A Dogfight

"Once we get a break, I'll teach you some tricks to control your psychic energy from leaking out," Jyorta said, noticing a familiar face from the corner of his vision. Just when he turned around to wave at the person, his body froze up, a sense of terror gripping his heart.

The blue soul immediately severed all connections with his nerves that affected facial expressions, going into overdrive.

'H-How is she still alive? Sister said Ancestor Light and Ancestor Marble worked together to destroy all the subsouls of Gajara Rahi. Then, how can she still be alive? Even though she was secretly converted at the same time as sister, Ancestor Light had used the Tier 5 Relic made from Deific Inference. He should have detected her existence. Dammit, this doesn't make sense.'

The blue soul hurriedly created a false persona and overlaid it on his persona—a contingency measure it had prepared beforehand, creating numerous false personas—making him act accordingly.

Jyorta waved his hand, making the target of his action notice him. The girl waved back, noticing that there were no empty seats near him. She then pointed towards her back—at a vacant seat 3 rows behind her—informing him of where she would be sitting.

With a nod, Jyorta turned around, acting natural, showing no abnormalities. Haesha looked at him, "Your classmates have begun to enter?"

"Ah, no," Jyorta shook his head, removing the false persona and storing it within the blue soul, "She was my childhood friend. We had studied together until the 5th standard. After that, she moved out to the 5th Ring. I didn't know when she had returned."

Haesha turned around, taking a glance at the girl, "You don't seem that close."

"Well, we haven't talked much over the past 6 years. I met her once last year; it was an awkward experience." Jyorta shrugged, "At present, it is more like an obligatory acknowledgment since our parents are close friends."

"Obligatory acknowledgement…?" Haesha muttered, breaking out into a laugh, and slapping his arm, "What the heck is that? Don't use weird vocabulary. Just say that you are on Hi-Hi, Bye-Bye terms."

"Hi-Hi, Bye-Bye terms?" It was Jyorta's turn to laugh, "I guess it is like that."

'For some reason, Laila is alive. Does that mean she had escaped the grasp of Ancestor Light? But, he didn't strike as a careless person; so, how? Anyway, I should steer clear from her. I should only maintain a Hi-Hi, Bye-Bye relationship with her.' Jyorta turned silent.

"Eh?" Haesha turned around, her gaze focused on one of the pathways the students streamed in, her interest piqued. She slapped Jyorta's shoulder numerous times in excitement, almost jumping, "Jorta, look, a fight. Two people are fighting."

"It's Jyorta," Jyorta replied, following her line of sight.

"It's the same. Watch the fight first." Haesha shouted, her gaze lingering on the two students tussling with each other.

Jyorta too followed suit, noticing the two students glaring at one another, their face up close, their hands locked with each other in a hold—a contest of strength. Among the two, one boy had an average height while the other was quite tall, a head taller than the other.

"Tower shoot; remove your rotten mug away from my sight. Don't you see you are polluting the environment?" The shorter boy shouted, his voice strained, creating a vulgar tone.

"Oh!" The taller boy shouted, his voice unnecessarily loud, gaining the attention of everyone nearby, "I was just wondering about why the auditorium is filled with a suffocating stench. No wonder! You are here!"

"When I'm done with you, you will become the shortest shrimp in this entire academy." The shorter boy sent a straight right to the taller boy's face, raising exclaims from the crowd. The taller boy held his left cheek as he took a step back, crouching a little as he turned angry, sending an uppercut.

"Ooh," Jyorta exclaimed, seeing the taller boy's punch connect to the shorter boy's stomach, making him clutch it in pain. Seeing a fight live was many times better than watching it on television.

"Aargh," The shorter boy shouted, raising a shrill scream as he jumped at the taller boy, holding him and tumbling down together due to the collision. He sent a hit with his elbow, using his head to bump into his chin, and rained down one punch after another.

The taller boy retaliated similarly, using his taller stature to an advantage, each of his knee kicks pushing the shorter boy away. The shorter boy guarded using his palms, absorbing the force using his arms like a spring, traversing a couple of steps to ease the pain coursing through his body. Without relenting, he jumped towards the taller boy and entered into a dog fight, swiping with his nails, and attacking everywhere he could reach.

"Awoo," The taller boy howled in pain, having his groin area hurt. As if a beast maddened with fury, he bit the shoulder of the shorter boy, using his body weight to press on the other. He flailed his arms, using his greater reach to rain down blows, his maddened attacks unstopping.

Seeing the situation take a turn for the worse, the surrounding students hurriedly entered the fray, separating the two. Some students held their noses and wailed in pain, having gotten hurt while separating the two mad dogs.

11:30 AM, a side door near the dais opened as an old woman appeared. The moment she entered, she noticed the commotion, her brows scrunching up.

"Ugh, boys," She raised her hand, emitting her psychic energy.

Jyorta hurriedly turned his head around, like a frightened feline, his body tensing up. He felt like he was staring at a raging tsunami, its size going beyond his senses.

The two students who were still struggling while held down by the others turned still, their bodies unmoving. As if scared that they had done something, the students who held them separated away, creating a distance.

"If you want to fight, there is an arena available for that. Each task in its respective place, got it?" The old lady said, her voice pleasant to hear, travelling across the auditorium. Immediately, a tiny ball of water-like substance formed before her, shining with a pale blue light. It separated into two streams, flowing into the two injured students one after the other. It then split into smaller streams, entering the bodies of the students who were mildly injured due to the scuffle.

"Yes, ma'am," The two students replied, their gazes filled with wonder, looking at their disappearing injuries, their bodies healthier than before. They each sent a hateful glare at the other, retreating away from the scene.

"Good," Saying her piece, the old lady walked towards the dais, situated at one end of the auditorium—a raised platform, visible from every seat in the auditorium. She walked towards the podium, taking the mike into her hand, tapping on it a couple of times, checking if it functioned properly.

"Good morning, students," The old lady said, her voice neither loud nor a mumble, falling into the ears of every student present, clearly audible.

"Good morning, Ma'am!" The students echoed back, standing up. A couple of seconds later, when the old lady waved her hands, they sat down, taking a proper seated position. The students who were still on the pathway hurriedly occupied the nearby seats, taking the effort to not stand out.

The old lady spoke in the mike, "My name's Mary Veera; you can call me Madam Mary. I am the Principal of this Academy, the one in charge of you for the next one year. On behalf of the academy, I welcome you all. As a small joining present, let me give you something. Even though some of you have experienced it just now, you will get to experience it again."

The students turned excited at the prospect of getting a present. Also, witnessing how she cured the injuries of the two students in a matter of seconds, they were curious to experience it for themselves. They watched Madam Mary raise her hands high; a pale blue colour converged towards her palm, increasing in size.

It looked like a ball of water, spinning mid-air, growing in size until it was as big as a watermelon. The ball of water then split into hundreds of tiny wisps, flowing towards all the students present, entering their bodies. Followed by surprised exclaims, the students felt their bodies gaining some mass, making them feel healthier.

Jyorta focused on his senses, trying to trace the flow of the wisps as they flowed into each student. His perception changed, increasing his concentration. Even then, he could only notice a streak of light emerging from the watermelon shaped ball before Madam Mary, taking but a fraction of a second to enter the bodies of every student present.

The moment a wisp entered his body, Jyorta felt some warm energy course through him, subtly increasing his muscle mass. It also healed the parts of his body that were damaged during the Induction ceremony and had yet to fully heal.

'This is miraculous,' Jyorta smacked his lips, enjoying the experience. His spirits were uplifted, bringing him a sense of joy, clearing his mind of all thoughts. He noticed Haesha having an expression similar to his own, her gaze filled with a sense of longing.

"How was that? Did you like my present?" Madam Mary chuckled.

The auditorium was immediately filled with deafening cheers, making her shut her ears. Seeing the lively atmosphere, Madam Mary pursed her lips, her gaze softening as if the ones before her were her children. After some time when the crowd had calmed down, Madam Mary continued her speech.

"Starting from today, you will be spending the next one year in this academy, away from your family. You would face many life-threatening situations here, so much so that you might want to quit. But, let me get this straight."

Madam Mary turned serious, making the students sit up straight, "The only way you can quit is through death. I repeat, once you have entered here, as long as you are alive, you will continue to fight for our city. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Ma'am!" The students echoed, their collective voices shooting through the roof.