"Riven.... No..... Hel...."
"Get out of the...."
Blood splattered over the walls, the whole place was painted red, and screeching could be heard.
"No... No, no, it can't end like this."
Riven thought to himself as he hid behind a wall with his arms over his head. He put on a terrified face, then he heard the screeching slowly fading away. He crawled from behind the wall and looked both ways, making sure that no one else was there, but as he did so, he stumbled upon a body. He stared down at it. Riven's face was frozen as he looked at it, but his tears moved like lightning as they rushed down his face. He silently whimpered and heard the screeching sounds get louder, but as he was about to move away, he was stuck. Riven quietly struggled to get out but couldn't. Then the screeching sounds got louder.
'Why?!'
Then it got louder than before.
'Why?!!'
Then he could feel a deep breath behind him.
'WHY!!!'
Immediately, Riven woke up from his sleep. He panted for a bit as he held his blanket. Then he calmed down as he looked around the room. He saw that his side of the room was illuminated by the light outside, but Reji's side, especially the ceiling, was totally dark, and he couldn't see a thing. He stared at it for a moment as he continued calming himself down.
"Good Morning."
Riven was startled by Reji's scary greeting from beside him and tried to punch him, but Reji caught it with his own fist.
"Don't do that! You almost gave me a heart attack."
Riven said as he looked at Reji.
"I wish that would happen."
Reji said calmly in his usual emotionless voice. He told him to get ready for classes today, but as he was about to leave, Riven stopped him by asking what happened during the training yesterday. Reji stopped for a split second and said,
"I accidentally blasted you and you were knocked out."
Riven wasn't sure of what happened but agreed with what he said. Then everyone arrived at the dining hall to eat. Riven looked around, seeing different groups eating together. Then he grabbed his food and sat down beside Reji.
"Hey, where's Kelly?"
Riven asked.
Then Reji pointed one of his fingers backwards. Then he saw Kelly approaching them. Riven waved and shouted,
"Hey, Kelly!"
Kelly approached their table and sat down with them.
"You don't have to shout."
She said as she looked at him.
Then he apologized to her as he patted her on the back. As they ate, Riven looked around and noticed the groups were small in number, and theirs was the smallest.
"Hey, why are the students here so few, and why are we even fewer?"
He asked.
"It's not normal to have Warriors. Only we can touch Cracks and Hazkes, but not everyone has the ability to do that. There are many reasons why, but it's quite possible to have a class of ten or more."
Reji answered.
".... And we're the smallest because we got an awful sensei."
Kelly said.
Riven said that their sensei didn't seem that bad. They had just gotten to know him, and they were already talking badly about him.
"Mr. Aozaki might be a sensei, but he doesn't act like one. Just yesterday, he was sleeping while we were training. Besides, we've heard stories about him being a sensei in other classes. No wonder they put him here."
Kelly said with a disappointed face.
Then Riven told them that if he was a failure and they had put him here, it meant that they were failures too. Reji and Kelly's eyes popped wide open like a cartoon when they realized why he was put with them.
The bell rang, and the students left the cafeteria. Kelly stood up and carried her bag. Then Riven saw some marks on Kelly's neck and hand. Reji stood up as well and left.
"What's wrong with Kelly?"
Riven asked as he thought about it.
The three changed into their outfits, then Reito walked into the room with a smile on his face.
"Good day, students. Hope you had a back-painful night yesterday?"
He said to them.
"I'm sure you all will master the act of stamina?"
He asked again, but no one answered him. Then he told them that they were going to learn strength and energy. He said that this lesson applied to every Warrior and could help in identifying a Resonance. Then he faced Riven, who was bending his head.
"How will this help with our Resonance?"
Kelly asked.
"Energy is both a Resonance and a physical requirement, regardless of the specific training needed. It's your foundation, the fundamental, and a Resonance."
Reito said seriously as he adjusted his dark glasses.
"And of course, strength must also be applied because you're all kinda weak and frail."
He said.
Then he clapped his hands together and said they could get started while putting on a big, cheeky smile.
The three stood before different objects. Reito Aozaki approached Reji and told him to carry the two paint buckets to the end of the room. Then, to Riven, he told him to carry the wooden table towards him. Then he told Kelly to carry the pot filled with water to the end of the room.
"Okay, begin!"
He said brightly.
"Excuse me, Aozaki Reito."
A voice from afar called out to Reito. He and the students turned to see who it was. They saw that it was the sensei Riven first met, along with his own students.
"Sensei Kai, good morning, sir."
Kelly greeted as she lightly bent her head down.
Sensei Kai looked at Kelly and bent down to her as well.
"They put you here? No wonder I haven't seen you lately. They put you in a very bad spot."
He said in disappointment.
Then he spotted Riven right beside her. He remembered what happened when he encountered him the first time. He hated the thought so much that he clenched his fist tightly, which was noticed by Reito.
"Hey..."
Reito said nicely.
Then he waved his hand in front of him and said,
"...Adult to way older adult, can you hear me?"
Sensei Kai faced him and said that he would like to speak with him alone for a moment. Reito agreed to speak with him, then he told his students to continue training until he came back.
The two left, leaving the three students alone.
"What do you think they're going to talk about?"
Riven asked.
"Maybe something about the school or how bad of a sensei he really is."
Kelly answered as she looked at Riven.
Riven told Kelly that their sensei wasn't that bad and was trying his best anyway, and that she was just underestimating him.
"Could you two be quiet? Your argument is clouded by different emotions here, and that doesn't make for a clear agreement, does it?"
Reji said.
The two stopped by the hall and started their discussion.
"I was told that two of your students were practicing at the garden yesterday."
Kai spoke.
Reito nodded in response.
"And the garden was found destroyed and burned, along with claw marks on the wall. No one else was there after they were there at the latest time before we found the place like that."
"I know it was one of your students, and I bet it's your new student. He destroyed my students' late-night practice area."
He said as he pointed his sharp finger at him.
Reito corrected him by saying that he mentioned two of his students, meaning that it might not have been him. Then he asked if he had full proof or any evidence of what happened, but when Kai heard this, he slightly lowered his finger and paused for a moment.
"You see, that's the thing. The incident happened, but you just assumed two of my students. You just assumed Riven was the one who did it, and you just assumed that I'd be quivering for a moment and let you cause my student some trouble."
Reito said with a calm but scary, truth-like voice. Then he smiled mischievously up close to his face and adjusted his glasses again. Then he faced the students and told them that he would fix the garden and warn his students not to train there, then made air quotes around what he said.
"But if there's one thing we both know... is that... that boy has something inhumane and non-Warrior-like in him."
Kai said.
But Reito just turned back and looked at him. Then he gave him a grim stare for a moment as Reito looked at him. Kai and his students gasped lightly. Kai looked a bit scared and stepped back a bit. Then Reito smiled brightly and said,
"...And next time, please don't bring your kids. They're too young for this."
"Run along now."
Then he smiled again and went back inside.
The three students stared as Reito Aozaki stepped inside with his hands in his pockets and his head faced down.
"What did he say, Mr. Aozaki?"
Riven asked.
Reito paused for a moment, then raised his head up high and answered,
"Well, it's just boring old sensei meetings along with some Warriors."
He put a funny frown on his face and said that he was looking forward to sleeping through the day.
"Alright then, let's continue the lesson."
Reito said.
"First, you will do it without your Resonance, and then after that, you use it."
He said.
Reji pulled up the two paint buckets and started walking slowly. Then he held them tightly and increased his speed a bit. Kelly picked up the pot and walked slowly towards the wall, but she noticed that the pot was hot and realized it was filled with hot water. She walked slowly so she wouldn't splash any on herself. As she walked, her legs started becoming wobbly.
"Okay, I won't kill myself. Let me set it down."
She thought.
But she tried to place it down, and her bruised and injured arm touched the pot.
"Ahh!"
She screamed for a bit and immediately closed her mouth. Riven ran towards her to know why she screamed.
"What's wrong, Kelly? Did you hurt yourself?"
Riven said with concern as he looked for an injury.
Kelly told him that she was fine and that she had just dropped the pot on her foot. Then Riven knelt on one knee and checked her feet to see if she was actually injured.
"Is it this one?"
He said as he pressed it a bit with his hands.
Kelly pretended to groan a bit with a fake reaction.
"Don't worry..."
Riven said as he continued bending down.
As Kelly looked at him, she saw how he cared for her. His hair, bent forward, made him look so damn fine. Then he raised his head a bit, his hair covering his eyes, but it was like his eyes sparkled right through it.
"Uh... Thank you, but I'm fine."
Kelly said as she stood him up.
Riven smiled at her once again and went back to his position. Kelly stared at her injury and saw the effect the hot water had on it.
After training and classes, Riven and Reji headed back to their rooms. As they both entered, they sat on their beds.
"Ugh 😫 training was brutal, and I didn't even get a spark of Energy Resonance."
Riven said as he laid down while putting a pillow on his face.
"None of us did. We barely got through class today."
Reji said.
Reji got a towel and wiped the sweat off his face. Then he drank some water. He told Riven that he was going to train some more, but Riven said he would join him. Reji turned back and looked at him, remembering the intense training he went through the last time. He closed his eyes for a bit and then told him to get ready and meet him in the training room.
Riven got up and drank some water. Then he tied his shoes.
"I need to learn at least one or two Resonances. I need to train myself to get better. I don't really know why I'm here or why they brought me here, but I'm gonna find out."
He thought.
But as Riven walked out of his room, he saw someone standing close to the door. The person wore the uniform, but his looked a bit rough and burnt after an incident. He was moving a sharp pencil around his hand.
"Hey man, you're Riven, right?"
The person asked.
But Riven just stared in surprise, then the guy slowly started walking towards him.
"I'm from Sensei Kai's class. So you're the new trash that stepped in and made a mess in my nighttime training area!"
The guy said.
Then he brought out his arm, and a bright and glowing green ball appeared in his hand.
Energy Ball.
Then he blasted it at Riven, but he narrowly dodged the attack, causing it to hit his room door and fall to the floor. Then the guy moved up close to him and said,
"What a performance you made out there... But after this, that performance will be something you wished you could do."
"Can't even take a blast at me."
Then he grabbed him by his hair and clutched his fist, ready to punch him. But before he could land his first punch on him, the lights started flickering. The two looked up to see the light bulb. In a fast moment, Riven saw a dark figure grab the guy and pull him down to the floor. The guy groaned as he curled up, then the dark figure immediately jumped off him. But when Riven looked at him, he saw the guy shaking his hands uncontrollably.
"Let him go, you jobless boy."
A voice said with a cold-hearted voice.
The two looked and saw it was Reji as he appeared from the dark, and the lights were back to normal.
"You do know that bullying, especially violence against other students aside from training, is bad, right?"
Reji said as he looked at him.
The guy held his arm and struggled to stand up.
"Oh, it's the emotionless telepath."
The guy said as he faced Reji.
"I always knew you were the brawn without the brains, but I see that maybe the two fluctuate."
Reji said.
The guy came close to Riven and said that he would come and get him, then he left.
"Who was that guy?"
Riven asked.
"That's Duy."
"He's one of Sensei Kai's students, and he's one of the top students."
Reji answered.
"But I don't understand what I did to him. I don't remember trashing anywhere."
Riven thought as he put his finger on his chin.
Reji told him that he shouldn't let someone like Duy get to him and that he shouldn't be bothered by him.
"Let's go, Riven."
He said in a cold but dead tone.
Yeesh! Reji always sounds dead and emotionless, but maybe I shouldn't be bothered by him.
Riven thought.
Later, both of them were through with training and ready to pack up. Reji walked to Riven, who was panting as he sat on the floor.
"I'll go ahead, but you did very well this time. I'll help you find your Resonance."
He said.
"Huh? How? Doesn't seem like I've made much effort at anything lately."
Riven responded as he looked at him.
"Yes, but know this: Energy is the most basic and most helpful Resonance. If you can't do Energy Resonance, then you can't do it at all."
Reji explained as he sat down with him.
"So what you're saying is, if I can't resonate any energy or have it, I wouldn't be able to get any?"
He asked for clarification.
Then Reji nodded in approval of what he said.
"Even little Warriors in training can try to make a tiny Energy Ball. So you have to start with that."
He said.
Reji stood up and carried his bag, then he laid his hand on Riven's shoulder and said,
"I'll go now. See you inside."
Then he left.
But when Reji removed his hand, Riven's shoulder suddenly became extremely cold.
"His hands are really cold."
He thought.
Riven walked along the halls and went outside and was looking at the school before stepping into the dorms.
Cling clang.
Riven heard something coming his way. He looked to see what it was. He looked and saw it was Kelly; she moved in a very suspicious way. Riven quickly hid behind a door as she came his way.
Kelly paused for a moment and brought her finger up, drawing a circle in the air. Then a portal opened up. She looked both ways, making sure no one was there, then she walked in.
Riven saw that the portal was closing quickly.
"I want to know where she's been going and why she keeps coming back all bruised up."
Riven quietly said to himself.
Right before the portal closed, Riven jumped in immediately.
To be continued...