36 I'll Beat it Out of You

"Ugh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it"

Green apologized, he was so mortified that he couldn't move a muscle as they both faced each other in fear and embarrassment.

Lying below him, Laura could feel Green's heart beating wildly like someone who just ran a race and as she looked at his face to yell at him, her mouth hung open as she realized that Green was actually very handsome when looking at him from a close distance.

"What. The . Hell is going on here?"

They both jumped and scrambled to their feet at the sound of Ryan's voice.

"No.. nothing... We're not doing anything"

Laura stuttered,

"I...we had an accident"

Green said,

Ryan stared suspiciously from Green to Laura and back while thinking,

'These two are obviously up to something'

"Then how will you explain that position I found you in and this broken item?"

Ryan asked, there was a hard edge to his voice as if he was trying to hold his anger in.

"Believe me Ryan, it was just an accident"

Laura pleaded and walked up to Ryan,

'Wait a minute, why's she begging? Don't tell me they're dating'

Green thought,

"Even if it was an accident, what were you doing together up here in the first place?"

Ryan almost screamed as he asked her

the question.

A trivial matter like this wasn't supposed to make him get so worked up but because of his previous exchange with Sam, he wasn't really in a perfect state of mind.

"But Ryan, it wasn't her fault"

Green chipped in, attempting to rescue Laura.

"Then whose fault is it?"

Ryan snapped back,

"It was an accident"

Green replied,

"Haha"

Ryan laughed mirthlessly,

"An accident indeed, with you on top of her. I thought you were my friend Green"

'What the hell? What's come over Ryan?'

Green thought,

"Nothing happened Ryan, what's come over you?"

"Shut up you unrepentant green freak!"

Ryan screamed,

Laura covered her mouth in surprise and looked at Green thinking he would flare up in anger but she was surprised to see him standing still with a mortified expression on his face, she knew that Ryan had taken it too far with that one.

At that point, Green froze as he heard Ryan's words and the awful trauma of his past at the orphanage came crawling back to him.

He opened his mouth to reply but his mouth just hung open, there was nothing he could say as he watched as Ryan stormed away with Laura trailing behind him with words of apologies on her lips.

Green bent his head and sighed sadly as he looked at the broken vase on the floor.

'I thought that I left that trauma behind at the orphanage but I guess it followed me here stubbornly and it came from the person who I considered closest to me. I guess no one can run away from the true nature of a human'

Just like that vase that had permanently broken on the floor, the flourishing bond between Green and Ryan had come to an untimely end.

***

That Night,

On the roof of the dormitory,

Green passionately watched the stars in the night sky with a heavy heart, the joy that he had felt when he was coming to the school had vanished completely from his heart.

'Power....

'....Look here Green, you're still a child, so you may not understand what I'm trying to say....

In this world, power is everything, if you have power, people will grovel at your feet, countries will fall when you sneeze. Even mountains will move at your command...

People like the principal will give anything to have more power, that is why he's searching for you...

(Ch. 22 Jack's discussion with Green)

'Magic...

Well... I don't know if you have noticed, but you don't have a magic affinity. You just have that green energy that carries a lot of power with it. Flame prodigies are common but you're a one in a million type of mage

(Ch. 24: Jack's discussion with Green)

'Friendship...

I'm telling you because I trust you, from the first time I saw you I knew that we were very much alike, people hate and despise us, but we still stand strong, we face every day with a courage that we never knew we possessed. I'm telling you this because I know that someday, we're gonna be best of friends.."

(Ch 12: Ryan's discussion with Green)

Green bent his head as he remembered his conversations with the people whom he had met in this school.

"This school opened my eyes to a part of the world that I never knew and it's overwhelming me... I don't know what to do anymore... I feel like I can't take this anymore, I wanna give up"

"It's barely one week of training and you're thinking of giving up?"

Green jumped at the deep familiar voice behind him and turned to face the speaker,

"Mr Jack? What are you doing here?"

Green asked,

"What does it seem like I'm doing? I came to check on my student"

He said and walked up to Green,

Green turned away with a sad face and Jack asked,

"What's wrong Green?*

"I've got a lot going on now. I'm having difficulties materializing my "special" energy and I've also fallen out with my friends. I just feel like there's nothing I can do correctly.."

Green replied sadly,

"Listen up Green..."

Jack said and placed a hand on Green's shoulder,

"No Mr Jack, if you're gonna give me a motivational lecture then you better keep it to yourself"

Green shrugged Jack's hand off his shoulder and shifted aside,

"Haa"

Jack breathed softly and thought as he removed his black bracelet,

'I guess I have no choice then'

[Battle Arena: Land of Snow]

The both of them were instantly transported into the battle arena.

"What are we doing here?!"

Green screamed as his skin was instantly covered with goosebumps as the cold wind whipped against his body.

"If I can't talk it out of you, then I'll beat it out of you"

Jack said and an ice spear materialized on his right hand.

'Run! Dodge!'

That was all Green's instincts screamed to him as he turned and ran away as Jack's ice spear struck where he previously stood.

"Sh*t! That was close, does he plan to kill me?"

Green said and ran behind a mound of now.

Jack stopped throwing spears and watched as Green ran and hid behind the snow mound.

"That's a stupid move Green! Never hide in an enemy's battle arena!"

Jack yelled to him and paused to see whether he would run out.

After sometime of waiting and Green didn't come out, Jack used his powers to lift the mound up into the air but to his utmost surprise, Green was nowhere to be found. It took him a full second to realize that Green was clinging to the mound that was in the air but one second was enough for Green to throw himself down on Jack with lopsided snowballs in his hands.

"Aaaaagh!!!"

Green yelled and threw the snowballs to Jack.

"Nice one kid"

Jack said and smirked,

"What??! What's going on?"

Green exclaimed in surprise as his attack was stopped in mid air, him and the snowballs were suddenly floating harmlessly over Jack's head.

"See how weak you are?!"

Jack screamed to him,

"I could kill you with one flick of my finger if I want to and there's nothing you can do about it. Work hard, gain power and every other thing will be added unto you. Even your friends will come back. Just trust me on that"

Green clenched his fists as he heard Jack's words and hot tears of determination dropped down his eyes.

"I swear... I'll get stronger and kick your *ss too Mr Jack"

Jack smiled and replied,

"I'd love to see you try"