Zane had no idea what kind of wildfire his little "warm-up" had caused.
While half the academy was sprinting around screaming that a student beat a teacher, Zane was in his dorm… sitting on his bed, staring at his hoodie like someone betrayed him.
The poor hoodie was destroyed — sleeves torn, burn marks on the edges, one side practically shredded open.
To Zane, this was the real tragedy.
He poked a hole in the sleeve and sighed.
Zane: "You were supposed to stay with me till graduation…"
His shadow wriggled on the floor, almost like it was judging him for caring more about clothing than the fact he almost got crushed by a mid-expert teacher.
Zane: "Don't look at me like that. I liked this hoodie."
He tossed it aside dramatically and grabbed another black one from his closet.
He had like ten. All black. All identical.
Nobody even knew if he washed them or if they just respawned.
He pulled the fresh one on, tied the hood strings, and flopped back onto his bed. His shadow curled under him like a living cushion.
Despite the chaos of the fight, he didn't feel tired.
In fact… his body felt better than before.
He could feel energy humming inside his muscles, like everything had strengthened while he was distracted being annoyed about clothing.
The door suddenly slammed open.
Asher (out of breath): "BRO—WHAT—DO—YOU—MEAN—YOU FOUGHT A TEACHER?!"
Zane blinked once.
Zane: "...I literally just got here."
Asher stood at the door, panting like he sprinted across the continent.
Asher: "The entire school is talking about you! You beat a mid-expert! You threw her across the arena! She flew, Zane. She flew."
Zane: "More like… glided. With momentum."
Asher pointed aggressively.
"This is why people think you're scary."
Before Zane could reply, Luna, Mira, and Celeste showed up behind Asher — all three looking like they just finished arguing with half the school.
Luna: "Everyone outside is saying you used some forbidden technique!"
Mira: "One guy swore he saw black lightning leave your leg—"
Celeste: "And three freshmen are claiming you ate a magic stone before the fight."
Zane stared at them.
Zane: "…Who starts these things?"
Asher:** "You."
Zane: "Me?"
Asher: "Yes. Because you refuse to act like a normal person!"
He dramatically pointed at the new hoodie.
Asher: "…Also why do you have another one?"
Zane: "Backup."
Luna: "How many backups?"
Zane: "...yes."
They sighed.
Eventually, the room calmed down.
Asher dropped into a chair.
Celeste leaned on the desk.
Mira sat cross-legged on the floor.
Luna crossed her arms, studying Zane closely.
His injuries — the ones everyone saw earlier — were practically gone.
Only faint bruises remained, and even those were fading.
Mira whispered quietly.
Mira: "Zane… how are you healing that fast?"
Zane: "I sleep well."
Celeste narrowed her eyes.
Luna raised a brow.
Asher threw a pillow at him.
Asher: "You do NOT sleep well. You sleep like a possessed cat."
Zane just smirked.
But on the inside, he was thinking about something else — something only he and his shadow understood.
During the fight, something inside him felt like it snapped open.
More power. More control.
His shadow wasn't just reacting anymore — it was moving with him.
Something had changed.
But instead of concentrating on deep revelations, Zane's brain returned to the real crisis:
Zane: "…Still need to fix that hoodie."
Everyone stared at him.
Asher: "You terrify me."