a sorcerer because he never had the power to become one. He doesn't want to try something he knows he won't be good at.

"They're these otherworldly monsters that hunger for mana."

"So, they eat sorcerers?"

"Not just sorcerers. Anything that contains mana, even regular people. Life force is the same thing to them."

"Are they difficult?"

"For your level? Moderate. Easy enough, hard enough."

"That's reassuring."

"You don't sound convinced."

"Not really. But I've an unrelated question."

"What?"

"What was your life like before... This."

"I can't remember. I only remembered that I died."

Dan doesn't believe him. But he didn't want to pry. It was around 10 AM already, and Dan was bored out of his mind. He got out of his bed and stretched his back. He grabbed his phone and puts it in his pocket. Walked out of his room and closed the door behind him. He looked right and left, empty halls. He walked to the elevator and rode it down to the lobby. In the elevator, it played a little tune. Piano, pretty up beat and a short leitmotif—eight notes.

There was only one person in the lobby. "The guy with the turtle neck, what's his name again?"

"Hey, Nate."

Nathan stayed silent, giving him the cold shoulder. Dan rolled his eyes and walked passed him. He took a quick glance at Nathan and he was slouched to the table, on top of a small map. He's crossing places on the map.

"Maybe he's an adventurer?" Dan thought.

Dan decided to hang out for a bit. He sat across from Nathan. He folded his legs on the couch and watched Nathan work on his little map.

"Whatcha doing?" Dan asks

"None of your business." Nathan replied

"Aww... Can a man not know another man's business?"

"Not mine."

Dan chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Nathan asks

"None of your business." Dan mocked

Nathan was irritated by Dan's response. He continued observing his map. Thirty seconds had passed and Dan had a good idea of what Nate was doing.

"Crossing out places on the map of... I'm assuming Hursh? You travelled to these places before, either you're crossing them out to mark "already visited" POIs or you're crossing out places you've eliminated as a possible POI of something. Perhaps someone." Dan speculated

"You're perceptive." Nathan commented

"Is that a compliment?" Dan asks

"No, a critic. It's rude to budge in other people's business." Nathan replied

"Well, Nate, what can I say?"

"It's Nathan."

"Saying "Nate" saves one syllable."

Nate grew even more irritated.

"What's your problem?" Nate asks

"Nothing, really." Dan was grinning as he said that, it made Nate angry. And he wasn't having any of it.

"Well, can you fuck off?" Nate became agitated

"Ouh... Angry are we?"

"Are you looking for a fight?"

Dan's grin grew larger. Nate was even creeped out by it. He stood up and started walking toward the exit.

"If its a fight you want, you got it."

BLACK ROOM

"That seemed unnecessary. You could just ask him to spar."

"..."

"You're a dick."

Dan and Nate went to the field, about twenty meters in.

"He has powerful amp, but it takes time to condense. He's good at adapting as well, even against speedsters. Guess I'll just have go slow with him." Nate assessed

Dan readies to fight, so did Nate. Dan casts "Black Envelope: Footgear" and "Black Envelope: Arm Gauntlets". Readies both fist close to his chin and jaw.

"Probably something from below." Jon presumed

Nate casts "Ice Rink" on a small scale. Small enough to not reach Dan. Thin, long, and sharp ice spikes formed from the end of Nate's reach, Dan backflips about half a second before it would've impaled him. He sticks the landing and lost sight of Nate. He heard chimes of ice freezing. He followed the sound and saw Nate "ice skating" on the ground. Nate lines up straight ahead at Dan. He skates closer and jumps. He does a mid-air side kick that formed more ice spikes from the ground, this time a lot smaller, greater in numbers, and sharper. Dan countred by pounding the ground and releases a wave of mana that destroys the ice spikes.

Nate was unaffected and continued on skating. He casts "Cold Amplification". Skating in an erratic circle around Dan, building up speed, going about 130 kilometers per hour.

"Not as fast as that girl but still quite fast."

Dan could still track his movements. He noticed that Nate was holding an ice spear all of a sudden. Nate dragging his spear created a bigger trail of ice. As he'd just turn around facing Dan, he swung his spear up. Ice spikes grew from the ground ascending high, and reaching Dan. Dan just simply does another ground pound.

"Is that the only thing you got?"

From breaking the big bunch of ice spikes, it shattered on the ground and turned into clouds of fog. Obscuring Dan's vision. He felt challenged.

Nate came from behind and cuts in between Dan's left back knee. And circled around and cuts Dan's right lap. The cuts were nothing but scratches thanks to his amp.

Dan tried to catch Nate when he's at arms length but he just got brushed off by his speed. Waving away the fog was pointless, it didn't make it disappear. It moved them but still there. Nate went back and forth, cutting his leg and arm in every meet up.

"You're just taking the hits?"

"I can take it."

"Well, counter!"

Dan jumps high up, about fifteen meters above the fog. Nate then followed him by forming platforms that gradually elevates. Dan flails his body and lands on Nate's platform. Nate turns around, drifts, and stopped. Then he started running at Dan with his spear.

Dan punches the platform, it shattered. They both drop to the ground. They both stick the landing. The fog fades away. Nate casts "Frozen Fist" on his right hand and stabs his spear to the ground. It was hand-to-hand combat.

Nate starts with a right hook, Dan pivots his right leg back. Catches Nate's hand with his right, and counters with a left kidney punch. Nate grabs Dan's left hand and headbutts him. Dan became dizzy, but he shook it off quickly. He then headbutted Nate harder. Both took a toll. The two became dizzy and unintentionally let go, and drop to their butts. Dan was less affected, so he stood back up. Dan decides to deal a low blow with his foot, but fails. Nate catches Dan's foot, interlocks his two legs on Dan's other leg and sweeps him down. Dan drops to the ground, on his back. He quickly flips around to stand back up. But Nate was quick to counter. With his two hands he crawls on top of Dan, from his leg to his back. (Like a military crawl but used on top of someone to restrain them). Pushing and pressing Dan down, preventing him from getting up.

Dan grunts as he struggles to stand back up. Dan uses his left elbow to hit Nate's face. It took two hits for Nate to move aside. Nate rolled to the side, his body landscape and facing Dan. Dan turned to him and kicks Nate's face, then Nate's stomach. Dan tries to push himself off the ground to stand up, but his hands were frozen. Both his legs too. "Ice Rink" by Nate caught Dan off guard.

Nate stood up, panting, his head hung low, he looked tired. He dashes to Dan and holds Dan's head with both hands and lands his knee directly at Dan's face.

A direct knee hit to the face can cause a severe concussion or even cracking someone's skull. Dan was late to defend with amp, but Nate didn't use amp either. Dan layed on the grass, holding his hand up to the center of his skull. Nate levels to him and sat down, straightening his legs.

"Why? What was the point of all this? What are you trying to prove?" Nate asks. He was genuinely confused.

Dan couldn't really hear or see clearly. His vision ablur and his hearing muffled and ringing. He heard partial of what Nate said "What are you trying to prove?" That's all he heard before he blacked out.

8 HOURS LATER

Dan woke up on a hospital bed. His vision was okay, so was his hearing. But he also have a headache. He thought he was blind for a second but turns out the light were just off.

BLACK ROOM

"Where am I? In a hospital? What happened?" Dan recollecting himself

"Idiot, you tried to boost your ego and failed miserably." Jon stated

"Where am I?" Dan asks again

"The school infirmary. Nate brought you here." Jon replied

"Nate?"

"He's to your left."

Dan slowly turns his head to the left, he saw Nate, sitting on a chair. Slouched over, working on his map again. A small lamp helped him do his work. He was wearing earphones, so Dan decide not to call him.

"I can tell that you're awake." Nate claimed

"You can?" Dan uncertain

"How was the nap?" Nate asks

"Fine, I guess. What are you doing here?" Dan confused

"Waiting for your dumbass to wake up."

"Oh... Thanks?"

"Go back to sleep. First missions will be handed out tomorrow."

"Wait, what time is it?"

Nate looks at his phone "6.48"

Nate then cleans his stuff, he folds his small map into a tiny square and puts it in his pocket. He also puts his pen and phone in his pocket. He stood up and started walking towards the exit. He opens the door and pauses.

"Laura visited you, by the way."

"What?"

Nate left the room and closed the door behind him.

"What am I trying to prove?" He asked himself this time

A line that he never thought someone would say to him. He was somewhat hurt by that statement. Something he'd been asking himself. Something he needs to figure out himself.