The history class ended soon after and was followed by some independent study time until lunch. These two hours, between 11am and 1pm, would be used by students at their discretion to catch up on studies or practice combat.
Markus had made quite an impression with his return and Jack did not forget that he was made to look like a fool in front of the teacher. As such, he wanted to reminisce with Markus and remind him that there are consequences to his actions. As someone related to the Crimson lineage, he had a deep pride that needed to be protected.
When Markus left the classroom, Jack and his group, two other boys named Gin and York, approached him from behind. They were taller, all at about 150cm and whilst Gin and York had black hair, like Markus, symbolising mundane origins, Jack had short crimson hair, indicating that he had a link to the Crimson dutchy.
Gin grabbed Markus' shoulder.
"Hold on fartwave. Where are you going so quickly?" he said, firmly clutching Markus' shoulder.
Markus instantly recalled his past.
In one misfortune day, Markus and Gin had been paired up as adversaries for combat class. Markus, infected as he was, still tried to release even the most basic attack and only a weak wind came out.
The other boy cleverly said that the wind from his farts was more potent and began to call Markus 'fartwave'.
"What do you want?" Markus said, not turning around to look but his body tensing him.
"Look at me when I am talking to you fartwave!" Gin said, pulling Markus back and throwing his back against the wall.
The impact, although not strong, struck his bruised back which made his body jolt with pain, audibly wincing.
"HA- still the same wimpy and weak guy you always were!" Gin laughed at him.
Jack then faced Markus and pushed his palm against his chest, right where Markus himself had earlier blasted himself with the wind to escape Bailey's attack, sending another painful signal through his body. Not only did that hurt but he was pushed with his bruised back against the wall, driving him mad with pain.
"You think you can just make me lose face with the teacher and get away with it orphan boy? Huh!" he said as he slapped Markus across the face so hard there was an echo.
"I get that you are angry but maybe hold back on–" the voice tried to reason with him but it was pointless.
Essence shot through Markus' body like lightning and he moved with such precision and speed that in one moment he was grabbing Jack's shirt collar and in the next moment his fist, protected by a shell struck the bully in the jaw so hard that he was knocked out cold.
The other two boys were briefly stunned and then outraged, conjuring attacks however Markus was flying off the rails. He merely raised both his palms in their respective directions and simultaneously released two wind blasts which sent the boys flying and tumbling across the halls and into different walls.
Although it was violent and ugly, Markus finally felt something new. The feeling of power. Being powerful over others felt good- especially when they had wronged you in the past and present. It changed the trajectory of the future.
However, his euphoric sense for power was cut short.
Soon, a stone user of the expert rank came after sensing and hearing the commotion. He wore a combat suit which clearly had a badge labelled 'Safeguard Officer'.
'Uhoh- ' Markus thought before considering if he should run but considering he pulled this stunt in front of a couple of dozen people scattered in the hall from other classes- he was done for anyway.
"...what in the world happened here–" the officer asked. He was tall, 180cm and had brown hair and brown eyes. He was quite well built but more on the lean side.
Within half an hour, the three boys were in the infirmary and Markus was sat face to face with Headmistress Charlotte Windbourne in her office, with the safeguarding officer, a man in his late 20s by the name of Patrick, sat with his back to the door and watching Markus.
"Leave us, Patrick. Markus is going to behave himself. Is that not right?" she asked, malicious intent seeping through her tone like venom.
"Y-yes ma'am." Markus replied.
Patrick shook his head and left, closing the oversized wooden door behind him.
"Care to explain?" she began.
"Yes kid- please explain to us why you are acting like a complete idiot with no self control. She is going to grill you alive right now." the voice scolded him and warned him at the same time.
"Uhhh- Jack cursed Mr Scrouge's class by asking who the hell I am. My Scrouge caught him and probably had a word- I was not really paying attention. Then after class, him and his buddies yanked me back by the shoulder, threw me against the wall and roughed me up. I responded in kind–" he said before a knock came from the door.
An assistant nurse came to deliver the report on the injuries of the three boys. And then left.
"Responded in kind you say? Jack has a broken jaw and won't be able to eat solid food for weeks now. Gin and York have fractured bones and substantial lacerations on their bodies, which will also take weeks to heal. Meanwhile, it looks to me like you have a red mark on your right cheek, presumably from a slap." she noted with an icy voice.
"Well- I-" he tried to say something but nothing much came to mind.
"From some student reports, you were yanked back and pushed against the wall. Then pushed against your chest and then slapped. Also they called you an orphan." she summarised coldly.
A cold look appeared in Markus' eyes.
"Their pushing was against my bruises. I really tried to remain calm and not engage them but I was hurt, outnumbered and insulted. I maybe went too far- but my actions did not come unprompted. Also I do not recall you ever calling them for a meeting when I was getting bruised- must be convenient to belong to a group that can hold some power." he said, scoffing at the situation.
"I do not recall you ever reporting it." she replied.
"They did not report this either but here I am anyway. Funny isn't it?" he said.
"I do not appreciate your tone, Markus Windwave. I suggest you change it. It seems your instructor's traits rubbed off on you. Rash, violent and ignorant of the hierarchy. You are not my peer to retort to me like this." she said, the tension in the room increasing by the second.
'I would say that she's changing the topic but I barely survived one elite's attacks today. I do not plan to try to survive against a second- " he thought to himself, accepting another defeat and growing increasingly upset about his weakness.
"I'm… sorry. I did not intend to offend you." he said through gritted teeth.
"Thank you. Now you will apologize to the boys and then go to your 1pm lesson."
"But I'm not even the one who—" he tried to protest, standing up outraged. However as quickly as he stood up…
'What is this! I- I c-can't breathe! AIR- I NEED AIR' he shouted inwardly but he was at her mercy.
A massive force pushed him down on all fours and air seemed to become a scarce existence. It was as if air itself had been withdrawn- or rather a barrier around his mouth and nose had been placed.
"You will do as you are told and that will be the end of the matter. Should you continue to protest, further disciplinary action will be taken."
As she spoke, the pressure eased and he was now able to breathe.
Markus greedily breathed in, as if he had been held underwater for hours instead of moments.
A deep seed of hatred had been sowed within his soul that day. Hatred toward his own weakness. Weakness which forced him to bend to the will of others.
He got up and left.
Went to the infirmary and apologised, although nobody appreciated or cared.
Despite everything he had done and all his progress, it became clear that there was always bigger fish. He had grown more powerful than these entitled boys but could never measure up to a master in his current state. He needed to grow.
Moreover, he was going to face consequences for these actions. Jake was the son of a Viscount, thus, politics came into play and Markus was a liability for the academy. Thus, he'd need to prove he was an asset to the academy to remain. Thankfully, he still had time to prove this.
And then went to his 1pm class. Combat training- and it was just convenient that Markus would need to be reassessed and receive training from a teacher with wind powers.