Proeliem

It had been two years since his last battle, Xin never liked the thought of fighting someone who was weaker than him but every school, every neighborhood, there was always someone whose ego and or pride wouldn't allow peace for Xin. When he was 13 he had enough; they moved again but at the new school he started wearing a mask seeing as how he thought he would be left alone. But contrary to popular belief wearing a white mask with three black dashes in school attracts more attention

than anything else. 

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"Powerless just like the rest of The Pignus House, all your house ever produces are societies statistics to use up space in this world." The boy said as he looked at a 13 year old beat up and bleeding Xin. "up yours shitstain!" Xin coughed out through a bloody smile. The other beaten and tired kids winced at the thought of having to continue ganging up on Xin. The other teens surrounding Xin tried to launch an all out attack on Xin at the same time, though they definitely did signifigant damage to him; they themselves were bleeding others laid down incapacitated on the floor. Most of the kids who could walk backed up a bit while the rest flat out retreated but one kid sat on the concrete curb right across from Xin staring at him surrounded by the rubble. He was tall for 13 he was fit, an above average build for young man, and he had a dirty blonde pony-tail he was wearing a torn uniform similar to Xin's if in everything except color. His uniform was red and purple while Xin's was all black. They both sat there, bloodied, tired, both his arms broken, shattered like socks filled with glass lying sad, connected to a sack of bad potatoes, some layed down incapacitated on the floor head ringing, and there hearts pounding. "You're nothing but an orphan Pignus bastard you'll... never catch up..." the boy pushed out of his exhausted body. "You're nothing... but a self entitled brat who got everything handed down to him" Xin pulled in air hard after finishing his insult, his lungs already tired. "Why would you do this?..." The boy demanded from Xin "I don't have to tell you Vasillias trash anything! ... maybe I don't have a reason..." Xin Retorted there was an awkward ten seconds of silence before "BULLSHIT!" yelled back the boy who had been pissed off by the other teen's response. "you know what?" Xin said as he stood up half bent and almost crooked, he walked, or limped, to the other boy and stood over him. "Maybe I just wanted to prove that I am better" he said he said coldly as he looked down at the other boy "And I did just that!" Xin yelped out with a wince from his chest, he sobbed, he cried, he screamed he grabbed his head banged his hands against it. He dropped his hands that fell as if they weights tied to them and look up at the sky and stood there soaking in the new morning sun.

"You done here?" a friendly and familiar voice asked, Xin turned around to see his good friend, his only friend "yeah... I think i'm done man" Xin let out his reply with a sigh. "You moving again soon?" The sparkling friend asked with a disapointed tone in his voice, "Yeah, mom's been asked to break-in more Dancers in training up north" Xin replied tiredly. "Damn i'm actually going to a more Western city more around... the higher class area, apparently i'm getting my own sect!" the boy in the brightly colored uniform said with a tired out excitement the same half excitement that told Xin he didn't want this. Xin looked at him, taken a back a bit, but nevertheless he looked with pride. It soon faded to worry when he thought about how he'd be taken advantage of in the Eastern city nothing against the people or the culture there but they were very conservative...

The sparkling friend of Xin's was small standing at around five foot, he was petite not skinny his features were more of a feminine build with wider hips and a more hourglass shape but, that was a side affect of his race, nothing he could do about it. He had pretty face it was cherubic and outlined by his tan, patterned red, skin texture. He spoke in a soft yet dominant tone even tho his voice was a bit higher than an average man's, his manner of speech was laid-back and punk-like, his personality was fun, bubbly or excited yet very passive aggressive.

"when do you leave?" The the boy asked as the red spots on the two side of his face lowered as his face began to droop. "monday, i'm already packed and mom's got the newest model M.S" replied shin trying to lighten the mood with the tone in his voice but to no avail."Ill miss you dude.." said his saddened friend a moment of silence before Xin stuck out his hand another awkward pause before his friend took hold of the invitation and Xin pulled his closest friend into a long and tight embrace. "You wont have to miss me long... I'll see you again." xin whispered before he let go and wobbled toward the direction that his friend knew as the direction to what was once his home.

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The crowed silently watched including the announcer while Xin removed his clean pale mask, while he held it in one hand he stretched both his arms out, put one leg behind the other and then he took a bow. "Hey cutie its been a while" The Announcer said softly through watery eyes, "Hey handsome I was in a tough place... can you forgive me?" asked Xin keeping his head down "You didn't tell me you were in town... you didn't send a notice or even-" The boy stopped himself from choking, Xin sunk his head lower. "Three years Xin..." said the unfaltering boy, tears freely flowing down his face. He addressed Xin again with more stability in his voice "Three years, you thought you were the only one who was hurt and never even tried to talked to me... you thought it'd be better if you distanced yourself didn't you? you thought that I would just move thinking you're an asshole? you... asshole!" He looked down at a shaking Xin still bowing trying his best not to show his oldest friend the sobbering child-like expression he was holding down. He put his gentle hand on Xin's shoulder "Ive already forgiven you Xin... you can forgive yourself now, idiot" Xin was on the verge of collapsing, he hadnt truly realized how lonely he was or how much he missed his only friend until now. Each word not only true; hit Xin harder than any sparing opponet had hit him before. He felt even worse realising at how quickly and effeciently he got read, it then truly expressed how close he was with someone. 

He was about to lift up his face to truly greet his friend when he realized the sobbering mess he was and quickly, but smoothly, put on his mask. "You know of course that I can see through that mask hotshot?" The Announcer said pecking the top of his mask and floating to the middle of the arena, wiping his own tears.

Reldon, visably stunned, was watching the whole situation unfold right in-front of him. dozens of thoughts overwhelmed him, all questions "How does he know The Announcer?!?!" "are They crying!?!?" "How did he make Them cry!?!?" "wait did they just kiss him?". All thoughts vanished when the sound of a faint but obvious call of a Battleblower initiated the beginning of the fight.

***

Battleblower: A mystical species on the planet Numina that always appears before a fight and makes a loud or quiet noise filled with bass depending on the intensity of the fight.

species danger: impossible to measure, one has never been captured, it's said to be a lost race capable of powers beyond mortal understanding

Tips: they are always there at every fight no matter when or where they will always be there

fun fact: common belief that catching one will grant you any wish

***

John stood with his legs spread shoulder-width apart and on hand open facing his opponent with the other up and to the side of his face in a fist. This stance was his Reldon family close combat technique perfected and adjusted for his families past present and future heirs. what this technique did not account for was when fighting someone who was far superior in physical strength. Xin launched at John with his hand out ready to grab him but john saw him and turned his foot back and slightly turned his waist and got ready to redirect the hit and counter attack, he was met with surprise when he felt a hand grab the back his knee and when he tried to adjust his stepping and the hand free with one of his hands; the moment he let his hand down the side of his face was impacted by a palm and for some reason he could see his pants before he realized that hand behind his knee had pulled his entire lower body up into the air while his upper body broke through the ground. John balled his fist and pounded the bottom of it into the ground, propelling him out of it and while in the air he turned his waist and brought his legs around to put some force into spin to try and punch Xin it was blocked and countered with Xin grabbing his arm and then sending John back with a bitch slap.

John caught his landing then dashed right for Xin thinking where to attack but Xin wasn't in a fighting stance thus it was hard to read him, john decided and got close to Xin. He pulled his arms up to his face as he got closer and with quick movements he brought his right leg back up and attempted a roundhouse in his side, he hit nothing as a gust of wind kicked up surrounding the dirt where an impact was supposed to be heard and seen. John the pulled back released a flurry of combos and even attempted to grapple Xin. While some were blocked and countered with a sharp and forceful push back from Xin; John kept going at it. 

The ground had been broken, even though shattered would have been a better description, and parts of it had been chaotically decorated across the entire arena. The sound of John's back connecting with the arena wall echoed through the silent audience as they watch john not be able to successfully land a single hit for 20 minutes. "ATTACK ME!" John demanded from Xin embarrassed and fueled with just plain rage from being played with by someone he had deemed arrogant and disrespectful. "JUST HIT ME!!" he yelled pulling out three more kicks and and managed to counter into, yet another, blocked hook. John wasn't okay with losing, not at this point, but this still was embarrassing.

"I've got to piss him off, throw him off his game, yeah that has to work" he thought dodging a jab starting to catch up with Xin's speed. "HEY' he shouted at Xin holding him there in a clench against both the back of their fore-arms, the ground breaking even more beneath them. "Hey that firey-bitch you play with at lunch?" he said to Xin with and uncomfortable amount of calm in his voice. "she's in the crowd right now, and after I beat your ass i'm gonna make her my personal errand girl" Xin made no difference in his expression while fighting (is what it had looked like) but it was close to half a second where the crowd blinked and John was in the floor and a huge wave of wind pushed past the audience and when the dust settled the audience saw John was in the floor. 

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Being in many schools all over the world because of his adopted mothers main source of income; Xin acquired life skills at a very young age like being able to adapt quickly in unfamiliar places without much to work with. He also picked up different cultures and different languages and it gave him a more personal perspective on everything that goes on naturally in his life. and of course that includes "school" environments.

One, he was unfortunately familiar with is the errand boy/girl system, it was an unfair and cruel social norm among the higher class students. having originated from the Southern cities, it is a common practice to have lower class students serve them. This can vary from bullying on and off campus and having their families targeted by the higher ups themselves when the children wouldn't comply to others just being paid school servants which is why the issue isn't looked at as intensely. The reports of someone being abused into an errand boy/girl were apparently on ratio of 300-1. Xin himself had never had to deal with the problem as it only existed with seventh through twelfth year of Future Guidance Learning and Practice or Fuuglap as people commonly called it on Numina (we would just call it school on Earth)

It was his 13th year when he had got to see the actual side of the errand boy/girl system. He hadn't made much of a name for himself other than as someone just no to fuck with. He had a few select friends he felt could trust at that time. He had known them since 10th year because their parents worked in the same department as their parents. They traveled the world together, they learned together and even trained together. They slept next to each other at time and even did dangerous "side quests" as they called them.

He had three or so friends two of them were Episkopos and one was of the Vasilias house. He himself was Pignus, the lowest house. Although he did live like an Episkopos, he still got the same backlash of stereotypes that his other leadas got.

***

Leadas: A term of kinship shared between those of the Pignus house.

Reason for its creation: due to the years of oppression, The Pignus house were told they would never be leader of this world and that those that descend from their house were never meant to lead. In kind, they returned the favor by calling each other leada or leadas signifying that no matter what anyone says, They are what they want to be and nobody can take that from them.

***

Their names were Sheto, Myra, and Hanrill or Handsome as the others called called him. The four kids didn't ever go to the same Fuuglaps together seeing as they had to attend different Fuuglaps due to their houses. Nothing could really stop them from seeing each other especially when most of them got their gifts the passing summer. "Oh come on Han why do I have to!? don't you like my nickname for you?" Xin asked with tease and a little bit of annoyance. "Nuh uh, you cant use that one you lost and have to face the consequences" replied Handsome playfully, "Now!" Hans exclaimed as he crept closer to 13 year old Xin. Hanrill's race produces a pheromone that releases a hormone that positively alerts the other senses of the other races. Now heres the kicker it makes him smell like fruit. "Sooooooo... whats my name Xin?" the petite boy say an inch away from his face. Xin sighed ans tried to turn and cough his smile away, "Fine... handsome..." Xin let out as if he was holding his breath, he was of course for obvious reasons. "Come on soldier boy, Whats my name?!?" he asked again this time his forehead against Xin's. "Fine you are Handsome" Xin said laughing his ass off. "Thats what I thought, now! what do we bet next?" Handsome said grinning and almost insidious grin. before Xin could even stutter out anymore halfwords; an a violent set bangs brought both Xin and Han to their feet. Han looked at the time, his phone read 12 o'clock, Xin's mom once told the group "if you're out past 10pm theres nothing for you to do but get in trouble". 

Han looked at Xin, Xin looked back, grabbed his pale mask and nodded, Han warped the space next to himself and went through the newly created space to appear right in front of the door he looked through the door and opened quickly and brought inside the girl laying on the front of Xin's porch. It was Myra, she was half-dressed wearing torn pajama pants specifically the ones she got that match the ones she also got for Sheto, and a basically see-through white undershirt. What brought Xin immidently back from panic was the bruises, they sat on her face and legs and her tears flowed over the sore looking marks on her face.

He looked at her laying on the floor of his home, beaten and swollen, Xin was scared, he was worried bout his friend, but he still needed to find out what happened. "Myra what the hell! what the hell happened to you!?" Xin more Demanded than asked the tired girl "Sheto..." she let out as if she had been holding his name in her mouth from wherever she was all the way until here. "Whats wrong! where is he? Is Sheto okay?!?" Han quickly asked looking at Xin and back at Myra. "no..." Myra relaxed, "Sheto did this" she said crying even more. Xin didnt want to overeact, "I mean accidents happen all the time, maybe they were training! yeah!! didn't they just breakthrough?! maybe he had some trouble getting his shit together." he thought to homself staring at his half naked friend. "Hans pass me the comforter please our bestriend has no cloths dude.." in a second hands dissapeared and reapeared with a big fluffy blanket and wrapped it around Myra. "What happened" Xin asked finally, Myra sat up and took in some air "He had... errand girls Xin... I didnt think much of it until I saw what he really had them around for..." She looked at him his face of shock confusion told her she would have to show him for him to understand. She grabbed his arm and shot multiple memories right into Xin's head. Han looked at his friends as for about five seconds he saw one of his most cherrished friend's eyes turn white and then back to normal. Then after about one whole minute Xin stood quiet he was shaking violently but it wasnt from fear. Myra broke the silence "I confronted him about it and he tried to.." she looked at Hanrill who had a profound admiration of Sheto, she looked at Xin unsure if she should tell him the rest fearing what he might say or do. She sighed touching Xin's arm again, This time, Xin, after he came back to, stood there with his hands balled he looked at Myra, she looked away, he looked at Hans, oh no not Hans, he was scared visably so, Xin had seen these expressions before and they brought him s much pain. He didnt know why but it was familiar to him and it horrified him. Xin was panicked, hurt, he felt betrayed by Sheto and how he could the kid that they grew up with do something on that level!? While they all sat in silence, Myra was almost falling out of consciousness and Hans is anxious and confused and Xin... Xin is thinking and the more he thinks the more pissed off he gets. He drops his pale mask, he stands straight up and looks at the door through his curly hair falling out of the bun he messily just made on his head. "Xin whats going on and what are you doing?" Hans asked Xin, Xin was surprised at Hans sudden calmness but responded "To go sort this out with the Vasillias trash that I invited into my mothers home" the words shot right into Hans like a hunting rifle unsure of how he should follow up. "Do you want help?" Asked the short haired boy with a more serious look on his glimmering face. Xin thought for a minute before responding to the question, "Only if i'm losing Handsome" he said promptly before bolting through the door.

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The audience watched as the boy who had just talked all that mess in the fight wind up face down having his own wine tasting with different minerals 3 feet below the arena's surface. Xin grabbed the back of Johns neck and picked him out of the ground like he just plucked a fresh veggie. He tossed him up slightly and punched straight through his gut. The crowd cheered as they watched the boy get pummeled for his words. What he had said to Xin was probably the worst set of words you could say to Xin and that was made obvious in his continues onslaught.

The crowd's cheers had stopped and the only sound that could be heard in the arena was the sound of limp meat being smashed all of the arena. The horrible echoes of impact, and the sound of multiple joints forcefully dislocating. Some watched with their eyes wide glued to what was happening, others covered their faces or or their mouths but regardless Xin pressed on. They watched Xin mercilessly break John and hear the boy scream in agony for ten minutes before he conceded the match. the crowd was in shock and there was brief moment where multiple sighs of relief could be heard thought the audience when the poor mess of a boy had admitted defeat. Xin looked out to the audience to see if he was still there but he wasn't after all its not his job to watch the matches. He looked on to see not very far from where he was, in the third row was a pretty girl around his age looking at him with no concern but with a strange type of awe in her eyes "the hell?" he thought to himself " Why isn't she looking at me like them" he wondered. He remembered a conversation he had with the girl not very long ago. It was about her brother and how John tried to court her because he is ill and unable to keep an eye on her or defend her. "she thinks I did it for her" Xin thought "Well technically I did" he stopped that train of thought from traveling very far."I've gotta go home, man i'm tired" he said aloud to himself before dashing off.

He got home, it was late, his mom was still working and he was home, he was home and alone.