CH #8 - The Impending Threat

"Ace and seven. Pretty poor luck." Cast spoke, smiling a little, even though he wasn't very close to winning that game he'd just created.

He then removed the two cards he had taken from the spread pile that was located on the three joined tables. All of that was made for the three of them to spend their time somewhere else other than that dark, wet and abandoned ruin.

"My turn."

Lira pulled out two cards, then sighed in disappointment as she realized she hadn't gotten much better luck than Cast. In a swift movement, she revealed the cards to everyone.

"Two and four."

"Well, according to the rules, I guess it's my turn now."

Ryan picked two random cards, also becoming a little frustrated with his own result.

"Ace and four. That was quite close."

At that moment the lunch break was happening. All the students but those three had left the classroom, all choosing to stay due to understanding they didn't need to worry about something as futile as the rules the place established. Cast, Lira and Ryan entertained themselves with a very simple game as they talked. The three joined their wooden tables and distributed several playing cards around the space. The goal of the game was simply to get two "ace" cards regardless of their group. At each turn, the cards were to be removed from the field and shuffled, only to restart the game until there was a winner.

"Staying here when no one else can is kinda cool." Cast declared, taking all the cards. "It gives a sense that we can do anything… That is the truth, by the way."

"Although I don't think we should be here... I think I have to agree with that."

Ryan looked around the room. It was clear that the young man felt a little uneasy about breaking a rule, but he decided to continue because the boy thought that perhaps the sense of freedom would, hopefully, grow in him given some time.

Cast stated that there was nothing to worry about, as he and Lira, even before his arrival, had developed their own methods to get hold of the space when access to it was forbidden. Considering what the Cravache said, the two were never punished.

"And there's always that, Ryan." He started. "If anyone comes in, I take them down in a kick and you erase the memories. It is that simple."

"Eh... That seems to be convenient..." Ryan swallowed his saliva.

Even though he was a teenager with super powers — and especially one who didn't strictly follow the laws — Ryan still didn't want having to use unnecessary violence against anyone that didn't deserve it.

As anyone in his place would, he undoubtedly stole a packet or two of snacks, or even more than that, but the boy never thought of having to seriously injure or kill someone using those abilities.

The thought of it was what most generated this feeling of impending anxiety that rose, climbing up his throat. He wasn't anxious about it and even less wanted being forced to cause real damage to another human being.

At the end of that turn, Cast has taken all the cards, one by one, and putting them together in a pile, shuffled them. He took advantage of the situation to continue the conversation they had previously.

"I don't know about you guys, but these last three days since we've met have been pretty quiet… And I'm not just talking about school — I'm talking about the whole town. There were no strange deaths or disappearances... And that leaves me with a strange kind of itch, if you get what I mean."

Ryan thought about it. Cast was absolutely right. The last few days had been too ordinary, and he shared the other's feelings. Ryan also believed that the lull would not last as long.

It was like thinking of the "calm before the storm" logic. An overwhelming event always occurs in a period of peace — an instant when no one is prepared for what fate has in store.

He finished shuffling, and spread the cards face down across the table, pulling out two cards.

"Three and eight. Not good once again. What is happening to my luck today?"

Lira appeared to be distant in thought, and everyone there could quite easily see that. She continually looked out the classroom window, watching the sky thick with its clouds. A worried expression resided on her face.

It was the first time Ryan had witnessed any expression other than the common analytical solidity that had already become the standard for determining the girl's mood. Seeing Lira worried didn't generate a good sign.

As much as she didn't want to show it, the Suzuki also lived the same as the other two. However, said feeling was mixed with others. Her mind looked turbulent, like a vortex of memories, sensations, emotions and many other things that only the girl herself could understand.

Cast looked at her casually. He then moved his hand closer to hers, enveloping it in a tight, secure grip. Such action made Lira react with surprise. She didn't expect to receive that kind of care.

However, unlike the other times he tried something with the intention of joking, Lira didn't reject him, nor did she react negatively to the gesture. A contrast set in there, displaying a Cast truly aware of her need for support.

Ryan took note of that scenario, as well as a piece of the relationship these two had. That single legitimate gesture alone had been more than enough to make him once again see the reality of the facts.

"So I'm just a side character, huh?"

That made the Savoia smile inside. He already knew what he needed to do next.

Cast, for his part, let himself say everything the girl needed to hear.

"Relax, okay? You are not going to Washington. This is just a threat from that guy who pretends to be your father. We're going to do something about it. For now, goal is to avoid thinking about it, right?"

He didn't want to lie. For Cravache, none of those words were any kind of deception or remotely impossible to bring to life. As far as he was concerned, the young man could do anything to help her.

They looked at each other in a very private moment, almost as if there was another dimension, where only the two of them existed.

Ryan turned his head away. He knew it had nothing to do with him. That situation was something the two should converse with each other, meaning no questions or interruptions.

"Nothing will happen. If he tries, we'll do something. He's not going to run your life, since you're the only one who runs it. In case of anything, you can talk to me, and I'll teach the guy a lesson."

After a while, things got back to normal again. Cast managed to convince the girl that nothing was going to happen. Cast could to be a very inspiring figure and able to generate a sense of security, and that trait was appreciated in a real leader.

"He's really amazing." Ryan thought, taking a note of everything, and even comparing himself to Cast. The truth was, being around the Cravache made him feel almost incompetent. "I really have a lot I need to change."

Lira drew two cards. It was her turn, after all.

"Oh... Ace of Spades and Ace of Diamonds... I won!"

Cast smiled kindly, pointing at her.

"You see? Everything gets better! We'll make it better too."

A heartwarming moment. Ryan felt in the wrong place being there, disrupting their interaction. He got up, since after all Lira had won the game, there was nothing else to do. He cracked his neck bones twice and prepared to make his way out of the room. It would be better to leave the two to themselves.

"Where are you going?" Cast asked, stopping to rearrange the cards. "Feeling guilty about being here? It's like I said... Relax and live a little man! Nobody will come here!"

"It's not that. I think I'm just going to take a walk upstairs here. I don't know that much of the school, so it would be good." Ryan responded, creating a perfect excuse to leave the room.

"Ah, I get it. But make sure you won't go around too much, or someone might end up seeing you anyway, so all our efforts could be fruitless." Cast pointed his index finger at him before finishing. "Avoid the left sector of the building. The messy folks usually stay there."

"Right. Avoid the left sector. I understood." Ryan confirmed. "Well, here I go. I don't think it will take me long to arrive."

The fact is that he wanted to leave the two of them alone. Ryan left the room, looking left and side the hall. The place was surprisingly empty compared to yesterday. That part of school used to be a lot more vivid in people, according to Cast. It was even a little strange that everything was so quiet.

"I don't remember this place being so empty..." He thought, looking and taking in the surroundings.

The whole hallway was almost abnormal in nature, as if it were an alternate version in another universe of that same corridor that for him had already become part of the daily ordinary.

The lighting was turned off, leaving the role of illuminating the corridors to the glass windows, which in themselves are not very efficient at the task, given the cloudy sky, covered by thick dark clouds, which threatened to pour angrily all over the town.

That fact was odd, considering how close to a hot summer the place was approaching next month, given it was a cold, dreary day, unlike the bright, pleasant sun that had taken over the skies early on.

Other than that, there wasn't a single living soul in that place, with the boy himself existing as the only exception. The walls were lined with advertisements about supplementary classes and small elective courses that took place during extracurricular hours, right at the end of the day.

Still, bizarre as the atmosphere was, it was a perfect time to think about all the events and discoveries of the past few days.

He walked a few steps towards an open window. There, on the ground, walking around campus, Ryan could see the happiness of the local students, who played basketball and ran around with rugby balls. For a moment, he enjoyed the way each of them, in their shared universes, existed unaware of the newest danger that surrounded everything.

At least now, Ryan has learned about Lira's ability. The power to manipulate emotions was quite surprising and, in some ways, similar to his own. Even with this similarity, the two clashed considerably when considering other aspects, such as range.

There must be some kind of general rule for the fact that each person has a different and very unique skill. It wasn't any kind of surprise, after all, everyone is different. However, the question arose as to what exactly would lead a person to possess a specific power.

Why does Cast use illusions and Lira emotions? Why isn't it the other way around? Why isn't it different?

And above all, why was Ryan's ability associated with memories when he lost his own five years ago?

None of it seemed to make any sense, no matter how much or how deeply he tried to think.

Pulling back into his seat, he let his gaze drift toward a distant tree, at the farthest point on the horizon that his eyes could detect. Just behind the tree in question, presenting itself with the optical illusion of being closer, a cloud of white smoke climbed its way up in the sky.

That was not a fire and he knew it, so he was unconcerned.

That smoke, however, reminded him of all those thoughts that had always eluded him so often, and which each time seemed more and more confusing each time he closed his eyes.

Since waking up from his coma, without any memories of his life before the age of twelve, the boy has witnessed recurring dreams.

Over time, Ryan came to accept that these were the remnants of some memories that hadn't been perfectly erased by amnesia — a mere remnant of what he used to be.

All he knew was that he was in a cold place, as he could feel the pressure of an icy wind rushing over his skin. In this dream, always so dark, he saw undefined humanoid forms that always seemed to talk to each other; something about him.

It was a dialogue about confusing topics, but which strangely managed to make sense that he didn't quite understand — the young man just "knew he knew" — so to speak. Ordinarily, that dream could be compared to the programming of a computer or robot.

He thought about those sentences, and his lips immediately completed them.

"Overcome or suffer... Strong and weak... The fittest, and the one doomed to disappear..." He said, looking away beyond the window.

They were dreams about adaptation, which talked about how what survives would always be the one that best surrendered to the new conditions and accepted the changes. Dreams that mixed fall with triumph in a natural way.

... ... ...

The sound of breaking glass was heard in the distance. Ryan was immediately taken out of his thought cycle by that noise.

"But what was that?!" He was alarmed, turning back in anticipation of seeing something.

But there was nothing. The sound had echoed all the way around as it emerged from somewhere else, a place that Ryan felt wasn't that far away from.

The sound of screaming was heard shortly thereafter. It was not far from where he currently was.

He had heard more clearly. The room was really too close. The feeling that an immense calamity being present was taking place filled Savoia's entire body.

"So my suspicions were really true... It wouldn't be long before something else happened around here...!"

The fact that no one had so far shown up to help indicated that those screaming people were the only ones besides Ryan in that part of the building. He soon assumed that it would not be unusual for there to be other small groups in that part of the building, who had developed their own methods of breaking security and being able to relax in a space all to themselves.

Should he call Cast and Lira? No. They were too far away. Ryan decided to run alone towards the noise.

Not to mention the sound was so close. Not running there and going back to the room they were both in was counterproductive, especially considering that immense danger could be there, and that the people were clearly suffering.

"Ah, but what the hell...! I go there by myself!"

As he ran, he thought again of the symbolism behind those expressions. In fact, he couldn't get those words out of his head whenever he dreamed of them. Who were the people talking about such strange and oddly specific topics in the dream? Why was the same dream so constant?

... And above all, what did it have to do with his current situation?

The classroom door was violently ripped to a mess by something. Several small holes crisscrossed the white-painted wood, as if rifle bullets as big as a pen had been fired at it.

"But what...!"

Ryan shivered at the sight of the utterly ruined state of the structure, which could collapse with just a mere touch.

But that wasn't by far the worst part. Trying to reach for the door, the Savoia thought of the screams he had heard earlier, and the reason why they had stopped so suddenly.

"Please let my thoughts not be the truth..." He asked, mentally.

He opened the door without thinking, facing a scene that in two or three minutes in the past he never imagined he would see, or did not want to accept.

The classroom was something that roughly resembled a war zone. Holes everywhere, chairs and tables thrown to the floor and broken, school supplies spilled all over the place, books full of holes, and students bent over, a few crying and begging for their lives.

In said composition, there was something that caught the most of Ryan's attention.

"It has to be a lie... Please let this be a lie..." Ryan felt a unique kind of despair as he noticed that factor that filled the room.

As soon as he entered the room, he understood why everyone had stopped screaming and begging for help, and why those who were still crying were doing it in such a repressed way.

It was the smell of blood that permeated the air.

... ... ...

A lone figure stood in the gloom caused by the destroyed lamps, with only the light from the window allowing the outlines of his body to be seen.

Blond hair. That was a delinquent.

"Another one came, huh?" He said, spoke, seeming unconcerned.

A guy. The sound of his voice was typical of a delinquent. The way he stretched the words as they came out was everything Ryan needed to know.

Ryan swallowed, shivering in place. Hesitantly, he shifted his gaze to the left side, seeing that mark on the ground that grew, fluid, every second.

"What the hell did you do...?"

Ryan's voice cracked a little more with each word, clenching his fist more and more out of control.

He laughed. The intruder was certainly brave. It wasn't the one he was looking for, but still, one that could bring him some good seconds of fun.

"I was just having a little fun... And now you're here... Want to see what I can do?"

He then raised his hand. Two lights appeared in midair, both being his eyes, a pair of twinkling blue sparkles like Christmas lights.

Immediately, objects on the ground reacted almost magically. Pencils, pens, erasers, and other school supplies floated in the air next to him.

"I think you better run."

Ryan dodged at the last second, fleeing behind the door outside the room. Objects were hurled against the far wall, quick as bullets, and he could only watch as those things punched deep holes in the wood as they came into contact with it.

"Hey… Answer my damn question…" Ryan tried to contain himself as best he could, taking deep breaths.

There wasn't much time to think. Several of them could still be alive and suffering from the pain, their lives in acute danger at that very moment. He rose and showed up quickly, preparing for combat.

"Tell me what the hell you did...!"

Ryan's enraged scream echoed like the sound of lightning from all sides of the room, generating a smile in response from his apparent enemy.

Dyed blond hair and brown eyes, a reasonably built physique and an expression of someone who was really enjoying the moment. The left hand on his waist indicated the lack of care and empathy for the condition of others. He didn't need to worry about much.

"Aren't you going to turn back screaming and run away now that you've seen their state?" He questioned, simply.

Ryan's inner fury soared to astronomical levels as he received confirmation by that sentence that the boy was truly responsible for this. Seeing someone who treated other people's lives that way was impossible for the Savoia to accept.

He wouldn't run. Ryan had no way of turning back, not after hearing those screams.

And most of all, it wasn't like he wanted to back down after seeing that cruel impossibility happen right before his eyes.

He laughed again. A soft, heatless laugh; something weak and devoid of emotion. The delinquent then raised his hand. The thumbtacks that held the bulletin boards on the walls were drawn, all towards him. The boy was able to manipulate the placement of each object in the air, pointing the tips of the small nails at Ryan.

"Alright. If you don't want to, I'll make you run away myself!"

He yelled, and the tacks in the air were hurled at great speeds toward Ryan.

"I won't run away before making you pay… You sick maniac...!"

What he feared most came to pass: people with the poorest intentions were having a grasp of those superpowers somehow.

From there, would start a battle that surpassed the limits of the physical. The clash between the two students had turned into something almost ideological, and that was readily felt by Ryan in his heart the instant the carefree smile of that delinquent was witnessed.

He has set himself a task — To stop that killer, whatever the cost.